[{"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-204":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},2319442,4536,"Chapter 204: Double-Edged Sword","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-204",204,"\u003Cp>\"Fuck...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yubo sat down hard on the ground, his cigarette and fork discarded, staring in terror at the flaming corpse lying less than two meters in front of him—if everyone hadn’t acted together to save him, he would have been either devoured by the zombie or severely burned!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You damn fool, showing off like that—you nearly got yourself killed! Don’t you owe Old Tan a thank-you?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su was startled too—the zombie in its frenzy moved with terrifying speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, thank you, Sister Tan! If I weren’t so old, I’d even want to be your adopted son! Holy shit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yubo wiped sweat from his brow and blurted out nonsense—he had been truly terrified; this wasn’t a battle, no hormones had time to surge before the sudden change—it was horrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forget it, forget it—I’ve got Da Kun as my adopted son, that’s enough...\" Tan HuaJun waved her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Qianlan stood aside, watching her mother display her prowess and her brother who’d rescued her from the mall act the fool, unable to suppress a faint smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Wen, watching the burning zombie on the ground, adjusted his glasses and analyzed: \"Zombies seem to absorb energy from fire—like injecting a human starved for days with a massive dose of stimulants, triggering inexplicable bursts of speed and strength—terrible!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zombies fear fire only relatively—they’re flammable and can be destroyed by flame, but before they’re destroyed, you must endure a storm of attacks!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the burning zombie hadn’t been allowed to keep running, its brief movements revealed its incredible speed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Normally, human corpses are common, but this thing’s rare—burns well and resists burning; if we could use it for cooking, it’d save so much trouble!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the moment the zombie was ignited until now, about ten to fifteen minutes had passed; its body tissues began slowly melting, like a wax statue exposed to high heat, gradually deforming from solid into an extremely viscous liquid, similar to asphalt, collapsing into a single massive blob.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su was relieved he hadn’t rashly used fire in battle—otherwise, one failed attempt would have doomed the entire camp under the zombie’s assault!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone, look! Something’s changing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It really might work.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The material used to make mummies burned with a pleasant scent, but the zombie emitted an indescribable odor—different from its living decay, uniquely strange, unlike anything anyone had ever smelled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Before the pigment called 'Mummy Brown' was invented, Egyptians dug up mummies from the earth and burned them as firewood—resources were scarce; if something had utility, who cared?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao DeZhu, the camp cook, stared thoughtfully at the burning zombie corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tianji shared a little-known fact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su shook his hands helplessly: \"Looks like using fire against zombies isn’t reliable... unless we create special environments or traps—otherwise, you could’ve beaten it fine, but light a flame, and you’re done, getting tortured to death!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is a double-edged sword—kills enemies, kills yourself!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Qing pursed her lips: \"In some Nordic countries, heating companies partner with crematoriums—incinerators provide citizens with heating...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imagine if over a hundred burning zombies charged the camp together—unless dozens of rifles fired in unison, it’d be nearly impossible to hold them back!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su walked to the leeward side, sniffed, then frowned and returned to the group: \"There’s a strange smell—unpleasant. Otherwise, we could really use zombie corpses as firewood—they’d be more efficient than regular wood...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, don’t say that—wait, actually, don’t you dare say that...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Zhu, your taste is way too heavy—burning zombie corpses for cooking? What the hell would that taste like!\" Qi XiaoShuai’s face twitched, unable to even imagine the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While everyone discussed, Tan HuaJun pointed at the burning zombie corpse and shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded; after witnessing the zombie’s frenzy, all were shaken—it was a suicide tactic, mutual destruction...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we can’t cook with it, then... maybe for heating?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao DeZhu grinned: \"Exactly! This thing’s on fire—who dares get close? One step near and your hair’s gone, nothing left but ash—you can only use guns, and you need cover, otherwise you don’t even have a safe shooting distance!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heating?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Holy shit, are there ghosts screaming inside the radiator pipes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Lue’s smile was deeply odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This isn’t a joke,\" Zhang Su said seriously. \"Winter’s here. Starting tomorrow, we’ll light the stoves for heating. Arrange your rooms—move everyone into Xiao Xingyun and Wangshan guesthouses to avoid burning extra heaters!