The three survivors hiding there had long been dumbfounded by the unfolding situation.
The battle between Officer Hoang and the Bao Quan was extremely fierce.
It started as an even match, then the situation suddenly turned, allowing them to deeply feel how terrifying the Bao Quan was. If they were the ones facing it, they would probably die without even knowing how.
Now, just when they thought Officer Hoang was about to be killed, a survivor carrying a sword suddenly appeared, seeming to be able to communicate with Officer Hoang.
Ma Nham was shocked: "Do you think that survivor can communicate with zombies, so he's negotiating with the zombie?"
If not for Chuc Thanh and Dong Giai both having special abilities, he would absolutely not think in this direction.
Dong Giai's expression was grave, saying: "Could it be like that?"
Chuc Thanh shook his head, "Who can know."
They were trapped here by the Bao Quan, in great danger. If the Bao Quan kept watch over this place, then their escape would be a pipe dream.
At this moment.
"Ughh, ughh."
The Bao Quan ferociously growled at Lam Pham. With the sudden appearance of a human, the Bao Quan's pale eyes shifted, even revealing a bloodthirsty, greedy glint.
The delicious taste of human flesh and blood was full of temptation for the Bao Quan.
"You still have the guts to be fierce towards me? You've really caused big trouble now, do you know that?" Lam Pham loathed the Bao Quan's evil deeds to the bone; he had never encountered such arrogance.
Looking at the wounds on the Bao Quan's body, viscous blood flowing down its physique, one could imagine how intense the previous scene was. Officer Hoang must have desperately wanted to bring the Bao Quan to justice.
Unfortunately, the Bao Quan was a bit too fierce. Even though Officer Hoang had evolved, he was still no match for the Bao Quan, and ended up in such a state, truly... sigh.
Words couldn't describe it.
"Officer Hoang, you rest for a while. As your good citizen, it's my duty to help an officer apprehend a vicious criminal." Lam Pham saw Officer Hoang struggling to get up and quickly said.
The armless Officer Hoang was already in a very sorry state; only by gnawing on crystals could he recover.
"Ughh, ughh."
Officer Hoang growled at Lam Pham, as if saying, who do you think you're looking down on, kid?
"Officer Hoang, I'm not looking down on you. You really need to rest well." Lam Pham seemed to understand, speaking softly, yet with a hint of helplessness. The fiercely competitive Officer Hoang definitely wouldn't like being looked down upon by the ordinary citizens he wanted to protect.
The three hidden survivors watched secretly.
"What on earth is he saying to that Officer Hoang?" Ma Nham felt his perception taking a hit. In his understanding, all zombies were terrifying and would irresistibly gnaw on flesh and blood upon seeing it, absolutely having no thought of letting go.
"Look, that Officer Hoang stood up, was patted on the shoulder by him, and didn't counter-attack at all. He really can communicate with zombies!" Dong Giai even felt like running up to Officer Hoang right now to see if she would be gnawed on by him.
The chubby Chuc Thanh, observing the current situation, said, "No... I think it's not that he can communicate with zombies, but that Officer Hoang might be different from other zombies. He won't attack humans, but instead, has been fighting against other zombies."
Hearing Chuc Thanh's analysis.
Ma Nham and Dong Giai fell into deep thought.
Could there really be such a zombie?
But at this moment.
They saw the Bao Quan viciously charge towards the sword-bearing survivor.
"Not good."
Seeing this scene, their expressions suddenly tensed up. The appearance of hope often marked the beginning of survival. They didn't want the sword-bearing survivor and Officer Hoang to be harmed by the Bao Quan.
Lam Pham, who was talking with Officer Hoang, saw the Bao Quan ferociously roaring and charging over. He was not the least bit alarmed by this situation and faced it calmly.
The number of zombies he had to face was truly too many, so many that he no longer had any feelings towards zombies, only able to maintain calmness.
Seeing the Bao Quan, Officer Hoang wanted to drag his heavily injured body to fight it.
Lam Pham's speed was very fast.
Without a second thought.
He drew Suong Phong Kiem (Frostmourne) and slashed at the Bao Quan.
Pfft!
Pfft!
Sword light flashed.
