Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”’Not bad’?”

Garrett’s already unstable mind snapped further at Ethan’s casual remark. The transformation had left him volatile, his emotions amplified to a dangerous degree. Rage boiled over, consuming what little rationality he had left.

The flames around him surged, growing hotter and wilder, until his entire body was engulfed in a blazing inferno. From a distance, he looked like a massive, living bonfire, his monstrous form glowing red-hot in the dim subway tunnel.

The heat radiating from him turned the air wavy and distorted, and the entire subway line was bathed in an ominous crimson glow.

With a guttural roar, Garrett charged again, his massive fist cocked back for another devastating blow. This time, the sheer force of his swing tore through the air, creating a deafening series of sonic booms.

But Ethan didn’t move.

He stood his ground, calm and unshaken, the firelight reflecting in his cold, calculating eyes. He hadn’t dodged because he was afraid—he’d dodged earlier to observe. Now, he’d seen enough.

As Garrett’s flaming fist hurtled toward him, Ethan let out a quiet breath and unclipped the Tachi from his back, sliding it away. He didn’t need it for this.

At the last possible moment, Ethan clenched his hand into a fist and met Garrett’s attack head-on.

”BOOM!”

The collision was cataclysmic. The impact unleashed a shockwave that tore through the tunnel, sending debris flying in every direction. The walls groaned under the strain, cracks spidering across the ceiling as dust and chunks of concrete rained down.

When the dust settled, Ethan was still standing in the exact same spot, completely unmoved. His smaller frame was dwarfed by Garrett’s hulking form, but the difference in power was undeniable.

Garrett, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. His massive arm had taken the brunt of the impact, and the result was gruesome. The flesh and muscle along his arm had been shredded, chunks of it blown away, leaving exposed bone and sinew.

The force of the blow sent him flying backward like a ragdoll. He crashed into the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop in a heap. The flames covering his body flickered weakly, dimming as smoke and ash swirled around him.

”Raaaghhh!”

Garrett let out a pained, guttural scream, his monstrous voice echoing through the tunnel. He struggled to push himself up, but his body was failing him. His once-mighty arm now hung limp and useless, and his energy reserves were nearly depleted.

Ethan tilted his head, his expression one of mild disappointment. ”Huh. Not as durable as I thought,” he muttered, almost to himself.

For all the G-Virus’s hype, Garrett’s durability wasn’t much better than a regular human’s. Sure, he’d gotten bigger and stronger, but the energy cost of maintaining that form was astronomical. Two attacks, and he was already running on fumes.

”Big, but not built to last,” Ethan mused, his tone almost bored.

Garrett staggered to his feet, his monstrous face twisted in pain and frustration. The wild, feral rage in his eyes had dimmed, replaced by something far more human: despair.

He’d sacrificed everything—his humanity, his future—to become this… thing. And it still wasn’t enough.

How could humans ever hope to win against monsters like Ethan?

Ethan’s gaze sharpened, his interest in Garrett fading. The creature had served its purpose. Now, it was just a waste of space.

In a blur of motion, Ethan vanished. His Domain of the Dead expanded, the oppressive force crashing down on Garrett like a tidal wave.

Already weakened, Garrett couldn’t withstand it. His knees buckled, and with a heavy thud, he collapsed to the ground, kneeling under the crushing weight.

His monstrous face contorted in agony, his body trembling as if it might collapse in on itself.

Ethan reappeared beside him, his movements fluid and precise. Without hesitation, he swung his hand in a clean arc. A blade of energy materialized mid-swing, slicing cleanly through Garrett’s neck.

”Schlick.”

Garrett’s head toppled to the ground, blood spraying in a wide arc. His massive body slumped forward, lifeless.

As his head hit the ground, a crystal core shot out from his chest, glinting faintly in the dim light.

Ethan caught it effortlessly, holding it up to inspect it. ”Hmm… looks like the crystal core didn’t change,” he murmured, turning it over in his hand.

His gaze shifted to Garrett’s corpse, now a grotesque, unrecognizable heap of flesh and bone. The body was so far removed from anything human that Ethan couldn’t help but wonder…

”Can you even eat that?” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

He glanced over his shoulder at Lil’ Shroom, who had been watching the whole thing from a safe distance.

”You. Come try it,” Ethan said, gesturing toward the corpse.

Lil’ Shroom froze, her expression a mix of confusion and dread. ”Uh… what?”

”Come on,” Ethan said, his tone casual, as if he were asking her to taste-test a new dish.

Lil’ Shroom hesitated, her gaze flicking between Ethan and the grotesque remains of Garrett. ”Boss, I’m… not really hungry right now.”

