Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Nova City…

The moment those red-skinned monsters poured into the city, they kicked into full slaughter mode. Everywhere they passed, it turned into a living hell.

The zombies roaming Nova City were the ones who really got screwed. They were massacred so badly it was hard to watch.

Because zombie flesh tasted disgusting, the red-skins didn’t even bother eating them. They just incinerated everything in their path with flame—leaving nothing behind but crystal cores.

Some high-tier zombie packs made a snap decision and pulled out of Nova City entirely, leading their underlings away. They weren’t stupid. They knew these red-skinned monsters were far beyond anything they could fight.

Inside Nova City compound, people were already on the verge of panic.

The more intel they gathered, the heavier everyone’s hearts became.

The strength these red-skinned monsters displayed completely shattered what they thought was possible.

And the worst part?

There were more than six hundred of them.

That kind of power was terrifying enough on its own. That kind of power with that kind of numbers… it was basically the universe telling them to die.

Rowan had even considered giving up Nova City compound and evacuating everyone.

But two million people… leaving wasn’t something you just did.

And if they caused too much commotion, the monsters would definitely notice.

For now, the red-skinned monsters were still some distance from the compound. With zombies constantly getting in their way, the compound had a little time to think.

If they truly couldn’t find a solution…

Then they’d have no choice but to abandon the compound and flee Nova City.

”General,” a senior official said quietly, ”the Recon Team has already headed out to investigate.”

Rowan’s eyes were cold, but his voice came out heavy. ”Good. Treat their families well.”

To gauge the enemy’s strength, they had to get close. With what those red-skinned monsters could do, getting close was the same as volunteering to die.

This mission was a death sentence.

But it still had to be done. They at least needed to know what Tier these things were at—only then could they decide how to respond.

General Rowan Pierce had practically combed the entire compound before he found someone with a sensing skill who was willing to take the job.

The man’s condition was simple: if he died, he wanted the government and military to look after his family.

Rowan hadn’t hesitated to agree.

In a stretch of ruins southeast of Nova City, a group moved forward with extreme caution.

This was the Recon Team.

Eight people total, all Tier 9. Their mission was to escort the core asset—a middle-aged man—close enough to the red-skinned monsters to get a reading.

That middle-aged man was the heart of the operation.

His name was Scott Bennett. He’d originally only been a Tier 7 Enhanced. Before the mission, they’d boosted him to Tier 9.

His Tier 6 ability was a sensing-type skill. It could detect the strength of enemies up to five tiers above him.

Scott understood exactly what this mission was.

He knew it was a one-way trip.

And he still came.

Because he had a six-year-old daughter back in the compound.

He was often forced to go out with teams to hunt zombies, which meant his daughter spent most of her time at the compound’s school.

It was the government that made it possible for her to keep studying in the middle of the apocalypse. It was the school that took care of her when he wasn’t around.

Scott was deeply, endlessly grateful to Nova City’s government for that.

Now the compound was in danger, and he chose to step forward and do what he could.

He also knew something else—if Nova City compound couldn’t survive this disaster, and they were forced to abandon the city…

A sensing-type Enhanced with a six-year-old child wasn’t going to last long out there. Not in this world.

But if this mission helped the government figure out how to deal with those monsters—if it gave Nova City compound even a chance to survive…

Then it would all be worth it.

And the government had promised they’d take care of his daughter.

That… was enough.

As for General Rowan Pierce’s character, Scott trusted him.

He trusted him to keep his word.

Other than Scott Bennett, the remaining seven had come with the same mindset.

None of them expected to make it back.

To make sure the mission succeeded, there was no way Nova City would send Scott alone. He was the key. The rest were there to escort him—if necessary, to die buying him a few more seconds.

The air around them grew hotter and hotter.

They all knew what that meant.

They were close.

Scott suddenly stopped. He turned to the soldiers behind him and said quietly, ”You guys stay here. I’ll go the rest of the way alone.”

”No,” one of the soldiers said immediately, jaw set. ”Orders are orders. We’re to get you safely in front of those monsters.”

Scott lifted the satellite phone in his hand—shaped like a thick, rugged smartphone—and shook it. ”We’re already at the point where there aren’t any zombies. You following me in doesn’t help. It just means you’ll die for nothing.”

”This satellite phone is on a live line. The moment I get a read on their level, I’ll shout it out.”

”Still no.” The soldier didn’t budge. ”If you get burned to death before you’re even close enough to sense anything, the mission fails. If we’re there, we can at least block for you—buy you a moment.”

”With flames like that, you can’t block anything,” Scott said, shaking his head. ”And the more people we bring, the easier it is to expose the target.”

”…”

The soldiers hesitated.

Scott was right.

But orders were orders.

”Listen to me,” Scott said, voice earnest. ”You’re barely in your twenties and you’re already Tier 9. Your future’s wide open. Don’t throw it away on a pointless sacrifice.”

Then he hardened his tone. ”If you don’t listen, I’m not doing the mission at all.”

”…”

The soldiers glanced at each other.

In the end, they could only nod helplessly.

”Scott… be careful.”

Scott laughed under his breath. ”Careful? We’re all here to die. What’s there to be careful about?”

With that, he moved out, heading forward fast—leaving the seven behind with complicated expressions.

Using the ruins as cover, Scott slipped from one broken structure to the next until he reached the skeleton of a collapsed high-rise.

From there, he could see it clearly.

A group of red-skinned monsters were sprawled across an open area ahead, lazily sunbathing like they were on vacation.

Their faces looked almost blissful—like they were genuinely satisfied with this world.

Scott clenched his teeth, then started forward, light and cautious, angling toward one of them.

But he’d barely taken a few steps out—

That red-skinned monster suddenly opened its eyes and looked straight at him.

Scott’s heart dropped.

Oh, I’m done.

He wasn’t close enough to sense it yet. If it decided to torch him right now, his death would mean nothing.

Scott gritted his teeth and exploded forward, sprinting like an arrow off a bow—straight at the monster.

The red-skinned monster’s mouth stretched into a grin.

It didn’t attack with flames. Instead, it watched Scott rush in, amused—like it was enjoying the show.

It had already figured it out. This one was different from the things they’d been killing all day.

This one was edible.

They’d eaten plenty of this kind on the other side of the ocean.

Seeing it still wasn’t attacking, Scott almost collapsed with relief.

He closed the last stretch of distance in a breath, reached a point just a few meters away, and instantly triggered his sensing skill.

The result hit him like a brick.

Scott’s face went white.

”Can’t sense it—at least Tier 15 or higher!” he shouted into the satellite phone at the top of his lungs.

He was Tier 9. His sensing skill could detect enemies up to Tier 14.

If he couldn’t sense it, there was only one explanation: Tier 15… or worse.

His heart sank straight through the floor.

Monsters like that…

Could Nova City compound really stop them?

He wouldn’t get to find out.

The red-skinned monster reached out, grabbed him like he weighed nothing, and yanked him in.

Its mouth opened.

One bite—

And Scott’s consciousness snapped into darkness.