Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Isaiah’s face was filled with terror. Even though he wasn’t being controlled, the interference was enough to throw him off. He figured his time was almost up.

The music blared on, and the zombies became even more frenzied, surging forward like a tidal wave. Their grotesque faces closed in, one after another.

In an instant, many people were knocked to the ground. Screams of agony echoed through the air, and despair gripped everyone’s hearts.

”I’m not going down without a fight!” Isaiah gritted his teeth, summoning every ounce of resolve he had left.

Heat radiated from his body as flames erupted from his hands, roaring to life. His remaining energy gathered, growing more intense by the second.

But just as he was about to unleash it, a shadow silently materialized behind him. The sheer pressure it exuded was overwhelming, like death itself had arrived.

”Huh?” Isaiah sensed something was wrong and started to turn his head, but it was too late. Ethan’s long, slender fingers reached out, piercing into Isaiah’s skull and extracting a fiery red crystal core.

The flames in Isaiah’s hands extinguished instantly, and his body collapsed backward, lifeless.

With a clatter, a remote control for a bomb tumbled out of his pocket.

Ethan glanced at it, deciding it might come in handy. With a wave of his hand, he stored it in his spatial ring.

”Boss!” Elegy leapt down from the rooftop, landing in front of Ethan to report in.

Ethan gave her a slight nod.

”Let me introduce you to some new friends,” Ethan said casually. As his words fell, the air was filled with guttural roars. From within the safe zone, a massive horde of zombies poured out—thousands of them, their numbers bolstered by elite zombies enhanced with a strengthening virus.

Elegy, the Zombie King, widened her fierce eyes in astonishment.

Just as the boss had predicted, their ranks were growing at an incredible pace.

He had taken down the entire safe zone.

Ethan’s zombie army, which had started from nothing, now numbered over two thousand—a force to be reckoned with.

Elegy’s excitement was palpable. She could feel the momentum building. ”Boss, we’re growing so fast. I’ve never seen a Zombie Horde this massive before.”

”Massive?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback. This was considered massive? Maybe Elegy had been stuck in San Bernardino for too long, too used to being oppressed, and hadn’t seen much of the world.

Elegy nodded enthusiastically before asking, ”Boss, where to next?”

”We’re leaving this place,” Ethan said decisively. His trail of destruction had grown too conspicuous, and it was bound to have caught Sophia’s attention by now.

Roughly estimating, Genesis Biotech had at least a thousand Awakeners under their command—a force not to be underestimated. If they managed to surround him, it could pose a real threat.

With that, Ethan led his two-thousand-strong zombie horde away from the ”crime scene.”

The area near the safe zone was close to Genesis Biotech’s territory, where human activity was frequent. Drones buzzed overhead from time to time, scanning the area.

It was impossible for a horde of two thousand zombies to go unnoticed.

”Boss, Genesis Biotech must’ve spotted us by now,” Elegy said, her tone cautious.

”Yeah, we need to head toward the zombie-dominated zones,” Ethan replied thoughtfully.

Before long, they left the vicinity of Genesis Biotech’s outpost. The streets ahead were noticeably more crowded with zombies.

The surrounding buildings were in ruins, many of them collapsed entirely. In the distance, rusted train tracks stretched out, flanked by derailed trains lying in chaotic disarray.

Some trains had collided, creating a massive wreckage site.

Amid the rubble, a faded sign still bore the words ”San Bernardino Station.”

”Raaahhh—”

The zombies in the area turned their heads toward Ethan, their glowing, feral eyes fixed on him. Low growls and snarls escaped their mouths.

It was clear—they didn’t welcome him here.

Near the train station, a sizable zombie horde had already formed. Ethan’s arrival was seen as an intrusion.

”Stop right there!” A particularly fierce-looking elite zombie stepped into the street, blocking their path. Its menacing gaze locked onto Ethan.

”This territory belongs to my boss. You’re not allowed to pass.”

