A busy day passed, and the night fell.
Another enriching day.
After watching a movie, he dragged the zombies from outside and threw them in the trash.
There were no cleaning workers to help, so he had to do everything himself. But then again, thinking about it, did he even need to pay the management fees anymore?
The annual management fee was over a thousand, which was a lot. Every time he paid it, his heart ached, as if he was losing something very important.
He had finished all his lunch by himself.
"Alright, tonight will be a bit tough. Just have instant noodles."
He rummaged through the fridge and found some ingredients.
One egg, one smoked sausage—these were essential ingredients for making instant noodles.
The sound of boiling bubbles filled the air next to the pot.
Lam Pham expertly opened the instant noodles, poured them into the pot, then tore open the seasoning packet and sprinkled it on top.
He took the egg and lightly tapped it on the edge of the pot, cracking the shell. The soft white and yolk spread across the surface.
He sliced the smoked sausage with a bit of artistry, scattering it on top.
"Making instant noodles requires skill; you need to control the heat and timing. Not everyone can make a perfect bowl of instant noodles," Lam Pham quietly waited by the stove, keeping an eye on the heat.
Soon, the distinct aroma of instant noodles filled the air.
The egg quality was decent; it wasn't fully cooked, and the yolk flowed when cracked open.
The cooked egg wasn't edible, but this egg with a flowing yolk mixed with the noodles—this was the best taste. Not only did the soup taste good, but the egg also added its flavor. The two combined into a delicious dish.
He turned off the heat.
Taking a cloth, he wiped his hands and set the bowl of noodles on the table.
Sprinkling some chopped herbs on top, he finished the dish.
A simple bowl, yet extraordinary in the post-apocalyptic world. This was a true delicacy.
He ate slowly, savoring each bite.
At night.
The zombies were roaming everywhere outside, much more active than during the day. Occasionally, their howls could be heard, and in his sleep, Lam Pham dreamed about working hard, earning the boss's praise, getting a salary raise, earning over ten thousand a month, buying a small car, and even having a girlfriend. Then...
Roar!
Boom! Boom!
The loud sounds echoed from a distance.
Lam Pham was jolted awake by the piercing noise.
He realized that at night, zombies were acting like they had taken drugs.
Clearly, there was no one around, yet they were still acting strangely.
He threw off the blanket, unable to bear it any longer, and went to the balcony to shout into the darkness.
"Can you have some quality? It's already... 2 AM! Can't you let people sleep? I still have to work tomorrow."
He felt hopeless when looking at these zombies. Where was their quality?
It wasn't the apocalypse that had ruined them; they had simply lost their basic qualities.
Roar!
In response, there was only the constant howling and the sound of them running.
Hearing their excited howls made him even more frustrated.
"Sigh."
"Such poor quality."
"Clearly, the nine years of compulsory education failed them."
What else could he say? Nothing more to say.
He considered himself a patient person, but if he met someone with a short temper, he would definitely get into a huge fight with them.
But he wouldn't. Compulsory education taught him not to do that.
"Endure for now; let's make it through this."
He couldn't let others' recklessness get to him.
If he won the fight, he'd have to pay compensation; if he lost, he'd end up in jail.
He once had a friend who killed someone over a mere twenty yuan, breaking the man's skull with an egg, leading to his death.
20 yuan = two eggs + one life.
Thinking about it was quite terrifying.
"Do whatever you want, I'm going back to sleep." Lam Pham shook his head. These zombies had no quality, and how could he handle them?
He truly felt helpless.
Just when he was about to fall asleep...
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
The anti-theft door was being pounded.
Lam Pham took a deep breath, reminding himself...
"Endure for now; let's make it through this."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lam Pham: ...
He walked to the door, grabbed a cleaver, opened the anti-theft door, and saw a group of zombies crawling up the stairs, wandering in front of his house.
"Can you not be so unreasonable? I don't even want to bother with you guys."
"You come to my door and knock, disturbing my sleep."
"I'm really getting angry..."
He said this, but didn't get an apology from the zombies. Instead, they howled at him fiercely.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Lam Pham swung the cleaver, one strike after another, the sound of it hitting zombies echoing.
