Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Mia glanced over, surprised that the power of Absolute Domain could be used like this…

"Hey! If you do that, this beef pot pie won't turn us into zombies, right?"

"If it does, it does," Ethan replied casually.

"Alright then..." Mia shrugged. Whether zombie or human, it didn't really matter: "I just don't want to lose my memories and end up a mindless idiot."

"Don't worry. Even if you turn into a zombie, I'll get your memories back."

"You can do that?" Mia was skeptical.

"Yeah, I can." Ethan nodded, his promise firm and unquestionable.

As the others listened to their conversation, they got busy preparing this rare "feast."

Sean was chopping onions, tears streaming down his face.

Hot oil sizzled in the pan as Mia tossed in the vegetables, stirring them until their aroma filled the air. Ethan added the beef next, sprinkling in salt, black pepper, and dried herbs, letting it all simmer slowly.

Chris and Brandon handled the pie crust, kneading the dough, rolling it out, and carefully lining the baking dish. Once the beef filling was ready, they poured it in, covered it with the top crust, and pinched the edges neatly with their fingers.

"Make sure to seal the edges tight, or it'll burst open in the oven," Mia reminded them quietly.

"You actually know your stuff," Brandon said, a little surprised.

"That memory's still intact," she replied lightly, though a small smile tugged at her lips.

The pies went into the oven, and before long, the rich, savory scent filled the air, making everyone's mouths water.

Since there was still plenty of meat left from that Longhorn Beef, Leah and the others grilled up several large cuts—ribs, tenderloin, and thigh—choosing only the best parts.

They seasoned the meat with salt, black pepper, chili powder, and cumin, letting the spices enhance the smoky aroma.

Ethan, however, didn't eat any of it. He opted for a steak cooked to a rare 0.1 doneness instead…

Once everything was ready, they finally sat down to eat.

None of them had expected to enjoy such a feast in the middle of the apocalypse, and the moment felt almost surreal.

"How can anyone eat cows? Cows are so cute," Sean muttered, torn with guilt—before promptly devouring two beef pot pies with tears in his eyes.

"I guess Blackhand City really does have good food. At least they're not total scammers," Leah mused, though she knew full well that the way they got their food wasn't something just anyone could replicate.

Brandon, meanwhile, was silently eating his beef pot pie, tears welling up in his eyes.

Chris shot him a glance. "Brandon, are you seriously crying over food? Come on, man, don't be so soft."

"It's not that… I just… I miss my mom," Brandon choked out.

"Uh…"

The table fell silent. Everyone froze for a moment, the weight of his words sinking in. Memories of lost loved ones surfaced, casting a somber shadow over the meal.

Mia's clear eyes swept over the group, but she simply continued eating.

What was the point of dwelling on the past?

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Suddenly, loud, heavy knocks echoed from the iron gate outside the courtyard.

Everyone at the table tensed up instantly, like startled rabbits. Their muscles coiled, hands instinctively reaching for weapons.

"It's the Black Hand Legion."

"Did we get exposed?"

"What do we do…?"

"..."

A heavy silence fell over the courtyard. No one dared to speak.

"Open up! Open the damn door!" A rough voice shouted from outside, accompanied by relentless banging on the metal gate.

"I'll go check it out," Mia said, setting down her fork and knife before standing up.

In her mind, this was just a halftime break—if she could handle it quickly, great. No need to let it interrupt her meal.

She reached the gate, unfastened the locks with a few quick movements, then pushed it open just a crack.

Peering outside, she saw exactly what she expected—a scruffy-looking middle-aged man with a face full of stubble, standing at the entrance with two lackeys behind him.

"It's break time. What do you want?" Mia asked bluntly.

"Huh?" The scruffy man squinted at her through the gap in the door, clearly surprised.

"You new here? Don't think I've seen you before."

"Yeah, just got here not long ago," Mia answered honestly.

"Oh..." The man's eyes roamed over her, sizing her up.

