Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Meanwhile, Ethan caught a few flying ants in a small jar, carefully sealing the lid. He planned to bring them back to the States as a special gift.

He didn’t need many—just a few would do.

After all, these little guys reproduced insanely fast.

Ethan felt pretty pleased with himself, convinced this little ”research project” of his was absolutely top-tier stuff.

Satisfied, he decided it was time to get back to tracking down the humans.

After passing through Zone B, Ethan entered Zone A—the heart of the shelter. But the place was already deserted, with no sign of human life anywhere.

Even the valuable stuff had been cleared out completely.

He walked past lounges and meeting rooms, noticing random clutter scattered around—geisha outfits, tatami mats, bottles of sake—everything had a distinctly Japanese vibe. The lingering scent of humans was still fresh, indicating they’d left not long ago.

Eventually, at the far end of the shelter, Ethan found a narrow corridor.

It was pitch-black inside, impossible to tell where it led.

But the human scent was strong here, so Ethan knew they’d gone this way. Without hesitation, he followed.

The passage was extremely cramped—barely wide enough for an average-sized man, and about 6’6” high. Walking through it felt suffocating.

Luckily, the humans had left in a hurry, so there were no traps or ambushes along the way.

After a short while, a faint glow appeared ahead, signaling the end of the tunnel.

Stepping out, Ethan found himself in an underground parking garage filled with abandoned cars, parked haphazardly all over the place.

Among them were some luxury rides—Bentleys, Alphards, GTRs—but in this post-apocalyptic world, they were nothing more than scrap metal. Due to the severe energy shortage, none had been started in ages, and thick layers of dust covered their surfaces.

These cars were useless to Ethan.

He headed toward the exit of the parking garage.

Climbing a set of stairs, he emerged into daylight. The warm sunlight chased away the chill, brightening his surroundings.

Surprisingly, he found himself standing on a street lined with Japanese-style buildings, now half-collapsed and in ruins.

”A small town?” Ethan muttered, glancing around. He hadn’t expected the shelter’s exit to lead directly into a town.

The area wasn’t exactly quiet either—low growls from zombies echoed occasionally.

Unfazed, Ethan continued following the human scent.

Turning a corner, he spotted groups of zombies wandering aimlessly. They moved sluggishly, their faces blank and vacant, emitting low, guttural moans.

These zombies hadn’t evolved intelligence yet—they were just low-level cannon fodder.

”Rrrr—”

But when they saw Ethan, they growled aggressively, clearly hostile and trying to drive him away.

Obviously, they had a Zombie King leading them, marking this territory as theirs.

The zombies approached Ethan, snarling like guard dogs protecting their turf.

”Where’s your Zombie King?” Ethan sent out a mental signal. Being a zombie himself, he could communicate effortlessly through brainwaves, even without a shared language.

Moments later, another group of zombies appeared from down the street, led by a small-time boss with only B-level strength.

”Who dares invade my territory?” the leader barked aggressively, flanked by a few agile-looking elite zombies, strutting forward with exaggerated swagger.

They quickly surrounded Ethan, glaring fiercely, ready to attack at any moment.

Ethan remained calm, completely unfazed. To him, this was nothing more than child’s play.

This small town on the edge of the wasteland had only a few thousand zombies at most—no real threats here.

”You’re the Zombie King around here?” Ethan asked casually.

”That’s right! I’m Mad Dog—the king who rules over all zombies here!” the small boss snarled proudly.

”Oh...” Ethan nodded slowly. This guy wasn’t particularly strong, yet he had a pretty cocky name. Honestly, ”Mad Dog” was a bit much—maybe ”Chihuahua” would suit him better...

Judging by his words, it was clear this guy wasn’t the real boss around here.

”Bring your boss here to see me,” Ethan said calmly.

”Are you kidding me? You think my boss is someone you can just summon whenever you feel like it?” Mad Dog sneered arrogantly, clearly emboldened by the fact Ethan appeared alone.

”I suggest you get lost right now, or don’t blame me for being rude.”

”Oh, really?” Ethan replied casually, completely unfazed.

Mad Dog bared his fangs, sensing Ethan’s dismissive attitude. ”Are you looking down on me?”

”No, that’s not what I meant,” Ethan shook his head lightly.

”Hmph, that’s more like it...” Mad Dog seemed satisfied for a brief moment.

But Ethan suddenly added, ”Because you’re not even worth looking down on.”

”You—!” Mad Dog’s eyes widened in fury, his anger instantly boiling over. ”Fine! If you’re so eager to die, I’ll gladly help you!”

At his command, dozens of zombies around him growled fiercely, ready to attack.

But at that exact moment—

A massive wave of figures suddenly surged out from the parking garage behind Ethan, flooding forward like a tidal wave. Countless terrifying faces appeared, radiating a chilling, murderous aura.

These were the infected zombies from the shelter, numbering over two thousand strong, now gathering swiftly behind Ethan.

They snarled and roared, forming an intimidating horde.

Mad Dog’s eyes widened in shock. Seeing Ethan suddenly backed by a zombie army ten times larger than his own, his bravado instantly deflated. His earlier arrogance vanished, replaced by obvious fear.

He couldn’t help but wonder—when had such a massive Zombie Horde formed nearby?

”Wait...wait a second,” Mad Dog stammered nervously, ”Maybe we can talk this out.”

”I’m just passing through. There’s nothing to talk about,” Ethan replied bluntly.

”Oh...” Mad Dog nodded awkwardly, still shaken. Realizing this was way beyond his pay grade, he quickly turned to one of his minions.

”Hurry! Go get the boss!”

”Huh? Didn’t you just say we shouldn’t bother the boss?” the minion asked dumbly.

Mad Dog nearly exploded in frustration. ”Just shut up and go get her already! Stop wasting time!”

”Got it!” The minion quickly scrambled away.

Ethan watched quietly, making no move to stop them. He had no intention of killing these zombies—they were too weak, most hadn’t even formed crystal cores yet, and their rotten flesh wasn’t edible. Killing them would be pointless.

Better to let them grow into a useful force.

Although he couldn’t bring these zombies back to America, he could leave them here in Japan to develop freely. Who knew—maybe someday they’d grow strong enough to dominate the entire region.

And even if they failed, it wouldn’t cost him anything.

After a short wait—

A swift figure appeared in the distance, leaping gracefully from one ruined building to another, moving so fast she left afterimages behind.

Clearly, this was an agility-type Zombie King.

With a final leap, she landed elegantly atop a nearby building, looking down at Ethan from above.

Ethan raised his gaze, noticing it was a female zombie dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, styled like a geisha.

Her hair hung loosely in messy strands, framing a pale, ghostly face. Her eyes were fierce and wild, carrying a hint of madness...