[{"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-617":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},2319855,4536,"Chapter 617: They Saw Us All Along","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-617",617,"\u003Cp>Someone’s coming!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su took off his sunglasses and looked east toward the railway bridge; at the edge of his vision, more than twenty figures were trudging along the tracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone followed Zhang Su’s gaze, never doubting his warning—his alerts were almost never wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, far off, shapes were moving; in this environment, anything that moved demanded caution!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wild animals were virtually extinct; domestic fowl and livestock had all died off except those bred in the camp, and even the wind had vanished—meaning not even plastic bags drifted through the air…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was hard to judge the exact distance of the sudden group, but roughly four to five kilometers—similar to the straight-line distance from Tianma Island to the railway bridge—plus obstructions and the gloomy sky made them nearly invisible unless you stared intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone reached for binoculars, then remembered they hadn’t brought them today—this mission didn’t need them—and luckily, they had rifles; the quickest among them immediately raised their guns and aimed into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lot of them…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looks like refugees?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn, can’t see clearly—the scope’s blurry…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big bros and sis, hurry, shouldn’t we hide first?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Temporary member Zhou Hao swung his head toward the maintenance platform, face tight with anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course no one listened to a temporary member—they all turned to Zhang Su.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su smirked slightly, said nothing, and walked toward the platform; everyone followed, leaving the tracks and moving to the maintenance platform, using the terrain to block their line of sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss, isn’t your vision messed up? How’d you get telescope vision outta this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Xiaoshuai leaned against the railing, grinning as he teased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone now thought Zhang Su’s alertness was insane—he’d spotted that group the moment they peeked out from behind cover, while they couldn’t even see them clearly through their scopes. It was downright supernatural! “Took a bunch of punches, got my nearsightedness beaten into farsightedness—wanna try it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su clenched his fist, his gloves creaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone laughed and waved him off; only Ju Wuying wore a thoughtful expression, but she never smiled, so no one paid attention to her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a coincidence—why now? Not earlier, not later—just as we’re on the railway bridge?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Tianji stared at the black-and-white world, frowning slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe survivors often flee along the railway—we just never posted sentries nearby, and rarely came here, so we never noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su shrugged; he’d genuinely overlooked this. Ground travel might be restricted everywhere, but following railway lines made moving from one city to another far easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what do we do now? Retreat down, wait for them to pass, then come back up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone else had said it, Zhang Su wouldn’t have considered it—but coming from Zheng Xinyu, he had to think. After all, she’d successfully avoided danger before. But given his last misjudgment of difficulty, he knew some things couldn’t be decided by gut feeling alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides us, there shouldn’t be any large survivor camps north of Qincheng. I can’t see clearly, but that group’s at least twenty strong—a sizable team. We can’t let them wander freely. We should make contact, find out what they want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su said cautiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bro’s right. This vast stretch of land? It’s Tianma Island’s territory. If they get off the bridge somewhere we don’t know, that’s dangerous!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Dechu was the first to agree with Zhang Su.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, many nodded—contact was necessary. Among strangers, resource scarcity bred natural hostility; if you spotted them, ignoring them wasn’t an option. Zheng Xinyu shrugged: “I’m fine with either. Do we wait for them to come, or go meet them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t keep throwing questions at me—then you tell me: should we wait here or go meet them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su groaned—he’d just been about to ask that, and Zheng Xinyu stole his line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, why can’t I even ask questions? That’s bullying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu was annoyed—everyone else could ask questions, but not her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not bullying. I was planning to test you. Go on—tell me: meet them or wait? Let’s see if your judgment’s improved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other members of Yanluo Corps grinned, watching Zhang Su and Zheng Xinyu bicker. None doubted Zhang Su’s words—except the one who spoke them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xinyu shot Zhang Su a strange look, furrowed her brows, and thought for a few seconds: “If no conflict arises, it doesn’t matter. If it does, staying away from the high-speed train’s better—damage the train, and zombies inside could burst out. Everyone’s screwed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, I thought about an ambush plan. The railway bridge’s too open—hard to hide. Maybe under the cars?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hide your ass. You really think they haven’t seen us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su shook his head, outright rejecting Zheng Xinyu’s last suggestion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Hao’s face froze—he’d been smug about warning everyone to hide, but now it felt like ice water poured over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do they have someone with eagle eyes in their group?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Hao cleverly used “also”—in his mind, Zhang Su was no different from eagle eyes; he used flattery to ease his embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su smirked: “Eagle eyes? Maybe not. But if I led a group, I’d send scouts ahead. We’ve already spotted their main force—so tell me, don’t you think they’ve spotted us too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, even if they didn’t see us, those cars under the bridge? They’re glaringly obvious—neatly lined up. Anyone with eyes can see them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, so why hide then? Xiao Zhou, you’re overdoing it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah… Boss is right. Let’s just go then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hold on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su waved to the group: “Leave all gear here. Maximum alert. If they show any sign of hostility, don’t ask—shoot to kill. Lao Tan, got it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the camp grew stronger, Zhang Su grew increasingly wary and cold toward strangers. Survivors from outposts were strangers too, but they had comrades-in-arms as links—so they were at least somewhat known.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dealing with true strangers wasn’t just about personal safety—it affected the entire camp!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah? Oh, got it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tan Huajun knew why Zhang Su called her—her round face hardened with resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No more hesitation. Everyone dumped their tools on the maintenance platform, pulled their ugly hats over their heads. After wearing them so long, they’d stopped bothering to insert bulletproof plates into helmets—these hats were easier, more comfortable, and more deceptive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su nodded to Jia Shiqin below, guarding the vehicles. Everyone checked their weapons, disengaged safeties, raised their guns in high alert, advancing like soldiers entering a battlefield—except three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ju Wuying held a dagger in each hand—the long and short blades she’d found in Gong Chengming’s house. Even on a cloudy day, their sharp edges glowed eerily beautiful. She’d once given them to Yi Xiaoling, who thought they made good grafting knives; Ju Wuying called it a waste and took them back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her grip looked casual, but the short dagger in her right hand was poised to fly—useless at long range, but deadly within twenty meters, precise as a target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other two were temporary members Zhou Hao and Ke Zhiyu—they had no rifles, only small handguns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1170,"2026-06-20T15:15:17.100Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","457ba4ac22322de6bcca31a3f5eeb890a11ffaee693cfd1908f9d1a8c021c4e8","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-618","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-616",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]