Apocalypse: King of Zombies

This scene completely shattered the trio’s understanding of the situation.

”Big Tony, what do we do now?” Derek’s voice had a hint of panic. Just moments ago, he was full of swagger, but now he was at a loss.

Tony furrowed his brow, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. ”We fight! We’ve got to bet that their crossbows won’t fire.”

Derek nodded, gritting his teeth. ”Alright! Let’s do it!”

But Ethan had already given the order.

Whoosh!

The PhD zombie’s crossbow bolt was deadly accurate, piercing straight through Derek’s forehead. The force of the shot knocked him backward, slamming him to the ground.

”What the hell…” Tony’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He had lost the bet.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Two more arrows sliced through the air. The athlete zombie’s shots were just as merciless, one bolt going straight through another man’s throat, killing him instantly.

The WWE wrestler zombie, though all brawn and no brains, still managed to fire its crossbow with precision. The bolt buried itself deep into Tony’s chest, puncturing his lung.

”Ahhh—” Tony let out a scream of agony, collapsing to the ground from the searing pain.

He tried to get back up, but the WWE wrestler zombie let out a low growl and rushed forward, pinning him down. It didn’t bite him, though.

These zombies were like a pack of wolves. Without the command of their king, they wouldn’t feed recklessly.

Tony gritted his teeth, slowly coming to a realization.

These zombies weren’t just mindless monsters. They were organized, disciplined. And their king… was none other than the supermarket owner—Ethan.

”Could it be… they have some level of intelligence? Can they understand me?” Tony’s mind raced as he fought through the pain in his chest. Desperately, he pleaded, ”Please! Spare me! I didn’t have a choice… If you let me live, I’ll do anything for you!”

Ethan walked closer, step by step, until he stood right in front of Tony.

He looked down at him, his eyes cold and devoid of any pity. Then, he reached out and grabbed the crossbow bolt lodged in Tony’s chest, yanking it out with a sharp pull.

Squelch!

Blood gushed from the wound like a fountain. Tony let out another gut-wrenching scream, his heart filling with terror. He had no idea what this monster was going to do next.

Ethan stared at him coldly, then casually pulled a straw out of his storage ring.

”What the…??” Tony’s mind went blank. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, but he had a sickening feeling he knew what Ethan was about to do.

”How much energy is really in human blood?” Ethan wondered to himself. After all, he had never tried it before.

He inserted the straw into Tony’s wound, preparing to drink his blood. But after a few moments, Ethan’s face twisted in disgust.

”Pfft!” He spat the blood out, turning his head away with a look of revulsion. ”This guy’s too fat. His blood’s full of fat.”

Tony was stunned, unable to process what had just happened.

Even zombies didn’t want his blood?

Did that mean… he still had a chance to survive?

But Tony’s fleeting hope was quickly crushed.

Ethan had already given the command, and the three zombies, starving and eager, pounced on him without hesitation.

Tony’s screams were abruptly cut off, blood splattering everywhere. The scene was brutal and gory.

Not long after, the three zombies stood with blood dripping from their mouths, licking the remnants with satisfaction.

Their loyalty to Ethan seemed to grow even stronger, with a hint of admiration.

After all, following Ethan meant there was always meat to eat.

Ring-a-ling-ling! Ring-a-ling-ling!

Suddenly, the shrill sound of a phone ringing pierced the silence.

”Who still uses such an old-school ringtone?” Ethan frowned, looking around for the source of the sound. It was coming from Tony’s pocket.

He bent down, picked up the phone, and casually answered it.

A man’s voice came through the phone, laced with a threatening tone: ”Tony! Don’t try anything funny. Bring the supplies back, now. Your wife’s with me, and if you come back empty-handed… heh heh heh…”

Hearing this, Ethan immediately understood Tony’s situation.

So, he was being forced to scavenge for supplies. No wonder he’d mentioned having no choice earlier.

”Hey! Tony! You mute or something? Don’t play dead on me! Here, listen to your wife!” The voice on the other end grew more impatient, followed by the sound of a woman sobbing.

”Honey! Help me! They’re monsters, please, save me! Waaaahhh…”

Ethan listened coldly, then hung up without hesitation.

Funny thing was… compared to those ”monsters,” he was a zombie.

Still, the call had given him a lead.

Ethan decided to track down where these people were hiding. After all, living humans were a resource too.

And these people… well, he could treat them like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

He fiddled with the phone, scrolling through Tony’s texts and Facebook messages. It didn’t take long to find some clues.

The ”buffet” was located at a construction site.

Tony had once been a foreman there, known for exploiting workers with ruthless tactics.

After reading through the messages, Ethan casually tossed the phone off the building, mentally noting the location.

But he wasn’t in any rush to ”enjoy” this buffet.

For now, he didn’t feel like leaving his cozy little hideout.

Even though Ethan was already powerful and had three loyal underlings, he decided to lay low for a few more days.

Who knew what other dangers were lurking out there?

Back at home, Ethan slipped on his slippers, washed his hands, and sat down at the dining table to continue absorbing energy.

He turned on the TV, eating while watching, savoring the moment of peace.

Five hours later, he was finally full. As his body continued to strengthen, his appetite had grown as well.

Where he once needed to eat just one cow a day, now he needed three to satisfy his body’s demands.

After finishing his meal, Ethan took a hot bath and changed into a clean set of white pajamas. Then, he washed his dirty clothes, tidied everything up, and sat contentedly on the couch, ready to watch some more TV.

Outside, night had fallen. The streets were still a mess, the air thick with the stench of rotting blood.

Countless zombies roamed the streets, hunting for the last remaining survivors.

But the chaos of the apocalypse seemed to have nothing to do with Ethan.

He was comfortably holed up in his little sanctuary, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.

Woooo… woooo… woooooo…

Suddenly, a low, mournful cry echoed from somewhere in the building.

The sound was eerie and sorrowful, reverberating through the night, making it all the more unsettling.

If a normal person had heard it, they’d probably be scared out of their mind.

But Ethan just rolled his eyes, completely unafraid, and even a little annoyed.

The sound was coming from one of his underlings—the female athlete zombie.

”She’s crying? Could she have developed emotions?” Ethan wondered to himself.

He speculated that the female zombie, having eaten enough flesh and blood today, might have undergone some kind of evolution, leading to basic emotional responses.

It wasn’t that surprising. After all, zombies that evolved to a certain level could indeed develop emotions and intelligence similar to humans.

In fact… if a zombie evolved to an S-rank, its intelligence might be indistinguishable from that of a human.

Of course, the speed of a zombie’s evolution also depended on its potential.

Take the PhD zombie, for example. Ethan figured it wouldn’t be long before it gained a high level of intelligence.

And this female zombie… it seemed she wasn’t lacking in potential either, already showing signs of emotional development.

”Guess I’ll go see why she’s crying.” Ethan was a bit curious. After all, he had nothing better to do.

So, he got up and headed downstairs…