Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The other Zombie Kings under Ethan’s command were also gearing up to make their moves.

Since this mission was all about ”free rein,” there weren’t many restrictions—just the way they liked it.

The Zombie Kings were fired up.

Especially Laura.

She hadn’t seen a human in ages, and after countless battles on this planet called Originis, she’d devoured more than her fair share of SS-grade crystal cores. Her body had started to change in subtle ways—signs of a breakthrough were beginning to show.

Maybe this upcoming clash with the humans would be the perfect trigger.

”I’m heading out. You guys can keep dragging your feet,” she said coolly.

And with that, her figure flickered—and vanished.

”Damn…”

The other Zombie Kings stared, stunned. Even though they were all high-level, Laura’s speed was on another level. Most of them couldn’t even track her movement.

”Looks like… Queen Laura’s about to break through,” Sprout murmured, deep in thought.

”Wait, does that mean she’s gonna become a Voidborn Undying too?” Lil’ Shroom asked, clearly shocked.

Little Shadow nodded. ”Yeah. If she pulls it off, she’ll be the second Voidborn Undying in the nest—right after the boss.”

”Hmph! I haven’t broken through yet—how can she beat me to it?” grumbled Bulldozer, a hulking brute of a zombie. He crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.

He and Laura had both followed Ethan since the early days of the apocalypse. And in his mind, he’d always been the stronger one.

He still remembered when Laura was just an A-rank, and PhD had already said he’d reached S-rank. If she broke through first… man, that’d be a serious blow to his pride.

Just then, four zombies came strolling over from the distance, bits of grass stuck to their clothes.

It was Big Ears and his crew.

”Bulldozer! I’m back, baby. Time to make a comeback—and I’m gonna help you break through!”

”You?” Bulldozer squinted at him, raising a brow. ”Aren’t you still raising pigs?”

”I left the farm to Hank and little Gatorax for now,” Big Ears replied casually. ”Besides, raising pigs and helping you break through? Kinda the same thing.”

Bulldozer scratched his head. Something about that logic felt off… but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

”Eh, whatever. It’s been a while since we teamed up anyway.”

”Exactly!” Big Ears grinned, then dropped into his signature pose—bending low, pressing one oversized ear to the ground, legs stiff and straight as he shuffled forward like some kind of zombie bloodhound.

The other Zombie Kings watched the scene unfold, and all they could think was: Classic.

But Big Ears wasn’t the same as before. He might not have seen much combat lately, but ever since he took over the livestock operation, he’d had a steady supply of fresh meat. His strength had grown significantly.

Now, even with his ear to the ground, he zipped across the terrain in a blur, vanishing beyond the edge of the zombie nest in the blink of an eye.

”Damn… Big Ears is legit now,” the other Zombie Kings thought, impressed.

Seeing everyone heading out, they knew they couldn’t fall behind. One by one, they left the nest.

Above them, a swarm of crows took flight, cawing wildly as they scattered into the skies—spreading the reach of the undead.

The Zombie Kings were now fully unleashed.

Lil’ Shroom released clouds of fungal spores, which drifted across the land and sprouted into pulsating flesh-nodes—his version of surveillance ”eyes.”

Petal’s flower fields bloomed in every direction, creating beautiful yet deadly ”Zombie Cultivation Grounds,” where danger hid beneath every petal.

Gorewood extended his limbs, transforming into a twisted forest, lying in wait for prey to wander in.

Little Shadow melted into the darkness, completely silent and invisible—the perfect assassin, ready to strike at any moment.

Each zombie unleashed their own bizarre, terrifying abilities.

Together, they wove a deadly web across the land, a trap waiting to be sprung the moment the humans arrived.

...

Only Bulldozer kept things simple.

He followed behind Big Ears, trudging across the barren land.

The ground was dry and cracked, dotted with patches of withered grass. The sun beat down mercilessly, bleaching everything in sight. Jagged rocks and twisted hills loomed in the distance, casting long, eerie shadows.

”Big Ears, you hear anything yet?” Bulldozer asked, barely able to contain his excitement.

”Not yet,” Big Ears replied, still crawling forward with his ear pressed to the earth.

Bulldozer let out a disappointed grunt.

But in his mind, he was already thinking ahead—he and Laura had started this journey together under Ethan. There was no way he was gonna let her outpace him now.

At that moment, Big Ears suddenly stood up straight, a thoughtful look flashing across his face.

Bulldozer noticed immediately. ”What is it? You hear something?”

Big Ears didn’t answer right away. Instead, he rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, ”Why do you think Hammerhead got into the lab?”

”...” Bulldozer was speechless. Seriously? He’s still hung up on that?

”Probably ’cause he’s smart,” he said finally. ”Makes sense for him to do research.”

”You saying I’m not smart?” Big Ears shot back, clearly not buying it.

”No, no, you’re smart,” Bulldozer admitted. ”Just… a different kind of smart.”

”So can I do research too?”

”Nope.” Bulldozer shook his head without hesitation.

Big Ears: ”...”

He didn’t even know why, but something deep down told him—Big Ears was clever, sure, but not the kind of clever that belonged in a lab coat. It was just… different.

Mist, who’d been quietly tagging along, chimed in, ”Don’t beat yourself up, Big Ears. We’ve contributed to the research effort too, in our own way.”

”Really? What kind of contribution?” Big Ears asked, genuinely curious.

Mist replied with a straight face, ”At the very least, we didn’t screw anything up.”

”Oh…” Big Ears blinked, then thought about it for a second. ”Yeah… I guess that counts for something.”

”Exactly. So technically, we’re part of the scientific process.”

”...”

It was a stretch, but hey, they’d take it.

The four zombies—Big Ears, Bulldozer, Mist, and Lil’ Gatorax—kept wandering across the wasteland, chatting and joking as they went. The mood was light, even cheerful.

Time passed slowly, and before long, the sun began to dip toward the horizon.

The golden glow of sunset bathed the land in warm light. A soft breeze rustled the dry grass, making it sway gently.

”Caw—caw—caw—!”

A crow swooped overhead, its cry sharp and urgent as it cut through the sky.

Bulldozer looked up, instantly catching the message.

”Damn… Buddy Crow says Laura just hunted down a squad of humans and snagged an SS-grade crystal core.”

”What?!” Big Ears and the others all looked up, eyes wide. Queen Laura really doesn’t mess around.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what that fight must’ve looked like.

Laura’s mechanical arm could fire palm cannons with the force of an SS-level Awakener’s full-power strike. For her, taking out a human squad was practically routine.

”Looks like she really is gonna hit SSS before me,” Bulldozer muttered, a little bitter.

”Don’t sweat it, Bulldozer,” Big Ears said, trying to cheer him up. ”We’ll find some humans soon too.”

”How?” Bulldozer asked, skeptical. ”This continent’s massive. Even with your crazy hearing, it’s still like finding a needle in a haystack.”

Big Ears squinted into the distance, thinking hard. Then his eyes lit up.

”You’re right. Searching like this is too slow. So we flip the script—we lure them to us.”

”Lure them? How?” Bulldozer asked, confused.

Big Ears didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned to Mist. ”Mist, set the mood. Bring out your party energy.”

”Ohhh, got it.” Mist grinned, catching on immediately.

Thick black fog began to pour from his body, swirling upward like smoke from a raging fire. It billowed into the sky, dark and ominous, pulsing with eerie energy.

...