[{"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-673":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},2319911,4536,"Chapter 673: A Fire in Winter","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-673",673,"\u003Cp>“Jia Master, leave the small jobs to others—priority one is the generator. I’m off first; you all eat up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su wiped his mouth, stepped out of the dining hall, and headed toward the Shanhai Team’s call—he couldn’t afford to delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Duan, the signal’s bad—get Lü Zi to tweak it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su replied to Duan Wu, walking home while thinking of the black crystal—he remembered the bag of super-hard bones still sitting at home, and decided to take them to Ding Yongguo for study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About two minutes later, Duan Wu’s voice sounded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Better now? Brother Zhang? Hello?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good, are you still traveling tonight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su was surprised—last night’s signal had been fine; if they hadn’t moved, there shouldn’t have been any fluctuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu looked at Wu Lue, who shrugged and scratched his head: “Maybe the gear’s got flaws. Brother Zhang, we’ve hit a problem—we need your advice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s like this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu concisely recounted what had happened at midnight, then added: “My thought is to invite that old man to join us—what do you think we should do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strong combat ability, loyal and righteous—why hesitate? Bring him straight into our camp. His mental issues can be eased gradually. It’s tough—after all this time, there are still stragglers out there…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su sighed—five months since the disaster, yet someone had been hiding in this village the whole time. It was tragic too: the entire village was reduced to one man, drowning in grief over lost family and friends, unable to move on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Duan Wu’s description, their location wasn’t far from Qingxian. Back then, the Qinglong Army had focused only on Qingxian’s urban area and never got around to checking the outlying villages—missing a brave survivor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone could hide in Honggou Village, similar cases couldn’t be ruled out—people who chose seclusion, deliberately vanishing. If they showed no hostility, there was no need to disturb them; if fate brought them together, that was another matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it, Brother Zhang. We’re busy—hopefully we’ll enter the city this morning, then we’ll figure out how to contact you again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The call ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did Shu Ge say? He definitely invited that guy to join them, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Lue saw Duan Wu walk into the room and handed him a bowl of porridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The porridge was cold. Duan Wu gulped it down in two swallows, wiped his mouth, and nodded: “Right. A fierce warrior—worth recruiting. I’ll talk to him, see his willingness. Same principle: we don’t waste time. You all eat and pack up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the courtyard, the mysterious man was still hauling corpses—but his strength was clearly fading. First he carried them, then he slung them over his shoulder, now he could only drag them…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old brother, take a break. Let’s chat a bit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu stepped forward to help, gesturing for him to sit on the steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s condition had stabilized since early morning, but he didn’t accept Duan Wu’s request—his expression blank, he shook his head and kept working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew why he arranged the corpses in a line, or what he planned to do next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… what’s your surname, old brother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu awkwardly rubbed his hands and, as the man paused to set down a corpse, offered him a cigarette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man didn’t refuse. He took it, clamped it between his cracked lips, fished a match from his tattered cotton coat, struck it with a snap, lit the cigarette, drew a deep breath, and rasped: “Hong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re clearly older than me—I’ll call you Old Hong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu nodded knowingly, assuming “Hong” referred to Honggou Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Hong, you said you never left the village after the disaster—do you know this disaster swept the entire world? Everywhere’s become like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Hong exhaled smoke, kept working, and replied sparingly: “Figured it out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To be honest—across all of Qingxian, there are probably no survivors left outside. We came from a large survivor camp to investigate the explosion. Old Hong, staying alone in Honggou Village… consider joining us. Our camp has nearly a thousand people—plenty to eat and drink, thriving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu weighed his words, extending an olive branch. He exaggerated the population slightly—seven or eight hundred was close enough to “nearly a thousand,” better than saying “under thirty thousand monthly income, actually two thousand three…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Hong sucked on his cigarette, kept working, and gave no reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, people emerged from the house, carrying bundles and bags—they’d packed and were ready to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu refused to give up. He followed Old Hong and said: “Old Hong, though you’re old, your combat strength exceeds ours. Our camp desperately needs someone like you. If you’re willing, come with us—after we finish the investigation, we’ll return to camp together!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talent…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At those words, Old Hong’s face trembled slightly—the casual term “talent” struck a nerve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu’s open admiration and affirmation hit Old Hong’s deepest psychological vulnerability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Hong was gaunt because he believed everyone he knew was dead—no one remembered him, life held no meaning. He was old, too—just dragging out each day, clinging to existence because dying was harder than living.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, someone had recognized his worth, affirmed him as talent, shown he was needed—it made Old Hong feel he still had a purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I must bury them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he didn’t refuse—only said he still had tasks to complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu’s heart leapt—he knew there was hope. But then he worried: over a hundred corpses. Unless they got an excavator, even if everyone helped dig graves, they’d be exhausted! Just then, Park Chan-yong sidled up, whispering: “Master, our country’s long promoted cremation—why cling to old traditions? Look at these relatives and friends—do you really think this is how they’d want to be buried?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he spoke, everyone—Duan Wu, the workers, even Old Hong—froze. What a word: “this appearance.” “Uh, Old Hong, the kid’s just joking—but he’s got a point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu quickly smoothed things over. His mind raced—since someone had mentioned cremation, and Old Hong seemed moved, he pressed on: “The zombie virus has corrupted their flesh—why bury them in the earth? Burn them. Let fire drive away evil spirits. Their spirits, watching from above, would be relieved—they’ll ascend peacefully. What do you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once you find the right angle, even the most stubborn can be persuaded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Hong’s cloudy eyes turned to Duan Wu, then to Park Chan-yong. His eyes reddened, and he nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, everyone—help Old Hong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Old Hong agree, Duan Wu immediately called out to the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, Hong… Hong Master, you’re sure you’ll come with us after finishing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some didn’t ask—just jumped in. But Lu Yu was uneasy—he insisted on a clear answer, refusing to waste effort on a losing deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Hong paused again, just as before, then gave a slight nod, and went back to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a confirmed answer, everyone moved. Many hands made light work—in no time, over a hundred corpses lay neatly arranged along the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff! A torch was lit. Duan Wu solemnly handed it to Old Hong: “Old Hong, zombie-infected corpses burn fast. You light it—be careful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you. Thank you all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Hong took the torch, bowed to Duan Wu and the others, then walked to the corpses, closed his eyes, murmured something inaudible, opened them again, and with decisive resolve, placed the torch against the first body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh… whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After months of natural drying, the zombies’ bodies were extremely dry—igniting instantly. Over a hundred corpses stretched seventy or eighty meters—and within three minutes, all were ablaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames roared fiercely under the gloomy sky, creating a stark contrast, radiating intense heat that warped the air and blurred vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire in Honggou Village burned fiercely—disturbing neither humans nor field mice—but the tall zombie on the Yunlong Valley cliff was another matter…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the flames rose in the village, the tall zombie opened its elongated mouth, revealing rows of teeth half a finger long—unlike the usual zombie’s chalk-white teeth, some bore dark brown stains…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames danced in the distance. The tall zombie grew agitated on the cliff—now it dashed into a cave, now it hung upside down crawling out, now it scurried in circles before the cave entrance on all fours…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1377,"2026-06-20T15:15:17.100Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e1de5fe42fff1bf6540d58e63348fcf19ecfafeffe05c9ee7166408d00cf4286","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-674","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-672",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]