The charging Bao Quan's body suddenly, uncontrollably, tumbled to the ground.
"Ughh, ughh."
The Bao Quan, fallen on the ground, roared, its pale eyes revealing a bewildered expression, completely unaware of what had happened. Why did it suddenly fall while running so well?
Its gaze shifted.
Its bare limbs thoroughly dumbfounded the Bao Quan.
The low growl sounded as if it was saying, where are my limbs...
"Officer Hoang, your good citizen has helped you apprehend this vicious thug. The rest is your business." Lam Pham smiled at Officer Hoang.
He knew Officer Hoang's situation; he definitely wouldn't let go of such a thug.
Officer Hoang dragged his tired body and roared as he lunged at the Bao Quan. Without limbs, the Bao Quan was like an ant before Officer Hoang, easily subdued.
He tore open the Bao Quan's head and found the crystal to gnaw on.
The three survivors in the distance watched the scene before them with wide eyes and gaping mouths.
"What exactly happened just now? Why did the Bao Quan's limbs suddenly disappear?"
"I only saw that sword-bearing survivor draw his sword, then a flash of light, and the Bao Quan fell to the ground, its limbs gone."
"He definitely did it, his strength is truly formidable."
They exclaimed in amazement, shocked.
The zombie that was terrifying to the extreme in their eyes was so easily eliminated, severely shocking their hearts.
Chuc Thanh and Dong Giai looked at Lam Pham with envy.
In their minds, that survivor definitely had various abilities like them, just that his abilities were stronger, more overpowered.
Not like them, so useless.
Immediately after.
They stared at the situation in the distance. Officer Hoang, whose arm had just been severed, actually regrew his arm after gnawing on that crystal. Was this kind of situation something they could witness just because they wanted to?
Simply incredibly unbelievable.
"Officer Hoang, you must be careful next time. The thugs nowadays are extremely vicious. You can ask your good citizen for help; don't feel there's anything wrong with police-citizen cooperation." Lam Pham looked at the recovered Officer Hoang, hoping he would have such thoughts.
Absolutely do not take risks.
He had already discovered Officer Hoang's temperament. When encountering extremely vicious thugs, he always thought of capturing the opponent single-handedly, but could they be dealt with so casually?
"Ughh, ughh."
Officer Hoang growled at Lam Pham. He should be able to understand Lam Pham's words and thus respond. As for what the response meant, that was for Lam Pham himself to figure out.
"Officer Hoang, there are survivors over there, let's go take a look."
Lam Pham sensed the survivors hiding over there.
He thought that perhaps Officer Hoang had also sensed them, which was why he fought so desperately against the Bao Quan. Thinking of this, he could understand in an instant.
Officer Hoang looked at Lam Pham, then raised his head and glanced sideways at the survivors' location.
"Hello, Officer Hoang has eliminated the Bao Quan. You are safe, you can come down." Lam Pham waved at them. As for who exactly eliminated the Bao Quan, in his view, it was Officer Hoang's doing. Didn't they see Officer Hoang tear open the zombie's head?
As for the three survivors, they looked at each other, not knowing if they should go down.
In the end, they still chose to go down.
At this moment.
Lam Pham looked at the three survivors before him, his gaze lingering on the chubby Chuc Thanh. It wasn't that he had any prejudice against chubby people, but he felt it was truly not easy for him to survive in the apocalypse.
After all, among the survivors he had seen so far, the probability of encountering a chubby person was very low.
"Ughh, ughh."
Officer Hoang growled, leaning close to Ma Nham's face, his pale eyes shifting, as if observing something.
"Dong Giai..."
Ma Nham swallowed, feeling an indescribable nervousness, sweat from his forehead trickling down his cheek. He knew Dong Giai's ability, so he wanted to ask, two seconds later, will I still be alive?
Dong Giai looked at Ma Nham. As long as it was within a one-meter radius, she could see what was about to happen two seconds later. She nodded at Ma Nham, signaling him not to worry, and at the same time, she knew, one second later...
Indeed.
Officer Hoang walked up to Dong Giai, similarly growling, sniffing the scent on her body. In Dong Giai's vision, she was also completely unharmed. This Officer Hoang zombie was truly different.
