Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Stop it! You idiots!”

Alex’s sharp voice cut through the chaos, halting his subordinates’ reckless actions. He knew firing at the horde of zombies outside was pointless—a waste of precious ammunition.

But what unsettled him even more was this: Ethan was gone.

Like a gust of wind, he had vanished into thin air.

A heavy, indescribable sense of dread pressed down on Alex’s chest, as if some enormous, unseen danger was closing in.

”Where did he go?” Alex muttered under his breath, his brows furrowed, eyes scanning the surroundings with heightened vigilance.

And then, in the blink of an eye, that tall, lean figure appeared inside the safehouse.

”What the hell?!”

”How did he get in?!”

”That’s impossible!”

The guards’ eyes widened in disbelief, as if they’d just witnessed something beyond comprehension. Some even rubbed their eyes, trying to convince themselves they weren’t hallucinating.

”He’s not a zombie... he’s a ghost!”

Fear surged through the room like a tidal wave, suffocating everyone in its wake. The air grew thick with tension, an oppressive weight that made it hard to breathe.

One of the guards instinctively raised his gun, his trembling finger hovering over the trigger. But before he could fire, Ethan’s presence exploded outward like a storm.

Domain of the Dead.

An invisible force swept through the room, crashing down on everyone like a mountain. The guards froze in place, their bodies stiffening as if paralyzed. Even breathing became a struggle.

Alex, as an Awakener, had senses far sharper than the average person. His pupils contracted sharply, and for a moment, he thought he saw something horrifying—a vast, endless sea of blood surging behind Ethan, roaring and churning, ready to swallow them all whole.

”What... what kind of monster is this guy?”

Under the crushing weight of the Domain, Alex’s body reacted instinctively. Flames erupted from his hands, blazing fiercely, distorting the air around him with their heat.

As an Awakener who had condensed a crystal core, Alex’s physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary humans. Even under the oppressive force of the Domain, he could still move—barely.

”Die!”

With a furious roar, Alex gritted his teeth, summoning every ounce of his strength. His fists, engulfed in flames, swung toward Ethan with all the force he could muster.

Ethan stood his ground, his gaze calm and razor-sharp. He had never fought an Awakener before and had no clear sense of his own limits.

”Perfect. Let’s see what I can do.”

The thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t let his guard down. After all, his opponent was a crystal core Awakener—a formidable foe. Underestimating him could be fatal.

So Ethan went all out, meeting Alex’s fiery punch with one of his own.

Boom!

A dull, thunderous sound echoed as their fists collided. The flames extinguished instantly.

Alex’s arm shattered like brittle glass, fragments of bone and flesh scattering in the air.

The sheer force of the impact sent Alex flying backward, slamming into the alloy wall with a sickening crunch.

Crack!

The sound of bones breaking was unmistakable. Alex’s body crumpled to the ground like a broken doll, lifeless and unmoving.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his own fist, as if surprised by the outcome.

”That’s it? He’s dead already?”

He muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment.

”So this is all a crystal core Awakener amounts to?”

Meanwhile, Alex’s subordinates were utterly consumed by despair.

Just moments ago, they had pinned all their hopes on Alex, praying he could lead them out of this nightmare.

But in a single exchange, their leader had been utterly destroyed—without even a chance to fight back.

”This guy... he’s not human!”

”He’s a demon!”

”The apocalypse is here… for real this time.”

Terror and hopelessness were etched into their faces. Under the suffocating pressure of the Domain of the Dead, they couldn’t move a muscle. A few, their willpower too weak to withstand the crushing force, simply passed out on the spot.

Ethan stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate, until he reached Alex’s broken body. Crouching down, he extended a hand and dug into the shattered remains of Alex’s skull, pulling out a crystal-clear crystal core.

This core was unlike any ordinary Neurocore. It was completely transparent, about the size of a pigeon egg, and emitted a faint, intoxicating fragrance.

The energy contained within it was far more potent than any Neurocore Ethan had ever encountered.

”Might as well treat it like a warm slice of chocolate cake…”

Ethan popped the crystal core into his mouth and bit down gently. The moment his teeth cracked it open, the core dissolved into a surge of pure energy that flooded through his entire body.

It felt like a warm current coursing through him, nourishing every inch of his being. Even his muscles and bones seemed to be reforged, strengthened in ways he hadn’t thought possible.

”Not bad,” he muttered to himself, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

The energy from this single crystal core far surpassed that of ten ordinary Neurocores.

