Lu Qiang

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Lu Qiang dropped out of junior high and spent his youth following his older brother, taking on work that included fighting and guarding premises. After severely injuring someone in a fight, he was imprisoned for 15 years. 12

Upon release, he was unable to adapt to modern society and did not know how to use a smartphone. His mother urged him to live honestly, and his family arranged a security-guard position for him at Wanyu Group. 12

The injury that led to his imprisonment was inflicted with a machete. He worked as a security guard for two years before the apocalypse, attempting to abandon his former way of life. 12

When the apocalypse began, Lu Qiang relied on his agility and physical strength to reach Wanyu Group’s third-floor dormitory area. He lived alone and remained socially isolated from the other employees, believing that they looked down on him and seeing himself as a failure. 12

After discovering food stores and Shang Qian’s ration ledger in her room, Lu Qiang concluded that his personal food allocation had been deliberately reduced. He stole food and water, abandoned his attempt to live as a “good person,” and embraced his former “Mad Qiang” persona. 12

The chart showed his allocation reduced to half the previous day’s amount, while the other employees’ allocations were not written down. Shang Qian later recalled that she had been repeatedly revising a new rationing schedule for everyone because supplies were running low. Neither she nor Shen Jin understood what had triggered Lu Qiang’s breakdown; her account does not establish that she had deliberately singled him out. 12 83

Personality

Lu Qiang initially presents himself as quiet, honest, and resigned to being underestimated. His long imprisonment, inability to reconnect with society, and isolation within the company leave him deeply resentful of humiliation and disrespect. 12 19

His perceived mistreatment turns that resentment into violent entitlement. He attempts to assault Shang Qian and frames his actions as retaliation against people who “bully honest people.” 16 17 Even at the end of his life, his central desire is not reconciliation but to be respected by others. 19

Before his breakdown, he recognizes Shang Qian’s competence at managing people and compares her to the older brother he once followed. His later violence is nevertheless directed at her as a means of asserting himself. His final moments emphasize that he treats other people as tools for proving his worth against his own sense of failure. 12 19

Abilities & Skills

Gene Lock

Lu Qiang unlocks his Gene Lock under mortal pressure during Shen Jin’s attempt to execute him. 17 18

• Possesses strength comparable to a strength-type zombie; he restrains Shen Jin’s sword-wielding hands with one hand and throws him aside. 18
• Gains combat awareness and efficient close-quarters technique, fighting with few apparent openings. 18
• Rapidly adapts to his new power during battle and begins suppressing Sun Can before Sun Can absorbs a Zombie Crystal Core. 18
• Pain is initially suppressed, allowing him to keep fighting despite burned and scorched hands. 18
• Regains control of his body immediately after being incapacitated by a stun baton, with his numbness and pain disappearing as combat instincts emerge. 17
• Can adjust his landing in midair and spring back into combat after being struck. His enhanced coordination allows him to control his muscles efficiently and produce powerful attacks with minimal wasted effort. 18
• The ability is unstable and ultimately fatal; accumulated pain and physical strain return during the backlash. 19

Pre-Apocalypse Combat Experience

Before his imprisonment, Lu Qiang had experience fighting and working as a guard. 12

• His Gene Lock-enhanced fighting style targets vital areas and uses his physical strength efficiently. 43
• His combat instincts and technique are assessed as superior to Shen Jin and Yang Ao’s post-enhancement sparring ability. 43
• Shen Jin considers Lu Qiang’s awakened physical abilities roughly comparable to their genetically optimized physiques, but believes that even their combined strength would not overcome the difference in combat awareness and technique. 43