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for the most basic Qingfeng Xiaozhu, all guesthouses had installed their own heating systems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zombies wander to the camp almost daily. Whether two or three are enough to burn first isn’t the point—but it’ll greatly ease coal pressure! Tonight I’ll make a schedule for boiler duty—everyone, get familiar with it when you have time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded, saying no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, how long can one zombie burn?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yubo, now calmer, lit another cigarette. He noticed that since the zombie had turned into a sticky gel, it had been burning for several minutes with little change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just wait and see!\" Zheng Xinyu, with her corgi Haoyun, approached the fire, extending her hands to warm them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lighting the zombie didn’t mean the test was over—at least we had to wait and see how long one zombie could burn. But after waiting an hour, the black viscous residue had only shrunk by half...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pfft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su poured a bucket of water over it—he couldn’t wait any longer—and concluded roughly: one zombie burns for about two hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overnight passed; by morning, Zhang Su clearly felt the temperature had dropped again. He glanced at the digital clock beside his bed with a thermometer—it read only eight degrees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room temperature was eight degrees—this was with three people sealing doors and windows. Nighttime outdoor temperatures must have reached zero, or lower!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dressing, he pulled back the curtain: sure enough, a thin layer of ice had formed over the puddle beside the well in the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the morning, everyone in the camp went about their duties. Zhang Su still led a team to Xiang Zhuangzi to haul supplies—there were still uncleaned areas in Niu Quanzi Town, but they weren’t urgent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afternoon came; Zheng Xinyu gathered the meals left for Zhang Su and the others, about to ask when he’d return, when the walkie-talkie crackled to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Attention, a vehicle is approaching, a vehicle is approaching—don’t know if it’s from United Village—everyone stay alert!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan HuaJun, in the surveillance room, watched a slow-moving SUV on the self-built road and relayed the message to the camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Down the mountain, in the passenger seat of the Tiguan, Wang XinGui leaned out, peering around with an envious expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Gui, this place is really nice—mountains, water. Why didn’t we ever think to come here before?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bald young man sat in the back, his face pressed against the window, speaking with a silly, innocent tone despite his fierce look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t say you don’t like being called a fool—think: everyone around Tianmayu knows this place is good. Don’t you think the owners of the mountain guesthouses might’ve come here before the disaster? Even the King of Hell claimed this land—do you really think we could?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang XinGui scolded his subordinate sternly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged driver chuckled: \"Xiao Bo, your brother Gui’s right—you can’t see others succeed and assume you can too. Your wife can have babies—can you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Bo squinted: \"Brother Zhong, that analogy’s ridiculous—men and women aren’t the same...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine, forget men and women. A few years ago, the old village chief saw people in Xigezhuang get rich raising raccoon dogs, so he got our village started too—everyone lost ten thousand each. Later we found out the Xigezhuang boss had a factory in Cang City—vertical integration, from production to sales!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then we can build a factory in Cang City too...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough, enough—I already regret bringing you out. Stop blabbering. If you can’t speak properly, just shut up and don’t embarrass me! Oh, and absolutely don’t call him 'King of Hell'—if he really gets angry, you’ll get beaten!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang XinGui had a thousand reasons not to bring Xiao Bo along, but Xiao Bo’s sister had been hot and heavy with him lately, whispering sweet nothings about letting him see the world—there was nothing he could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this seeing the world? This was seeing the King of Hell. If not for the Dragon Army blocking his path, he’d never have come here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the car stopped at the Shanmen. Wang XinGui and the others stepped out smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, handsome guys and beautiful ladies, I’m Wang XinGui—Gui Zi. I made an appointment with Brother Zhang today to come over. Where’s Brother Zhang?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, yeah, Brother Su knows—he’s still at Xiang Zhuangzi, heading back now. Come inside, have some tea!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu remembered Wang XinGui—they’d dealt with each other during the destruction of Beitaizi Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, alright! Brother Zhong, please drive the car in—I’ll walk up with Xiao Bo.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Got it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Zhong climbed into the driver’s seat and slowly drove the car into the camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang XinGui and Xiao Bo followed Zheng Xinyu and the others upward—everything they saw amazed them: walls, barbed wire, barricades, spike strips, and holes prepped for killing zombies...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was what a safe camp should look like—compared to Tianmayu, United Village’s defenses looked crude and shabby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1543,"2026-06-20T15:15:16.164Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d6a7f110c263efb6e4bc8471bb0f88dda7be0fa3d1456483aa1a7a2c97b7075c","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-205","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-203",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]