Ethan could feel his strength growing rapidly, as if every cell in his body was celebrating, alive with newfound power.

He pulled a tissue from his pocket and casually wiped his hands before turning toward the heavy door of the safehouse.

”Well then, dinner’s served, my little ones.”

With a calm yet commanding tone, he pushed open the thick steel door. His voice carried an undeniable authority, one that demanded obedience.

”ROAR—!”

The horde of zombies outside erupted into a frenzy, like predators finally unleashed after being held back for too long. Their guttural roars filled the air as they surged forward, pouring into the safehouse like a tidal wave.

The guards inside didn’t stand a chance. The zombies tore into them with savage ferocity, ripping them apart as screams of terror and agony echoed through the confined space.

But the chaos didn’t last long. The screams soon faded, replaced by an eerie silence.

…

The hunt was over.

The prison, which had just been taken over by Genesis Biotech, was once again reduced to ruins. The zombie horde reclaimed the area, wandering aimlessly through the crumbling hallways and desolate courtyards.

A grim atmosphere hung over the prison. Occasionally, a few black crows descended, their harsh caws breaking the silence as they pecked at the rotting flesh of the undead.

Meanwhile, Ethan had already led his zombie army back to his lair.

As was his routine, he started with a hot bath, scrubbing away the blood and grime from his body. Once clean, he changed into fresh clothes.

Perhaps it was the crystal core he had consumed, but he didn’t feel the slightest bit hungry. Instead, he grabbed a wine glass from the cabinet, poured himself some fresh blood, and settled onto the couch, sipping it leisurely.

At that moment, he didn’t look like the terrifying Zombie King that survivors whispered about in fear. Instead, he seemed more like the boy next door—calm, relaxed, even a little lazy.

”Boss, what were you up to just now?”

Nina, one of the few under his command who could still hold a normal conversation, asked casually as she mopped the floor nearby.

”Nothing much,” Ethan replied without looking at her, his tone light. ”Just went out for a warm slice of chocolate cake.”

”Uh…”

Nina froze mid-swipe, her mop hovering above the floor.

She knew full well that the world outside was nothing but a wasteland. There hadn’t been any chocolate cake—or anything remotely like it.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what Ethan really meant.

”Forget it…” she muttered under her breath, resuming her mopping. ”No point asking. We’re not even on the same wavelength.”

…

After every hunt, Ethan would spend a few days in his lair, quietly recovering and evolving.

The outside world was full of danger, but he didn’t care. Whether it was zombie hordes or human survivors, to him, they were all just prey.

Since the apocalypse began, he had never stopped consuming energy. Flesh, Neurocores, even crystal cores—they were all fuel for his evolution.

But because of this relentless growth, Ethan had no clear sense of his own limits.

”Alex was too weak,” Ethan murmured, leaning back on the couch as he swirled the blood in his glass. His eyes held a distant, contemplative look.

”Is there anyone stronger out there?”

He spoke softly, but there was a hint of anticipation in his voice.

What he didn’t know was that his recent actions—killing Alex and letting the prison fall back into ruin—had already caused a massive stir in the outside world.

…

On the Genesis Biotech website, the news about the ”prison overrun by zombies” incident had just been posted, and the comment section immediately exploded.

”Even Genesis Biotech can’t handle this? Wasn’t there some ’Operation King Hunt’ before? Looks like it failed!”

”Alex was an Awakener with a crystal core, right? He’s ranked at least in the top ten at the official shelter, isn’t he?”

”Yeah! And yet he didn’t even survive long enough for the rescue team to arrive. That’s terrifying!”

”OMG… Is there really a zombie king this powerful now?”

”This is so scary! What if this zombie king comes for our shelter next?”

”…”

Even though the world had already fallen into an apocalypse, Genesis Biotech’s website and the official shelter’s network remained the primary sources of information for survivors.

In just a few hours, the post had racked up over 3,000 comments.

But Genesis Biotech clearly wasn’t ready to accept defeat after this incident.

Soon, they released an official statement on their website:

”Regarding the ’prison overrun by zombies’ incident, our company will not let this matter rest. We’ve already uncovered some clues about the zombie king that killed Alex, and we’ll soon pinpoint the location of its lair.”

”We will deploy an Awakener squad, along with the ultimate killing machine—Doom Hunter—to completely eliminate this zombie king and every zombie in its lair. ’Operation King Hunt’ will continue.”

…