Full stomachs and heavy heads.
Thien Lang lay sprawled across the rug, snoring with the rhythmic rumble of distant thunder. Thien Thanh was curled inside a velvet-lined box, savoring the deep, tranquil slumber of a cold-blooded predator.
Alone, Thien Anh sat before the computer screen, the harsh blue light washing over his scarred visage.
The server for the MMO "Perfect World" was as desolate as a graveyard. It made sense; outside, people were too busy outrunning zombies and scavenging for instant noodles to care about grinding for levels.
But for Thien Anh, this was a vital intelligence channel. He logged into the account named "Three Carrots"—a ridiculous handle he'd picked at random five years ago to mask his true identity.
He didn't hunt monsters or engage in PK battles. He wandered the "Happy Farm" zone, watering virtual cabbages while keeping his eyes glued to the World Chat.
World Channel: [HoangMang]: Anyone in Cau Giay? Help me! [SieuNhanGao]: Don't go outside! There are man-eating monsters! [MeoCon]: Has the government abandoned us?
The messages were sparse, desperate pleas for a rescue that would never come.
Ding!
A private message popped up. Sender: Phuong Thuy.
"What are you doing?"
Thien Anh raised an eyebrow. This girl was his virtual neighbor—a high-level farmer with a collection of limited-edition luxury gear. In the past, they'd occasionally traded tips on... virtual pig breeding.
Thien Anh typed back, his fingers clicking rhythmically:
"Feeding the pigs."
Phuong Thuy: "I mean outside? Aren't you worried about the evacuation? How can you still have the mind to play games?"
Thien Anh: "Staying home. And you?"
Phuong Thuy: "I'm in Ai Dan City. It's very safe here; the military has it under tight lockdown. Where are you?"
Ai Dan City? Thien Anh's eyes narrowed. It was a satellite city 200 kilometers from Noi Ha, designated as the contingency capital. It seemed the elite had already fled there.
Thien Anh: "Noi Ha. Bio-variants everywhere. Floods. Famine. A living hell."
The other side was silent for a long moment before a reply came:
"Is it really that bad? People here still go to school and hit the supermarkets as usual. Monsters show up occasionally, but the military guns them down instantly. They truck the carcasses away for burial."
Buried?
Thien Anh let out a cynical scoff. What a waste. The elite in Ai Dan were likely too terrified that eating mutant meat would trigger mutations, so they buried that precious source of energy instead. The haves and the have-nots, divided by a grave.
He was about to type more to probe into their military strength.
Flicker... Snap.
The screen went black. The tower died.
"Power's out."
Thien Anh sighed, pushing the keyboard away. The backup generators at the local station had finally run dry. He didn't bother trying to recharge the batteries; he stood up and stretched.
...
Ai Dan City – High-End Villa District.
"AAAAAH! You idiot! You rotten carrot!"
Phuong Thuy hurled her expensive gaming mouse onto the bed, her face flushed with irritation.
Disappeared again! Right in the middle of a gripping conversation, "Three Carrots" had gone offline without so much as a goodbye.
Phuong Thuy was the pampered heiress of the Phuong Group. Beautiful, wealthy, and haughty. Countless young scions vied for her attention, yet here she was, waiting on the messages of a deranged virtual farmer.
There was something strange about him. He was cold, laconic, and seemingly indifferent to who she was or how much she owned. It was that very apathy that pricked her competitive nature.
Knock, knock!
"Thuy! Open up, it's me!"
Phuong Thuy smoothed her hair and hurried to the door. Lan Huong—her gentle, soft-spoken best friend—stepped in, dressed in a pristine white gown.
"Gaming again?" Lan Huong glanced at the monitor, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Still waiting for a word from your mysterious 'Carrot' guy?"
"Mystery my foot! He's just a psycho," Phuong Thuy pouted, though her eyes kept drifting back to the dark screen.
Lan Huong sat on the edge of the bed, her voice dropping an octave:
"Have you heard the news? It's horrific outside Noi Ha right now. My father says the military is losing control. Those trapped there... they're as good as dead."
Phuong Thuy shivered.
"I was just chatting with him... He said it's like hell. Floods, monsters..."
"Really?" Lan Huong's eyes widened in fear. "And he still has the heart to play games?"
"That's why I called him a psycho!"
The two girls fell silent, staring out the window. Outside, the sky over Ai Dan remained a brilliant azure; luxury cars glided silently over clean, manicured streets. It was an artificial peace, built upon the bones of a collapsing world.
They didn't know that in that "hell," there were those who lived, who fought, and who were slowly becoming monsters more powerful than fear itself.
...
Noi Ha.
Darkness blanketed the flooded city.
Atop the skyscrapers that had yet to be submerged, small fires flickered. These were the sanctuaries of the survivors.
Social order had utterly disintegrated. Law had vanished, replaced by the law of the jungle.
Gangs of thugs and prison escapees had crowned themselves "Kings." They possessed the weapons and the brutality to back them up. They hoarded the remaining food stockpiles.
Women—the physically vulnerable—had become a currency. For a packet of instant noodles or a bottle of clean water, they were forced to barter their dignity, becoming sexual slaves for those in power.
Laments, mad laughter, and the sharp crack of gunfire echoed through the night, merging with the guttural snarls of monsters to create a mournful symphony of the apocalypse.
Thien Anh stood atop the bunker hatch, which he had cracked open slightly for ventilation, listening to those sounds. The cold wind whistled through the gap, carrying the metallic tang of blood and the stench of decay.
He felt no pity. He only took note.
"This world... is filtering its blood."
He murmured, slamming the hatch shut. Below, the flickering beam of a flashlight illuminated the silhouettes of a man, a wolf, and a serpent.
His family. His world.