Beneath the highway, the sewer opened up like a giant mouth.
Steam rose, clinging to the smell of rusted iron, rotting mud, and old blood. Light from the ground above could not penetrate more than three meters; the rest was submerged in darkness.
Thuong Sinh entered, neither hiding his tracks nor concealing his breath. He let it sense him.
Inside the sewer, low-tier zombie corpses stood scattered on both sides—not attacking, only tilting their heads to watch. Their eyes were clouded, but their movements were synchronized, like puppets waiting for an order.
Thuong Sinh stopped.
He felt a will surging toward him. An invisible pressure pressed down—not heavy, but thick—the kind of sensation that appears when an entity is accustomed to controlling a majority, accustomed to standing behind and watching others die in its stead. In the deeper darkness, it observed, its specific form unseen.
A mutated mid-tier zombie that had half-evolved; its brain was swollen, and veins protruded like tree roots. It did not view Thuong Sinh as an enemy at all.
It gave an order, and the surrounding zombies lunged simultaneously.
Thuong Sinh unwrapped his bandages and drew his sword.
"Phantom Steps"
His figure shifted by half a beat; the first zombie lunged at an afterimage, its throat already neatly sliced before it understood what had happened.
Zip—zip—zip.
In three seconds, five heads fell.
Thuong Sinh did not stop.
"Blade Wind · Single Line"
The sword did not slash horizontally but stabbed straight—through the jaw, into the brain, and withdrawn instantly. The movement repeated continuously, like a straight line stretching through space.
Zombies collapsed before they could make a sound. In the darkness, the entity faltered; it immediately changed tactics. Mental pressure skyrocketed. The remaining zombies did not lunge but scattered to encircle him, approaching one by one.
Thuong Sinh narrowed his eyes. He rotated his wrist.
"Blade Wind"
A thin ring of sword intent swept around a circular radius. More than ten bodies fell at once. In his head, the old voice still stirred.
Thuong Sinh gave it no chance to escape again.
He stopped, took a very deep breath, and actively forced his breathing to slow, stabilizing the True Essence in his dantian. The sword remained in his hand, but the tip was lowered lightly to touch the muddy floor.
He raised his head, listening to the wind; hearing a sound deep inside, he stepped forward.
"Phantom Steps"
That mid-tier zombie finally realized something was wrong. Mental pressure surged, and the control commands became urgent. The zombies behind lunged simultaneously, but the formation was chaotic—some fast, some slow—and gaps appeared.
Thuong Sinh tilted his body.
"Blade Wind"
Only a thin line, slashing across neck level; three bodies fell, blocking the path behind him.
He was already in front of it.
The distance was less than five steps.
For the first time, the mid-tier zombie retreated. Its swollen brain vibrated, and purple-black veins contracted. It had misjudged; Thuong Sinh did not accelerate. He walked step by step, the sword tip raised to chest level.
"Sword Kinesis · Gale Transformation"
The sword left his hand—not flying high, not spinning. It only skimmed the ground, circling to the left, forcing the only remaining dodge angle. The zombie turned its body by instinct.
At that exact moment, Thuong Sinh closed in. He grabbed the hilt as the sword returned and, borrowing the momentum, stabbed straight forward. The sword tip pierced through the lower jaw, pinning it firmly to the concrete floor behind. The remaining zombies stood frozen as if their strings had been cut.
In its final moment, it understood that what stood before it was not prey. It was one who was accustomed to killing things stronger than himself. Thuong Sinh rotated his wrist.
"Blade Wind"
A short rhythmic shock; the brain was shredded from the inside.
He withdrew his sword.
The body collapsed into the mud soundlessly; silence spread through the sewer. Thuong Sinh stood still for a few seconds, confirming the mental pressure had completely vanished, then took his knife to retrieve its crystal and turned to leave. He wiped the sword clean on his hem and carefully re-wrapped the bandages.
The pressure dissipated not by vanishing, but like a hand letting go.
Lam Thanh Moc, who was bracing her hands on the ground, trembled slightly. Her ability was not yet fully retracted, but the heavy sensation pressing on her spirit had disappeared.
She raised her head.
"...It's gone."
There were no roars, no remaining mental shockwaves from the battle. All that was left were the sounds of gasping breath, the smell of gunpowder, and the stench of blood.
A few minutes later, from the sewer exit leading to the outer line, a figure stepped out. His blood-stained armor had darkened, no longer dripping. The sword in his hand was already wrapped in bandages and placed at his hip; he walked forward neither fast nor slow.
Thuong Sinh returned; not a single person spoke.
The survivors instinctively avoided his gaze. Some retreated when they saw him; others tightened their grip on their weapons, even though they knew that if he wished, no one here could stop him. The scene from earlier—his body full of black veins, emitting a toxic aura that even zombies feared—remained deep in the minds of everyone there.
The silence lasted a few seconds, then Tran Tu Binh stepped forward.
He did not hold a gun, nor did he try to feign composure. He simply stood straight, looking directly at Thuong Sinh.
"...Thank you."
