[{"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-3":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},2319241,4536,"Chapter 3: Theoretically Not Unfamiliar (Grab Your Investment Duck, Invest Invest Invest!)","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-3",3,"\u003Cp>“Not…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu grabbed Zhang Su’s arm, tears in her eyes, shaking her head: “Su-ge, this isn’t a dream—it’s real, it’s really real!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su swallowed saliva, feeling Zheng Xinyu’s cold, trembling hand—he knew he was awake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu were still reeling, a noise came from the hallway—someone had slammed shut the emergency exit door. Before either could react, the front door was pounded hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud! Thud! Thud-thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy, chaotic knocks struck Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu’s ears; both felt their scalps tighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Su-ge, what do we do…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu’s face, already pale, had lost all color; her eyes brimmed with terror. She feared the monster from downstairs was pounding at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su steadied himself, patted her hand gripping his arm, signaled her to stay silent, then crept silently toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu obeyed instantly, keeping quiet, fists clenched over her chest, eyes locked on Zhang Su’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the relentless pounding, Zhang Su suppressed his unease and slowly pressed himself against the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bravery isn’t the absence of fear—it’s moving forward despite fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud. Thud. Thud. The pounding never stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su gently pressed his palm against the door, clearly feeling the force behind each blow—not enough to break it in, but enough to make the frame tremble faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peephole—a standard feature on entry doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su leaned his eye to the peephole, peering out. He really didn’t want to do this—he had no idea what he’d face—but logically, he had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he was the owner of this apartment—the weird landlord Zheng Xinyu had mentioned who’d installed the listening device…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, as a man, he couldn’t let a girl step forward in a moment like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s see what kind of demon you are!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su gritted his teeth, adjusted his focus, and instantly saw what lay outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man stood at the door—or rather, he had once been a man…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin was grayish-blue, caked in blood. One side of his mouth was torn open, stretching his lips grotesquely wide—like a clown from a movie, except clowns didn’t have chunks of meat in their mouths or dripping blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His beige T-shirt was soaked dark red with blood. In his right hand he held a severed arm; his left hand moved stiffly, mechanically—once, then again—pounding the door. Slow, but heavy and powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Auuu… Auuu…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low, mindless growl seeped through the door, piercingly sharp, striking straight into Zhang Su’s soul. “Zombie…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combining this with what he’d seen in the garden downstairs, Zhang Su quickly reached a conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zombie-themed movies and games were one of Zhang Su’s favorite genres. Theoretically, he wasn’t unfamiliar with such creatures—he’d killed dozens in a game just eight or nine hours ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably because the transformation was recent, the zombie outside hadn’t yet decomposed into the grotesque, gut-spilling horrors of the films. But encountering one in real life still caused Zhang Su’s prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus to momentarily shrink—he couldn’t snap out of it, even forgot to feel nauseous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear isn’t exclusive to women. When confronted with something beyond comprehension—especially unknown danger—everyone fears. Zhang Su was no exception. His muscular arms trembled slightly from terror. As he stared blankly through the peephole, he felt someone gently pat his back—he snapped back to awareness. At the same moment, the man outside stopped pounding. The world fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the peephole, Zhang Su saw the zombie man staring blankly around, failing to spot his target, then shuffling aimlessly by the door, dragging a long trail of blood behind him—horrifying even through the door. The thick scent of blood seeped through, despite the door’s good seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su turned to Zheng Xinyu and made a “leave” gesture. They silently retreated from the door, returning to the bay window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ugh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now did Zhang Su feel his stomach churn. Last night’s dinner rose up. He sat on the floor, saliva flooding his mouth, swallowing repeatedly, sweat beading on his forehead. The stench of blood clung to his nostrils, refusing to fade—even though he didn’t particularly hate the smell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Su-ge, what’s outside the door…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu knelt beside him, whispering. Hesitantly, she reached out and brushed his forehead, her fingers threading through his short hair. She didn’t know what he’d seen—she was curious—but lacked the courage to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su felt her comfort, exhaled slowly, and whispered back: “Brother Li from the Urban Construction Bureau on the ninth floor. Xin-yu, you know what zombies are—Brother Li’s turned into one…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head to look at her, his gaze grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zombies? I know…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu pulled her hands together, not reacting with shock as Zhang Su expected. The idea had already crossed her mind—she just hadn’t dared believe such a fantasy could happen in reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like suddenly seeing every car on the street turn into Transformers—it was unbelievable! Zhang Su recalled how frantically she’d pounded on his bedroom door earlier. He realized her adaptability was better than he’d thought. Fifteen minutes had passed and she was no longer panicking. This seemingly fragile girl wasn’t just a camera-sweetening idol?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is…is it because I made too much noise before? Did I attract Li, uh… the zombie?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu asked softly, guilt flashing across her face. She remembered how loudly she’d shouted to wake Zhang Su—she’d made quite a racket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Probably.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su nodded slowly, not blaming Zheng Xinyu. He gently patted her shoulder: “Knowing now isn’t too late. Just be careful next time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-what do we do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu was no longer as panicked as before, but still had no idea what to do. Downstairs lay severed limbs; a zombie blocked the door. It felt like the sky had collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh… Judging from the situation, it’s a zombie disease—call it a zombie virus. The zombie virus has broken out. Yeah—quick, check online for news!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the initial shock, Zhang Su gradually calmed. The hairs on his arms settled. His fear receded, pushed into a corner by reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! Yes! I’ll get my phone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu nodded firmly, relieved someone was giving orders. If she were alone, she truly wouldn’t know what to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering the zombie’s attraction to sound, she tiptoed, moving with extreme care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Zheng Xinyu went to fetch her phone, Zhang Su leaned out again to observe the compound, noticing more details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames engulfed the easternmost end of Building 8, spreading upward from the seventh or eighth floor, curling into twisted shapes under the wind—more terrifying than the zombies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carnage wasn’t confined to the garden between Buildings 3 and 4. Blood and body parts littered the nearby road. Trash bins had been overturned, garbage scattered everywhere. Ornamental shrubs were crushed flat. Signs of violent struggle were unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Counting carefully, at least two dozen zombies wandered about. Most absurdly, one had lost both legs but still crawled slowly across the ground, dragging a long, bloody trail—its stubbornness almost moved you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unimaginable how brutal the massacre had been. If the compound hadn’t been designed with pedestrian-vehicle separation, the number of corpses on the ground would’ve been several times higher! As his gaze moved, Zhang Su saw a section of the compound’s perimeter wall smashed open. Several cars were jammed crookedly over rubble, their fronts crushed. Street accidents were numerous too—not enough to block traffic, but no vehicles passed now. Only zombies lingered everywhere. Starting today, two updates daily~~~ La la la, dear readers, come quick!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1244,"2026-06-20T15:15:14.526Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","40a45b909789727b6ef964b3e574760dd142078a1c7a9171e2a0bb4674db3f3c","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-4","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-2",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]