”And who’s your boss?” Ethan asked, his tone calm but commanding.

The elite zombie’s eyes gleamed with fanatic pride. ”Our boss is the strongest Zombie King in this region—Locomotive!”

”Locomotive?” Ethan almost burst out laughing when he heard the name. He found it utterly ridiculous, wondering how anyone could come up with something so absurd. Clearly, whoever named him wasn’t exactly a creative genius.

”Alright, tell your boss to come see me,” Ethan said casually.

”Arrogant!” The elite zombie growled, its throat vibrating with rage. It was furious at Ethan’s commanding tone, as if he were some superior being daring to summon their leader. The audacity was infuriating.

The surrounding zombies snarled and roared, their guttural cries growing louder as they began to converge on Ethan’s group. The tension in the air was palpable, and it seemed like an attack could break out at any moment.

Elegy and the others tensed up, their eyes flashing with a predatory gleam as they prepared for a fight.

Was this really happening? They’d just started expanding their forces, and now they were about to clash with another zombie nest? This was escalating way too fast…

The two groups of zombies stood off against each other, the air thick with hostility. It was like a powder keg ready to explode, the battle on the verge of erupting.

But Ethan remained calm, his expression unbothered, almost indifferent. To him, this was nothing more than a minor scuffle.

It felt like watching two gangs of street thugs squaring off.

Just then, a new wave of guttural roars echoed from within the train station. A massive horde of zombies was approaching, their numbers swelling to at least three thousand. Among them were five or six hundred elite zombies, their collective cries shaking the air with an overwhelming presence.

It was clear—they were mobilizing their entire force.

”Let me see… who dares to cause trouble in my territory,” a sharp, slightly nasal voice rang out.

The elite zombie from earlier immediately straightened up, its demeanor shifting to one of reverence. It barked orders at its underlings, who quickly stepped aside, clearing a path.

From the crowd emerged a gaunt, skeletal-looking zombie. It leapt onto a large, collapsed chunk of concrete, standing tall with its hands on its hips, surveying the scene from above like a self-proclaimed king.

The elite zombie wasted no time reporting, ”Boss, it’s them. No idea where they came from, but they suddenly barged into our territory.”

”Oh…” The Zombie King, Locomotive, dragged out the word, his tone dripping with mockery. He scanned Ethan’s horde, noting that it wasn’t particularly large—just around two thousand zombies. His confidence grew, and a smug grin spread across his face.

”I’m Locomotive, the undisputed ruler of San Bernardino. What brings you to my domain?” he asked, his voice laced with arrogance.

”You… the undisputed ruler?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Judging by Locomotive’s strength, he was probably a B-rank zombie—maybe slightly stronger than Big Ears, but not by much.

Still, Ethan noticed the telltale signs. Locomotive’s cells were highly active, and his bones were unnaturally dense. It was clear he’d been injected with both the X-virus and Y-virus.

This wasn’t a natural rise to power. Locomotive was obviously a product of Genesis Biotech’s experiments, propped up to serve as a puppet Zombie King for the region.

Ethan’s suspicions were confirmed when he spotted the triangular incision on Locomotive’s skull—a clear indicator of a micro-bomb implant. He was under human control.

Ethan had long known about Genesis Biotech’s Zombie King program. Their strategy was simple: eliminate the original Zombie Kings in an area and replace them with their own creations, ensuring total control over the region.

Locomotive’s eyes burned with anger as he noticed Ethan’s dismissive expression. His face twisted into an even more feral snarl, his fury barely contained.

”So, you’ve come to challenge my rule, huh? Fine. I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself!” Locomotive growled, his voice dripping with menace.

”Oh, in that case, I’ll start now,” Ethan replied with a faint smile. But instead of attacking, he casually reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a remote control. He turned it over in his hand, inspecting it with mild curiosity.

”What do you think… does this thing actually work?” Ethan asked, his tone light, almost playful.

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