Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Aside from the Operation King Hunt squad, another force was also converging on the area.

It was none other than the Red-Faced Zombie King from the park district.

Wearing its signature ”scarf,” it was here to avenge the Mutant Rat King, take out Ethan, and claim his territory in the process.

The Red-Faced Zombie King didn’t come alone—it brought an army. A massive horde of 20,000 zombies surged forward like a dark, unstoppable tide. Their roars filled the air as they charged, a terrifying flood of death. Leading the pack were over a hundred elite, agile zombies, leaping and bounding like crazed monkeys.

Mixed into the horde were countless mutated giant rats, their glowing red eyes brimming with ferocity.

The sight of 20,000 zombies flooding the streets was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

At the back of the horde, the Red-Faced Zombie King strolled leisurely with a few of its trusted lieutenants.

It didn’t think it would need to lift a finger. Two thousand zombies on Ethan’s side versus its twenty thousand? The outcome was a foregone conclusion.

”Boss, this fight’s gonna be over in no time. You can just show up at the end and collect the crystal cores,” one of its lieutenants said.

”Hmm…”

The Red-Faced Zombie King nodded approvingly. It liked the sound of that.

...

Meanwhile, the Operation King Hunt squad had reached their target location. Armed personnel began systematically taking out the scattered zombies on the outskirts.

Gunfire echoed through the streets, and zombies dropped one after another.

Michael and the other three Awakeners stepped out of their vehicle, scanning the area. Stray zombies emerged from alleyways and side streets, but they didn’t even get close before being gunned down. There was no need to worry about them.

Their attention shifted toward the building ahead.

In the middle of the road stood a towering figure—it was none other than the raging Bulldozer.

”ROAR—!”

Bulldozer had caught the scent of humans and let out an earth-shaking roar in their direction.

Its fury was palpable.

If Ethan hadn’t ordered it to hold back, it would’ve already charged forward, eager to tear them apart.

”Looks like a Strength Zombie King,” Evan observed, his tone calm. ”Judging by how clumsy it looks, it probably doesn’t have any special abilities.”

”Yeah,” Michael nodded. ”But we should still be cautious. There might be other Zombie Kings around. Look at the horde behind it—they seem pretty evolved.”

”Ugh… this is terrifying!”

The only female Awakener in the group gasped, her voice trembling. It was her first mission, and she couldn’t hide her fear.

Evan, ever the gentleman, tried to reassure her. ”Don’t worry. It’s just a one-star zombie nest. Only about two thousand zombies, and they’re not packed too tightly. We’ll clear them out in no time.”

”Yeah, let’s wrap this up quickly and get our reward. I haven’t eaten properly in days,” grumbled the last member of the team, a tall, burly man.

Even with Genesis Biotech’s advanced technology, food was still in short supply.

As the Operation King Hunt squad moved forward, the tension in the air grew thicker. The two forces were closing in on each other, the atmosphere charged like a powder keg ready to explode.

Bulldozer stood at the front, exuding an aura of raw power. It looked like a one-man army, ready to take on anything. Its massive fists were clenched, muscles bulging grotesquely, and its eyes burned with murderous intent.

It was just waiting for Ethan’s command to charge forward and rip those humans to shreds.

Laura, another of Ethan’s lieutenants, had stopped smiling. She tilted her head, staring intently at the humans ahead. Her fingers twitched with anticipation.

What’s taking the boss so long to give the order? She was itching to kill.

The zombies grew restless, their roars echoing through the streets. But Ethan remained silent, unmoving.

The humans were now less than 1,500 feet away—close enough to almost be within firing range.

”What’s the boss doing? Did he wander off to find something to eat and forget about us?” Bulldozer muttered impatiently, glancing back at the others.

The PhD zombie shot him a withering look.

”Idiot. Do you think the boss is as brainless as you? No orders mean we wait.”

”Wait? They’re practically gonna roll their trucks right over my face!” Laura growled, clawing at her hair in frustration. She was on the verge of snapping.

But just as the Operation King Hunt squad advanced another 30 feet, they came to a halt as well.

