Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Mia was undeniably powerful, but she was nothing like Ethan when it came to fighting. Her style was brutal, messy, and downright violent—blood and gore splattered everywhere, leaving a chaotic scene in her wake.

She turned her head and saw Ethan approaching, his steps steady, his expression calm. She immediately understood what he meant without him saying a word.

Taking a few steps back, she ceded the battlefield to him.

Gideon, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes as he watched Ethan. His heart skipped a beat. The intense battle earlier had left him disoriented, and in the chaos, he had completely forgotten about the most dangerous person in the room.

Ethan hadn't made a single move the entire time.

And no one knew what his awakened ability was.

Gideon didn't dare let his guard down. Forcing himself to focus, he directed all his attention toward Ethan.

But Ethan kept walking, his pace unchanging, the distance between them shrinking with every step.

"What's he up to?" Gideon thought, confused. He watched as Ethan came closer and closer, until he was right in front of him. At this point, Gideon had no choice but to act.

"Die!" Gideon roared, his voice like the screech of grinding metal. He swung his massive, steel-like fist straight at Ethan.

In that instant, Ethan's eyes flashed red. Domain of the Dead activated.

A suffocating pressure filled the air, enveloping Gideon completely. Over the past few days, Ethan had been holed up at home, evolving and growing stronger. Now, his Domain of the Dead was more powerful than ever.

Gideon felt as if his body had been plunged into the depths of the ocean. The crushing weight made it nearly impossible for him to move.

Ethan sidestepped effortlessly, dodging Gideon's punch. As he passed by, he extended his hand, his fingers piercing straight into Gideon's skull. In one fluid motion, he pulled out the crystal core lodged inside.

The entire sequence was seamless, clean, and efficient—like someone casually picking up an object. It didn't take the slightest effort.

"What…?"

Gideon's face froze in shock. The life drained from his body in an instant. His metallic skin faded away, revealing his original form underneath. His body tilted backward and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

He was dead.

Gideon's eyes remained wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Even in death, he couldn't comprehend what had just happened. He died with unresolved confusion, unable to rest in peace.

The whole thing had taken only a few seconds—the time it took Ethan to walk a few steps. Extracting Gideon's crystal core had been as easy as reaching into a bag and pulling something out.

Chris and the others were dumbfounded. It was their first time witnessing such a method of killing.

Gideon's body looked completely intact, yet his crystal core had been removed.

"A Phantom Infected…"

There was no doubt about it. Ethan was a Phantom Infected.

A chill ran down their spines, and their hair stood on end. Fear gripped them as they became even more certain: Ethan was the Zombie King of the Phantom Infected, capable of killing without leaving a trace.

Gideon's three subordinates were equally stunned, their faces frozen in disbelief.

Their boss… just died? Just like that?

What the hell had just happened?

While one of them was still in shock, Sean seized the opportunity. He swung his fist into the man's chest, shattering his bones with a sickening crunch. The man let out a scream before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

"Damn it!"

The remaining two finally realized the situation was hopeless. No matter how hard they fought, it was all in vain.

Their will to fight crumbled. Their mental defenses shattered, and they were quickly overwhelmed. Sean took them down with ease.

And with that, the battle was over.

Silence returned to the room. The KTV lounge was a wreck, littered with bodies. Three hostages and thirteen members of the Black Hand Legion—all dead.

"Ethan, you're incredible! You took down that metal guy like it was nothing!" Sean exclaimed, his eyes wide with amazement.

"You're not too bad yourself," Ethan replied. He hadn't expected Sean, of all people, to awaken such a powerful ability.

Sean burst out laughing. "Hahaha, so you noticed, huh?"

The others were busy cleaning up the battlefield while Mia walked over to the bodies of the three hostages. She stood there, staring down at them with an unblinking gaze.

It seemed like she felt regret—regret that they hadn't been able to save them in time.

Then, she crouched down, her fingers piercing into their skulls one by one, carefully extracting their Neurocores.

"Enemy crystal cores are valuable, but we shouldn't waste our own people's Neurocores either…" she muttered under her breath. Maybe it was because she'd lived through hard times, but Mia had a habit of being frugal. She was, in a way, a practical and resourceful girl.

Meanwhile, Chris and the others were off to the side, holding a communicator and reporting the situation to the headquarters of the shelter.

"Uh… the Black Hand Legion members have been dealt with. Total number of hostiles: thirteen. Actual kills… sixteen."

...

At the same time, Ethan had also embraced his own version of "frugality." He wandered upstairs and downstairs, collecting all sixteen corpses and storing them in his spatial storage ring.

Sean, watching this unfold, was completely dumbfounded. He couldn't help but blurt out, "Wait, where'd the bodies go? Did you just… take them?"

"Yeah," Ethan replied casually. "Packing them up to take back as dog food."

"Damn!" Sean scratched his head, looking a little bewildered. Was Ethan treating this like a buffet? And now he was even packing leftovers to go?

Elsewhere, Mia and the others had found the supplies that had been stolen. To be honest, it wasn't much. Ethan glanced over the haul: five boxes of instant noodles, a few crates of canned beef, two bags of rice, and a bag of flour.

There were also some fruit cans, chocolate, and other snacks, but most of it was expired. Gideon and his crew had already eaten a good chunk of it.

It was clear that the shelter was seriously short on resources. The fact that they'd sent Mia, their No. 001, and Sean, their No. 002, for such a small stash showed just how desperate they were.

"Alright, let's head back," Mia said.

Sean's face lit up with excitement. "Heh, we've got food this time!"

Behind them, Chris and the other three had taken on the role of porters, hauling the rice and crates. They looked a bit disheveled, struggling under the weight of the supplies.

What's more, the four of them were absolutely terrified of Ethan. They didn't dare get close to him, keeping a safe distance as they followed far behind.

"Ethan, why don't you come back to the shelter with us?" Sean asked.

"No," Ethan replied, shaking his head.

Sean looked confused. "Why not?"

"I don't need a shelter," Ethan said simply.

"Oh…" Sean nodded, though it was clear he didn't fully understand.

By now, they had reached the street where they'd first met. It was time to part ways.

Mia's large eyes fixed on Ethan. "When will we see you again?"

"If the shelter ever runs out of food, you can trade crystal cores with me for supplies," Ethan said after a moment of thought.

"Alright." Mia agreed without hesitation. It was a straightforward business arrangement.

To make things easier, the two exchanged contact information online so they could stay in touch and chat if needed.

With everything settled, Ethan said his goodbyes.

"This is it. See you next time."

"Yeah, see you," Mia replied. Without looking back, she turned and walked away. Find more to read at empire

Chris and the others, weighed down with supplies, made a wide detour around Ethan, clearly still afraid of him. They hurried to catch up with Mia, practically jogging to keep pace.

"Bye, Ethan! Let's chat online later!" Sean called out, waving as he turned to leave.

The sun was setting, casting a warm, golden glow over the street. Their shadows stretched long across the ground as Mia and her group gradually disappeared into the distance.

Ethan stood there, watching them until they vanished at the end of the street.

Then, from the alleys, side streets, and nearby buildings, zombies began to emerge. One by one, they gathered behind Ethan. Among them were hulking Bulldozers, the eerie Laura, and even the PhD zombie. They all assembled in an orderly fashion, standing silently behind him.

One of them finally broke the silence. "Boss, were those your friends?"