[{"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-133":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},2319371,4536,"Chapter 133: Got Wet, Got Stronger!","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-133",133,"\u003Cp>\"That's right, haste makes waste. Wait until the rain stops and the water level drops a bit before we set out!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su made up his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the rain stopped, driving would still be terrible—the water was nearly half a meter deep, making vehicle control impossible; in an emergency, accelerating would be hard, let alone turning!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead lay the unknown, and danger lurked everywhere—staying put was the best strategy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if the heavens had heard Zhang Su’s words, barely two minutes after he spoke, the rain rapidly lessened, then stopped completely in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky remained dark and gloomy, but no raindrops pounded the windshield—only water rushed noisily over the road surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let them know!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su rolled down his window, breathed in the crisp, cool post-rain air, and felt refreshed; he leaned out and waved to the vehicles behind, and soon several drivers stuck their heads out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boss Zhang, are we leaving?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yu, driving the Prado right behind, asked, his face showing no tension—instead, a hint of excitement. The half-meter water level posed no trouble for his Prado; it was the perfect time to have fun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhang Su’s next words doused his enthusiasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not yet. Wait until the water drops a bit more before we move. Stay active inside your vehicles—we’ll probably spend the night here. Night watch assignments will be decided later!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah...\" Lu Yu let out a frustrated groan, reluctantly pulled back inside, and lit a cigarette, relaying Zhang Su’s orders to Chen Hanzhou beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hanzhou still looked gloomy, but over the past few days he’d picked up smoking; he lit another cigarette with Lu Yu and puffed away, a small way to cope with emotions in the apocalypse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original driver of the Mercedes G-Class had been Zhao De, but after his embarrassing incident of driving onto the greenery, he was removed from duty—now Zhao Xue drove, with Wu Lue riding shotgun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Zhang Su’s order, Zhao Xue and Wu Lue had no objections; staying put was exactly what they wanted. Pushing through the water carried too much risk—any moment the vehicle might break down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The occupants of the Ford Expedition also had no complaints—the environment was comfortable, supplies plentiful, and for now, safe, with no psychological burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three in the later-arriving Tiguan also quietly exhaled in relief; they’d been muttering in their car for a while, fearing Zhang Su’s group would press forward into the city despite the water. With the current level, they wouldn’t even dare start their engine—they’d be left behind for sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tao, Liu, what do you think of this group?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tall man in the Tiguan’s driver’s seat spoke to the other two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bespectacled Liu Tianji blurted out: \"An incredibly impressive survivor team—more reliable than any we’ve encountered before!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Litao nodded, murmuring: \"If I’m not mistaken, the driver of the lead vehicle is the team’s leader—he’s terrifying. Just one look from him makes your butt cold. That guy’s definitely killed people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s pure nonsense,\" Liu Tianji scoffed. \"With such a big group, I bet plenty of people have been watching them along the way. If they didn’t have some ruthless methods, how could they have survived?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, hey, what if we asked to join them? Would they accept us?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The driver, Wang Xin, asked thoughtfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Join them? Then we abandon our plan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Litao asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We don’t even know what’s happening at Boss Wu’s place. Even if no one’s taken it over, the three of us trying to clear it out would be a nightmare. If we could tag along with them, I think it’d be great.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xin said, his expression thoughtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tianji pulled out cigarettes and passed them around: \"Exactly. Plans can change. There’s clearly a better option now—why not adjust?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But if we join their team, we lose all say—we’ll have to follow their orders. That’s not comfortable. Think it through!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Litao sneered, clearly unwilling to be constrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xin stared at Zhou Litao in shock: \"Tao, you don’t still think you’re some little boss, do you? At a time like this, why put on airs? What matters now is whether they’ll accept us!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Litao didn’t get angry at Wang Xin’s sarcasm; he spread his hands: \"We’re three strong men—solid laborers. How could he possibly turn us away?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph,\" Liu Tianji scoffed. \"Don’t be so confident. Even the women in their vehicle seem capable—you haven’t noticed? Even sitting inside, they never let their weapons out of reach!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really? I saw one woman playing with a dog. It’s a zombie apocalypse and she’s still petting animals—how capable could she be?\" Zhou Litao didn’t buy Liu Tianji’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zheng Xinyu and Haoyun heard this remark, both woman and dog would fly into a rage—Zhou Litao wouldn’t stand a chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think differently—they can even protect a dog. Isn’t that capability?\" Wang Xin said seriously. \"If we want to join them, we must show some skill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly. We must seize opportunities to prove ourselves. No survivor group will keep idle hands.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tianji strongly agreed with Wang Xin—admiring strength was fine, but you had to be strong yourself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Zhou Litao frowned, saying nothing...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su had exceptional hearing, but with thirty meters between them and the car’s good sound insulation, he couldn’t hear the Tiguan trio’s conversation. Besides, Zhao De was now chatting with him nonstop—he could barely make out Lu Yu and Chen Hanzhou’s talk in the Prado either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bro, even if this rain might boost the zombies’ energy, don’t you think there’s another possibility—that all the water just swept the zombies in the city straight into the sea? That’d be heaven’s blessing, haha!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao De waved his arms dramatically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qincheng’s terrain was higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast, with water flowing out to the sea through the estuary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The convoy was now in northern Qincheng, where the floodwaters were rolling toward the city center—unavoidably, they’d wash the streets again, but likely not clean them thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su smiled and shook his head: \"If that were true, I’d worship the Rain God from now on! But I doubt it—look over there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone followed Zhang Su’s gaze. About a hundred meters away, a dozen zombies staggered through the water—slower than usual, but their legs seemed rooted in the current, steady, not a single fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shit...\" Zhao De cursed, his dream shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just shattered—the distant zombies, as if hearing Zhao De’s curse, slowly began walking toward the vehicles...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my god, they spotted us!\" Zhao De grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su hadn’t expected the zombies to head their way. Logically, they should drift with the current—water flowed south, so why would zombies swim upstream?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like they really spotted us... but how could they sense me...?