Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan analyzed the situation calmly. Among all the Awakeners he had hunted, Michael was probably the strongest.

An earth-based ability—both offensive and defensive.

But it was time to end this.

With a single thought, Ethan expanded his Absolute Domain to its limit. The overwhelming pressure crashed down on Michael, making his body feel like it was being crushed. He staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.

His body was completely spent—he had reached his limit.

Ethan moved in a flash, appearing right in front of Michael. He raised his fist and slammed it into Michael's chest.

Boom!

The impact shattered the dirt armor surrounding Michael, sending him flying backward. He crashed through the wall behind him and was thrown outside the building.

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

Michael lay on the ground, coughing up blood. He couldn't get back up. The bright light outside felt unbearably harsh to his eyes.

A horde of zombies was already closing in on him.

Among them was Bulldozer, casually tossing a severed head in his right hand like a ball. It was the head of the Red-Faced Zombie King.

Beside him stood Laura, her sharp bone claws still dripping with fresh blood. She tilted her head, a sinister smile on her face, as she studied the man lying on the ground.

Behind them was a massive crowd of elite zombies—over a thousand strong. They had just defeated the Red-Faced Zombie King, and the thrill of the slaughter still lingered in their minds.

"So… this is how it ends, huh…"

Michael stared at the grotesque faces surrounding him, his vision growing blurrier by the second.

He had always known this day would come. He just hadn't expected it to be so soon. Soon, he would leave this cruel world behind. From now on, none of it would matter to him anymore. A faint sense of relief crossed Michael's face.

Might as well say goodbye properly…

Ethan stepped forward, looking down at him. He noticed the complicated emotions in Michael's eyes—fear, regret, but also a strange sense of peace.

"Got any last words?" Ethan asked.

"Uh…"

Michael froze for a moment. He hadn't expected a zombie to speak, let alone in such a deep, magnetic voice. It was nothing like the cold, ruthless killer he had just faced.

For a brief moment, Michael had the strange illusion that the figure standing before him was human.

"Cough… cough… Kid, I know you're strong, but don't get cocky. Genesis Biotech… they're not as simple as you think. They've got a lot of secret projects… stuff they'd never make public. That's where the real danger is…"

"Hmm."

Ethan nodded slightly. He had already suspected as much. The real trump cards wouldn't be something they'd broadcast online. Plans like the "Zombie Eradication Initiative" or "Operation King Hunt" were just for show, to build public trust.

Michael's eyes grew more unfocused. He started muttering something under his breath.

"Phantom Infected… Phantom Infected… They're feeding the zombies… breeding Phantom Infected…"

…

A cold wind blew past. Michael's pupils dilated.

He was dead.

The area fell silent. Even Bulldozer stopped playing with the severed head. He turned to the PhD zombie standing nearby and whispered.

"Hey, what do you think that human was talking about?"

"Hmm… with your level of intelligence, I'm not sure how to explain it to you," the PhD zombie replied thoughtfully.

"Oh…"

Bulldozer nodded, pretending to understand.

But after a moment, he frowned. Something didn't feel right.

Wait… was he calling me stupid?

Laura and the others walked over to Ethan, glancing at Michael's lifeless body.

"Master, I think that human made a good point before he died," Laura said.

"A dying man speaks the truth," Ethan replied.

The surrounding zombies, with their limited intelligence, couldn't quite grasp the meaning of his words—especially Bulldozer. But his curiosity was insatiable.

"Hey, boss, what does that mean?"

"It means… if a human's being difficult, beat them until they're almost dead. Then they'll start talking sense."

"Oh, I get it now!"

This time, Bulldozer understood. He felt like he had learned something profound and immediately treated it as a golden rule.

As expected of the boss—everything he says makes so much sense.

Bulldozer shot a disdainful glance at the PhD zombie beside him, as if to say: If you can't explain it to me, maybe it's your intelligence that's the problem!

...

With that, the battle came to an end.

The streets were littered with mangled flesh and severed limbs. The scene was one of utter devastation, chaos stretching as far as the eye could see.

A flock of black crows cawed noisily as they pecked at the scattered remains. For scavengers, even zombie flesh seemed to be a delicacy.

"Let's go. Time to head back," Ethan commanded.

"Raaaargh—!"

The horde of zombies behind him let out triumphant roars. Victorious from the battle, they were like soldiers returning from a hard-fought war, their spirits high.

They had taken down the Red-Faced Zombie King, and with his defeat, their territory had expanded significantly.

From the skyscraper to the park, their domain had tripled in size.

The battle had also been a huge haul for Ethan—he'd collected six crystal cores, a massive reward.

...

Over the next few days…

Ethan stayed holed up in his base as usual.

He absorbed the crystal cores, ate meat, drank blood, and continuously replenished his energy reserves.

Meanwhile, Bulldozer, Laura, and the PhD zombie had been unusually busy. With the territory now much larger, the three zombie leaders had recruited a significant number of new underlings.

Their forces had grown from 2,000 to over 10,000 in just a few days—and the numbers were still climbing.

Ethan had officially become the Zombie King, ruling over a horde of tens of thousands.

But to Ethan, it still wasn't enough. If he could multiply that number by a hundred, then it might be barely acceptable.

That said, the newly recruited underlings weren't exactly elite. They were stationed on the outskirts of the territory, serving as a disposable outer defense.

The original 2,000 elite zombies, however, remained stationed around the skyscraper. They were Ethan's personal guard corps.

Life in the expanded territory…

No one was happier about the expansion than Bulldozer. He spent his days wandering the streets, patrolling the area like a self-appointed neighborhood watch. He'd look for intruders or anything that might have snuck into their territory.

On lucky days, he'd even catch a few human survivors to snack on. Life was good for him—simple and satisfying.

If his underlings were living the good life, Ethan was living even better.

After that battle, no one dared to provoke him anymore.

And without realizing it, Ethan had become a nightmare for humanity.

...

Meanwhile, on Genesis Biotech's website…

The photos of Michael and his team had all turned grayscale—a grim marker indicating that the entire Operation King Hunt squad had been wiped out.

Since Genesis Biotech had launched its anti-zombie operations, casualties were common. But a complete squad wipe? That was a first.

The incident drew widespread attention.

"Michael was a B+ level Awakener, and he still got killed by a zombie?"

"That's brutal… the whole squad's gone!"

"I wonder what they ran into out there."

"Phantom Infected, obviously! I heard a drone even caught a photo of it!"
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"Seriously?"

"..."

Ethan scrolled through the comments and found that there really was a photo. It wasn't very clear, taken from a great distance, but it showed a lone figure standing on the edge of a skyscraper rooftop.

A flock of crows circled around him.

The image had a dark, ominous vibe.

The comments on the photo had already surpassed the discussion about the Operation King Hunt squad's demise.

...

"Whoa! Is that really a zombie?"

"This feels… so oppressive."

"It's just too blurry. And the crows are blocking his face."

"This isn't just any zombie. That's a Phantom Infected! Who knows how many people it's slaughtered?"

"Okay, but… is it weird that I think he looks kinda cool?"

"…Wait, same. Why does he look so… badass?"

...