Apocalypse: King of Zombies

After everyone left, Ethan thought it over for a moment.

Then he smashed open the blockage at the cave entrance and used Teleportation—appearing not too far in front of the white-furred apes, keeping what he judged to be a relatively safe distance.

That way, if they made a move on him, he could Teleport out immediately.

”Hey!” Ethan flashed them his friendliest smile.

”???”

The white-furred apes just stared at the human who’d popped out of nowhere, confusion written all over their faces.

Their expressions practically said it all:

What is this thing? Every other beast runs like its tail’s on fire when they see us. Why is this one walking up on purpose? Does it think we’re too full to eat? Or does it think there isn’t enough meat on it to be worth the bite?

”Uh… you guys want roasted meat, right? I can grill it for you!” Ethan said quickly when they didn’t attack right away.

”???”

A few of the white-furred apes scratched their heads. Clearly, they had no clue what he was saying.

Ethan could tell the words weren’t getting through, so he grabbed a Bloodfang Wolf corpse off the ground, pointed at himself, then pointed at the grills.

”Me… help you… roast meat!”

This time, the white-furred apes got it. Their eyes lit up.

”Roar…” The leader—the Stage C (Tier 12) white-furred ape—bellowed at Ethan, then jabbed a finger toward the grills, basically telling him to hurry up and do it.

Ethan’s heart jumped with excitement.

These white-furred apes were smart. Really smart. If that was the case, negotiations might actually be possible.

But when he looked at where the grills were, he hesitated.

They were right next to the white-furred apes. If he walked over there and they suddenly decided to swat him, he’d be in serious trouble.

Still… he was already this far in. If he backed off now, it’d all be for nothing.

After a quick think, Ethan pulled out a dagger and started working on the Bloodfang Wolf—cutting it open, cleaning it out, scraping off the fur.

He stayed where he was and processed the carcass first, watching for any reaction.

Ethan had done every kind of odd job growing up. Butchering cows and slaughtering sheep was nothing new. And now that his strength had leveled up, it was even easier.

His motions flowed clean and efficient, one step after another. The white-furred apes’ eyes brightened even more as they watched.

Once the carcass was ready, Ethan noticed their attention was glued to the wolf—not to him. No killing intent. No aggression.

He let out a quiet breath.

Then he hefted the Bloodfang Wolf onto his back and walked toward the grills.

Every nerve in his body was stretched tight. If any of them twitched wrong, he’d trigger Teleportation and vanish.

Just like he’d hoped, the white-furred apes were thinking about one thing and one thing only: barbecue.

To them, roasted meat mattered more than anything else right now.

Ethan reached one of the grills, skewered the wolf with a sturdy branch, and set it on the rack.

The white-furred apes crowded in, peering over his shoulders, fascinated by every move.

Ethan looked calm on the outside.

Inside, he was panicking like crazy.

Getting surrounded by one Stage C and seven Tier 11 mutant beasts… that kind of pressure could make someone with weaker nerves go limp at the knees.

Even Ethan—normally steady—was already drenched in sweat.

If he hadn’t been thinking about the ridiculous haul waiting for him, he might’ve Teleported away on instinct.

With eight pairs of massive eyes locked on him, Ethan reached into his spatial storage ring and pulled out a lighter.

He grabbed some dry leaves from the ground and shoved them under the dry wood.

Then he flicked the lighter.

Fire.

The instant the flame rose, the white-furred apes’ eyes went wide. One after another, they stared at the lighter in Ethan’s hand like it was magic.

”Uh… you can’t really use this thing,” Ethan said, half nervous, half amused.

”Roar…”

”You don’t believe me? Fine, fine—here. Take it.”

Ethan handed the lighter straight to the Stage C white-furred ape.

He wasn’t worried. His spatial storage ring was loaded with lighters anyway.

The white-furred ape took the lighter with an excited look on its face, but the sight of that tiny little thing in its huge palm was honestly kind of hilarious.

Then it copied Ethan’s motion and pressed down.

Pop—

One lighter: officially sacrificed.

”…”

The white-furred ape scratched its head, looking a little embarrassed.

Ethan had expected that. What surprised him was the fact it could even look awkward like that.

These white-furred apes… they didn’t seem particularly cruel.

And honestly, if they were, those Ironback Rats would’ve at least left a few bodies behind earlier.

The way Ethan saw it, the apes hunting Bloodfang Wolves was probably just hunger—going out to find food. That was the law of the jungle, not ”brutality.”

That realization made Ethan feel a lot more confident about what he was about to do.

He got serious and started grilling for real.

If he was going to pull this off, he needed to straight-up hijack their stomachs.

The white-furred apes didn’t bother him. They just watched patiently as he worked.

As time passed, the meat began to release waves of fragrance.

The second they caught that smell, the white-furred apes started drooling like busted faucets—and Ethan, who was down there at grill-level, became the one suffering.

”Could you back up a little?” Ethan pointed at the fire, deadpan. ”At this rate your drool’s gonna put it out.”

Half the flame really was getting doused.

”Slurp…”

The leader wiped its mouth and barked something at the others.

Amazingly, they actually listened and shuffled back a few steps—far enough that even if they kept drooling, it wouldn’t splash onto the fire.

Ethan kept grilling. Every so often he reached into his spatial storage ring and sprinkled seasonings over the meat.

Ever since he’d started eating on the move, he’d made a habit of looting spices whenever he raided a supermarket. They didn’t take up space, and they were worth their weight in gold.

If he was going to win these apes over, the meat had to be good.

No—it had to be unforgettable.

He wanted them to eat his barbecue and never be able to go back to raw meat again. Because once that happened… they wouldn’t be able to live without him.

The closer the meat got to done, the stronger the aroma became. The white-furred apes looked like they were about to bite their own tongues off.

And of course, that smell carried.

But with eight white-furred apes standing guard—especially with a Stage C among them—no other mutant beast dared come close, no matter how tempted they were.

”Roar…”

The leader let out a rumbling call at Ethan. Ethan didn’t understand the words, but the meaning was obvious.

Is it done yet? I’m not gonna make it.

”What’s the rush? Wait a bit.” Ethan finally had some real confidence when he spoke—because he was certain they wouldn’t lay a hand on him at a moment like this.

The white-furred apes could only keep waiting, drool still dripping.

Finally, after another ten minutes, Ethan clapped his hands, stood up, and pulled the roasted Bloodfang Wolf off the rack.

The whole thing was a gorgeous golden-brown—crisp skin, fat sizzling, fragrance pouring out. The edges were slightly charred, which was perfect. That little bit of scorch made the bite even crunchier and more aromatic.

Ethan wasn’t just good at cooking. He knew how to grill like a pro.

”Alright,” he said, holding it out. ”Split it.”

”ROAR!”

The white-furred apes surged forward, snatching the roast straight from Ethan’s hands. In a few savage motions, they tore the whole wolf into chunks, each ape grabbing a piece and immediately stuffing it into its mouth.

The moment they took the first bite, their eyes blew wide open.

”ROAR ROAR ROAR—!”

Oh my god! This is insanely good!

They’d thought the roasted meat earlier was the best thing they’d ever tasted.

Now they realized that stuff had been trash.

And the raw meat they’d been eating their whole lives?

Trash on top of trash.

”ROAR ROAR ROAR!”

How is this possible?! Something this delicious exists in the world? I’ve lived this long for nothing!

Actual tears shimmered in a few of their eyes as they chewed.