[{"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-674":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},2319912,4536,"Chapter 674: Hong Lao Si and His Staff Art","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-674",674,"\u003Cp>“Look, Lao Hong, zombies and humans are no longer the same species—can humans withstand being burned like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu continued babbling beside him, like a monk chanting sutras, afraid that Lao Hong might break down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the zombie corpses were gradually consumed and condensed by flames, the heavy stone pressing on Lao Hong’s heart began to loosen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Dezhu walked over to Lao Hong, offered him a cigarette, and asked, “Brother, does this village have any grain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong, eyes red, looked at Zhao Dezhu, then gave a slight nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hour later, 8:30 a.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vehicles slowly pulled out of Honggou Village, increasing from four to eight—everyone except Lao Hong and Zhao Dezhu, who refused to drive, now had one each! The extra vehicles were filled with nothing but grain!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After asking Lao Hong, he led a few people to the warehouse—he hadn’t been idle in the village, spending day after day collecting grain, training his martial arts, and at night chatting with “friends and family”…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if four more vehicles arrived, they’d still fail to carry away the remaining stock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaao…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the cliff of Yunlong Valley, the tall zombie watched the convoy depart, immediately preparing to leap down—but hesitated, then chose to climb down the mountainside; his knee-high arms and long legs made him move with startling speed. “Brother Hong, what’s your full name? I still don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu led Lao Hong onward toward Shanhai District; the farther they went, the cleaner the roads became—at least they no longer needed to get out and clear zombies—but speed remained low, barely twenty kilometers per hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong leaned against the cold car window, a mist forming before his mouth; upon hearing the question, he said, “My real name hasn’t been used in years—I’m the fourth son at home, everyone calls me Hong Lao Si.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the rearview mirror, he took one last look at the ruined Honggou Village; his mood seemed to lift slightly, and he spoke a bit more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu clicked his tongue—it was no different from asking nothing—and chuckled, “Then I’ll call you Brother Hong. Honestly, I can’t tell how old you are—mind telling me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong hesitated, as if calculating his age, then said, “Fifty-two, I think. What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me?” Duan Wu blinked, surprised the other man had asked back. Curiosity equaled survival instinct—if he was starting to care about things around him, it meant he had the will to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m way younger than you—just thirty-six this year, haha, my benming year. Everyone says you’ve got to be extra careful during your benming year, but with this disaster, being careful does jack…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu laughed bitterly and shook his head, then added, “Brother Hong, honestly, your martial skill is incredible—and at fifty-plus, your stamina’s amazing. What did you do before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling his fight with the zombies, Lao Hong had struck precise blows to their weak points without using lethal moves, controlling his weapon and force perfectly. Feeling the car’s warm air, he removed his cap and pointed to the wasteland beside the road: “I used to be a shepherd. Martial arts… tsk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of martial arts, Lao Hong’s mood sank. He pulled a plastic bag from his tattered cotton coat, unwrapped the brown paper binding, revealing a battered book.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My father said whoever took up shepherding would inherit our family’s Hong Family Staff Art. My two sisters and older brother refused. My younger brother was only three. I was in fifth grade, hated school, so I took the shepherd’s whip and this book.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling distant memories, a glimmer appeared in Lao Hong’s eyes. He’d always thought life was hard—but never imagined he’d one day miss those hard days, because now it was even worse. “Oh my! A martial arts lineage? Looks like your old man was a real martial master! Respect, respect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu expressed genuine admiration—he was the generation most shaped by wuxia novels, having dreamed of martial arts since childhood. He never expected to meet a true martial artist after the disaster. But Lao Hong’s next sentence crushed Duan Wu’s fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My father inherited the shepherd’s whip and the staff manual from my grandfather—but he only ever herded sheep. He probably never even opened the book. Then he followed family tradition and passed it to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong recounted the stories of past generations with a melancholy tone, full of nostalgia, yet somehow absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Hong, forget everything else—last night, watching you fight zombies, your skill was clearly mastered. This staff art is a genuine martial secret!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu gazed enviously at the tattered book in Lao Hong’s arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his surprise, Lao Hong generously placed the nearly disintegrating Hong Family Staff Art onto the car’s center console.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want to learn it, take it. I’ve got no one to pass it to. If more people learn it, it’s better than rotting in the dirt!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong, a man of the new era, held open-minded views—he was willing to let his family’s legacy spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu was taken aback by his generosity. The warm air from the vent blew against the pages—he quickly moved the book to the center armrest; fragile paper couldn’t withstand abuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Hong, are you married?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean my kids? Yes—my eldest daughter married into Qitai Village. Only eight people escaped our village—my daughter wasn’t among them. My youngest son… he was gone that morning too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong’s thick, unkempt eyebrows trembled. He pulled out a crumpled cigarette and lit it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh… this world, no need to say anything else.” Duan Wu shook his head, then gently patted the staff manual. “How many years did you train to get this skill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong looked puzzled. “I started training the moment I got the book. At first, I wasn’t serious. I only truly focused from age sixteen. Maybe I’m too slow—I could only copy the moves mechanically. Each technique looked proper in isolation, but I couldn’t link them together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently… the loss of family and friends shook me deeply. My mind cleared, the techniques clicked. My real breakthrough came in the past three or four months—I don’t even know if all those years of practice meant anything…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong stared at his calloused palms, his face filled with confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Su and Yu Wen’s speculation about human evolution hadn’t been shared with others. Perhaps some had similar thoughts—but Duan Wu hadn’t. He looked earnestly at Lao Hong: “Brother Hong, this is the power of accumulated effort. All those years of training mattered—slow buildup, then sudden explosion!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong nodded slightly, not denying Duan Wu’s guess—he simply didn’t know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Hong, keep the book safe for now. When we reach camp, hand it to our leader. If it helps everyone, he’ll reward you. I won’t take credit for this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Wu was a good man—he felt sorry for Lao Hong and hoped he could use his skill to live better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Hong, however, didn’t care. He waved his hand: “Brother Duan, this is just stuff. I don’t care about it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, that’s not how it works, Brother Hong. You’re still young. Later, uh—quick, put the book away! Something’s up ahead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Duan Wu spotted zombies ahead—dozens of them, maybe thirty, huddled along the road and into the field ditches, crouching low, feasting voraciously! (End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1223,"2026-06-20T15:15:17.100Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3b6075a6e4a63de700689f943c03b09db16a9904f3d297f2d598c0c8c7639170","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-675","the-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-chapter-673",694,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fiercest-man-in-the-end-times-cover.jpg"]