Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The night descended, blanketing the earth in darkness. The entire city seemed to be submerged in ink, pitch black and silent.

But when night fell, Los Angeles transformed into a predator’s playground. The streets outside were alive with chaos—howls echoed through the air, and the cycle of bloodshed continued unabated.

Ethan was trying to track down someone from Genesis Biotech, but it wasn’t exactly an easy task. In a city this massive, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Among his resources, the one with the sharpest scouting abilities was Buddy Crow.

However, even Buddy Crow didn’t dare to fly recklessly at night. The skies were dangerous, teeming with predators—mutated raptors, owls, hawks, and the like.

But soon, Ethan remembered a certain someone—or rather, something—that might come in handy.

He stood up from the couch, and in the blink of an eye, his figure vanished into the shadows.

...

Meanwhile, in a neighboring district...

Big Ears was standing in the middle of the street, holding court with a group of his top lieutenants. He was gesturing wildly, his voice full of bravado as he addressed them.

”Lately, things in L.A. have been getting messy. Mutated beasts are showing up everywhere, and human Awakeners are running around like they own the place. We need to stay sharp.”

”Don’t worry, boss. I’ve been extra careful,” one of his underlings chimed in, nodding earnestly. ”Just today, I ran into a group of humans wandering around our turf, and I didn’t even make a move.”

Big Ears’ face darkened. ”You call that being careful? That’s not careful—that’s cowardly!” His voice rose in frustration. ”Humans trespass on our turf, and you just let them walk away? And you’re proud of it?”

The underling looked embarrassed. ”Well, uh... what do you think I should’ve done, boss?”

”From now on, anyone who steps foot on our turf gets taken out. No exceptions! We defend our territory to the death!” Big Ears declared, his tone righteous, like a mob boss delivering a decree.

But just as the words left his mouth, a shadowy figure appeared silently behind him, so quiet that no one noticed.

One of the underlings standing across from Big Ears caught sight of the figure and immediately froze, his body trembling.

”B-Boss... you said no exceptions, right?” the underling stammered.

”That’s right! No exceptions!” Big Ears repeated, puffing out his chest.

The underling’s hand shook as he pointed behind Big Ears. ”What about... him?”

”Huh?” Big Ears frowned, sensing something was off. He spun around, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw Ethan standing there, staring directly at him. The intensity in Ethan’s gaze sent a chill down his spine, and he stumbled back a couple of steps, his soul practically leaving his body.

When did this demon show up? Was he here to kill him?

Ethan’s voice was calm but carried an edge that made Big Ears’ knees weak. ”What were you just saying?”

”I... I just work here!” Big Ears blurted out, his bravado crumbling into incoherent babbling.

Ethan looked him over, unimpressed. This guy wasn’t exactly leadership material. ”Relax. I’m not here to kill you. I need you to do something for me.”

”Do something? Sure! I love doing things!” Big Ears nodded so quickly it was almost comical. He felt a small wave of relief—at least Ethan wasn’t here to take his life.

Ethan continued, ”Genesis Biotech’s people have been running around causing trouble. Can you find them for me?”

”Find them? Of course, I can find them!” Big Ears nodded like a woodpecker, eager to please.

His Awakening ability, Hyper Hearing, wasn’t much use in a fight, but when it came to tracking people, he was a pro.

Ethan’s expression softened slightly. ”Good. Just find them for me. That’s all I need.”

”No problem...” Big Ears hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, ”Uh, boss... is there, uh, any reward for this?”

Ethan’s lips curled into a faint, humorless smile. ”Your reward is that I won’t kill you.”

”...” Big Ears was speechless. So, if he didn’t find them, he’d die? This guy wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was getting free labor.

”I’ll find them! I’ll find them!” Big Ears quickly agreed, his survival instincts kicking in.

Even though this was technically his turf, he’d seen Ethan’s abilities just moments ago. If Ethan wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as squashing a bug. He wouldn’t even have time to react.

