Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Is this the boss’s territory?” Elegy gazed at the city ahead. Though it was in ruins, it still stood tall and imposing. She couldn’t help but feel curious… It was so quiet inside, almost like there weren’t many zombies around.

As they walked into the city, zombies began to emerge on the littered streets. From the buildings on either side, more zombies crawled down. Their fierce eyes watched with a strange reverence, as if they were welcoming their king back home.

These zombies moved with agility, their eyes sharp and alert. Everywhere she looked, they were all elite-level.

”This… this many?” Elegy’s gaze swept across the scene, her heart filled with awe.

Back in San Bernardino, she’d never seen so many zombies in one place. A few thousand had seemed like a lot back then, but compared to this? It was like comparing a puddle to an ocean.

Among the zombies, there were even top-tier elites. They stood tall, exuding an intimidating aura. Each one of them was stronger than Locomotive.

Now Elegy finally understood why the boss’s territory was so quiet.

It was because the zombies here were highly evolved.

Most of them had intelligence.

They didn’t behave like low-level zombies, who would roar and scream purely on instinct.

But that wasn’t all.

A massive figure appeared ahead—Bulldozer, his hulking frame unmistakable. It seemed he’d been waiting for them for a while.

From the distance, Laura’s shadow flitted like a ghost, leaping down from a high-rise. In just a few flashes, she was standing right in front of them.

Behind them, a shadow on the ground suddenly rose, taking the shape of a humanoid figure.

And then, from an alley, a majestic zombie tiger, Snowy, emerged. Its massive body was muscular and powerful, its paw alone as thick as a regular zombie’s waist.

Tigers already carried an air of dominance, but after merging with Zombie King blood, Snowy radiated an overwhelming ferocity. Even other zombies seemed wary of it.

One by one, the Zombie Kings arrived, each exuding an aura that was at least A-rank or higher.

The pressure was palpable.

”They’re all this strong?” Elegy was stunned.

Ethan, however, broke the silence, his voice calm but commanding. ”Welcome to the top of the food chain…”

…

Elegy’s heart was still reeling from the shock, unable to settle.

At that moment, Bulldozer pushed his way through the crowd of zombies, his small eyes squinting with a grin. ”Boss, you’re finally back! I missed you so much!”

”Missed the boss? More like you missed the food,” Laura shot him a side-eye.

”Heh, both!” Bulldozer admitted without hesitation.

From the back, Little Shadow stepped forward. ”Oh, we’ve got a new member, huh? Welcome, welcome.”

”Yeah, it’s your first time meeting. Get to know each other. Maybe chat while you eat,” Ethan said casually, tossing out a pile of small prey.

The pile quickly grew into a small mountain.

The zombies dove in, starting a bloody feast.

Elegy found herself liking this place a lot. Compared to San Bernardino, Los Angeles was like a perfect zombie paradise.

And the best part? There was meat.

”Back in San Bernardino, catching a rat was a luxury. I was always terrified of being spotted by human Awakeners.”

”No way, same here!” Little Shadow chimed in. ”Before I joined the boss, all the rats in my territory were eaten up. I was starving so bad my ribs were practically touching.”

The two Zombie Kings hit it off immediately, bonding over their shared struggles from the past.

In contrast, Bulldozer, Laura, and PhD had always been well-fed and well-off—practically the ”rich kids” of the zombie world.

Little Shadow’s gaze shifted to Elegy’s back, where she noticed the instrument strapped there. Curious, she asked, ”Hey, is that a guitar? You play?”

”Yeah, I dabble in all kinds of instruments,” Elegy replied modestly.

Little Shadow looked genuinely impressed. ”Wow, that’s amazing. Zombies with a sense of music are pretty rare.”

”Well, I used to be a music teacher. If you’d like, I can play something for you,” Elegy offered.

”Really? That’d be awesome!” Little Shadow nodded enthusiastically. ”We could head to the river later. You can play some tunes, and we’ll have Sprout catch a few fish for dessert.”

”Dessert too?” Elegy’s eyes lit up. This place was too good to be true… It was like heaven.

Bulldozer turned around and butted in, ”Why not play now? It’ll add to the vibe while we eat. Like a dinner concert.”

”Oh, uh… sure.” Elegy hesitated for a moment but didn’t want to refuse. After all, she was the newcomer here, still trying to fit in.

Bulldozer grinned. ”Great! And hey, one of these days, I’ll take you to try some ’Sandwich Cookies.’ And at night, you can enjoy a ’moonlit sunbath.’”

”Seriously? That sounds amazing!” Elegy’s eyes widened in excitement.

She picked up her guitar and began to play, strumming a soft, melodic tune.

...

Under the blood-red glow of the setting sun, the scene of zombies feasting was already terrifying enough.

But now, with the eerie music drifting through the air, it became even more bizarre and unsettling.

...

At the edge of the territory, Big Ears had heard there was a new member and couldn’t wait to check it out. He was following the sound, making his way toward the commotion.

Lately, he’d been feeling pretty bored.

His good buddy Shrimpy had actually gone back to Santa Monica and who knew when he’d return.

Without someone to appreciate his brilliance, Big Ears felt like all his talents were going to waste. The other zombies around here weren’t evolved enough to understand his ”higher level” of thinking.

So, he was secretly hoping that among the new arrivals, there might be someone who could be his kindred spirit.

Before long, he arrived at the street where the zombies had been feasting, only to find that the bloody banquet was already wrapping up.

”Wait, you guys finished already? Why didn’t anyone wait for me?”

He hurried over, crouched down, and dipped his finger into some leftover blood on the ground. Without hesitation, he popped it into his mouth, the motion practiced and casual.

As he licked his fingers, his gaze swept across the group, quickly landing on Elegy.

She seemed… pretty evolved.

Still nibbling on his finger, Big Ears walked up to her.

”Hi there! I’m Big Ears, Zombie King of the Los Angeles outskirts!”

”Uh…” Elegy gave him a once-over, her expression a mix of curiosity and mild confusion.

”Zombie King of the outskirts… so, not a core member then?”

”You—” Big Ears, usually quick with words, found himself momentarily speechless. He didn’t know how to respond to that.

Elegy didn’t seem interested in continuing the conversation. ”I’m heading to the river for dessert. See ya.”

”Oh…” Big Ears watched her walk away, wanting to say he’d like to join too.

But then he remembered his not-so-great relationship with Laura and Sprout.

If they decided to toss him into the river for fun, well… that’d be the end of him.

”Ah, finding a kindred spirit is so hard…” Big Ears muttered to himself.

It was clear that Elegy wasn’t on the same wavelength as him. She wouldn’t understand his ”profound” perspective either.

Still, he wasn’t ready to give up. His eyes scanned the area again.

After all, Ethan had brought back more than just Elegy.

Soon, his gaze landed on Locomotive.

This one seemed like a small-time leader, maybe on a similar level to himself.

Big Ears immediately perked up and walked over, ready to try again.

”Hi there! I’m Big Ears, Zombie King of the Los Angeles outskirts!”

”Oh?” Locomotive turned to look at him, his lips curling into a faint smirk as he took in the sight of the big-eared zombie in front of him.

”Nice to meet you. I’m Locomotive, the undisputed overlord of San Bernardino!”

…