Apocalypse: King of Zombies

After Ethan stashed the corpse, he headed back home.

The crew, having just sampled a ”new flavor,” seemed pretty satisfied—it was a nice change of pace for them.

Ethan took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and settled on the couch. He pulled out the mutated fungal crystal core and started examining it.

The crystal core was milky white, radiating dense energy. But unlike the usual ones, this one had streak-like mycelium patterns running through it.

At first, the fungus’s abilities had been downright creepy, scaring the hell out of Big Ears. But now that Ethan had taken it down, he’d figured out what was going on. Basically, it was just a mutated Shroom.

Ethan thought about it for a moment. Maybe, just like with Sprout, he could try fusing the crystal core with one of his crew. If they could gain its abilities, it’d be a huge boost for the territory.

With that in mind, he headed down to the street.

The crew had just finished enjoying their ”Mushroom Risotto,” looking pretty pleased with themselves. But as soon as they saw Ethan, they all straightened up and bowed their heads respectfully.

Ethan scanned the group, his gaze locking onto a female zombie.

”You. Come here,” he said, pointing.

”Me?” The female zombie’s fierce eyes widened in surprise, almost like she couldn’t believe she’d been singled out. But she quickly stepped forward, standing in front of him.

This particular zombie was one of his top fighters—physically strong, highly evolved, but she hadn’t yet formed a crystal core. She was a perfect candidate for the fusion.

Using his Domain of the Dead ability, Ethan reached out and placed the milky white crystal core directly into her skull.

The female zombie froze, her expression blank, as if she hadn’t fully processed what was happening. But it didn’t take long for the pain to hit. Her face twisted in agony, and she clutched at her hair, dropping to her knees with a loud thud. She threw her head back and let out a guttural scream.

”Ughhh—!” The fusion process was dangerous. It felt like her brain was being invaded, her life force flickering between strong and weak. But thanks to the X-virus injection she’d received earlier, her regenerative abilities were off the charts.

After a few tense moments, she finally calmed down.

A strange energy began coursing through her body, her power level skyrocketing until she hit B+ rank. It was clear the fusion had been a success.

Everything was going exactly as Ethan had expected. The female zombie shook her head, looking a little dazed, as if her scalp was itching. Then, with a sudden pop, a small white button mushroom sprouted from the top of her head.

”Hmm. Alright, got a name for you now...” Ethan muttered, smirking.

...

With that taken care of, Ethan headed back home.

The next few days were uneventful. The territory was calm, everything progressing steadily as planned.

The sixth member of his crew, now nicknamed ”Shroom,” had started spreading spores everywhere. These spores grew into ”white tumors,” which, after absorbing blood, began to take on a faint reddish hue.

At this stage, though, the tumors were still pretty weak. They could only morph into small creatures like rats or bugs—not exactly a game-changer yet. They’d need more time to grow and develop.

Meanwhile, over at Genesis Biotech, things had gone eerily quiet. Nathan hadn’t moved out of Los Angeles, but he was still in talks with headquarters about their next steps.

However, over at the San Bernardino branch, Sophia was starting to lose her patience.

The death of Jessica’s squad still weighed heavily on her. She wasn’t the type to just let something like that slide.

After all, sending out an elite team only for them to die mysteriously? Yeah, no one would just shrug that off.

”This Los Angeles situation isn’t something we can just ignore!” Sophia declared, sitting in her office. Her sharp eyes glinted with determination.

Her secretary, standing nearby, hesitated before speaking. ”But Sophia, didn’t Nathan say you didn’t need to get involved? Why bother with Los Angeles?”

”I’m a stubborn person,” Sophia said firmly. ”I don’t care what anyone tells me to do or how they think I should handle things. If I decide to act, I act. That’s just who I am.”

The secretary couldn’t help but admire her boss’s resolve. Sophia really is something else, she thought. She never gives up. A small part of her wondered if she’d ever be able to become someone like Sophia.

But Sophia knew the truth. If a zombie king strong enough to wipe out Jessica’s squad was out there, she’d underestimated him before. That was a mistake she wouldn’t make again.

What worried her most was the proximity. San Bernardino wasn’t far from Los Angeles. If Ethan kept expanding his territory, it wouldn’t be long before he encroached on her jurisdiction.