The other underlings stared at Big Ears, dumbfounded. One of them finally spoke up, ”Boss, uh... didn’t you just say no exceptions?”

”That was then, this is now!” Big Ears snapped, glaring at them. ”You idiots need to evolve your brains. Only fools fight battles they can’t win!”

With that, he turned his attention back to Ethan and began using his ability to track the humans.

Ethan, curious, decided to stick around and see how Big Ears’ Awakening ability worked.

Big Ears’ ears suddenly grew even larger, his legs stiffened, and he cupped his hands around his ears while sticking his butt high into the air. Activating Hyper Hearing, he struck a pose that was as ridiculous as it was effective.

In an instant, every tiny sound within range flooded into his ears—the rustling of insects, the scurrying of rats, even the faint sound of dust settling on the ground.

His hearing expanded outward like a ripple, stretching across several miles.

”I think I’ve got something... over this way,” Big Ears announced, his voice tinged with excitement.

He then pressed one ear to the ground, his legs kicking as he slid forward like a vacuum cleaner, his movements absurdly comical.

Ethan stood there, momentarily stunned by the bizarre display. ”This guy’s... a real piece of work.”

Despite the oddity of his technique, Big Ears moved surprisingly fast, gliding along the ground until he disappeared into the darkness ahead.

Ethan quickly followed, keeping pace with him.

About twenty minutes later, a deafening roar shattered the stillness of the night. The sound was so powerful that it rattled the surrounding buildings, shattering windows in its wake.

Ahead, a massive Bengal tiger emerged onto the street. Its muscular frame was enormous, easily weighing over 2,000 pounds. What made it even more striking was its pure white coat, marked with bold black stripes. The creature exuded an aura of raw power and majesty.

But the tiger wasn’t in good shape. It looked battered and bloodied, its pristine fur stained with crimson. Deep gashes from blades and swords marred its body, and it was clearly on the run.

The tiger barreled through the street, leaping and dodging with incredible agility, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Cars were smashed and overturned as it charged forward, desperate to escape.

Chasing after it was Genesis Biotech’s Beast Hunter Squad—a team of four humans accompanied by a second-generation cyborg.

The cyborg, roughly the same size as a human, had pale gray skin and a bald head. Its eyes lacked any spark of life, betraying its true nature as an AI-controlled machine.

”Boss, look over there. Aren’t those humans?” Big Ears whispered, crouching behind the wreckage of a car.

”Yeah, I see them,” Ethan replied with a nod, his eyes narrowing.

The Beast Hunter Squad didn’t seem particularly rushed. They were laughing and chatting as they pursued the tiger, confident that their prey had no chance of escape.

The cyborg’s cold, mechanical voice broke through the chatter. ”Scanning... calculating escape trajectory. Initiating Ice Prison.”

It raised its hand, its movements precise and calculated. A series of massive ice spikes, each five to six meters long, began to form in midair.

”Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!”

The ice spikes shot downward in rapid succession, piercing the tiger’s body and pinning it to the ground. The spikes formed a cage-like structure, trapping the beast in place.

”Rooooar!” The tiger let out a pained howl, blood pooling beneath it as its struggles grew weaker. It was completely immobilized.

”Ha! Got it!” the squad leader, a young man, exclaimed triumphantly.

”Man, we’re lucky,” one of the female team members said, grinning. ”A mutated tiger like this? What a find.”

The young man glanced at the cyborg beside him, a hint of admiration in his eyes. ”This second-gen Doom Hunter is seriously impressive. Its computational power, combined with its Awakening abilities, makes every move it makes absolutely flawless. It’s way better than us.”

”Thank you for the compliment. You’re not bad yourself,” the cyborg replied in its monotone, mechanical voice. Its AI programming allowed it to hold conversations with humans seamlessly.

The Doom Hunter was a new experimental model, and this was the squad’s first time taking it out into the field. Watching it in action, they couldn’t help but marvel at its capabilities.

”Man, this thing is just... so cool.”

...