[{"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-42":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},2319280,4536,"Chapter 42: Uninvited Guests (Dear Readers, Please Keep Reading)","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-42",42,"\u003Cp>There’s no limit to how many times you can enhance your hearing—could it be tied to the challenge level? A-grade grants direct enhancement, while C-grade is just a trial pass with limited uses?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered, he turned on the water, then suddenly jerked as if struck by lightning—the stream veered wildly off the toilet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The indicator light that always stayed on when powered… went out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey… damn it, the power’s out, haven’t you noticed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t have time to dry off, grabbed his pants, and rushed out of the bathroom to tell the two women doing push-ups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Power’s… out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu couldn’t hold her breath any longer; the news was too shocking—she collapsed face-first onto the floor with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan quickly stood up and ran to the light switch, frantically pressing it—no response. She sighed dejectedly: “The power’s really out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say goodbye to modern living…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su sat down heavily on the floor and let out a long breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget computers and phones—without internet, they’re useless. But most of their stored food needs hot water to cook. Gas was cut, so they could’ve used an induction cooker—but now electricity’s gone too. The sudden loss shattered their sense of security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t even had time to celebrate his new ability before the power outage drowned out all excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… all those snail rice noodles are completely inedible now?” Zheng Xinyu frowned at her room, heart aching with regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan silently returned to the sofa and murmured: “Actually… if it’s just about cooking food, I have a way…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What way?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu both turned to look at Zhong Xiaoshan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under their combined gaze, Zhong Xiaoshan suddenly felt shy, flattered by their attention, and hurriedly said: “It’s nothing clever—just lighting a fire. Cook with fire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course…” Zhang Su suddenly understood: “We’ve gotten so used to modern life, we’ve forgotten the primitive methods!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan quickly raised her hand: “I’ve learned how to start a fire, but… it produces a lot of smoke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su stood up, thought for a moment, and said: “Zombies won’t be drawn to smoke—they’ll have their sense of smell impaired by it. Besides, fires are breaking out everywhere; no one will notice one more wisp of black smoke. Let’s go to the stairwell—it has windows for ventilation, and it’s convenient to operate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su was skilled in combat, but survival techniques weren’t his forte.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan thought for a moment and said: “Anywhere’s fine, as long as there’s wood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su checked the time and patted his stomach: “We’ll cook this meal with fire. For dinner tonight, we’ll eat instant food.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were plenty of snacks, but non-cooking food was limited—they had to conserve it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No time to waste—the three immediately got to work…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To gather wood, Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu dismantled a TV cabinet from Li Ge’s apartment on the 902nd floor, stripped off the painted outer layer—the particleboard inside burned just fine…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan used the stove equipment from Zhang Su’s home to build a crude stand—it looked rough and odd, but held a pot perfectly steady!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su smoked regularly and always kept lighters on hand—even two bottles of lighter fluid—so starting a fire was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about an hour of frantic work, a large pot of snail rice noodles was placed on the dining table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dinner’s ready!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan was overjoyed—this was the first time she’d made a meaningful contribution to the group, cooking a meal for everyone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su looked at Zhong Xiaoshan’s face, smudged with soot and ash, and chuckled bitterly: “This isn’t sustainable—we need to speed things up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Speed up… our departure from here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu asked gravely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su nodded, gesturing for them to eat, then added: “In the city—or even in this residential complex—convenience relies entirely on stable water, electricity, gas, and internet. Once those advantages vanish, surviving here becomes extremely difficult!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Especially after the power outage—food in everyone’s fridges will spoil in three to five days at best, maybe seven or eight at most. And how much non-cooking food can we possibly store?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Xiaoshan nodded vigorously: “You’re right, Brother Su. Once I went out for five or six days, and my home’s circuit breaker tripped. When I got back, the smell was unbearable—I threw out the entire fridge and just had the junk collectors haul it away for pennies…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So where should we go once we leave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu asked the most critical question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The goal is to head toward places with fewer people, and we must consider water and food. The general direction should be the nearby suburban villages. Most importantly—we need a vehicle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su muttered as he thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu tilted her head toward the road, her expression worried: “If the streets are all like that one, we won’t be able to drive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, explosions mostly happened in residential buildings—not many on the streets. Look around us: only the area directly below us was affected. A car is essential—it opens up countless options… Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Zhang Su suddenly froze—he heard a faint rustling sound!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, what’s that smell? So foul—is this zombie rotting…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man’s coarse voice spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah! Looks like the little girl’s still alive! Brother Xiang, that’s the smell of snail rice noodles—lots of young people love it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came a sly, sneering voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shit! They blocked the hallway with stuff—what the hell is this?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coarse-voiced man named Xiang didn’t dwell on the odd smell and continued: “We’ve come this far, Chongzi—you better not be wrong. If this is a wild goose chase, I’ll break your legs!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sly man called Chongzi replied: “Brother Xiang, I’m sure. I’ve scouted this place several times. The female streamer lives in 801—and with this snail rice noodle smell, I’m one hundred percent certain it’s her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know she lives here—I’m talking about the food, got it? The food!” Xiang snapped. Clearly, he’d risked his life coming here not for a woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to worry about that. The girl showed off during her livestream—she hoarded tons of self-heating meals, all for the challenge. And now the challenge hasn’t even started and zombies show up? Damn, a little girl hoarding all this food—she’s got insane luck!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sly man couldn’t help licking his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehehe, her luck’s about to become ours… Chongzi, how’d you even find this treasure of a streamer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang asked coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same city, nearby streamers. She was closest to me. At first she lied and said she lived in Building Ten—damn, turns out she was right next door in the other unit! Hahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chongzi burst into a lewd laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t laugh like that—you pervert. Listen up: if there’s food, I’ll let you lead the charge. If there’s none, you stand aside and watch—go play with your fifth lady yourself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang growled, his chest tight with suppressed rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relax, relax, Brother Xiang—even if there’s food, I won’t compete with you. Hehe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Now get moving—wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang was about to move the dressing table when he spotted several spoons tied to the legs—he grinned: “They even set up an alarm system? So there must be other survivors besides the streamer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1199,"2026-06-20T15:15:14.526Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","bbe5d625f55f405b1fd1027f8af60fc9dac5d8e7488ae96320770df0ca1cd761","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-43","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-41",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]