[{"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-17":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},2319255,4536,"Chapter 17: The Woman Across the Hall (Please Collect and Vote)","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-17",17,"\u003Cp>\"First time? Being this nervous, missing the target is normal... I’ll just practice more if I have to!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu pouted and walked into the living room, swinging the baseball bat according to the techniques Zhang Su had taught her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soft knocks on the door came intermittently, and the woman’s voice occasionally drifted into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu swung the baseball bat vigorously in the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person outside persisted for about four or five minutes before finally stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Finally left.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu exhaled in relief and resumed her practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t someone who particularly enjoyed helping others, but pleas could soften her heart—yet she knew such softness meant nothing now, because she had no ability to help anyone else!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even self-preservation was a problem—right now, after just over ten minutes of practice, her arms were already aching and stiff…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su walked from the bedroom into the living room and mused, \"A few vehicles are heading toward the suburbs, and I think the zombies might have some form of thought.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh? What do you mean? You’re saying zombies have intelligence?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu was startled—based on what she’d encountered so far, she wasn’t much stronger than the zombies; if they had intelligence and could think, then what was the point of begging for survival? Just join them already!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su shook his head: \"Not intelligence. It’s more accurate to call it instinctive habit. I just noticed that when zombies have no target, their movements are mechanical—actually, that motion style saves tremendous energy, meaning low energy consumption!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I suspect that in this state, they channel more energy to their sensory organs to enhance prey detection. Once they spot a target, their speed surges. Doesn’t that resemble the behavior of many wild carnivores?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu nodded dully, but before she could grasp how studying this might help them now, a thunderous explosion erupted!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom… rumble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive sound penetrated even the excellent soundproof glass—Zhang Su felt his skull vibrate, the house trembled slightly, and the commemorative basketball on the bookshelf rolled to the floor…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu covered her ears and crouched on the ground, eyes wide with terror as she stared toward the source of the noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over there!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su pointed to Zheng Xinyu’s room and rushed over to pull back the curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long stretch of the compound’s wall had been toppled like dominoes; cars lay scattered and burning across the road. The explosion originated from the shop across the street—no one knew why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over a dozen shops blazed with roaring flames; thick black smoke rose into the sky. The street was unrecognizable—debris and rubble flew everywhere, some even landing inside the compound!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What sent chills down the spine: burning zombies wandered between vehicles, others trapped inside burning cars couldn’t escape but kept flailing their arms desperately—a scene straight out of hell!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My god...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu leaned close to Zhang Su, staring at the cement road torn open by the blast—her jaw hung slack. If zombies had filled her with fear, this explosion filled her soul with profound dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank goodness our floor is high—lower floors probably have shattered glass!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su looked down with lingering unease, but the angle prevented him from seeing much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Su, I… I suddenly feel like we’re not safe even inside the building. Look, half of Building 8 is on fire—could our building explode too? Oh no, what if the ground floor catches fire? What will we do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu asked plaintively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su’s heart jolted—he slapped Zheng Xinyu’s butt sharply and snapped, \"Say something positive!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tag read 【Good Fortune】—if good and bad luck both worked, this would be a nightmare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, you… why are you touching me like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps having survived a zombie slaughter had strengthened her resolve—Zhang Su’s sudden action immediately eased her shock from the explosion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a frantic knocking erupted—much louder than before, echoing through the door crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m from 802. Hello, what happened with that explosion? I’m terrified—can you open the door and tell me what’s going on? Please…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the building layout, 802 could only see a portion of the collapsed wall—unable to see the explosion site directly, the uncertainty only deepened the unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su frowned and strode toward the front door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps terrified by the explosion, the woman had removed her mask and sunglasses—her beautiful face twisted with fear, eyes filled with panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kind person, please help me! I mean no harm—I’m just a woman. Please, do me a small favor. I’ll pay you—I’ll give you all the cash I have, plus my gold jewelry. Everything!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing her cash wasn’t enough, she added more incentives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t just talking—she immediately began removing her earrings and necklace—when suddenly the door flew open. Just as she expected to be shoved back, it stopped. A large hand grabbed her without warning and yanked her inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her head slammed into the doorframe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah… ugh!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hoarse cry was instantly muffled by a hand clamped over her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu, who had followed closely, stared curiously at the woman Zhang Su pulled in, then swiftly shut the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you a loudspeaker reincarnated? Why do you insist on screaming?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su pinned the woman against the wall, clamping her mouth shut with force, his eyes blazing with menace—he showed no mercy because she was a woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman was utterly distraught, raising a hand to rub her aching head—but the ferocity of his gaze paralyzed her. She trembled, tears streaming down her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Um… Miss, you can’t scream—noise attracts zombies. He… he doesn’t mean harm. Don’t be afraid!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the woman nearly catatonic with fear, Zheng Xinyu felt pity and spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman, still overwhelmed by terror, hadn’t even noticed Zheng Xinyu—until she spoke. Only then did she meet her gentle gaze, and her panic eased slightly. She nodded repeatedly, understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still gonna scream?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su growled the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman, still nodding, quickly shook her head—but her eyes kept darting to Zheng Xinyu, too afraid to look at Zhang Su.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su released her, scowling, and wiped his hand on her chest. \"You got snot all over me—you’re disgusting!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman felt the man rubbing her body vigorously but dared not resist—she truly had snot and tears all over her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, alright… you’ve already taken so much advantage of her…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu watched Zhang Su’s hand rubbing the woman’s clothes repeatedly—even though they were already clean. She leaned close to his ear, lips unmoved, whispering with her throat: \"You’ve already taken so much advantage of her…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some readers have questioned certain things. After careful thought, I suspect it’s because readers have added their own zombie-apocalypse assumptions, and since the novel provides limited exposition, confusion is natural. Keep reading—some mysteries will be answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1140,"2026-06-20T15:15:14.526Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3608c96d5248148b3d1d17b4fdaa6253d0c7613d785bb2332d93e224259aa72d","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-18","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-16",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]