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question was baffling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Could it be... drinking too much rainwater gives zombies experience points? Did they level up?\" Zheng Xinyu said with exaggerated expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer sounded ridiculous, yet everyone felt it held a grain of truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Qing said: \"I’ve killed fewer zombies, but I’ve observed closely. Their movement and speed haven’t changed much from before—but they’re moving against the current. Could it mean they’re stronger than before under normal conditions?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone shook their heads. No one could answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone, get down and see what’s going on!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su turned off all the lights inside the vehicle, ordered everyone to crouch low, and peered out with just his eyes, watching the approaching zombies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, their target isn’t us!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small group of zombies slowly walked through the water, upstream, their eyes fixed straight north—they clearly weren’t drawn to the vehicles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what do we do? Should we kill them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao De whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su firmly shook his head. In this situation, minimizing combat was best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as everyone hoped the zombies would quietly leave, they stopped walking, stood in the water, and stared blankly at the RV!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>??\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through a layer of metal, both humans and zombies stood motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the vehicles behind, Lu Yu and Chen Hanzhou had already crouched low, eyes wide with tension. When the zombies halted, their hearts seemed to pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stillness didn’t last long—only about ten seconds—then the zombies slowly circled around the Mercedes RV!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dull thump echoed. Then, rapid pounding surrounded the vehicle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang bang bang bang...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large palms slapped the car body, making the inside vibrate and ears ring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to height, the zombies couldn’t reach the windows, so there was no fear of them breaking the glass—but if they kept this up, they might attract more zombies from afar, which would be terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can’t even take a lazy break—time to work.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su pulled out a short dagger he’d never used, rolled down his window, leaned out, and stabbed downward—the blade pierced the zombie beside the door with a wet *plop*. The fine dagger easily slipped into the temple’s cranial seam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aowuowu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the living scent more clearly, the zombies surrounding the Mercedes went wild, pounding the car harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu and the others followed Zhang Su’s example, opening windows to strike downward—but not everyone mastered this technique well. Though they faced no danger, their kill rate was low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shark Arm, come here, come to Grandpa!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, they heard Lu Yu shouting. He’d climbed onto the hood of his Prado, waving a grain sampling tool like a weapon, looking utterly arrogant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t stand the boredom—once Zhang Su decided to fight, he immediately crawled out through the roof hatch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aoaooo!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, several zombies attacking the Mercedes turned and headed toward the Prado.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bo, you idiot, watch yourself—don’t show off!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su clearly saw Lu Yu’s showy pose through the rearview camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Relax, Boss Zhang. Here they come!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Lu Yu swung his sampling tool, driving it straight through a zombie’s skull with a *plop*, then yanking it out, leaving a trail of disgusting slime splattered across the Prado’s white hood—dark green with brown streaks, revolting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Less than twenty zombies posed no threat to the group with their terrain advantage—all were felled beside the vehicles, none washed away by the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over ten zombies, dispatched in under five minutes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xin, driver of the Tiguan, leaned out, barely catching sight of the events ahead through the Ford Expedition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His two companions stared blankly at his report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, Zhou Litao murmured: \"Easy for those who know, hard for those who don’t. They found a method—we just need to learn it too. Nothing special.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tianji and Wang Xin both glanced at Zhou Litao, unsure whether to call him arrogant or delusional. But they were deeply shaken—and more determined than ever to join Zhang Su’s team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The zombies’ speed and agility have slightly increased. Their strength hasn’t been clearly felt yet, but other aspects have improved—strength probably has too. But these aren’t what worry me most...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Mercedes RV, Zhang Su was conducting a post-battle summary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What worries me most is the zombies’ sensing ability! Before, if zombies were outside and we were inside the vehicle, as long as we stayed silent, they couldn’t detect us. But what just happened? How did they sense us through the car?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone, facing Zhang Su’s question, shook their heads solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This damn rain—it boosts zombie energy and makes them stronger. What the hell kind of crap is this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao De sat dejectedly on the carpet, deeply frustrated—even though less than one in ten human survivors remained and urban civilization had been destroyed, everyone still wanted to live better in the apocalypse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very purpose of struggling to survive was to secure a better living environment, yet the zombies’ transformations would only make the survivors’ path to survival even harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Qing picked up the thread: “We could think about this differently—perhaps the rain merely replenished the zombies’ energy, restoring abilities they already possessed. Maybe they were always this powerful…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what you’re saying, Teacher Yu, is that they were starving before, and after drinking the rain, they’re full—no more back pain or leg ache, and now they can smell living things through cars?” Zheng Xinyu asked, stroking her dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Qing nodded: “Something like that. I’ve thought about the energy issue too, just like Zhao De. So many zombies—how many were starving? Even if they entered some kind of energy-saving mode normally, their energy still drained continuously, and eventually it would run out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this rain completely solved the problem of energy depletion—it replenished the starving zombies, while the ones already fed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, everyone’s hearts lurched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If starving zombies regained their strength, what would happen to those that had already consumed blood?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su forced a stiff smile: “Are we playing a game? Zombies level up by killing us humans—but how do we level up? Killing zombies doesn’t help, so zombies won’t level up. The rain just helping them restore energy is just a random coincidence of nature.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su couldn’t even convince himself, but at this moment, he had to say something to dispel the unease in everyone’s hearts!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2184,"2026-06-20T15:15:14.526Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","19b2ddb71a71d67bf9451cfa5f95b21a5e80987a1ab426c73254aeaba95d0387","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-134","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-132",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]