(2) As Always, Someone Quietly Steps Forward, The Sole Resistance (2)

With his armor removed, Officer Hoang was wearing a police uniform.

Such an attire was like a ray of dawn in the apocalypse.

If one were to describe Officer Hoang in a single sentence, it would be...

Darkness envelops all things, and I am the last ray of dawn within that darkness, shattering the gloom with thunder.

A dawn walking through the various corners of the apocalypse.

Advancing through the night, seeking out citizens trapped deep in the darkness, pulling them out from the gloom. This was also Officer Hoang's will.

Lam Pham took out the armor and the crystals.

Twenty white crystals.

Clank! Clank!

He slammed the crystals onto the armor, letting it absorb their power. As they were reinforced, faint glows flickered across the armor's surface, making it appear even more dazzling.

"What is this?" Old Wang asked doubtfully.

Lam Pham explained, "These are crystals from inside zombies' heads. Crystals can enhance an Awakened one's abilities, and they can also enhance the capabilities of armor. Only with reinforced armor can Officer Hoang be better protected. It's alright that you don't know. When you return to the Sunshine Shelter, I'll show you the Zombie Illustrated Handbook. After reading that, you'll understand."

He had been distributing the Zombie Illustrated Handbook for a long time.

He didn't even know how many copies had been given out.

But even so, there were still many people who hadn't received one.

One could only say the territory was truly vast.

If this were some tiny, cramped place, everyone would have likely had a copy long ago.

The words Lam Pham spoke were like opening the door to a new world for them.

Awakened ones?

Crystals?

These were things they had never heard of.

They didn't ask further, standing obediently to the side and watching.

White, black, light yellow, gold, red, brown. Officer Hoang's evolutionary stage was very high, perhaps the strongest zombie just below a fusion-type. This set of Armor 2.0 had also been reinforced to its limit.

If not for the lack of multicolored crystals.

He would have loved to fiercely slam twenty multicolored crystals onto the armor.

With the reinforcement reaching the sixth stage.

This set of armor was no longer what it once was. Looking closely, its shimmering light was brilliant. A single glance told you this was no ordinary armor.

"Officer Hoang, with this armor's reinforcement, your safety can be better guaranteed."

Lam Pham helped Officer Hoang put on the armor.

"Oh," Officer Hoang said.

Lam Pham said in pleasant surprise, "Officer Hoang, you're talking to me! Can you say a few more words to me?"

"NO."

"Officer Hoang, let's speak Chinese." "Không."

Lam Pham: "..."

Clad in this set of armor, Officer Hoang appeared even more majestic, even more dashing. Anyone who saw him would have to give a thumbs-up.

However, at that moment.

Officer Hoang looked towards a distant slope, his gaze fixed, not moving an inch.

Lam Pham followed Officer Hoang's gaze. To the others, they wouldn't know what was there, but Lam Pham could sense it. There were quite a few survivors there.

"You can come out. We know you're there. Don't worry, we're not bad people," Lam Pham shouted towards the figures hiding at the corner of the slope.

It was just a bit strange.

It seemed that no one ever admitted to being a bad person; they usually liked to say they were good people.

At that moment.

From the corner of the slope.

More than a dozen fully-armed survivors suddenly appeared. They were well-dressed, with grenades at their waists and M95 automatic rifles in their hands, hunkered down and staring at Lam Pham's group.

One of them, who appeared to be the leader, frowned slightly. They had hidden themselves very well, not making a single sound, yet they had been discovered.

Faced with the other party's call.

They ignored it.

But just then, they saw the human who had spoken actually walking towards them.

"Captain, what do we do?" a soldier asked.

The surrounding soldiers all tightened their grips on their rifles.

They were a little tense.

The apocalypse was very dangerous now; this applied to both humans and zombies.

Hoc Phan pondered. Seeing the man get closer and closer, about to reach the slope, he stood up directly, pulled the trigger, and a bullet struck the ground in front of Lam Pham. Yellow sand splattered, serving as a warning. "Stop! Don't move." Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The dozen or so soldiers all raised their guns, ready for a fight.

Lam Pham smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, I have no ill intentions. I just sensed you were here and came to have a look. I know you have many questions in your hearts, but let me introduce myself first. My name is Lam Pham, from the Sunshine Shelter in Hoang City. I wonder if you have ever seen the Zombie Illustrated Handbook."

Hoc Phan stared gravely at the mysterious survivor carrying a sword on his back.

