Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Parasite creatures, huh?” Ethan muttered to himself. He’d seen these things before.

The owl’s body was shriveled up, like it was just a thin layer of skin clinging to the ground.

The man, on the other hand, had a sinister glint in his eyes, eerily similar to the owl’s earlier expression. A faint, unsettling smile played on his lips. After pulling up his pants, he took off, heading in the direction of the patrol squad.

It was obvious now—the parasite creatures had been drawn here by the meteorite too.

Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling that these creatures weren’t native to Earth. Maybe they’d come from outer space, sensing the meteorite somehow… like it was calling to them.

But before he could dwell on it further, the sound of wings flapping—sharp and chaotic—echoed through the forest canopy. A flock of owls, varying in size, was heading straight for them. They perched on the dense branches of the trees, their round, unblinking eyes fixed on the humans below. A faint, predatory glint flickered in their gaze.

”There’s so many of them…” Ethan mumbled under his breath.

The humans below, however, were still oblivious. They were too busy strategizing, focused on how to deal with the mutated rats and planning their next move.

But then, one of the armed men quietly slipped away from the group. His movements were shifty, like he was up to no good. He jogged a fair distance away, ducking behind a tree. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he pulled out a satellite communicator.

”Hey! Guys, I’ve got the intel. That meteorite? It’s the real deal. We have to get our hands on it. Genesis Biotech is throwing everything they’ve got at this, so we need to bring in some of our top people too…” His voice dropped even lower, but Ethan, hidden nearby, caught every word.

”Wait until they’re busy taking out the mutated rats. That’s when we’ll swoop in and grab the prize… What? Dave’s coming? Oh, then it’s a done deal!”

The man’s tone grew more excited as he continued whispering into the communicator, his face lighting up with anticipation.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. So, this guy was a mole planted inside Genesis Biotech. Most likely, he was from the Black Hand Legion. And now, they were after the meteorite too. From the sound of it, they were planning to bring in some heavy hitters.

”Bring them all,” Ethan thought to himself with a smirk.

The forest was turning into a powder keg. Genesis Biotech, parasite creatures, and now the Black Hand Legion—it was all coming to a head. For ordinary people, none of these groups were easy to deal with. They were all dangerous in their own ways.

With so many powerful players converging here, a chaotic battle was inevitable. On the surface, it might look like a gathering of elites, but to Ethan, it felt more like a buffet table being set for him.

He stayed hidden, biding his time, watching everything unfold.

And sure enough, it wasn’t long before reinforcements arrived.

From the direction of San Bernardino, another group quietly made their way into the forest. They moved with precision, using psychic barriers to mask their presence, and took cover behind a large boulder.

There were over twenty of them, all Awakeners who had formed crystal cores. Their strength was undeniable.

Leading them was a gaunt-faced middle-aged man named Dave Stone. His sharp cheekbones and piercing eyes gave him a predatory air, like he could see straight through you. He was an A-rank psychic Awakener, a rarity among humans.

Psychic abilities were notoriously difficult to develop, and reaching A-rank was no small feat. Dave was a legend in San Bernardino. He’d taken down countless enemies, whether they were zombie kings or rival humans, harvesting their crystal cores to absorb their energy.

But today, something felt off.

”I don’t know why, but something’s not right…” Dave muttered, his psychic energy spreading out to scan the area. A vague sense of unease gnawed at him.

”What’s wrong, Dave?” a younger man beside him asked.

”I can’t put my finger on it…” Dave admitted, his brow furrowed.

The younger man tried to reassure him. ”Come on, we’ve got this all figured out. We’ll let them fight the rats, then we’ll swoop in and take them all out. Easy.”

”Yeah, yeah,” a few others chimed in, nodding in agreement.

”Exactly! Why choose when we can have it all?” someone joked.

”This plan is next-level genius!” another added, grinning.

”And they’ll never see it coming,” a third said smugly. ”We’ve even got a mole planted right in their midst…”

The group chuckled, their confidence growing as they waited for the perfect moment to strike.

But what they didn’t realize was that a few owls perched above them in the treetops were watching their every move, their unblinking eyes locked onto the group below.

But not far away, Ethan was quietly observing everything, taking it all in.

”Is that it? No one else?” he murmured to himself.

…

Time passed, but no new factions showed up. The groups already present remained in a tense stalemate, each harboring their own schemes, silently waiting for the right moment to act.

Meanwhile, the nearby valley was alive with the sound of flapping wings and the mournful cries of mutated beasts. It was clear the mutated rats had wreaked havoc in the area.

When creatures first mutate, they experience an intense hunger, desperate to consume energy. Judging by the eerie silence creeping over the region, the rats had likely devoured most of the mutated beasts in the vicinity.

Then, from deep within the dense forest ahead, came the faint sound of rustling. The underbrush trembled, and a faint, high-pitched squeaking began to echo through the trees.

”The mutated rats are back!” one of Genesis Biotech’s Awakeners called out, their voice tinged with nervousness.

But Captain Samantha didn’t seem convinced. Her brow furrowed as she stared into the forest.

”No… it doesn’t look like they’re coming back.”

”Then what are they doing?” someone nearby asked, curiosity laced with unease.

Samantha’s sharp gaze remained fixed on the shadows ahead. The squeaking grew louder, more frenzied, and in the distance, dark shapes darted across the branches of the trees.

”They’re still hunting,” Samantha said grimly. ”But this time… they’re coming for us.”

”What?!” The people around her froze, their faces pale with shock.

It turned out the rats weren’t done feeding. Their sharp senses had picked up the scent of humans, and now they were charging straight toward them.

”Get ready for battle!” Samantha barked, her voice cutting through the rising tension.

Behind her, the Awakeners began to channel their energy, their focus sharpening as they prepared for the fight.

Moments later, shadows began to emerge from the forest. One by one, the mutated rats burst into view. They came in all shapes and sizes, their blood-red eyes gleaming with a feral hunger. Their sharp fangs glinted in the dim light as they surged forward in a relentless wave.

In the blink of an eye, the rats were everywhere. They swarmed the ground, and some even leapt down from the treetops, landing with bone-jarring thuds.

”There’s so many of them!” one of the Awakeners muttered, their expression darkening.

[Scanning… Mutated rats detected. Threat level: D+. Combat strength: low. Initiating fireball attack.]

A cyborg, its mechanical systems calculating the optimal strategy, was the first to strike. With a whir of energy, it launched a blazing fireball straight into the densest part of the rat swarm.

Boom!

The fireball exploded on impact, engulfing dozens of rats in flames. Smoke billowed into the air, carrying the acrid stench of burnt flesh.

Fire, the bane of most beasts, sent a ripple of panic through the swarm. The rats screeched in alarm, their cries sharp and piercing. But instead of retreating, they seemed to grow even more frenzied, their bloodlust driving them forward.

”Attack!” Samantha shouted, her voice steady and commanding.

The Awakeners behind her unleashed their abilities in unison. Waves of energy surged through the forest as their powers erupted, turning the battlefield into utter chaos. Explosions rang out, trees splintered and fell, and the air was thick with the sounds of combat.

The twenty armed personnel accompanying them drew their weapons and joined the fray, slashing and shooting at the oncoming rats.

Even a few of the scientists, who had injected themselves with experimental evolution serums, stepped into the fight. As Awakeners with Neurocores, they were more than capable of cutting down the lower-level mutated rats with ease.

The battle between humans and rats had officially begun.

…