Apocalypse: King of Zombies

After the girl collapsed, the other Awakeners who had formed Neurocores didn’t last much longer. Within moments, they were all slaughtered by the zombies.

The battle was over.

The Elegy Zombie King stood there, stunned.

The second-floor hall was a complete mess—blood splattered everywhere, chunks of flesh scattered across the floor, and human corpses lay in disarray.

In the middle of it all stood Ethan, his white shirt still pristine, untouched by the chaos. His expression was calm, indifferent, as if he’d just done something trivial. He exuded an aura of absolute dominance.

A few zombies knelt beside him, gnawing on human remains. The scene was both chilling and awe-inspiring.

”Boss,” Elegy called out.

”Hmm.” Ethan nodded slightly. It seemed she had learned her lesson.

Elegy was completely captivated by him—by the sheer power of his presence, by the way he seemed to say, ”Open up your head and let me see inside.” She was ready to follow him without question.

In San Bernardino, Elegy had been crushed under constant oppression. But today, she finally got her revenge. She realized that sticking with Ethan was the only way to escape her current predicament.

”Boss, what’s the plan now?” she asked.

They’d just killed so many human Awakeners. Genesis Biotech wouldn’t let this slide—they’d definitely send more people after them.

Ethan thought for a moment before asking, ”I’m planning to head to Genesis Biotech’s lab to grab something. Do you know where it is?”

”Huh?” Elegy’s face froze in shock. She’d assumed that after causing such a commotion, they’d go into hiding. She hadn’t expected him to suggest heading straight for Genesis Biotech’s lab.

”Yeah, I know. There’s one in the human safe zone on the east side of the city. They’re always out capturing zombies and taking them there for experiments.”

”Good.” Ethan seemed pleased. If they were experimenting on zombies, there was a good chance they had samples of the X and Y viruses he was interested in.

”Alright, let’s go.”

”Got it.” Elegy nodded, ready to leave with Ethan. But her piano—there was no way she could take it with her.

So, she rummaged through the mall and found a guitar to use as her weapon for mental attacks.

In truth, Elegy Zombie King could use any sound as a medium to channel her psychic energy—bottles, cans, even a few sticks would do. She chose musical instruments simply because she liked them.

Ethan led Elegy Zombie King out of the shopping mall, followed by over 800 zombies. Their faces were smeared with blood, their eyes gleaming with excitement after their recent feast.

Elegy, however, looked a bit uneasy. ”Boss, the human safe zone has a lot of Awakeners—probably over a thousand. With just our group, it’s going to be tough to take them down.”

”Don’t worry,” Ethan said casually. ”By the time we get there, we’ll have more people.”

”Uh…” Elegy blinked, momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, she seemed to realize what he meant. It made perfect sense. Of course he’s the boss for a reason!

The zombie horde roamed the streets, and before long, they reached the eastern part of the city.

Ethan could already sense the presence of numerous humans nearby.

Ahead of them stretched a long line of barbed wire.

Beyond the wire stood a towering wall.

The wall was at least 60 feet high—about the height of a six-story building—and looked imposing. Guard towers were stationed every few feet along the top, each manned by armed personnel.

Between the barbed wire and the wall, teams of Awakeners patrolled the area around the clock, ensuring no gaps in security.

The defenses were tight.

Inside the wall lay the human safe zone—a place humans had built together after clearing out the zombies that once roamed there.

Sophia’s plan was to gradually expand the safe zone outward until it covered all of San Bernardino, eventually taking full control of the city.

But for now, the safe zone was still in its infancy.

”You all wait here. Don’t get too close,” Ethan instructed.

”Oh, okay.” Elegy nodded quickly, pulling her underlings back to stay put.

Then, Ethan stepped forward alone. After just a few steps, his figure vanished into thin air—he had entered stealth mode.

He moved silently, slipping through the barbed wire and timing his movements perfectly to avoid the patrolling teams. He passed right behind them and entered the area within the walls.

Not a single sound was made.

No one noticed a thing.

Inside the safe zone, the buildings were made of dirt and rough-hewn stone. Though simple and crude, they were neatly arranged and provided adequate shelter from the elements.

Resources were scarce, and they hadn’t been able to find better building materials.

Not far away, many people were hard at work. They shouted slogans as they hauled stones or dug up dirt. The entire scene was bustling with activity.

”So many people…” Ethan’s gaze swept across the scene, and he couldn’t help but marvel. Since the apocalypse began, this was the first time he’d seen so many humans gathered in one place.

He followed the narrow path deeper into the safe zone.

Some of the stone buildings had small courtyards in front of them. In a few of these courtyards, women sat washing roots in water or preparing other meager scraps of food.

They all looked frail—sallow skin, brittle hair, and hollow eyes that spoke of malnutrition and despair. It was clear they had endured immense suffering in this post-apocalyptic world.

Logically, Genesis Biotech shouldn’t have been short on supplies. But they deliberately withheld resources from the lower-class survivors, keeping them in a state of perpetual hunger—not starving, but never full. It was easier to control people when they were desperate.

Ethan also noticed that every human wore a tag around their neck, each marked with a numerical code.

”A concentration camp, huh…” he muttered under his breath.

Not far ahead, a group of Genesis Biotech Awakeners appeared. They were clad in sleek nano-combat suits and carried alloy weapons, their presence commanding and intimidating.

These men strutted arrogantly into one of the courtyards, their movements loud and deliberate.

”Number 3057, are you here?” one of them barked.

”Sir, my daughter… she’s not here,” a timid woman stammered, her voice trembling.

”Not here?” The Awakener’s tone turned impatient. ”The lab detected her blood type is special. She’s required for testing today.”

”No! Please, I’m begging you, leave my daughter alone! Please!” The woman’s desperation spilled over as she dropped to her knees, clutching the Awakener’s leg in a plea.

”Get off me!”

The man kicked her away without hesitation, sending her sprawling to the ground. Then, without a second thought, he and his team stormed into the building.

Moments later, they dragged out a young girl.

The girl looked about fifteen, her frame thin and frail. She struggled fiercely against the Awakeners, her voice trembling with defiance. ”Let me go!”

”Oh, so you’re gonna fight back, huh?” The man sneered, clearly annoyed. Without warning, he swung his fist, striking the girl hard enough to knock her unconscious. He slung her limp body over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

The woman, seeing her daughter struck and taken, became even more frantic. ”No! Please, don’t take her! Don’t use her for experiments! I’m begging you!” she wailed, crawling toward them.

”Out of the way!”

The man kicked her again, this time with enough force to send her flying several feet. Her head lolled to the side as she collapsed, unconscious.

The group of Awakeners left the courtyard without a backward glance, carrying the girl off as if she were nothing more than cargo.

”Interesting…” Ethan murmured from a distance, watching the scene unfold. His eyes lingered on the tags hanging from the humans’ necks, and a memory surfaced—back when he used to run a livestock farm.

When managing large numbers of cattle or pigs, it had been difficult to keep track of them all. So, he’d started tagging them with numbers for convenience.

”Looks like life here is pretty miserable,” he mused, his lips curling into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

”Maybe… they could use a little help.”

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