He hadn't expected the other man to be so courageous.

He wasn't the least bit panicked upon seeing their fully armed group.

Instead, he was calmly chatting with them.

This was beyond their expectations.

"I don't know what this Zombie Illustrated Handbook you speak of is, but don't move. We heard the broadcast and came here specifically to check on the situation. We want to know what exactly is going on inside?"

When Hoc Phan heard the broadcast, he wanted to lead his men over to see, suspecting something was wrong.

In these times, out of ten shelters, eight had problems.

Lam Pham said, "That was a human collaborating with zombies, luring survivors here to be killed. But it's no longer a problem now. The situation inside has been resolved by us. Those few are the survivors we rescued. We were about to lead them away when we noticed you had arrived."

He spoke the truth, without a single shred of falsehood.

He was simply being honest.

He could sense that the people before him were not as bad as he had imagined. On the contrary, they were worthy of trust. So he wanted to communicate well with them, hoping to learn more.

Hoc Phan still hadn't let down his guard.

He would not so easily trust people in the apocalypse, especially survivors who had made it this far. How many of them could be simple?

Their cunning was likely deeper than the abyss.

Seeing the other party remain silent, his eyes still filled with suspicion.

Lam Pham knew the other party still doubted him.

This was a very normal thing.

If one rashly trusted others, it was easy for things to go wrong.

Alright then.

There was only one way to do this.

Lam Pham raised his hand, gripped the hilt of Frostmourne, and slowly drew it.

Bang!

"What do you think you're doing?"

Hoc Phan fired a warning shot, afraid the other man would make some unfriendly move. He could only fire a shot to warn him, to make him stop such a foolish act.

"Don't be nervous, I really have no ill will. I just want you to understand that I truly mean you no harm. Look..." As soon as he finished speaking.

Lam Pham casually swung his sword to the side. In an instant, a beam of sword energy, like a raging dragon, swept out, and the sand-covered earth was suddenly split by a wide chasm.

Sand poured down into the deep fissure.

This chasm stretched on, heading far into the distance, until it vanished from everyone's sight.

In an instant.

Time seemed to freeze.

The world fell particularly silent.

Everyone's jaws dropped, staring wide-eyed and dumbfounded into the distance.

The ground, which had been perfectly fine just a moment ago, had been cleaved open by a single sword strike. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would have never believed it. This had even surpassed their understanding of reality.

In their perception.

It was impossible for anyone to achieve such a feat.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Hoc Phan's eyes bulged, and his gaze towards Lam Pham was filled with terror.

Lam Pham slung Frostmourne back over his shoulder and said with a smile, "As you have all seen, I possess strength beyond your imagination. If I wanted to do anything to you, I wouldn't need to deceive or disguise myself. With the sword in my hand, could you possibly resist?"

Although these words sounded a little strange.

He was speaking the truth.

He knew this group of people could understand the real situation and wouldn't misunderstand his meaning.

As expected.

The effect was immediate.

Hoc Phan raised a hand, signaling his team members to lower their weapons. However, the effect was minimal. He looked at his teammates. I told you to lower your guns, can't you even understand an order?

It wasn't until he looked at his team members.

That he discovered they had been staring, mouths agape, from start to finish, unable to snap out of it for a long time. He could understand this reaction. After all, seeing such an inhuman act, anyone would have the same expression.

"Snap out of it!"

Hoc Phan shouted loudly.

The shocked team members shuddered and gradually came back to their senses. They then saw their captain's hand signal and aimed the muzzles of their guns at the ground.

Hoc Phan walked towards Lam Pham. Indeed, what the man said was very reasonable. Looking at the current situation, if he really wanted to do something to them, could they possibly resist?

Clearly, resistance was futile.

He believed the other party's words.

He walked up to Lam Pham.

"Hello, I'm Hoc Phan," he said in a friendly tone, extending his hand. "Hello, Lam Pham."

Lam Pham shook the other man's hand. This was a good start. He could see a resolute look in the other's eyes, the kind of gaze that had not given up on the future despite facing unimaginable hardships in the apocalypse.

Hoc Phan pointed to his comrades behind him and said, "We are the Resistance Army of the Apocalypse. I am their captain. In a battle against zombies, our squad was separated. We are now searching for our main forces."

"Resistance Army of the Apocalypse?" Lam Pham was also surprised. He hadn't expected such an existence in the apocalypse.