[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times":3,"chapter-the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-38":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Fiercest Man in the End Times",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2319276,4536,"Chapter 38: I","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-38",38,"\u003Cp>“You… you don’t have to rush. If it were you stuck there, we’d definitely find a way—but right now, it’s not you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu spoke weakly, avoiding Zhang Su’s gaze after being scolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan scratched her head in silence, equally embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your mind must always be active; otherwise, how will you think of a solution when it truly matters?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su sternly lectured the two, then added: “I originally had no intention of helping that guy, but for your sake, I’ll make an exception—pay close attention!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed a reasonable justification for intervening, since it contradicted the survival principles he’d taught them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, yeah, we’ll learn well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both spoke in unison, sensing nothing amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since we know zombies have strong sound-seeking behavior, we can exploit this to lure them. Didn’t those five who escaped the compound, and the neighbors who used the elevator to move zombies, all use this same principle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Zhang Su walked into Zheng Xinyu’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But we don’t have a drone or a loudspeaker. Even if our phones can play sound, are we supposed to hold them outside the window? Even if the volume were enough, wouldn’t that just draw all the zombies to our building?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu stared at Zhang Su, who was crouching and rummaging through delivery boxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su didn’t stop his hands as he gathered packing foam, then pulled out a phone from his pocket: “Regular phones have limited volume, but these old-model phones are different…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Zhang Su turned on the old phone he’d previously shut down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding ding lang lang…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud burst of music erupted in the room, startling everyone—even Zhang Su, who’d prepared himself, winced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hear that? Even out in an open garden, this sound would be deafening—it can attract zombies within a hundred meters!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su genuinely hesitated to use this old phone—he only had two, and they were invaluable—but remembering the A-rank challenge reward, his reluctance vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Su, you’re planning to tie the phone to this foam, throw it downstairs, and lure the zombies away so the person can escape, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan had already grasped Zhang Su’s plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su didn’t answer, but turned to Zheng Xinyu and asked with a smile: “What do you think of Xiaoshan’s idea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu thought for a moment: “It seems fine, but… this foam isn’t very sturdy. With zombies’ strength, will it hold up to tearing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su nodded approvingly: “Put your concerns together and you’ve got it nearly right!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began working, leaving just the speaker end exposed while wrapping the rest in thick packing foam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he wrapped tape around the foam—that was the key step to resisting tearing. The packing tape he’d retrieved from 1101 was tough and sticky; even with zombies’ strength, they couldn’t destroy it quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held the yellow ball in his hand, satisfied. He shoved the phone deep inside, shrinking the exposed part into the foam sphere, creating perfect protection—while leaving the speaker fully uncovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned on the phone’s ringtone, setting the volume just slightly, then tossed it from the bed onto the floor. The foam-wrapped ball bounced with elasticity, music playing as it hopped everywhere—even when slammed hard, the phone kept singing merrily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Done. Let’s see if our old phone, tougher than bricks, can pass the test!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su tossed the ball in his hand, pleased. He’d originally planned to glue a plastic bag to the foam ball as a makeshift parachute, but decided the added drag during throwing wasn’t worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Zhang Su head for the door, Zhong Xiaoshan pointed at the bay window in confusion: “Brother Su, why not just throw it from here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trapped person was on the eastern side of Building 4, while Zhang Su’s apartment was on the western side of Building 3. Throwing from here would draw zombies between Buildings 3 and 4 to the west, giving the man on the east more room to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember—even when helping others, never harm your own interests!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su glanced outside as usual, touched the keys in his pocket, opened the door, and whispered: “Since we’re just luring zombies away, why not lure them to another building?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two women understood at once and hurried after Zhang Su.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group climbed the emergency stairs. Near the twelfth floor, Zhang Su warned them to step quietly. He pressed his ear to the emergency door and heard low, guttural sounds—like someone choking on phlegm, utterly nauseating!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su pointed toward the roof, didn’t linger, and resolved in his mind to eliminate these things eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Su, it’s locked!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu pointed at a half-palm-sized lock on the rooftop door, sounding defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This lock wasn’t some flimsy safety-door fake—it looked solid, impossible to break open easily. And in this environment, they couldn’t smash it with their weapons; the noise would trigger a zombie outbreak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave this kind of problem to me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su handed the ball to Zhong Xiaoshan, then carefully pulled a key from his pocket, found the right one, inserted it into the lock, and turned gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan stared, wide-eyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… this… how do you even have the key to this lock?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu voiced her deep confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s strange about that? I’m on good terms with the security guard. I told him I liked watching stars and drinking beer on the roof, so he gave me this key. Hard to believe?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su removed the lock and slipped it into his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, Zhang Su hadn’t just been generous with his employees and business partners—he also treated people he regularly encountered with kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the security guards, cleaners, and even the garbage collector in the neighborhood—he would always offer them a cigarette. That’s why he gained so many favors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, fine! That heartless landlord who cheated me out of money is now giving favors to everyone else, huh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Zheng Xinyu felt wronged—as if everyone else could benefit from Zhang Su, while she alone suffered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su tapped Zheng Xinyu on the head: “This is teaching time—who let you zone out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gently pulled open the heavy door. A blinding ray of sunlight struck their faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the three could step onto the roof, a cold wind blew past, making Zhang Su, who was watching from the doorway, shiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All clear!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He called to the two behind him to join him on the roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roof’s layout was simple: a one-and-a-half-meter-high concrete wall surrounded all sides, with several chimney vents standing upright in the center. Solar water heaters were neatly arranged on one side, a dustpan and broom sat in the corner, but the ground was covered in dust—clearly untouched for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This week’s recommendation slot is still ongoing—thank you, readers, for your support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many readers are urging me to update more, and I’m anxious too—but right now, I truly can’t increase my output. The author platform sent a detailed explanation about the recommendation system, clearly stating that adding extra updates during the new book promotion period actually makes it harder to advance to higher recommendation slots. I don’t understand it either…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1201,"2026-06-20T15:15:14.526Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","57bbfd3cbf4e6be93c6fb6d32696029d4082a8de5f61cb2a2b98b1cb0c5456d5","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-39","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-37",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]