Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”A surprise?”

Ethan was curious. What kind of surprise could it be?

The box was made entirely of alloy, incredibly sturdy, but in Ethan’s hands, it felt as pliable as clay. He picked it up, gave it a light tug, and the lid popped open effortlessly.

Inside, his gaze fell on rows of ampoules filled with a pale blue, transparent liquid. Beside them was a stack of lab reports detailing the liquid’s properties.

Ethan picked up the report and skimmed through it.

”X-Virus.”

”Experimental Results: When injected into low-tier zombies, the X-Virus increases cellular activity, granting rapid healing abilities, heightened reflexes, and a state of hyper-excitation. It stimulates the nervous system, significantly boosting reaction speed...”

”Zombie Test Subject 1: After injecting the X-Virus into a D-class zombie, its decayed body began to regenerate. Within 24 hours, the body reached peak condition, successfully merging with the virus.”

”Zombie Test Subject 2...”

The report continued, detailing the experiments and their results. Fifteen trials in total, all successful, with no adverse effects on the zombies.

”So, this is a zombie evolution serum...” Ethan muttered, raising an eyebrow. He recalled hearing rumors about Genesis Biotech experimenting with zombies. It wasn’t surprising they’d come up with something like this.

It really was... a surprise.

Of course, with Ethan’s abilities, he had no use for such low-level creations. His own healing factor was already off the charts, and more importantly... he never got injured in the first place.

But these X-Virus ampoules? They could be useful for his subordinates.

The report claimed that even a D-class zombie could gain enhanced healing and reflexes after injection. So, what would happen if he used it on his elite zombies?

Ethan smirked. Genesis Biotech’s experiments clearly weren’t thorough enough. He figured he could run a few tests of his own and add some new data to the mix.

”Where did you get this stuff?” he asked.

”Bulldozer and I raided someone else’s territory!” Red-Eyed Raven replied proudly.

”Not bad,” Ethan praised casually before asking, ”Where’s Bulldozer?”

”Oh, right! Bulldozer got trapped by a horde of zombies and couldn’t make it back. I came to ask for backup,” Red-Eyed Raven said, as if just now remembering the reason for his visit.

”...” Ethan was speechless. He’d barely complimented the guy, and now this? Bulldozer was one of his most reliable enforcers, and he’d even managed to bring back something useful. Ethan couldn’t just leave him stranded.

Without hesitation, Ethan issued orders to Laura and the PhD zombie.

...

At that moment, Laura was kneeling on a rooftop, sobbing into her hands. The territory had been too peaceful lately, and she was bored out of her mind. Her heart ached for the thrill of battle.

But the moment Ethan’s command reached her, her wailing stopped abruptly. Her head snapped up, and a twisted grin spread across her face.

”Hehehehehehe~~~”

Meanwhile, the PhD zombie was strolling down a deserted street, flanked by a procession of zombies. A few of them growled angrily, their rage palpable.

Their big brother, Bulldozer, was trapped. This was unacceptable.

They had to tear apart whatever stood in their way to set things right.

Moments later, the zombies began to converge on the street, forming a massive horde. Their collective bloodlust filled the air, creating an oppressive atmosphere. The Zombie Horde was ready, a force of destruction that could shake the very foundations of the apocalyptic city.

”Move out!” Ethan commanded.

At his signal, the Zombie Horde surged forward, a tidal wave of death and fury. Overhead, a single raven darted through the dim sky, leading the way.

Behind it, thousands of zombies charged, their murderous intent palpable. They moved like an unstoppable flood, their presence making the entire city tremble beneath their feet.

...

Meanwhile...

Bulldozer was still hiding in a small room, his massive frame curled up awkwardly, looking pitifully dejected.

”Why aren’t they here yet…?”

Outside, the horde of zombies howled and snarled, their cries filled with mockery and menace.

From the doorway, faint footsteps echoed.

”Huh?”

Peeking through a crack in the crumbling wall, Bulldozer spotted an elite zombie entering the building. Its nose twitched like a dog’s, sniffing the air incessantly.

This zombie wasn’t particularly strong, but its sense of smell had evolved to be incredibly sharp. Following the faintest trace of scent, it was closing in on Bulldozer step by step.

”What do I do now?”

Scratching his head, Bulldozer realized he was about to be discovered. In such a dire situation, he had no choice but to rely on his wits.

And soon enough, he came up with a plan.

He could throw a rock to create a distraction and lure the zombie away.

”Yeah, that’s a solid plan… Who says I’m a big idiot?”

Feeling quite pleased with himself, Bulldozer rummaged around with his massive hand, quickly picking up a broken brick. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it out the window.

Whether the sharp-nosed zombie took the bait or not, he couldn’t be sure.

But the brick, flying in a perfect arc through the air, ended up smacking the towering Zombie King square on the head.

”Huh? Who threw that brick?!” The Zombie King roared in fury, looking around wildly.

One of his lackeys, who had seen everything, pointed toward the building. ”Boss, the brick came from inside! There’s someone in there!”

The Zombie King paused, his expression darkening as he pieced it together.

”That bastard’s hiding in the building. Get him!”

”ROAR—!”

Several elite zombies let out bloodthirsty howls and leapt onto the walls, scrambling toward the window.

Hearing the commotion outside, Bulldozer squinted his small eyes, a faint sense of unease creeping over him. After a moment of thought, he muttered, ”Did I mess up somewhere?”

But before he could figure it out, terrifying zombie faces appeared at the window. They spotted Bulldozer immediately, letting out guttural roars as they lunged at him with incredible speed.

At the same time, the zombie horde surrounding the building began converging on his location.

”Crap!”

Bulldozer swung his massive fist, sending one of the lunging zombies flying, then turned and bolted.

As always, he relied on brute force, smashing through wall after wall in his escape. But even as he bulldozed his way through the building, he couldn’t help but reflect: My plan was perfect. Where did it go wrong???

”BAM!”

Just as Bulldozer smashed through another wall, a massive fist came out of nowhere and slammed into his forehead. The sheer force sent him stumbling backward, landing on the ground with a heavy thud.

”You’ve got some nerve, throwing a brick at me!” The Zombie King growled, his voice dripping with rage.

”Uh…”

Bulldozer squinted up at him, starting to piece together what had happened.

The Zombie King loomed over him, radiating murderous intent. Suddenly, sharp bone spikes began sprouting from his knuckles, resembling Wolverine’s claws.

Bulldozer, seeing this ability for the first time, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of curiosity.

”What’s this? Bone spurs?”

”Die!”

The Zombie King slashed downward, the razor-sharp bone spikes slicing through the air toward Bulldozer.

In the nick of time, Bulldozer raised his arm to block. But even with his thick skin and tough muscles, the spikes pierced straight through, leaving a bloody hole.

”Ahh… ahh… ahh… That hurts!” Bulldozer yelped, stumbling backward to dodge.

The Zombie King lunged forward, his bone spikes driving forward like unrelenting spears.

Bulldozer barely had time to react, raising his other arm to block.

But it was no use—whether he used his hands or his arms, each desperate defense only ended with another jagged puncture.

His flesh tore under the unyielding assault, fresh blood spraying with every strike. Within moments, his body was riddled with gory holes.

Meanwhile, the elite zombies behind him were closing in fast, their roars echoing through the building.

...