Captain Michael narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the scene ahead.

”These zombies… something’s off about them.”

”What do you mean, Captain?” Evan stepped forward, curious.

Michael stared ahead, his tone serious. ”If these were normal zombies, they’d have charged at us the moment we showed up. But they’re just… standing there, not moving.”

”That’s true,” the female Awakener chimed in, nodding. ”These zombies don’t act like the ones I’ve seen before.”

The tall man in the group agreed as well.

”When zombies behave like this, it usually means there’s a high-intelligence zombie controlling them,” Michael added.

”Or… maybe they’re just dumb,” Evan suggested with a shrug. ”Maybe they don’t want to leave their territory.”

The four of them stayed on the outskirts, observing and debating their next move. None of them dared to advance, and the standoff dragged on for several minutes.

The tall man finally broke the silence. ”What if… it’s a trap?”

”Pfft! A trap? You think zombies are smart enough to set traps?” Evan couldn’t help but laugh.

Michael thought about it for a moment. It did seem unlikely. They were already here, and no matter what was going on with these zombies, their mission was to wipe them out.

”Two thousand zombies, that’s all. Even if something unexpected happens, we can handle it. Let’s get this over with,” Michael said decisively.

”Got it!” Evan replied eagerly, clearly itching to fight.

The rest of the team took a deep breath, their expressions hardening as they prepared for the oncoming horde.

But just as the tension reached its peak, the ground suddenly began to rumble.

A low, thunderous sound echoed through the streets, accompanied by chaotic footsteps, guttural roars, and high-pitched squeals. The noise came from all directions.

”Something’s wrong!” Michael’s brow furrowed, his face darkening instantly.

The armed personnel exchanged uneasy glances. They didn’t need to say anything—they all recognized the sound. They’d been through this before.

This was the sound of a massive zombie horde.

And sure enough, it began.

First, a few agile zombies leapt onto the rooftops around them, crouching on all fours like predators, their glowing eyes locked onto the humans below.

Then, from every street corner and alleyway, an endless wave of zombies poured out, accompanied by swarms of mutated giant rats.

”Where the hell did all these zombies come from?”

Michael and the others were stunned. The sheer number of zombies far exceeded the two thousand they’d been expecting. It was overwhelming, and they could only assume they’d walked straight into an ambush.

”What do we do now?” the female Awakener asked nervously, her voice trembling.

The others looked grim. No one had a clear plan.

Michael scanned their surroundings, his jaw tightening. ”We don’t have a choice. Get ready to fight!”

The zombies charged forward, their speed terrifying. In the blink of an eye, they were upon them.

”Open fire!” Michael shouted.

The sound of gunfire erupted, deafening and relentless. The 500 armed personnel formed a tight formation, their firepower concentrated and devastating. Zombies fell in droves, mowed down like wheat under a scythe.

But the horde was relentless. They kept coming, trampling over the bodies of their fallen, some even rolling forward after being knocked down. They didn’t care about pain or death—they only cared about reaching their prey.

The most dangerous among them were the elite agile zombies. They leapt from rooftops with incredible speed, catching the soldiers off guard. In an instant, they’d pounce on their targets, pinning them to the ground and tearing into them with razor-sharp claws and teeth.

These elite zombies were too fast and too strong for the regular soldiers to handle. Only Michael and the other Awakeners could deal with them.

But then, something even worse happened.

The concrete beneath their feet began to crack. High-pitched squeals echoed from below as mutated rats burst out of the ground.

The rats swarmed the soldiers, climbing up their bodies and sinking their teeth into exposed flesh. Some went straight for their ankles, biting down hard and causing the soldiers to scream in agony.

The battlefield descended into chaos. Gunfire, roars, and screams filled the air as the two sides clashed in a brutal, bloody melee. The soldiers fought desperately, but the sheer ferocity of the zombie horde and the swarming rats made it clear this was no ordinary fight.

Not far away, Bulldozer and Laura stood watching the carnage unfold. For once, they weren’t in a hurry to join the fight. Instead, they just stared at the scene in confusion.

”What… what the hell is going on?”

...