Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Bulldozer squinted his small eyes, staring at the tiny shadow in the sky. It turned out to be a helicopter, slowly moving across the horizon. Before long, it disappeared into the clouds.

”I’ve seen that thing before. It’s probably one of Genesis Biotech’s aircraft.”

”Oh…”

Big Ears nodded, silently marveling at how well-informed Bulldozer was.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but think to himself: Looks like Genesis Biotech is up to something. Probably nothing good.

”Right now, the boss is the undisputed king of Los Angeles. When’s he gonna take Genesis Biotech down?” Big Ears was confident Ethan had the strength to do it.

Bulldozer scratched his head and said, ”Genesis Biotech’s been sending the boss plenty of stuff. If we take them out, who’s gonna keep delivering the goods?”

”Uh…” Big Ears was momentarily speechless. It actually made sense—kind of like keeping them around as livestock.

But to treat Genesis Biotech like livestock?

Only Ethan could pull something like that off.

As the two zombies chatted, they reached the edge of their territory. Up ahead was a hill, and on its slope lay a graveyard.

From a distance, rows of tombstones stood tall, stretching back into a dense forest.

The cemetery was eerily quiet, with a sinister atmosphere that gave off an unsettling vibe.

Bulldozer glanced at it with his small eyes and immediately decided it wasn’t a good place.

”You handle the search over there. I’m heading back.”

”Huh?” Big Ears opened his mouth, realizing the worst job had been dumped on the ”non-essential personnel.”

But he didn’t dare complain.

He pressed his ear to the ground and trudged forward alone to patrol the area.

Meanwhile, at Genesis Biotech…

A helicopter roared as it slowly landed on the helipad.

The violent gusts of wind whipped Nathan’s hair as he stood with a group of executives, waiting nearby.

Five figures stepped out of the helicopter, all clad in sleek, high-tech nano-combat suits. They carried advanced equipment and exuded a powerful, intimidating presence.

Leading the group was a tall woman with a striking figure. Her short, ear-length hair gave her a sharp, no-nonsense look, and her piercing eyes radiated a sense of aloofness.

Her name was Jessica Reed, an A-Class Awakener sent by Sophia to assist.

Nathan quickly stepped forward to greet her. ”Captain Reed, hello, hello!”

”Mr. Nathan, let’s cut to the chase. Tell me what’s going on, and let’s wrap this up quickly. We’re busy and don’t plan to stay in Los Angeles any longer than necessary,” Jessica said coldly.

Nathan’s enthusiastic smile froze. It felt like he’d just been slapped in the face. Why is she as stuck-up as Sophia? What’s there to be so proud of? Are they in a rush to die or something?

”Alright, Captain Reed, follow me.” Nathan led them to a conference room, where he began a presentation using slides to explain Ethan’s rise to power.

He detailed everything—from Ethan’s early days in prison, to his takeover of the mall, to the major battles that followed. Every event was meticulously documented.

One slide even featured a photo of Ethan standing on a rooftop, surrounded by crows, wearing a crisp white shirt.

”A white shirt… This Zombie King has quite the flair,” Jessica remarked, her sharp eyes fixed on the image.

A male team member beside her chuckled.

”Well, he’s a zombie, not a human. Having a few quirks is normal.”

”Hmm.” Jessica nodded.

Her squad had encountered Zombie Kings before, and they came in all sorts of bizarre forms. Nothing surprised her anymore.

Nathan, still animated, continued, ”This Zombie King isn’t just powerful—he’s practically invincible. His body is insanely tough, and he has no apparent weaknesses.”

”Really?” Jessica raised an eyebrow. ”I’ve never seen a zombie evolve to such perfection.”

”Not only that,” Nathan added, ”after several battles, his Zombie Horde has grown to over forty thousand!” His tone was exaggerated, as if trying to emphasize the gravity of the situation.

Jessica’s squad, however, didn’t seem particularly impressed.

One of the male team members smirked. ”Ha! Sounds like Mr. Nathan hasn’t seen much. We’ve dealt with hordes of nearly a hundred thousand before. And in the end… we still took down their Zombie King.”

”Sure, forty thousand isn’t a lot,” Nathan admitted, ”but here’s the thing—nearly ten thousand of them are elite zombies.”

”What?” The male team member fell silent. That was something he hadn’t encountered before.

”And…” Nathan hesitated, his voice growing quieter. ”Some of them have been injected with the X-virus and Y-virus.”

Jessica: ”…”

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Nathan cleared his throat and said, ”Honestly, I’ve been thinking… Even with you here, I’m not sure you can beat him. So, please, be careful.”

”Don’t worry. We have our own strategies,” Jessica said, her eyes narrowing. ”When it comes to a Zombie King like this, the best approach is… assassination.”

With so many elite zombies under his command, storming his lair head-on was out of the question. That kind of brute force wasn’t feasible.

The best option was to wait for the right moment—catch him outside his territory, or near its edges—and take him out swiftly and decisively.

...

On the other side, Big Ears was still dutifully patrolling the territory. He had wandered into the graveyard, where the surroundings were eerily quiet. The only sounds were the faint howling of the wind and the occasional rustling of leaves in the distance.

”Looks like there’s nothing here,” Big Ears muttered to himself. He didn’t want to linger in this place—it felt creepy, and an unsettling sense of unease gnawed at him.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, something caught the corner of his eye. Among the rows of tombstones, a figure appeared.

”Huh? Who’s there?” Big Ears froze, a shiver running down his spine. He quickly turned to look.

Standing not far away was a female zombie. She was thin, with long, razor-sharp nails that gleamed like steel blades. Big Ears recognized her immediately—it was Laura.

”Q-Queen Laura?” Big Ears’ eyes widened in shock. His expression was a mix of surprise and dread. Something felt off. Why was she suddenly here?

Laura stood motionless, her face blank and expressionless. Her eyes weren’t filled with the usual ferocity but instead carried a chilling aura of death.

”You. Come here,” Laura said slowly, her voice cold and emotionless.

Big Ears instinctively shook his head, backing away. There was no way he was going over there. Queen Laura had never liked him to begin with, and she often showed signs of wanting to kill him.

Now, in this desolate place, with no other zombies around to intervene… what if she really decided to kill him?

”N-no, no, I’m good. Since you’re here, I’ll just… head out now,” Big Ears stammered, already turning to run. His legs moved fast, and he bolted without looking back.

Every few steps, he glanced over his shoulder, relieved to see that Laura wasn’t chasing him.

Still, he didn’t dare slow down.

He kept running until he was out of the graveyard and back on the city streets. The sight of wandering zombies around him finally gave him a sense of safety.

”Phew—” Big Ears let out a long breath, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He slowed his pace, though his disheveled appearance made it clear he’d been spooked.

”Hey, what’s got you running around like a headless chicken?”

A female zombie’s voice suddenly rang out beside him.

Big Ears’ nerves, which had just started to relax, immediately tensed up again. His brow furrowed as he whipped his head around.

And there she was—Laura’s face staring right at him.

...