Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The zombie underling did some quick mental math: MAX equals 50, and their boss’s combat power was exactly 50. In other words, the boss was MAX—an absolute powerhouse.

”Damn, boss! You’re incredible!”

Big Ears ignored the underling’s flattery and ran out into the street. The earlier fight had left blood splattered everywhere.

He crouched down, dipped a finger into a puddle of blood, and casually stuck it into his mouth.

”Don’t waste it…”

...

Meanwhile, the cyborg was fleeing at full speed, its movements agile and precise. Its brain was already calculating the optimal escape route.

With a powerful leap, it launched itself onto the wall of a tall building, kicked off for momentum, and vaulted onto the rooftop.

”Escaping via rooftop increases success probability by 23.168%.”

It continued calculating as it ran.

But just as it reached the rooftop and took a few steps forward, a tall, shadowy figure emerged from the darkness ahead. Cold, emotionless eyes locked onto it.

”Reset to zero…”

The cyborg froze in place. The situation before it was beyond its data parameters—impossible to compute.

[Initiating attack test.]

The palms of its hands began to glow with intense heat as two fireballs formed, radiating scorching energy.

Ethan immediately understood.

This cyborg had been implanted with two awakened abilities—ice and now fire.

The fireballs grew brighter, their heat pushing back the surrounding darkness. Then, with a sudden burst, the cyborg hurled them at Ethan. The trajectory was precise, calculated to perfection.

But it didn’t matter.

Ethan didn’t even bother dodging. His Domain of the Dead expanded outward, unleashing an overwhelming pressure that deflected the fireballs. In the blink of an eye, Ethan’s figure flickered and reappeared right in front of the cyborg.

”Ice Wall!”

The cyborg showed no fear. Even when cornered, it remained calm and continued to fight.

Frost rapidly condensed in front of it, forming a thick wall of ice to block Ethan’s advance.

But a tachi blade sliced through the ice wall effortlessly, cutting it apart—and in the same motion, slashed through the cyborg’s head.

Its eyes dimmed instantly.

Even so, the recording components within its body continued to function.

[Combat failure.]

[Battle data uploaded to cloud database.]

[Shutting down…]

...

All artificial intelligence shared a single database. If another cyborg encountered a similar situation in the future, it could access this data for analysis.

In essence, every encounter added to their collective combat experience.

This was the terrifying aspect of AI—they evolved at an alarming rate. It was like a ”central brain” controlling countless extensions, each one constantly learning and improving.

”This thing’s pretty sophisticated…” Ethan muttered as he examined the cyborg’s exposed body. Its insides were filled with intricate metal components, and sure enough, there were two crystal cores—one for ice and one for fire.

Interestingly, the cores weren’t located in its head but embedded in its left and right chest cavities.

Ethan didn’t dwell on it. He simply took the crystal cores and the cyborg’s body for himself.

...

Afterward, he returned to the street where the injured mutant Bengal tiger lay.

”Welcome back, boss!”

Big Ears greeted Ethan with a sycophantic grin, practically wagging his tail like a loyal dog.

With the cyborg defeated, the ice spikes that had trapped the tiger had all melted away.

But the tiger remained sprawled on the ground, its fur matted with blood. Its breathing was labored, and its life force was fading fast. It was on the brink of death.

”Grrr… ugh…”

The tiger let out a low whimper as Ethan approached. Its eyes, dim and lifeless moments ago, suddenly glimmered faintly, as if it were experiencing a final burst of clarity.

In those eyes, there was a trace of gratitude.

All living things had a soul. The white tiger seemed to be thanking Ethan for killing those despicable humans. Now, it could die in peace.

Ethan glanced down at the tiger, noticing its lingering vitality and intelligence. It was clear this creature had potential. Letting it die and simply turning it into a meal felt like a waste.

He considered his options. Taking it under his wing might be a better choice—it could become a powerful ally in the future.

With that thought, Ethan slowly raised his hand. Using the nail of his index finger, he sliced open the pad of his thumb, letting a single drop of crimson blood fall.

The drop of Zombie King’s blood landed directly on the tiger’s wound.

”ROAR!”

The tiger let out a low growl, its body writhing as if it were being scorched by flames. The pure energy of the Zombie King’s blood coursed through its veins.

The white tiger began to convulse violently, its bones cracking and popping as its body underwent a terrifying transformation.

It was the beginning of zombification.

The wounds on its body started to heal at an astonishing speed. Within moments, the tiger’s injuries were completely gone.

With a powerful twist, the tiger rolled over and stood up.

”ROAR—!”

Its ferocious roar shattered the silence of the night, echoing through the city. The sound was so intense that the windows of nearby buildings exploded into shards of glass.

The tiger, already exuding a regal aura in life, now radiated an even more overwhelming presence. The infusion of the Zombie King’s blood had made it even more domineering.

The tiger’s natural ferocity, combined with the madness of a zombie, had created something entirely new:

A Zombie Tiger.

Its body had been completely transformed, but its physical strength remained intact. In fact, its power had increased significantly. What was once a B-rank creature had now risen to B+ rank.

Ordinary creatures infected by zombies would typically degrade to the lowest D-rank, starting over from scratch.

But this was different.

Ethan’s Zombie King blood was pure and potent, and the tiger’s natural aptitude was exceptional.

The result? A creature that started its zombified life at B+ rank. Its potential was limitless—who knew what it might evolve into in the future?

The white tiger let out another deafening roar before lowering its massive head and bowing its front legs in submission to Ethan. This gesture was a clear sign of absolute loyalty.

”Not bad,” Ethan said, nodding in satisfaction.

Nearby, Big Ears watched the scene unfold, trembling with fear. The tiger was terrifying enough as it was, but now, as a zombie, it was even stronger. In fact, it was already more powerful than Big Ears himself, despite him being a zombie for far longer.

”Is there no justice in this world?” Big Ears thought bitterly.

The apocalypse was getting harder and harder to survive. Zombies were growing stronger by the day, and it was only a matter of time before he became someone else’s meal.

Desperate, Big Ears turned to Ethan with a flattering smile.

”Boss, uh… how about you take me in too?”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. ”Take you in? What for? So you can freeload in my territory?”

Big Ears panicked. ”No, no! I can help you find humans, boss!”

Ethan smirked. ”You’ll help me find humans whether I take you in or not, won’t you?”

”I… uh…” Big Ears froze, his eyes wide. He couldn’t argue with that logic. Was he really going to be exploited for free?

Ethan, however, shifted his tone slightly. ”Show me what you can do. If you can find enough humans and prove your worth, I’ll consider it.”

”Deal! No problem at all!” Big Ears replied enthusiastically, as if he’d just been injected with adrenaline.

Ethan nodded. ”Let me know when you find them.”

With that, he turned and walked away, the newly zombified tiger following closely behind. The two disappeared into the darkness, leaving Big Ears standing there, staring after them.

Once they were gone, Big Ears turned to his group of elite underlings and gestured for them to gather around.

”Listen up! From now on, he’s our boss. Got it? You’d better behave yourselves and not screw this up for me.”

”But… what about the Zombie King across the river?” one of the underlings asked hesitantly.

”Forget about them,” Big Ears said decisively.

The underling tilted his head, confused. This wasn’t what Big Ears had said earlier.

”Boss, didn’t you say we’d wait to see who won and then side with the victor?”

”Do we really need to wait? I already know who’s going to win…” Big Ears replied with a sly grin.

...