"Don't be nervous. Although Officer Hoang is a zombie, he has always been protecting the citizens. This belief is deeply ingrained; even after becoming a zombie, he has never forgotten it."
Lam Pham said softly.
Any survivor encountering this situation would appear very nervous. Not everyone could remain calm when face to face with a zombie staring at them.
The three survivors looked at Lam Pham in shock.
"Do you mean Officer Hoang has reason?"
Ma Nham, having passed Officer Hoang's inspection, expressed great surprise at this situation.
Lam Pham smiled, "Of course, Officer Hoang is different from other zombies. Naturally, the number of zombies like Officer Hoang is not small. They always adhere to their past beliefs and ideals."
Ma Nham stared blankly at Lam Pham.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he truly wouldn't believe these words.
"Ughh, ughh."
Officer Hoang growled at Lam Pham, then swayed his body and headed into the distance.
Lam Pham knew Officer Hoang was bidding him farewell.
"Officer Hoang, remember me. Don't be like this, it's very dangerous. Next time you encounter a dangerous thug, come find me at the Duong Quang residential area."
He shouted loudly.
There were still hidden zombies around. The previous sounds hadn't lured them out, but Lam Pham's shouts at this moment had startled them.
However, for this group of zombies to cause trouble in front of Officer Hoang was simply courting death.
In the eyes of the three survivors.
Those normal zombies that appeared all had their heads exploded by a single slap from Officer Hoang.
"So strong."
This was their thought.
Although the Bao Quan was in a sorry state at Officer Hoang's hands, he was really strong against normal zombies, very adept, very domineering.
After Officer Hoang left.
Lam Pham looked at Dong Giai and Chuc Thanh, "You two are Awakened ones, right?"
He could feel a kind of fluctuation in their bodies, just like when he saw Van Van and Chu Chan.
"Awakened ones? We have abilities, so we're Awakened ones? Then are you also an Awakened one?" Chuc Thanh hurriedly asked.
Lam Pham shook his head and said: "No, I'm just an ordinary person, not an Awakened one."
Chuc Thanh stared at him blankly. The strength he had just displayed, could that be an ability an ordinary person possessed? Don't joke around, okay?
After conversing.
Lam Pham learned about their awakened abilities.
"To be able to see a zombie's designation, and the color in its head... The color you mentioned should be the crystal's grade. That's a really amazing ability. If you encounter a zombie, you can know its designation in advance, and also know if it's strong or not. Your ability like this is truly incredible."
Lam Pham exclaimed in amazement.
Chuc Thanh: ...?
He was utterly dumbfounded. Big brother, are you kidding me? Such an ability can be called amazing?
Thinking about it, it seemed right.
Being able to know in advance if a zombie is formidable, whether to provoke it or not, it really seems to be like that.
If he could handle it, he'd go up and fight.
If he couldn't, he'd turn tail and run.
Lam Pham looked at Dong Giai, "Your ability is truly magical. Within a one-meter radius, you can predict two seconds ahead. Simply invincible. If you encounter a zombie and fight it, you can know in advance where the zombie will pounce and bite, then dodge it, and finally counter-attack, hunting down the zombie."
Hearing Lam Pham say these words, Dong Giai strongly felt that her ability was indeed like that, but in actual practical situations, it probably wasn't as wonderful as imagined.
Dong Giai self-deprecatingly said, "Useless, a very chicken-rib ability."
Lam Pham smiled and said: "Having an ability is already very powerful. You have been avoiding zombies since the apocalypse began until now. I think it must have been very tiring. Are you interested in coming to the Duong Quang residential area? It's a shelter where many people live."
"Can we go?" Chuc Thanh asked.
Lam Pham said: "Of course you can. You all just passed Officer Hoang's inspection; you can definitely go."
Chuc Thanh knew that Lam Pham before him was truly not simple. If there was a place to stay, who would be willing to roam everywhere, not only living a painful life but also having to endure the ravages of zombies.
He looked at Dong Giai and Ma Nham.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
"Mm."
Lam Pham smiled. He didn't expect to gain such a harvest just by going out to look for Officer Hoang. Honestly, it was really not bad.
