(1) The Survivor We Saved, Ended Up Saving Us (1)

"This…"

"Sigh..."

The two companions who had escorted Hoac Phan here saw the scene before them and similarly shook their heads and sighed.

No one would want to see a scene like this.

Unless there was something wrong with their mental state.

"Captain, let's go. No one wants to see these things." A companion patted Hoac Phan's shoulder. He knew the Captain's mood must have soared when he learned the iron plate was locked from the inside, feeling that there were living survivors.

But reality was often extremely cruel, and the sight of the long-dead bodies struck a heavy blow to their hearts.

Hoac Phan stared blankly for a moment, then without further thought, turned and left. His two companions did the same, leaving the dark cellar. As the iron door was sealed, this place of slumber would remain unknown.

Returning to the surface.

A few resistance fighters looked toward the returning Hoac Phan and his team. Hoac Phan shook his head without a word. In this situation, silence spoke louder than words; everyone knew what it meant.

It seemed the situation was not good.

The zombies were being overwhelmed, and everyone was searching the cellars, hoping for a miracle to occur.

"Any survivors?"

"None. The cellar I checked was empty."

"None over here either."

"I have people on my side, but they've been dead for a long time."

All sorts of news came flooding in.

Luu Dao's expression was incredibly solemn. It was exactly as Phuong Trien had said: some people would hide in cellars, but they had already died long ago. There might be food in the cellars, but without a water source, how long could they last by gnawing on that food?

Looking at this small village shelter that had been overrun by zombies, it was clear that the people hiding in the cellars to survive had reached the end of their rope. Too afraid to take even half a step out of the cellar, they could only await death while fully conscious. Just thinking about such a process felt utterly hopeless.

Right now, ordinary zombies posed no threat to them.

But to ordinary survivors, an ordinary zombie was an existence that could take their life.

Their speed, reflexes, and strength were not something an ordinary person could handle.

At this moment.

Phuong Trien, clad in his battle armor, arrived at the entrance of a cellar.

Looking at the cellar door before him, his expression was somewhat grave, yet tinged with anticipation. He hoped that this cellar truly held living people. He had faced too much disappointment and heard too many similar reports.

Just as he had thought, when the zombies broke through this place, someone had fled into the cellar.

The iron plate in front of him was locked from the inside.

He swung his fist.

And directly blasted the iron plate open.

As sunlight poured in, the gloomy cellar passage welcomed a rare glimpse of brightness.

"I hope there's someone alive."

Phuong Trien walked into the cellar. It was much larger than he had imagined. Activating the built-in lights of his battle armor, he got a clear view of the situation.

The cellar had a branching passage.

He headed towards the left fork. Upon reaching the end, the situation was clear at a glance. In the not-so-spacious area, there was no food whatsoever.

In a corner, something was piled up; from its shape, it had to be people. He moved closer.

Phuong Trien's throat moved, his brows furrowing.

One of the bodies was merely a skeleton with bits of flesh still clinging to it. A terrifying thought flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but take a few steps back, the expression hidden beneath his mask one of utter shock.

A moment later.

He calmed down.

He looked at the other body, an elderly woman with a sunken face, her features gruesomely decomposed.

"What on earth happened here? Could it be that one person ate the other to survive?"

Phuong Trien was still uncertain of the specific situation.

With a heavy heart.

Phuong Trien headed toward the other fork.

When he reached the end, he saw a figure squatting in the corner. He couldn't see their face; they were just hunched over, head down, body curled up. If not for the fact that the person's body trembled from time to time...

He truly wouldn't have thought it was a living person.

A mystery had already formed in his mind. He didn't know what was going on; it was truly baffling.

"Hello, it's okay now."

Phuong Trien slowly approached the person, comforting them in a soft voice. He could imagine the unimaginable hardships a person who had survived in a cellar until now must have faced.

Their mind and spirit must have suffered severe trauma.

It was very normal to be on the verge of collapse.

The person did not reply.

Phuong Trien got closer to them and squatted down. "It's alright, we are human, not zombies."

Perhaps hearing the word "zombie" triggered the person's nerves, for they suddenly went berserk, tackling Phuong Trien to the ground. They tried to strangle Phuong Trien's neck, but with the protection of the battle armor, no matter how hard they squeezed, it had no effect at all.

Phuong Trien thought about pushing them off, but then decided against it, letting the person continue to squeeze.

Let them vent the terror in their heart.

Everything would be okay.

Suddenly.

The person let out a piercing scream and ran frantically outside in a crazed state. "No, no…!"

Hearing their panicked screams, one could understand the sheer terror in their heart.

Phuong Trien stood up, and just as he was about to give chase, he saw a piece of meat on the ground. Seeing the piece of meat, he instantly recalled the previous scene, and his expression changed slightly. Then, he let out a silent sigh, filled with an indescribable helplessness.

Outside.

The survivor who had just run out of the cellar was restrained by the group.

Phuong Trien looked at the person. Their face was gaunt, and from their appearance, their spirit seemed to be perpetually on the verge of collapse. No one could imagine what they had gone through in that cellar.

He told Luu Dao what he had seen inside.

Luu Dao pondered for a moment, then said, "Things might not be as you think. For anything we haven't seen with our own eyes, the inner details are often unknown."

Phuong Trien nodded, agreeing with what Dao Ca said. It was just that what he had seen had still left a considerable impact on his heart.

"See if this looks like him." Luu Dao took a photo from a companion's hand. The photo had been found inside the house.

Phuong Trien looked at the photo, then at the survivor, comparing them. "It's him, a strong resemblance. And the elderly woman in this photo also looks very similar to the one I saw in the cellar."

Luu Dao said, "It seems the ones hiding in the cellar were a family of three. This man must be their son."

Phuong Trien said, "Dao Ca, then what you mean is..."

"I think what you described wasn't some violent event. I believe it was a willing sacrifice. When a family of three is pushed into a desperate situation, if one can survive, it will surely be the child. The body you saw stripped of its flesh was likely the head of the household. As for the woman, she wasn't eaten; she starved to death. There's even a possibility that this person might not have known what he was eating, and that's how he survived until now..." Luu Dao analyzed the situation.

Hearing Dao Ca's analysis.

Phuong Trien felt it was more and more likely. In his mind, he had assumed this person had killed the other two, using them as rations. He had eaten one body, and the other was yet to be eaten when they found him.

"Dao Ca, what do we do now?" Phuong Trien asked.

Luu Dao said, "First, let's let him recover properly and see what he chooses. You were right, there would be living survivors in the cellars. In the future, even if there's only a sliver of a chance, we must try to rescue them."

Afterward, they did not leave in a hurry.

The surrounding zombies had been cleared out. They reorganized briefly, and coincidentally, there was someone in the resistance army who used to be a psychological therapist, which was perfect for helping the survivor they had just found to recover.

At this moment.

The rescued survivor sat at the doorway, wolfing down his food. A resistance fighter beside him occasionally chatted with him about something.

Tran Tieu Son ate while his eyes stared blankly.

His mind was in chaos.

At twenty-three years old, he was born into a rural family. He had no money and no connections. He was a poor student from a young age, and after finishing middle school, he dropped out and spent his days loitering around the neighborhood.

On the rare occasions he went to work, he would complain that it was too tiring and skip out after just a few short days.

PS: I've been facing a lot of difficulties in my life lately. If you can, please support me a cup of coffee. Thank you very much.