"Get out of here, go away! I've already called the police, and the police uncle said it's okay to defend myself."
He rarely used profanity because he was a polite young man, but right now, he couldn't hold back. He just wanted to sleep well. Was that too much to ask?
The blood stained the ground and walls, leaving him with a huge mess.
After a while...
Lam Pham returned to his room, slammed the anti-theft door shut, and placed the cleaver on the shoe cabinet.
He went back to his room, jumped into bed, and immediately fell asleep. Suddenly, a hand reached out from under the covers, grabbed the small teddy bear from the nightstand, and pulled it into the blanket.
In the morning...
The sunlight streamed in.
The alarm clock rang at 6:20.
"Time to go to work." Lam Pham got up, dressed, and washed his face, just like every other day.
The company had strict rules: if you left early, they'd deduct money; if you were late, they'd also deduct money—200 yuan for each time. If it happened too many times, his salary could be gone.
But he liked the atmosphere in the company. Everyone was nice.
Well, except for the boss.
But he understood. The boss had a lot of pressure, a lot of expenses, so he had to cooperate well.
He took two eggs from the fridge, boiled them, and added a bag of milk for breakfast.
Standing in front of the mirror, he quickly tidied himself up and looked energetic. He looked like a capable office worker.
He was going to explain to the boss that he really did watch a movie last night.
Grabbing his cleaver, he opened the anti-theft door.
The hallway was quiet, with not a sound.
Last night, those zombies must have been exhausted and found a place to rest.
He entered the street.
Breathing in the fresh morning air, it had a special kind of freshness, without the polluted air. He took a deep breath, feeling refreshed and full of energy, ready to take on the day.
There were still zombies in the neighborhood.
But he didn't provoke them, nor did he make any loud noises.
Last night was late, so they must have been really tired and needed to rest. That's how a good person would act.
Active hunting, grabbing a weapon, and attacking was not something a law-abiding person would do.
"Shh shh!"
Just as he was about to leave the neighborhood, a faint sound reached his ears.
He paused and looked over in confusion.
On the fourth floor of a building nearby, a man with a strange mental state waved toward him, his face gradually showing signs of agitation.
He seemed to want to say something but didn't dare speak loudly.
"Good morning." Lam Pham waved back with a pleasant smile.
The perfect start to the day, with the best smile, was just the beginning of a good day.
"I'm off to work. See you later."
After a quick greeting, he walked away.
"He's insane..." The man heard Lam Pham and, for a moment, couldn't find the words to respond. After a while, he muttered, "That wasn't a person... that was just an illusion."
He opened the anti-theft door and saw two zombies outside. His lips curled into a smile.
"Are you just an illusion too?"
Roar!
The zombies howled, their eyes glowing, charging toward him.
"How peaceful..." Lam Pham stood outside the residential area, looking around. It was quiet, nothing like the bustling scene from before.
The storefronts had broken windows, exposing piles of corpses. Everywhere was stained with dark, coagulated blood.
Although the current situation wasn't very pleasant, he had grown accustomed to being alone.
"Time to work."
In the past, he would have taken the bus, but given the situation, buses were no longer an option.
Luckily, there was a small bike nearby. He used his phone to scan the QR code, paid, grabbed his backpack, and took the cleaver in hand. He jumped on the bike and headed towards the company.
One yuan per hour—cheap, very affordable, and he could even ride it back later.
Along the way, there were many overturned vehicles.
Some were luxury cars, some were more affordable, but all had the same tragic fate: the drivers were still sitting in their seats but had no life left.
They hadn't turned into zombies; they had died trying to escape, their cars crashing along the way.
There were also many carriages that had caught fire, leaving only their burnt shells.
Inside, the bodies of the dead could be seen.
Lam Pham's pace wasn't fast, nor slow. He could see some roads, still littered with zombies staggering around.
He rode his bike silently, not attracting any attention.
Occasionally, a zombie would spot him.
In an instant, it charged at him like a crazed dog, but he swiftly struck it with the cleaver, cutting it down.
"Self-defense is my top priority right now."
He just wanted to get back to the company and earn his salary. He had one more month of wages to collect from the boss.
No matter what the outcome was.
His hard-earned salary had to be paid.
He still wanted to live.