The Fiercest in the Apocalypse
Chapter 40: Challenge Completed

Chapter 040 Challenge Completed

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity

Watching the zombies rush past him, the man felt a surge of warmth flood his entire body. It was a physiological reaction driven by sheer excitement and adrenaline, unleashing an unprecedented burst of strength!

"Wait... wait... not yet!"

Suppressing his wildly pounding heart, he patiently waited for the slower, less agile zombies to shuffle past him.

"Come on, hurry up, move it!"

As soon as most of the zombies between Building 3 and Building 4 had been lured away, the man sprang into action like a rabbit, scrambling out of the narrow gap with both hands and feet. The moment sunlight hit his body again, he was overwhelmed with the joy of surviving a close call.

There was no time to waste. Slinging his gun over his back, he took off in a mad sprint.

During his time trapped, he had already mapped out his escape route.

As he ran toward his target location, he instinctively glanced up, curious to see who had made the noise to lure the zombies away. Before long, two dark silhouettes appeared on the rooftop.

"Was it them?"

With no time to stop, he could only give a brief nod of acknowledgment toward the two figures on the roof.

Zhang Su squinted slightly and waved at the running man.

"He's a SWAT officer!?" Zheng Xinyu asked in surprise.

Despite being covered in dirt and dust, with his clothes showing signs of wear and tear, the large characters on his back were still recognizable, confirming his identity.

"He must be one of the survivors from that night. And damn, that thing on his shoulder is a real beauty!"

Zhang Su stared enviously at the assault rifle slung across the man's back. However, after a moment of thought, he sighed. Even if he had a gun, it wouldn't be much use. Forget about his own marksmanship skills—just the noise alone would attract zombies more effectively than a loudspeaker.

As they spoke, they watched the man nimbly scale the security bars of Building 4’s Unit 1 ground floor. Moving with incredible agility, he climbed up to the second floor in just a few swift moves—his physical abilities far exceeded those of an average person!

Unfortunately, the second-floor windows were also secured with bars, so he had to keep climbing. He finally found an open window on the fourth floor and slipped inside.

Inside the room, Qin Ya exhaled deeply. Only now did he have a moment to seriously look back toward the rooftop of Building 3. To his surprise, the two figures were still standing there, their gazes fixed on him.

"Could they have done all that just to help me escape?"

The thought struck him, and he straightened up, giving a serious salute toward the rooftop of Building 3.

Almost immediately, he received a response. One of the figures casually saluted back, tilting his hand at his head with a cocky attitude—just like how crime bosses in Hong Kong movies greeted each other.

"Interesting!"

Qin Ya was now almost certain—the people on the rooftop had lured the zombies away specifically to help him. As for why, he had no idea.

At the same time, he noticed someone else on Building 3 waving frantically at him, their face full of joy, as if they'd just seen their savior.

With a sigh, he could only shake his head apologetically. He knew that no matter how much they pleaded, he was powerless to help.

Just then—

"Roar!"

A zombie's guttural snarl sounded behind him. Without hesitation, Qin Ya spun around and smashed the zombie in the face with the butt of his gun, knocking it to the ground. Then, in one smooth motion, he drew his knife and stabbed it cleanly through the skull.

Zhang Su retracted his gaze, not at all worried about the SWAT officer. A man who could survive a battlefield of corpses wouldn't be taken down by just one or two zombies.

Instead, he turned his attention to the zombies that had been drawn in by the old phone. They were piling up frantically, stepping over one another, forming a writhing mass of undead.

The sturdy tape held strong for over a minute before finally snapping. As the yellow tape and white foam scattered through the air, the song playing on the phone abruptly stopped—the old device had been trampled beyond repair.

"Did you see that?" Zhang Su turned back to his companions. "If I ever get trapped, you can use this same method to help me. And if it’s you who’s trapped, I’ll do the same to save you."

Zheng Xinyu and Zhong Xiaoshan nodded seriously. It seemed simple when Zhang Su did it, but they knew that if it had been them, they might not have been able to execute it so smoothly. Some things could only be learned through experience.

"Alright, let's head back."

Just as Zhang Su called for them to return, a voice called out from across the rooftop.

"Big bro!"

Turning his head, Zhang Su saw a man in a tracksuit standing on the opposite rooftop.

He put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence, then waved dismissively—see you never.

"Wait, no, don’t go!"

The man, Tian Fan, clung to the railing desperately, shouting, "Big bro, can you help us? The zombies downstairs are gone! Please, help us lure away the ones at Unit 1 too!"

From his angle, he had no idea that Zhang Su had cleared the zombies specifically to help a SWAT officer.

"I have supplies! I’ll give you half! Just help me—wait! F***! Don’t leave!"

But he could only watch as the three figures disappeared into the stairwell, closing the door behind them without a second thought.

"They… just left us?"

Yu Nuo stared blankly at the closed door, as if hope itself had been extinguished. She sank weakly to the ground, her eyes welling up with tears.

Tian Fan punched the railing in frustration, squatting down as despair crept into his expression.

Back in their apartment, Zhang Su and the others didn’t mention the people calling for help. It was clear they had developed an unspoken understanding—knowing exactly what could and couldn't be done.

"Suge, did you already know there was a SWAT officer trapped there?"

Zheng Xinyu scratched her itchy head and asked curiously.

"Huh? No, just luck on his part."

Zhang Su was already preoccupied with something else—his reward. Clearly distracted, he pointed toward the bathroom. "I gotta take a leak."

As soon as he entered the restroom, a notification appeared in his mind:

[Mission: Lure the zombies away from the hidden survivor within three hours. Difficulty: A. Completed in 01:05:22.]

[Reward: Enhanced Hearing]

At first, Zhang Su didn’t feel any immediate changes. But then, he suddenly heard whispering voices:

"If it weren’t for Suge, I would’ve been dead already…"

"Yeah, he saved my life too. Even if I can’t help him much now, I refuse to drag him down."

"Right, time to start training!"

The brief conversation ended. Zhang Su smiled, feeling satisfied.

"At least these two know what’s up!"