Apocalypse: King of Zombies

After Ryan led Ethan and the others out of Maxwell’s private meeting room, he headed straight for the outside of the compound.

Along the way, Ryan Kane opened his mouth a few times like he wanted to say something… then closed it again. He honestly didn’t know what to say.

He wasn’t like the other rich kids in Atlas City—flashy and loud. Maxwell had raised him under strict discipline, and it showed. Ryan was steady, reserved, and careful about everything he did.

He’d never doubted his father’s judgment. And if even his father was treating these people with that much respect, then their strength had to be terrifying.

So even though his head was full of questions, he swallowed them all down. The last thing he wanted was to rub them the wrong way.

Once they were out of the compound, the group picked up speed and sprinted northwest.

The Void Realm was hidden in a stretch of mountain forest about thirty miles out. The place was tucked away enough that if nobody guided you, you could search all day and still miss it.

They were on a schedule, so Ryan pushed himself hard—full sprint, no holding back, wringing every last bit of speed out of his body.

But before long, he noticed something that made his expression twitch.

No matter how he forced his pace, the others stayed behind him chatting and laughing like they were out for a casual jog. Relaxed. Effortless. Like this was nothing.

Ryan’s lips tightened.

His own strength was already close to the peak of Tier 9. Inside the compound, that put him firmly among the top ranks—an outright powerhouse.

If one or two of them were faster than him, sure, he could accept that. His dad had been respectful to them, after all. But all of them?

That hit different.

Speed didn’t directly equal combat power, but unless someone had a specific speed ability, the faster Enhanced were usually the higher Tier. And looking at how easy they made it look…

They weren’t just a little faster than him. They were a lot faster.

Which meant their strength was, at minimum… Tier 10.

The thought made Ryan’s chest tighten.

Tier 10.

The entire compound had poured insane resources into producing just a handful of Tier 10s. Yet these nine people in front of him—every single one of them—were Tier 10?

For a moment, Ryan couldn’t even wrap his head around it.

Thank God I didn’t piss them off, he thought grimly.

Thirty miles was a three- to four-hour trek for a normal person, and your stamina still wouldn’t hold. But for Enhanced at Tier 9 and above, it was nothing.

In under an hour, they arrived.

A low mountain range stretched out ahead. The entrance to the Void Realm was positioned near the top of a small hill.

Not far from the entrance, a few guards in camouflage lay prone in the grass, M4A1 carbines held tight.

Their camouflage blended perfectly into the vegetation—if Ethan’s eyesight wasn’t sharp, he wouldn’t have noticed them at all.

When the group approached, the guards rose quickly and jogged over to Ryan. They snapped a salute.

”Sir!”

Ryan nodded. ”Mm. Maintain your position. I’ll escort them inside.”

”Understood!” The guards nodded, then retreated and melted back into the grass, resuming their hidden overwatch.

Ethan glanced at Ryan. ”Uh… Ryan, you don’t have to stay. We can handle it from here.”

He was going in to scavenge the benefits for himself, after all. The last thing he wanted was an outsider tagging along.

”This…” Ryan hesitated, then finally nodded. ”Alright. Then you go in. I’ll wait here.”

”…”

Ethan sighed, a little helpless. He had no idea when they’d come back out—Ryan might be waiting a long time.

But Ryan probably had orders, and Ethan couldn’t exactly chase him off. So he let it go.

After that, Ethan led the group straight into the twisted patch of space hanging in midair.

The sight left Ryan frowning.

The way they moved… it looked almost practiced. Like they’d done this kind of thing before.

Have they been in a place like this already?

Not long after Ethan and the others entered the Void Realm, a large group came rushing over from the distance, moving fast and hard like they were afraid they’d be too late.

”Where are they?” The young man in front locked eyes with Ryan.

Ryan looked him over, confused. Why the hell were the Hales here? And not just anyone—Sebastian Hale was leading them personally.

”Who are you talking about?” Ryan asked.

”The group you brought. Where are they now?”

”Oh, them.” Ryan pointed at the warped space. ”They went in.”

”What?!” Sebastian’s face snapped dark. ”You let outsiders into a special space without authorization—who gave you the right?”

”General Kane approved it,” Ryan shot back, not giving an inch. ”Got a problem with that?”

”…”

Sebastian’s jaw clenched. ”Do you even know those people are vicious criminals?”

”Nope. They didn’t mention it.”

”…..”

”Don’t play dumb, Ryan.” Sebastian’s voice went cold. ”They’ve been inside the Kane family’s compound this long. You expect me to believe you don’t know who they are?”

”I really don’t.” Ryan spread his hands. ”And why are you calling them ’vicious criminals’ the second you show up? What—because they had a little conflict with your sister today?”

”Hmph. I’m not that petty.”

”Then what is this?”

Sebastian’s expression sank like a stone. ”Fine. Since you ’don’t know,’ I’ll tell you. They’re the ones who killed my Uncle Leonard.”

”What?” Ryan’s eyes widened. ”No way.”

”We’ve already confirmed it,” Sebastian said harshly. ”You think we’d accuse them without proof?”

Sebastian’s voice rose, fury scraping through every word. ”My Uncle Leonard helped them find their relatives. They went from Clearford City to Goldcrest City to pick someone up, and they got into a clash with Goldcrest’s Provost Marshal—killed him on the spot. My uncle only said a few words to them about it, and they killed him too. Tell me—if that’s not vicious criminal scum, what is?”

Ryan didn’t look convinced. ”That’s not what I heard. I heard your uncle tried to turn them into thralls, and they fought back.”

”That’s nonsense!” Sebastian barked. ”You actually believe that?”

”I think it’s possible,” Ryan said, dead serious.

Sebastian’s eyes flashed. ”Ryan. Have you forgotten the pact between the Five Families? When an external enemy shows up, we stand together against outside threats. What are you doing right now—protecting them?”

”I haven’t forgotten anything,” Ryan said flatly. ”But ’outside threats’ means enemies from outside the Atlas Federation. Those people are Atlas Federation citizens. How are they outsiders?”

”You…!”

Sebastian stepped in, voice tight. ”Ryan. Are you really going to protect them?”

Then he leaned closer, each word sharpened like a blade. ”They’re targets my grandfather personally ordered us to capture. You think you can cover for them?”

”Alexander Hale himself?” Ryan’s brow furrowed.

Alexander Hale might have stepped back from running things, but his influence was still massive. Even Maxwell treated him with real respect.

Ryan exhaled and looked Sebastian in the eye. ”Sebastian—since we weren’t enemies as kids, I’ll give you some advice. Go back and talk your grandfather down. Let this end here. The sooner you stop, the better it is for your family.”

Sebastian laughed, but there was nothing sane in it. ”Stop?” His voice pitched high, almost unhinged. ”Ryan, do you hear yourself? They killed my Uncle Leonard—my grandfather’s son. After the apocalypse, my dad only had one brother left—Uncle Leonard. And they killed him. And you’re telling me to stop? You think that’s even possible?”

Ryan sighed. ”Look—I genuinely feel for what happened to your family. But I’m still telling you: stop. If you don’t, you might not even be able to keep the people you brought here alive.”

Sebastian’s eyes went hard. ”What the hell does that mean?”

”It means exactly what it sounds like.” Ryan’s tone stayed even. ”If I had to guess, that group… every one of them is Tier 10 or higher. If you want to make a move, you’d better weigh it carefully.”

”!!!” Sebastian froze.