”That’s why I said try it,” Ethan replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Lil’ Shroom sighed, realizing there was no arguing with him. ”Fine…” she muttered, reluctantly shuffling over to the corpse.

She crouched down, her face scrunching up in disgust as she leaned in. With a deep breath, she opened her mouth and took a small bite.

Her sharp zombie teeth made quick work of the tough, sinewy flesh, but the moment she tasted it, her face twisted in revulsion.

”Boss, this is awful! It’s so bitter!” she complained, spitting out the chunk of meat.

Ethan waved her off. ”Alright, alright. Don’t force it. We’ve got plenty of other food.”

Lil’ Shroom nodded quickly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. ”Thank God…”

Ethan turned his attention back to the rest of the bodies scattered around the tunnel. With a flick of his wrist, he began collecting them, storing them away for later.

”Let’s head back,” he said, motioning for Lil’ Shroom to follow.

”Got it, Boss,” she replied, falling into step behind him as they made their way back to their territory.

...

Genesis Biotech.

Nathan sat in his sleek, minimalist office, fingers drumming lightly on the desk as he waited. His mind was preoccupied with the G-Virus project, a venture he was particularly invested in. After a moment, he pressed the intercom and called his assistant into the room.

”How’s the collaboration with the Black Hand Legion going? Has anyone injected the G-Virus yet?” he asked, his tone calm but laced with curiosity.

The female assistant hesitated, her expression uneasy. ”Uh… yes, someone has injected it.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to the story. ”And?”

”Well…” She fidgeted slightly, clearly reluctant to continue. ”It wasn’t one of them. It was… one of our own people.”

”...What?” Nathan’s face froze, his expression a mix of confusion and disbelief. ”What do you mean, our own?”

The assistant quickly explained the situation, detailing how one of Genesis Biotech’s Awakeners had ended up injecting the G-Virus. She also mentioned that all their personnel were equipped with biometric monitoring devices that uploaded data to the cloud, allowing them to track what had happened in real time.

Nathan leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose as he processed the information. His head throbbed as if someone had taken a hammer to it.

”So, let me get this straight,” he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration. ”The G-Virus—our G-Virus—got intercepted by zombies. Again. And now they’re playing around with it? What the hell do they even want with it? It’s for humans! They’re not even the target demographic!”

He exhaled sharply, trying to calm himself. ”Damn it. Why do they have to take everything?” he grumbled, his voice dripping with exasperation.

Still, there was a silver lining. ”Alright, fine. What about the results? How did it perform?”

The assistant straightened up, her tone more professional now. ”According to the cloud data, the Awakener who injected the G-Virus underwent significant mutation. Their strength increased dramatically. However, there are two major drawbacks. First, the energy consumption is extremely high, making it unsustainable for long periods. Second…” She hesitated briefly before continuing, ”...it’s a dead end. The mutation prevents further evolution. Once someone becomes a bio-monster, they can’t progress any further.”

Nathan nodded slowly, piecing it together. ”So it’s like burning through all your potential in one go. A one-shot deal.” He tapped his fingers on the desk, deep in thought. ”Still, the ability to boost power instantly could be useful… but the cost is steep. Too steep.”

He sighed, leaning back in his chair. ”If we’re going to use it on our own people, it’ll have to be a last resort. No other choice.”

...

At this moment, Ethan was already back home. He had taken a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and was now lounging on the couch, fiddling with the vials of medicine he’d just brought back.

These were all meant for humans—completely useless for his little underlings.

”Should I mess around with a few humans for fun?” Ethan mused to himself.

Even though humans had become a rare species in this post-apocalyptic world, finding them wasn’t exactly a challenge for someone like Ethan.

Based on the intel Lil’ Shroom had gathered, Matt and his crew had come from the outskirts of Sunland. There was likely a Black Hand Legion outpost there, which probably meant a decent number of humans to be found.

Besides, Ethan already had a human in his house—his little worker, Nina.

”Nina, come here.”

”Uh…”

Nina, who was in the kitchen wearing an apron and scrubbing some cups, froze for a moment when she heard Ethan call her.

”What’s this about? The boss hasn’t called for me in a while…” she thought nervously.

She quickly dried her hands and walked into the living room, her heart pounding with unease. Was he going to fire her? Getting fired would be a death sentence in this world.

Ethan’s gaze swept over her.

Over the past few months, with no shortage of food or drink, Nina had put on a noticeable amount of weight—a rarity in these times.

”You’ve gained weight.”

”Huh?”

Nina’s mouth opened slightly, her mind spinning with worry.

Was he fattening her up to eat her?

She couldn’t help but recall that Ethan used to run a livestock farm…