Apocalypse: King of Zombies

However, one phrase surfaced in Jack’s mind—The Forbidden Zone of Humanity.

Around him, a few other Crystal Core-level Awakeners were desperately trying to hold their ground.

”Water Prison!” A female teammate poured every ounce of her energy into activating her ability.

But she wasn’t using it to fight off the zombies. Instead, she trapped herself within it, because the sheer number of zombies around her was overwhelming.

Her entire body was drenched in sweat as she gritted her teeth, struggling to hold on.

That faint blue energy was the last trace of color she would leave in this world.

Schlck!

Suddenly, a black claw pierced through her chest from behind, sending warm blood splattering everywhere.

The searing pain made her body convulse uncontrollably, and the energy surrounding her dissipated in an instant.

Her face twisted in agony as she slowly turned her head, only to see a pitch-black face glaring at her with feral malice.

It was none other than Shadow, the dark predator.

”Captain… s-save me…” she whimpered, her voice trembling with despair.

But Jessica, standing ahead, merely glanced back at her. Without a hint of emotion, she turned away and swung her short blade, cutting down two zombies in her path.

Others might not escape, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t.

Jessica’s ability, Rapid Mirage, enhanced her physical speed to an extraordinary degree. In this apocalyptic world, it was practically a survival cheat code.

Her figure flickered as she darted forward, stepping on the heads of several zombies before leaping onto the wall of a high-rise building. Like a spider, she clung to the surface with ease.

She glanced back briefly, watching as her teammates were slaughtered one by one.

”I’m out of here. You guys will have to hold them off…” she muttered coldly.

With a graceful leap, Jessica landed on the rooftop, her movements as fluid as ever.

Jack caught this out of the corner of his eye, his brows furrowing deeply. ”She actually ran…”

Then again, it wasn’t surprising. In the apocalypse, this was just how things worked. If he had her kind of ability, he might’ve done the same.

But when his gaze shifted to another direction, his expression instantly turned to shock.

Because…

Ethan, who had been standing at the edge of the building just moments ago, was gone!

...

Jessica darted across the rooftops, her movements swift and precise. Her only thought was to get as far away from this area as possible.

No.

She needed to get out of Los Angeles altogether.

She was never coming back here again.

This place was nothing short of hell on Earth.

But just as she was planning her next move, her body suddenly felt heavy, as if an immense pressure had slammed into her like a meteor crashing to the ground.

Her once lightning-fast movements came to an abrupt halt, leaving her frozen in place.

”Shit!”

That familiar, suffocating pressure made her heart sink. She didn’t even need to look to know what—or who—it was. But she did anyway.

And there he was.

A tall, imposing figure stood ahead of her, like an immovable mountain, an insurmountable barrier.

Ethan.

His cold, unfeeling eyes locked onto Jessica.

This so-called ”righteous” human was nothing but a hypocrite. First, she sold out her teammates to buy herself time. Then, she lured the zombies toward Jack. And finally, she told the others to fight to the death while she made her escape.

Now, under Ethan’s piercing gaze, Jessica felt every hair on her body stand on end. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead as her breathing grew erratic.

Her ability was speed-based, but her physical strength was lacking. There was no way she could break through the terrifying Domain of the Dead that Ethan had unleashed.

”P-please… let me go. I-I can serve you…” Jessica stammered, her lips trembling.

Even in her final moments, she refused to give up, desperately clinging to the hope of survival.

Ethan’s lips curled into a faint smirk. ”Your mission is complete.”

”Huh? What… what do you mean?” Jessica stammered, utterly confused.

But before she could process his words, Ethan’s figure blurred and appeared right in front of her.

”Feel free to visit Los Angeles again… in your next life.” With that, Ethan raised his hand and slashed downward. A gleaming tachi materialized in his grip, slicing cleanly through Jessica’s jaw and up to her skull. Blood sprayed into the air.

A single crystal core shot out from her body, spinning as it fell.