"I'm from the next sector over. Just came to remind you guys—don't forget about the deal with Genesis Biotech. You owe them thirty human survivors."

"Got it," Mia said flatly, already pushing the door shut, eager to get back to her food.

"Hey, hold up..." The scruffy man suddenly grabbed the edge of the door.

Mia's brow furrowed, irritation creeping in. "What now?"

"Heh, nothing much. Just noticed you're pretty damn good-looking. I'm the second-in-command over in my sector. If things don't work out for you here, you can always come find me." His grin was lecherous, his eyes lingering on her face in a way that made his intentions obvious.

Mia didn't even hesitate. "Sure. I'll come find you tomorrow."

"OK, no problem!" The scruffy man's face lit up with excitement. He rubbed his hands together like a fly, clearly looking forward to it. Then, with a satisfied nod, he turned and left with his men.

Mia shut the door, locked it back up, and returned to the courtyard, ready to finish her meal.

Seeing that there was no immediate danger, the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Who was that?" Chris asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Nobody important," Mia said, shaking her head. "Just someone from the next sector, reminding us about the Genesis Biotech deal."

"Oh, alright. As long as it's nothing serious." With that, everyone went back to devouring their food.

The meal stretched on for nearly two hours—longer than any of them had eaten in a long time. By the time they were done, their stomachs were round and full, a rare luxury in the apocalypse.

Since the world ended, none of them had eaten this well.

By now, the sky had darkened. The last traces of sunset faded, and the silver moon rose, casting its pale glow over the land.

Night had fully descended.

In the darkness of Blackhand City, a few scattered lights flickered. Patrols moved through the streets, their footsteps echoing in the quiet.

Compared to the chaos of the day, the city was much calmer at night. But every now and then, distant screams or muffled sobs drifted through the air, chilling and unsettling.

Humans had one major weakness—they needed sleep.

One by one, Mia and the others found places to rest. None of them bothered setting up a night watch.

As Mia put it, there's someone here who doesn't sleep anyway, so he might as well keep watch. And with Absolute Domain, they were safer here than they had ever been in any so-called "sanctuary."

In fact, they slept better here than they ever had in a shelter.

...

"God, this is boring..."

Ethan stood alone in the courtyard, utterly restless.

Earlier that afternoon, he had absorbed Victor's A+ grade crystal core, and now his energy absorption rate had skyrocketed.

What used to take him a full day—sometimes two—was now nearly complete in just a few hours.

And more importantly…

Ethan could feel it.

A+ grade crystal cores weren't enough anymore.

The boost they gave him was minimal now, a clear sign that he was approaching the next stage. But that also meant he was hitting a bottleneck—one that wouldn't be easy to break through.

He needed more. Stronger crystal cores.

His gaze drifted toward the iron gate, still tightly shut. Ever since that scruffy bastard from the next sector had come by, there hadn't been any more disturbances.

Maybe I should go for a walk…

The thought crossed his mind, and the more he considered it, the more appealing it became.

Blackhand City wasn't like Genesis Biotech's base—there were no high-tech surveillance systems here, no advanced scanners.

Which meant Ethan's stealth abilities were at their peak.

As long as he didn't run into a high-level psychic Awakener, he could do whatever the hell he wanted.

Without hesitation, Ethan walked up to the iron gate. Activating Domain of the Dead, he phased right through it, stepping onto the dimly lit street outside.

All around him, members of the Black Hand Legion patrolled the area, their movements casual, their conversations lighthearted.

Some of them even walked right past him, laughing and chatting, completely oblivious to his presence.

Ethan ignored them. His eyes were fixed on something in the distance.

A building.

Unlike the rest of the city, which was shrouded in darkness, this place was brightly lit, standing out like a beacon.

And it wasn't just the lights—there was noise.

Loud voices. Shouting. The occasional human scream.

The place was alive.

What the hell's going on in there?

Without a sound, Ethan started moving toward it.

...