Chapter 038 I will teach you


    "Y-You don’t have to be so harsh. If it were you trapped down there, of course we’d think of a way to save you… but it’s not you," Zheng Xinyu mumbled weakly. After being reprimanded, she didn’t dare meet Zhang Su’s gaze.


    Zhong Xiaoshan scratched her head without saying a word, clearly feeling just as awkward.


    "You need to use your brains at all times. If you don’t, how will you come up with a plan when it really matters?" Zhang Su lectured them seriously before continuing, "Originally, I wasn’t planning to help that guy. But for the sake of teaching you two, I’ll make an exception. Watch and learn!"


    He needed to justify his decision to step in, as it went against the survival principles he had been drilling into them.


    "Oh, oh! We’ll pay close attention!"


    The two girls chimed in unison, not seeing anything odd about his reasoning at all.


    "Since we already know that zombies are highly sensitive to sound, we can take full advantage of that to lure them away. Those people who tried to escape the city, the group of five who fled the neighborhood, and even the downstairs neighbors who used the elevator to move zombies—all of them relied on this principle, didn’t they?"


    As he spoke, Zhang Su walked into Zheng Xinyu’s room.


    "But we don’t have drones or loudspeakers. Even if we play audio on a phone, are we supposed to just dangle it outside the window? Setting aside whether the volume is loud enough, wouldn’t that just draw all the zombies right to our building?" Zheng Xinyu asked, frowning as she watched Zhang Su rummage through a pile of delivery boxes on the floor.


    Without stopping, Zhang Su gathered some packing foam together, then pulled an old phone from his pocket. "A regular smartphone has limited volume, but an old-school feature phone? That’s a different story."


    As he powered up the phone, a deafening ringtone suddenly blasted through the room, making all three of them jump. Even Zhang Su, who had been expecting it, twitched at the sheer volume.


    "Hear that? Even if we toss it out into the open garden, it’ll still be loud as hell. This thing will attract every zombie within at least a hundred meters!"


    Zhang Su did feel a little reluctant—he only had two of these old phones, and they were incredibly useful. But the thought of the A-rank challenge reward quickly made him let go of his hesitation.


    "Suge, are you planning to wrap the phone in foam, throw it down, and use it to distract the zombies? That way, the guy down there will have a chance to escape, right?" Zhong Xiaoshan had already pieced together the general plan.


    Instead of answering, Zhang Su turned to Zheng Xinyu with a smile. "What do you think of Xiaoshan’s idea?" Sёarch* The N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zheng Xinyu thought for a moment before replying, "It sounds reasonable, but… this foam isn’t very sturdy. If zombies start tearing at it, will it hold up?"


    Zhang Su nodded in satisfaction. "Put your two concerns together, and we’ve got a complete plan!"


    With that, he got to work. He left the speaker portion of the phone exposed while wrapping the rest in thick packing foam. Then, he tightly wound layers of heavy-duty tape around the foam—this was the key to making it zombie-resistant. The packing tape he had taken from 1101 was incredibly strong and sticky. Even with a zombie’s brute strength, breaking through it quickly would be difficult.


    Holding up the yellow foam-wrapped ball, Zhang Su was quite pleased. He pushed the phone deeper inside, ensuring that only a small part of it was exposed within the foam for protection. Most importantly, the speaker remained unobstructed.


    Turning the phone’s ringtone back on—but at a much lower volume—he climbed onto the bed and lightly tossed the ball onto the floor. The foam’s elasticity sent it bouncing around the room, the ringtone playing without interruption. Even when he threw it down hard, the phone continued to belt out its tune without a hitch.


    "Perfect. Alright, let’s go see if our ‘tougher than a brick’ feature phone can withstand the real test!"


    Zhang Su tossed the foam ball in his palm, feeling satisfied. He had initially considered adding a plastic bag as a makeshift parachute, but scrapped the idea since it would add too much air resistance.


    As he headed toward the front door, Zhong Xiaoshan pointed at the bay window in confusion. "Suge, why not just throw it from here?"


    The trapped man was on the far east side of Building 4, while Zhang Su’s apartment was on the far west side of Building 3. If they tossed it from here, it would pull the zombies toward the west, opening up space on the east for the guy to escape.


    "Remember, even when helping others, never compromise your own safety!" Zhang Su glanced outside as a habit, then patted his pocket to check for his keys before cracking the door open. Lowering his voice, he continued, "Since we’re luring zombies away anyway, why not direct them toward a different building?"


    The two girls suddenly understood and hurried after him.


    They climbed the emergency stairs, their footsteps light. As they neared the twelfth floor, Zhang Su gestured for them to slow down. Pressing himself against the security door, he listened closely. The sickly, guttural groans of zombies filtered through the gap, sounding like someone struggling with a throat full of phlegm—absolutely disgusting.


    Zhang Su pointed upward, signaling for them to head for the rooftop. He didn’t linger, but mentally noted that he’d have to clear out these zombies at some point.


    "Suge, it’s locked!"


    Zheng Xinyu pointed at the heavy-duty padlock securing the rooftop door, looking frustrated.


    This wasn’t some flimsy lock like the ones on security doors—it was solid and clearly built to last. Forcing it open wasn’t an option, not with the weapons they had. The noise would only provoke a full-blown zombie rampage.


    "Leave this kind of problem to me."


    Zhang Su handed the foam-wrapped phone to Zhong Xiaoshan, then carefully retrieved a key from his pocket. Selecting one from the set, he inserted it into the lock and gave it a gentle twist.


    Both girls stared, wide-eyed.


    "W-Wait… how do you have a key for this?!"** Zheng Xinyu blurted out in shock.


    Zhang Su shrugged. "What’s so surprising? I’m on good terms with the security guard. Told him I like watching the stars and drinking beer on the rooftop, so he gave me a spare. Not a big deal."


    He removed the lock and casually stuffed it into his pocket.


    Zhang Su had always been generous—not just with his employees and business partners, but with the people he interacted with regularly. The neighborhood’s security guards, cleaning staff, even the garbage collectors—he always greeted them and handed out cigarettes. That small generosity had earned him quite a few unexpected conveniences.


    "Tch, so you’re generous with everyone me? My landlord extorts me for rent money, and you’re out here making donations to the whole neighborhood. Hmph!"


    Thinking about it made Zheng Xinyu feel aggrieved. It seemed like everyone got some kind of benefit from Zhang Su—except her.


    Zhang Su flicked her forehead. "This is a lesson, not social hour. Focus."


    With that, he carefully pulled open the heavy rooftop door. A blinding shaft of sunlight flooded in, making them squint.


    A gust of cold wind rushed past them, causing Zhang Su to shiver as he peeked outside.


    "Looks clear."


    He motioned for the girls to follow him onto the rooftop.


    The layout was simple: a meter-and-a-half-high concrete perimeter wall enclosed the area, with a few ventilation shafts scattered around. Rows of solar water heaters lined one side, and a dustpan and broom sat abandoned in a corner. A thick layer of dust coated the ground—no one had cleaned up here in ages.