Hypocritical humans must face judgment… the judgment of the Zombie King.

Ethan waved his hand, collecting her lifeless body. Standing atop the high-rise, he glanced into the distance, where a surveillance drone buzzed faintly in the air.

His gaze locked onto the drone, but instead of destroying it, he raised his hand and gave it a casual wave.

...

Genesis Biotech Headquarters.

Nathan was dozing off in his office chair when the sharp clack of high heels echoed down the hallway. The sound grew louder until his assistant burst through the door without knocking.

”Mr. Nathan! We’ve got a major problem!”

”Huh?” Nathan jolted awake, nearly falling out of his chair. He rubbed his bleary eyes, trying to focus.

”What is it? Did Jessica steal the crystal cores?”

”No, sir. She’s… she’s dead.”

”WHAT?!” Nathan’s eyes widened in disbelief, his mind racing. Dead? How?

”See for yourself.”

The assistant quickly tapped on her laptop, connecting it to the projector. A video began to play, captured by the drone.

The footage showed the streets of Los Angeles, overrun with hordes of zombies. Nathan’s team of Awakeners was being overwhelmed, pinned to the ground, and torn apart. Even the cybernetic-enhanced soldiers were being dismantled limb by limb, their mechanical parts scattered like broken toys.

The scene shifted to the rooftop of a high-rise. A tall, imposing figure stood there, emotionless, watching the carnage below as if it were all part of his plan.

”Wait a second!” Nathan shouted, leaning forward, his eyes glued to the screen. That figure… it was too familiar. It was the face that haunted his nightmares.

”Am I still dreaming? Maybe I need to go back to sleep…”

”Mr. Nathan,” the assistant said gravely, ”the Zombie King isn’t dead.”

”That’s impossible…” Nathan muttered, pinching his thigh hard enough to leave a mark. Nope, he was definitely awake.

”Jessica said she killed him!” he protested, his voice rising in desperation.

”She lied. The one she killed was a decoy. And now, all the Awakeners you sent… they’re gone. Wiped out.”

”…” Nathan fell silent, his face pale as he turned back to the screen. The footage showed Ethan finishing off Jessica, then casually waving at the drone as if he knew exactly who was watching.

”Holy… crap…” Nathan sucked in a sharp breath, feeling lightheaded. His vision blurred, and for a moment, he thought he might pass out from the sheer shock.

”Mr. Nathan! Are you okay?!” The assistant rushed over, patting his back to help him catch his breath.

”Jessica… that idiot… that absolute idiot…” Nathan muttered under his breath, no longer caring about maintaining his composure. His frustration boiled over, and he slumped back in his chair, utterly defeated.

This was worse than eating a hundred thousand flies. No, a million flies. His stomach churned with disgust and regret.

Even if they couldn’t beat the zombies outright, they should’ve at least been able to hold their ground. But now? Thanks to Jessica’s incompetence, they’d handed the enemy a decisive advantage.

”Jessica was dead weight! Hiring her as an external asset… I can’t even… I just can’t…” Nathan trailed off, shaking his head in disbelief. He had no words to describe how badly this had gone.

If he’d known it would turn out like this, he never would’ve brought her on board.

This was a disaster. A complete and utter disaster.

After taking a moment to steady himself, Nathan’s expression darkened. His frustration turned to anger as he grabbed the satellite phone on his desk and dialed Sophia’s number. Someone was going to answer for this mess.

The phone rang a few times before Sophia picked up, her voice as calm and lazy as ever. ”Nathan, what’s got you so worked up?”

Nathan’s temper flared at her nonchalant tone. ”Sophia, do you have any idea what your people just did?!”

”What’s the problem, Nathan? Why are you yelling?” Sophia replied, her voice dripping with indifference.

Nathan clenched his teeth, his grip tightening on the phone. ”Your so-called ’team’ has completely screwed me over! I’ve suffered massive losses because of them. Sophia, I’m asking you—are you going to take responsibility for this or not?!”

…