Three survivors, two of whom were Awakened ones.
He truly felt their awakened abilities were very strong.
Very useful.
He always felt that zombies were constantly evolving, and in the future, various strange types of zombies might really appear.
And Dong Giai's ability was even more overpowered. If he had such an ability, what zombie could possibly contend with him?
On the way back.
Lam Pham kept telling them about the situation at the Duong Quang residential area. Hearing it made them feel as if the apocalypse hadn't arrived, always just like peaceful times.
Of course.
While he was talking about these things, another matter came to his mind: to thoroughly clean up the evolved zombies around Officer Hoang.
Such as Bao Quans or hybrid-type zombies.
These zombies posed too high a threat to Officer Hoang.
When they arrived at the Duong Quang residential area, they were just like other survivors who had newly arrived here, their expressions very shocked. Obviously, they really hadn't expected that in such a terrifying apocalypse, such a shelter actually existed.
"Do you feel it's a bit unbelievable?" Lam Pham said with a smile.
Dong Giai looked at the busy people around. She could clearly see that the radiant smiles on these survivors' faces were so genuine. Such expressions only appeared during true happiness.
It couldn't be faked.
Lam Pham knew that monstrous waves had risen in their hearts, wave after wave surging up, needing time to subside. At the same time, he believed they would soon be able to integrate into such an environment.
Quan Hao was naturally very accustomed to the situation of big brother bringing back survivors.
He was like an NPC in a novice village. After big brother brought people back, he would take over, explain the situation to these survivors, tell them how to live in the Duong Quang residential area, and so on...
"You're saying they are Awakened ones?" Co Hang looked at the three survivors being led by Quan Hao.
"Mm, it's those two."
Lam Pham pointed to the two survivors and described their general abilities. For Co Hang, the chubby Chuc Thanh's awakened ability was nothing particularly strange. Only Dong Giai's awakened ability made him feel it was very unbelievable.
"That young lady Dong Giai's ability is extremely terrifying," Co Hang said.
Lam Pham said: "Mm, a very strong ability."
Co Hang said: "If she can undergo training and wear battle armor, the power she could unleash would be unimaginable. Before even making a move, she could see through the opponent's level and thus make counter-moves."
"Brother Hang, do you mean to introduce her to Hung Ung for them to train her?"
"No, I think I'll train her. If she can overcome her fear of zombies and also strengthen her physique, when she can wear battle armor, I think if she encounters truly formidable zombies, with her special awakened ability, she could definitely deal with them easily." Co Hang looked at that figure and voiced all his thoughts.
Lam Pham smiled and said: "Brother Hang, are you willing to give your battle armor for others to wear?"
"There's nothing about being willing or not. Among the survivors in the Duong Quang residential area, I consider my physical fitness to be ranked second. Wearing the battle armor, I can maximize its use. Now, her awakened ability is simply heaven-sent for combat."
"It really seems to be so."
A thought came to Lam Pham's mind: if he swung his sword at Dong Giai, would Dong Giai be able to react immediately, then parry and dodge, and even counter-attack?
"You said Officer Hoang checked them out, right?"
"Yes."
"Good, then I'm relieved."
Lam Pham smiled. He knew what Co Hang meant. Seeing Officer Hoang but not being bitten meant they had gained Officer Hoang's approval and were trustworthy survivors.
Co Hang muttered to himself: "If I go talk to her now about me training her, it always feels a bit abrupt, and might even cause unnecessary misunderstandings. It's better to let her get familiar with this place first. When the opportunity is ripe, I'll talk to her about this."
Lam Pham looked at Brother Hang's muttering appearance and also smiled. Regarding him wanting to train Dong Giai, he felt it was feasible. It was still up to Brother Hang himself to decide...
Night.
Inside a rural villa.
Chu Minh and his family were hiding in a room on the second floor, the curtains drawn over the windows. At this moment, Chu Minh cautiously lifted a corner of the curtain, his gaze fixed on the pitch-black night.
A moment later.
He lowered the curtain.
"Honey, there are often noises outside now, and knocking sounds. Do the zombies know we're inside?" Ho Anh's expression was a little tense.