Officially, her plan was to head to Los Angeles to take down the zombie king. But deep down, she knew this was about protecting her own turf.

She needed to act—and fast.

”Send the Griff Squad,” Sophia instructed, her tone sharp and decisive. ”Take an A+ grade cyborg with them. Tell them not to go too deep into the zombie nest—just stick to the edges and wait for the right moment to strike. And this time, make sure there are no screw-ups!” She emphasized the last part, her gaze narrowing.

The secretary nodded in understanding. ”Got it, Sophia.”

...

Time flew by, and another month passed. Ethan hadn’t left his house once, choosing instead to lay low and enjoy a peaceful, uneventful life.

But while Ethan stayed put, his territory underwent some major changes. The sixth member of his crew, Shroom, had been busy. The tumors it had been cultivating were now fully matured and capable of mimicking human forms.

As a result, groups of ”humans” could now be seen wandering the streets of Ethan’s domain in clusters of three or five.

This was especially true in the areas where Shroom operated. It was almost like a snapshot of life before the apocalypse—streets bustling with people, a surreal echo of the past.

The sight was deeply unsettling. Anyone who didn’t know better would’ve been terrified. The so-called ”forbidden zone” of the zombie nest now had human-like figures roaming around, adding an eerie layer of mystery to the already ominous area.

But not everyone was impressed. Bulldozer, with his massive frame and tiny, beady eyes, stood on the street, glaring at the ”humans” with a sour expression.

He could see them... but he couldn’t eat them.

What was the point of that?

Especially late at night, when hunger gnawed at him, Lil’ Shroom’s creations were like a cruel joke—tempting but untouchable.

”Ugh, forget it. I’ll just go catch some fish,” Bulldozer grumbled to himself, turning toward the river.

The river still flowed steadily, its waters rushing past as they always had. It was here, not long ago, that Ethan had fought the Bone-Claw Zombie King in a brutal battle that had cemented his position as the ruler of Los Angeles. The fight had been fierce, but now, the scars of that clash were all but gone. The dirt had covered the remnants, the corpses had rotted away, and the rain had washed the blood into the river. Like the water itself, the memory of that battle was slowly fading into the past.

As Bulldozer reached the riverbank, the sound of the rushing water filled his ears.

The broken bridge that spanned the river was now completely overgrown with vines, their lush greenery draping over the structure like a natural shroud. The sight was both haunting and awe-inspiring.

”Sprout, I’m hungry. I want fish,” Bulldozer called out, his voice booming.

A moment later, a figure emerged from the nearby underbrush. It was Sprout, another zombie king, his head adorned with leaves and grass, giving him a vibrant, almost forest-like appearance.

”No problem,” Sprout replied casually, clearly used to Bulldozer’s constant requests. Without hesitation, he extended his control over the vines on the bridge, commanding them to grow and stretch down into the rushing river like a swarm of serpents.

The movement of the vines quickly caught the attention of the river’s mutant fish. One by one, they leapt from the water, their forms varying wildly in size and shape. Some were small, others massive, but all of them shared the same unsettling features: glowing red eyes and razor-sharp teeth.

The vines sprang to life, striking like arrows. With a series of sharp thwacks, they pierced the fish clean through, then flung them onto the riverbank in a chaotic, writhing pile.

Bulldozer’s small eyes lit up as he watched the scene unfold. It was like a rainstorm of fish.

”Heh heh heh, Sprout, you’re the best,” he chuckled, his mood instantly improving.

Reaching down with his massive hands, he grabbed one of the flopping mutant fish and shoved it into his mouth, crunching down with his powerful jaws. His sharp fangs made quick work of the bones, and the taste was, in his opinion, absolutely divine.

Every now and then, he’d get lucky and find a fish with a Neurocore inside—a little ”candy” treat, as he liked to call it. Those were the best.

Bulldozer was thoroughly satisfied. Life as a zombie had its perks, and surprises like this made it all the more enjoyable.

But just as he was savoring his meal, something unusual caught his attention. Downstream, a sharp dorsal fin broke the surface of the water, cutting through the current with alarming speed. It was heading upstream, straight toward him, slicing through the waves like a knife.

”Huh? What’s this now? Another surprise?”

...