Only two words, but beyond that, he didn't know what else to say.
Thuong Sinh gave a slight nod.
Lam Thanh Moc finally stood up completely and walked toward him. She took a quick look at him to confirm his state was stable, then breathed a sigh of relief.
"You aren't injured anywhere else, are you?"
"I am not."
Lam Thanh Moc nodded. Just then, from inside the camp, a man about forty years old stepped out; his body was sturdy and his eyes were very calm.
Ly Thuong Kiet.
He scanned the battlefield, looked over the piled zombie corpses, and then stopped at Thuong Sinh. His eyes held no fear, only evaluation.
"Are you the one who handled the controller?"
Thuong Sinh did not answer immediately. He looked back at him, his gaze calm and devoid of killing intent.
"Yes."
Ly Thuong Kiet nodded slowly.
"Then this camp continues to exist thanks to you."
After saying that, Ly Thuong Kiet spoke no further; he understood very well that the person before him did not belong to this camp.
Thuong Sinh only gave a nod, acknowledging the words.
Ly Thuong Kiet shifted his gaze to Lam Thanh Moc, then looked toward the second defensive line which had almost completely collapsed. His voice returned to that of a camp manager.
"Heavy damage."
"Seventeen dead, over thirty wounded. Half the ammunition spent."
He paused, then continued as if confirming something already destined: "But the camp still stands."
His gaze returned to Thuong Sinh.
"The original conditions still hold."
"You two stay for a few days, use basic supplies, and no one will touch you."
Thuong Sinh gave a light nod: "Yeah."
Those standing nearby who heard the conversation had very complex expressions. Some were relieved, some were afraid, and some looked at Thuong Sinh with eyes that no longer saw him as their kind. Not a hero, nor a savior.
But something far more dangerous.
Ly Thuong Kiet turned to leave, leaving only one instruction before he went: "Clear the battlefield."
"Burn the corpses outside the second line; do not drag them inside."
As soon as the command was given, the entire camp finally began to move again.
Lam Thanh Moc stood beside Thuong Sinh, lowering her voice: "Just now... you pushed too hard."
"I know."
"Thanks to you, I stopped in time."
Thus, Thuong Sinh and Lam Thanh Moc stayed in the camp for a few days to rest, and he supplemented the necessary supplies for the next stage of the journey.
Two days later, in the afternoon, the gate of Dong Kinh Camp opened halfway.
Wind blew through the scrap yard on the perimeter; the smell of burning corpses still lingered slightly. The camp had returned to its familiar rhythm of survival, but no one looked at the two with the same eyes as before.
Ly Thuong Kiet stood before the camp gate. Opposite him were Thuong Sinh and Lam Thanh Moc, who had finished preparing all necessary gear to depart.
"Stayed long enough?" he asked.
"Yeah," Thuong Sinh replied.
Ly Thuong Kiet nodded, neither holding them back nor asking further reasons. He understood clearly that some people should not stay in one place for long.
He looked at Thuong Sinh for a moment—his gaze no longer one of pure evaluation as when they first met, but of confirmation.
"You are a special person."
It was not a compliment, nor was it flattery; it was simply a conclusion he had reached.
"I have met many strong people," Ly Thuong Kiet continued. "But most either save people to exchange for power, or kill to satisfy themselves."
"You are different."
Thuong Sinh did not reply, only tightening the strap of the bag on his back.
Ly Thuong Kiet did not wait for an answer.
"Where to next?"
Lam Thanh Moc looked over at Thuong Sinh.
He was silent for a beat.
"Not sure yet."
"Just... cannot stay."
Ly Thuong Kiet did not act surprised.
He turned his head and signaled to someone inside the gate. A moment later, a small Jeep was driven out; its rear bed was empty, the tires had been replaced, and the fuel tank was more than half full.
"Over a hundred kilometers from here to the northwest."
"There is an old research area; old maps call it Luc Thuy Station."
"It's not a large camp, but the terrain is secluded, and there is an underground water source. I have information that many Ability users gather there."
He looked straight at Thuong Sinh: "I cannot guarantee safety, but one can survive there."
Thuong Sinh narrowed his eyes slightly: "You are giving us the car?"
"Yeah."
"Not a rental,"
Ly Thuong Kiet said clearly. "Nor an invitation to stay."
"Just... merit for what you have done."
Thuong Sinh looked at the car for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine."
No thanks, but no refusal either.
Ly Thuong Kiet took half a step back, taking it as the farewell being complete.
"The road ahead is not like it is here. Be careful."
Thuong Sinh nodded and opened the car door.
"Thanks."
Lam Thanh Moc gave a slight bow in greeting and then climbed into the passenger seat. The camp gate slowly opened wide. The vehicle rolled forward, leaving the lights behind, leaving the iron fence behind, leaving the place that had almost been submerged by a zombie tide.
Ly Thuong Kiet stood watching until the car had completely vanished, then he turned around. Dong Kinh Camp had to continue to exist, while Thuong Sinh, from beginning to end, never belonged there.