Relationships

• Shang Qian — Wanyu Group’s general manager. Lu Qiang blames her for reducing his rations and attempts to assault her; she resists until Shen Jin intervenes. 12 16 17 She later recognizes that she had misjudged him, having barely spoken to him or taken an interest in his character before the attack. The incident destroys her confidence in remaining safely among her former coworkers and contributes to her decision to seek Shen Jin’s protection. 21 33
• Shen Jin — Intervenes to protect Shang Qian and attempts to execute Lu Qiang. Lu Qiang’s Gene Lock awakening lets him overpower Shen Jin temporarily. 17 18 Shen Jin later uses his fighting ability as a benchmark for understanding the advantages of Gene Lock combatants. 43
• Sun Can — Fights Lu Qiang after rescuing Shen Jin. Sun Can ultimately defeats him after absorbing a Zombie Crystal Core. 18 19
• Zhao Mingkai — Fellow Wanyu Group outcast and one of the few people Lu Qiang could converse with normally before his breakdown. 14 Their friendship rests partly on their shared experience of being disliked, and Lu Qiang does not mind Zhao Mingkai’s inability to understand romance. 14
• Lu Qiang’s mother — Urged him to live honestly after his release from prison; Lu Qiang believes she likely died during the apocalypse. 12

Story Role / Major Arcs

Break with Wanyu Group

Lu Qiang secretly enters Shang Qian’s room in search of food, finds supplies and the ration ledger, and becomes convinced that he is being singled out. He steals provisions and prepares to retaliate against her. 12

He takes two bags of compressed biscuits, a bag of braised chicken legs, and a bottle of water, intending to eat his fill and recover his strength before confronting her the following day. 12

Assault on Shang Qian

Lu Qiang forces his way into Shang Qian’s room, restrains her, and attempts to assault her. Shen Jin infiltrates the building, waits for an opening, and incapacitates Lu Qiang with a stun baton. 16 17

Shen Jin discovers the attack through binoculars obtained at Haima Security Supplies Store. During the confrontation, Shang Qian refuses Lu Qiang’s demands and threatens to bite him if he forces her, prompting him to gag her again. Shen Jin then breaks through the window and intervenes before the attempted rape is completed. 16 17 18

Gene Lock Awakening and Death

When Shen Jin prepares to kill him, Lu Qiang unlocks his Gene Lock and overwhelms Shen Jin. He overpowers the masked Shen Jin and then battles Sun Can, but the backlash of his unstable awakening catches up to him after Sun Can defeats him. He dies while wishing for the respect he never felt he had in life. 18 19

During his attack on Shen Jin, Lu Qiang removes his helmet and Rampage Hood, only to discover an Ultraman Mask underneath. Sun Can’s intervention interrupts the confrontation and allows the bystanders to rescue Shen Jin and remove Shang Qian from the room. Lu Qiang subsequently gains the advantage over Sun Can and knocks him down, but Sun Can’s consumption of a Zombie Crystal Core reverses the battle. After more than twenty further exchanges, Sun Can kicks Lu Qiang to the floor, where the returning pain prevents him from rising. 18 19

Aftermath and Later References

The blood and noise from the battle attract zombies to Wanyu Group. Shen Jin considers throwing Lu Qiang’s corpse out of the window but decides against it, fearing that a Gene Lock user’s remains might become a powerful zombie if not completely consumed and suspecting that feeding zombies human flesh could have dangerous consequences. These are Shen Jin’s concerns rather than confirmed developments. He covers the corpse with a bedsheet and seals the window with glass to contain the smell. 21

Lu Qiang remains a reference point in Shen Jin’s later battles and assessments. Shen Jin recalls his lethal efficiency while sparring with Yang Ao, and later brings out a last-resort item against a Super M-Type Zombie that he had previously reserved for use against Lu Qiang. 43 71

After Shang Qian recovers from her incomplete awakening, she and Shen Jin revisit the attack and remain unable to explain why the apparently quiet security guard became violent. They speculate that confinement and hopelessness may have contributed, ultimately agreeing to be wary of provoking quiet, unassuming people. 83

In later government dealings, officials use the name “Lu Qiang” for Shen Jin, the Earth-based ability user associated with Red Water Bay and the crystal-core extraction equipment. Hu Shou and Xia Anbang’s references to this living base leader concern Shen Jin rather than the deceased Wanyu Group security guard. 116 117

Notable Quotes

“Mom, your son can't obey you anymore. I can't be a good person.” 12

“If there's a next life, I'll definitely make everyone… respect me.” 19

---