Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The original tech for embedding crystal cores into weapons? That actually came out of the Shelter’s R&D labs. But the problem was always the same—our alloy materials just weren’t strong enough. At best, they could handle an A-grade crystal core. Anything more powerful, and the whole thing would just blow apart.

But now, with the Stellar Fang katana as inspiration, they might finally be able to craft something stronger.

Mia couldn’t help but feel a flicker of excitement. What kind of weapon could they create by combining the two technologies?

”Once it’s done, maybe I’ll return the favor and hand one over to a certain Zombie King... Not like I owe him a damn thing,” Mia thought with a smirk.

But then Dr. Morgan added, ”The material used in the Stellar Fang katana was extracted from an extraterrestrial meteorite. And not just any meteorite—only a few of them even contain it. It’s insanely rare. With what we’ve got in storage now, we couldn’t even make half a blade.”

Mia frowned. ”So what now?”

”We’ll need to collect a large number of meteorites and test them one by one. But honestly, I doubt we’ll find enough within the U.S.”

”You’re saying we have to go overseas?”

”Yeah. A few months ago, satellite scans picked up a massive meteor shower that hit the ocean near Tasmania, Australia. If we want to build this new weapon, that’s probably our best shot.”

”The waters near Tasmania, huh...” Mia murmured, a thought suddenly clicking into place. She remembered what Nightbane had said before he died—that the Voidborn Undying had once mentioned the location of a Radiant Crystal. And it was right there, near Tasmania.

It all lined up now.

”Alright... got it.” Mia nodded, grabbed the Stellar Fang, and walked out of the office.

She headed straight to Ethan’s room.

At the moment, Ethan was monitoring his Zombie Horde’s migration through drone footage. They were tearing through everything in their path—no resistance, no obstacles.

But to reach the northeastern war zone, where another Zombie King was clashing with one from Canada, it’d still take them over twenty days.

”Hey, you up for a trip to the waters near Tasmania?” Mia asked as she walked in, straight to the point.

Ethan turned to look at her, a little surprised by the sudden question.

”What for?”

”Didn’t Nightbane say before he died that there’s a Radiant Crystal there? You’re not planning to go get it?”

”Oh...” Ethan nodded slowly, falling into thought.

Heading overseas... that was a whole different beast. Especially the waters around Tasmania. That area was... complicated.

Surrounded by ocean on all sides, it was the perfect breeding ground for powerful sea monsters. And ever since the apocalypse hit, the entire Australian continent had gone completely dark—no signals, no contact, nothing. The place was wrapped in constant storms, like nature itself was trying to keep people out.

Even Genesis Biotech and the Black Hand Legion had never set up operations there. So even if there were Zombie Kings in the region, they wouldn’t show up in the official archives.

At this point, Australia was a true no-man’s land. A black box. No one knew what was inside.

That’s why Ethan had never gone after the Radiant Crystal, even knowing it was there.

But now... after taking down Genesis Biotech’s North American HQ, his power had grown significantly. And aside from the northeastern Zombie King, there weren’t any other pressing targets at the moment.

With the Horde still migrating, there’d be a bit of a lull.

”If we’re going to go... now’s probably the time.”

”Great. Settled then!” Mia nodded and turned to leave.

She’d been in the room for less than ten seconds, but in that tiny window, she’d made a major decision.

Ethan stared after her, speechless.

Seriously? That fast?

But truth be told, he’d never been outside the country—not even before the world went to hell.

So the waters near Tasmania... they held a strange allure. A mystery.

And now, he couldn’t help but wonder—what the hell was waiting for them out there?

...

Over the next few days, the team got busy prepping for the mission.

Since they were heading overseas, Mia made a point to call in Oliver—after all, the guy spoke sixteen languages. If there were any foreign survivors on the island, he’d be their go-to translator.

”Uncle Chris,” Brandon said while stuffing gear into his pack, ”I heard there’s a Radiant Crystal on the island. That pretty much guarantees parasitic monsters. You better watch your back.”

Chris let out a silent sigh. Great. Just what I needed.

”You know,” he said, trying to sound casual, ”I’ve been thinking about Jenny. Maybe I should sit this one out and head back to the L.A. Shelter, help her take care of the kid.”

Brandon raised an eyebrow. ”What’s the matter? You chickening out?”

”Me? Hell no!” Chris puffed up his chest. ”I’ve been through storms, firefights, and mutant stampedes. I’ve seen it all. I just figured I’d give you young bucks a shot at glory.”

”Oh, that’s too bad,” Brandon said, pretending to be disappointed. ”Word is, Dr. Morgan’s sending a female specialist along to test the meteorites. Supposedly she’s drop-dead gorgeous. Killer body, too. Guess you’ll be missing out…”

”Wait, for real?” Chris perked up instantly, eyes lighting up.

Right on cue, Dr. Morgan strolled over from across the hangar, and sure enough, a young woman followed behind him. She looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a crisp white lab coat. Her long, light-blonde hair shimmered under the lights, and her delicate features were framed by a pair of round glasses that gave her a sharp, intellectual vibe.

”Mia,” Dr. Morgan said warmly, ”this is my top student, Elara Winters. She’ll be joining your team to handle meteorite analysis. Please, I’m counting on you to keep her safe.”

”Got it,” Mia nodded.

Chris immediately stepped forward. ”Dr. Morgan, don’t worry. As long as I’m breathing, Miss Elara won’t have a scratch on her!”

”Wait, Uncle Chris,” Brandon said, feigning confusion. ”Weren’t you just saying you were heading back to the shelter?”

Chris scoffed. ”Back to the shelter? Please. Only people with nothing to offer go back. A top-tier asset like me belongs out in the field.” He thumped his chest proudly.

Brandon shot him a look of pure disdain.

Everyone finished packing up. Sean loaded his backpack with apples—his go-to snack for long missions.

This time, Griffin was going along with Mia, Chris, Brandon, Oliver, and Sean.

Brandon had originally been against bringing him, but after Griffin’s solid performance during the Genesis Biotech battle—especially against their Awakeners—it was clear he wasn’t dead weight. In fact, his combat potential had been seriously underestimated. So in the end, they brought him along.

This small squad of human Awakeners was about to set foot on a mysterious, isolated island far beyond familiar territory.

And of course, Ethan was going with them.

As Dr. Morgan and the others saw them off, the group boarded the aircraft.

Ethan scanned the team. All familiar faces—except for the new girl, Elara.

Judging by her aura, she was an Awakener who had just formed her Neurocore. Still young, but her eyes had a calm, intelligent gleam to them, full of quiet curiosity and sharp awareness.

That look reminded Ethan of the first time he met PhD—definitely the high-IQ type.

”Miss Elara, don’t worry,” Chris said reassuringly. ”We’ll do everything we can to protect you.”

”Oh, I’m not worried,” Elara replied with a soft smile. ”If you guys fail, then humanity’s pretty much screwed anyway. So really, there’s nothing to be nervous about.”

”Uh… what?” Chris blinked, scratching his head. ”Wait, what does that mean?”

He looked around, clearly confused.

...