Green pepper stir-fried with minced meat.
Tomato egg soup.
Tomato omelette.
Two dishes and a soup, enjoyed by one solitary person—quite abundant, delicious, and nutritionally balanced.
Young people, especially trendy young people who can cook for themselves, must always snap a few photos and post them to their friend circle, acting all aesthetic and refined.
Of course, he was no exception. He took nine pictures from various flattering angles, and paired them with a caption:
"I'm seriously amazing. Two dishes and a soup. Enjoying life 😄"
After posting to his friend circle, there was no new activity, no responses. The feed was eerily quiet. Other than his post, the most recent update was from yesterday.
He lived alone in Huang City, striving hard just to survive. Though life was a little tiring, he was quite content with how things were.
After high school, he didn't go to college. Instead, he started working at a renovation company. From apprentice to where he was now, he could fully handle projects on his own.
Even after work, he didn't really entertain himself. He usually just went home, got online, and chatted with strangers on the internet.
Ding!
Someone left a comment. He opened it, but his mood soured a little.
"Fish-Slaying Blade":"Pretty your ass. How come zombies haven't eaten you yet?"
That guy was a client of his—fat, rude, ugly, and perpetually single. Among single dogs, he was king of the mutts.
Lam Pham replied calmly, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Fish-Slaying Blade":"Eat your mom…"
Lam Pham set the phone down, shook his head, and continued eating.
Since the apocalypse started and zombies appeared, many people's personalities had grown more irritable. He didn't like it. In the past, people used to smile when they met—even if it was fake, it was still a gesture of kindness.
Could it be… that with the end of the world, people felt there was no longer any need to hide who they truly were?
"Nobody's kind anymore. That really sucks."
He ate quietly and took a glance at his interface.
[Name]: Lam Pham[Strength]: 35 (Superhuman)[Stamina]: 10 (Average)[Speed]: 10 (Average)[Points]: 0
"This is like a game, leveling up by killing monsters. Earning points lets you boost stats. My strength is pretty insane."
He felt like he was absurdly strong—maybe strong enough to punch a cow to death. It was wild. Scary even.
Once he earned some points, he figured he'd boost stamina and then speed so he could move faster.
After finishing his meal, he cleaned up the table and washed the dishes.
He was a principled man. He always did things himself and never troubled others. That had been his nature since he was six or seven years old.
With his chores done, it was time to enjoy some sunshine. He stepped onto the balcony and grabbed a book from the shelf—"Stark and His 365 Girlfriends"—a novel with surprisingly literary value.
It told the story of Stark, a bartender who dated a different woman every day. At exactly midnight, he would mysteriously disappear from their lives.
A cup of tea. A book in hand.
This was how Lam Pham had spent many years of his life.
Even though he didn't attend college, it never dulled his passion for reading quality literature.
Rustle, rustle.
Everything was quiet, both inside and out. The only sound was the turning of pages.
Was this what life in the apocalypse was like?
Yes—and no.
Regardless of the apocalypse, Lam Pham had always lived this way. He wouldn't change just because the world had. He lived by his beliefs.
Suddenly, there was some noise from the street. Still, it didn't bother him. After all, traffic sounds were common. It gave him a sense that Huang City hadn't changed—it was still the same old city.
After reading about one of Stark's flings, Lam Pham felt moved. Stark's daily romances were beautiful—he was a man who truly understood women's hearts.
Standing up, Lam Pham went back into the room and opened a movie site. Given the current circumstances, he felt like watching a zombie film.
"Call Me a Hero."
The reviews seemed interesting.
It was a bloody zombie flick, full of gore, flesh, survival, escape, and rise-to-power tropes.
The movie began—zombies roaring, survivors panicking—it instantly pulled him in.
When the scenes were tense and exciting, Lam Pham was glued to the screen. When there were funny bits, he laughed out loud. He was fully immersed.
Bang!
Bang!
The security door thudded violently. The sound was loud and jarring, making Lam Pham frown.
"So annoying. I'm trying to watch a movie here."
He paused the movie, picked up a butcher knife, and opened the security door.
Outside were two zombies. When they saw Lam Pham, they let out blood-curdling screams.
They looked terrifying—enough to scare anyone.
"Can you guys not? I'm watching a movie. If you wanna knock, at least keep it down. I'm not deaf, I can hear you."
He raised the knife and hacked the two zombies viciously.
Thirty-five points in strength was no joke.
One swing, and it was gruesome—heads flying, black blood splattering, staining the ground.
"Such a pain. I just cleaned the floor, now I've gotta mop again."
Lam Pham muttered as he carried the knife back in, closed the door, and returned to his computer.
The movie resumed.
At the climax, the protagonist wielded a silenced pistol and wiped out hundreds of zombies. Lam Pham's jaw dropped, stunned.
"Damn, so strong. A silencer can take out hundreds? I'm stuck hacking them one by one."
After the film, he leaned back in his chair, overwhelmed. That kind of strength made him want to rush outside and battle hundreds of zombies himself.
Ding-ding!
Suddenly, his phone rang. It was his boss calling.
"Hey boss, you still working tomorrow?"
From the other end, a hushed, panicked voice:
"Lam Pham, what the hell are you doing right now?"
"Watching a movie."
"You serious right now? Are you screwing with me?!"
His boss was close to a breakdown. If not for the zombies outside, he would've slammed the table and cursed Lam Pham to hell and back.
"Boss, I swear I'm online. Why don't you believe me?"
"Believe your grandma." Click.
The boss hung up, his face red with rage. At a time like this, the guy still insisted he was watching a movie. He really thought people were that gullible?
The situation outside was dire. Staff who stayed behind had turned into zombies. There was nowhere to run.
The office had no food. How long could he hold out?
Regret surged through him.
Renovation companies didn't have "996" working hours—they had 24/7. If you were alive, you worked. Days off? That was for losers.
He called tons of people, hoping someone could save him. But most lines didn't connect. Yesterday, one call did go through—to an employee hiding in a cabinet. The ringtone gave him away. He got dragged out by a zombie.
His final words?
"Tuong Trung Minh, f*** you…"
That made the boss furious. How dare an employee curse him out? Did he still want a job?
Back at home, Lam Pham was annoyed too.
"Why doesn't anyone trust me anymore?"
He turned up the movie's volume, hoping the boss could hear it next time and believe him.
Meanwhile, Tuong Trung Minh crouched in the office, staring at his vibrating phone. The sound scraped against the table, echoing loudly.
The zombies heard it and began slamming into the door. Every thud crushed his hope.
"This door should still hold up… right?"
Then he remembered—he had chosen this door to save money. It looked fancy, but it was hollow inside.
Suddenly—
CRASH!
The wooden door shattered. A zombie in a suit staggered in, blood dripping from its mouth.
"Ly Tieu Đong, don't you dare! I'm your boss! You still want your paycheck or not?! Stand still, I said!"
Tuong Trung Minh curled up in the corner, pants soaked.
ROAR!
The zombie lunged.
"Lam Pham, screw your grandpa!"
Back home, Lam Pham blinked.
"That's too far. I know you're my boss, but that doesn't give you the right to curse at me."
He hung up immediately. No point arguing.
"Just as I thought—zombies are raging, and people are turning. I'll have to be more careful from now on."
Those bosses who once called their workers "precious darlings" were now breaking down doors. Human nature sure changes quick.