Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Kaito and the others should be in the warehouse… So how the hell did they just disappear?

Wait… don’t tell me… they vanished like the rest of the clan?!

A bad feeling crept up in Ryuji’s heart.

”Captain Jacob, I think we should search more carefully.”

”Huh?”

Jacob looked at him in surprise. Just a moment ago, this guy was saying there was nothing here, and now he suddenly wants to search again? These Japanese guys sure are weird…

Still, they headed deeper into the warehouse.

What they found was worse than expected—not only were there no people, but all the supplies had been completely looted. Warehouse No. 3 was in the worst shape—the chicken coop had collapsed, and all the chickens were gone.

”Poor chickens…” Jacob muttered under his breath.

But Ryuji’s frown only deepened. This wasn’t about the damn chickens anymore—his people were missing.

Kaito was one of the strongest fighters in the clan, practically his right-hand man.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.

”Where the hell are my people?! Where did they go?!”

”What?” Jacob turned to him, sensing something was off. ”Your people… were in the warehouse too?”

”Uh… no! Why would our people be in your warehouse?” Ryuji was panicking inside, but he had no choice but to deny it.

This was a mess.

Jacob nodded. ”Hmm… I’m guessing the Zombie King was here. But if that’s the case, he’s probably gone by now. Let’s head out.”

”…Fine.” Ryuji gritted his teeth.

...

At that moment, Ethan had already left the warehouse.

The human Awakeners had gathered—nearly a thousand of them. Among them were quite a few A+ rank Awakeners, three third-generation Cyborgs, and a good number of second-generation Cyborgs.

That included Ryuji Takahashi from Japan, along with several of his clan’s top fighters.

There was no need for Ethan to fight them head-on. Even if he was 90% sure he could win, that remaining 10% wasn’t worth the risk.

Besides, Rancho Cucamonga had another threat—the Nightmare Zombie King. He had to stay cautious.

He’d already gained plenty from tonight’s hunt. No need to push his luck.

With that, his figure faded into the darkness and disappeared.

...

Back in Los Angeles, the night sky had cleared. The clouds had drifted away, revealing a bright full moon.

With no light pollution in the post-apocalyptic world, the moon shone even more brilliantly. Its silver glow bathed the ruined city, casting eerie shadows over the streets, where hordes of zombies roamed.

Ethan casually tossed his latest prey aside and headed upstairs alone to absorb the A+ rank crystal core he had just acquired.

His underlings quickly gathered around.

Bulldozer’s fierce eyes widened as he sniffed the air.

”This time… the food smells different.”

”Yeah, it’s Japanese cuisine,” Laura tilted her head, inspecting the haul.

PhD, ever the stickler for accuracy, corrected her. ”To be precise, it’s an all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet.”

”Exactly. Look—some even come with lettuce, green onions, and garlic.” Bulldozer rubbed his hands together like a fly, eager to dig in.

And with that, the feast began.

The zombies tore into the flesh, the sound of ripping meat filling the air. A faint mist of blood rose around them, staining the moonlight a deep crimson.

After eating her fill, the Elegy Zombie King picked up the guitar slung across her back and began to play.

The eerie melody, combined with the blood-red moonlight, cast an unsettling atmosphere over the feasting horde. Their faces, smeared with blood and twisted in excitement, looked even more monstrous under the haunting tune.

The scene was nothing short of breathtaking—terrifying, yet mesmerizing.

Since tonight’s hunt had been quite fruitful, Big Ears strutted through the horde, proudly holding a small chicken in his hand, grinning to himself.

”Winner, winner, chicken dinner...”

...

Another terrifying night passed. The sun rose, the moon set, and warm sunlight once again bathed the earth.

The Awakeners’ camp in San Bernardino had been attacked two nights in a row—first by Nightmare, then by Ethan.

But the difference was clear.

Ethan’s destruction far outmatched Nightmare’s.

That said, Genesis Biotech hadn’t suffered too much this time. The biggest loss was the stolen supplies. As for the four missing Awakeners? They weren’t worth worrying about.

Ryuji, however, was devastated. His chest felt like it was being crushed under a massive boulder, making it hard to breathe.

His clan… was gone.

An entire night had passed, and they still hadn’t been found. The outcome was obvious—they had likely already become one with the undead.

”Do they still have a chance…?” Ryuji murmured to himself.

Jacob, standing beside him, tried to offer some comfort.

”Patriarch, you don’t have to be so pessimistic. Try to look on the bright side.”

”Oh?” Ryuji turned to him. ”And what exactly is the bright side?”

”Well… maybe your people weren’t killed. Maybe they were just… captured and kept alive by the zombies.” Jacob thought for a moment before speaking.

”...”

Ryuji was speechless. That was supposed to be better? That would be even worse than just dying outright.

Jacob continued, ”Anyway, don’t be too upset. If you stress too much, it’s bad for your health. You could develop nodules, and those can turn cancerous over time—”

”Enough! Just shut up already!” Ryuji cut him off, his patience completely gone.

...

But the impact of this event didn’t stop there.

The Nightmare Zombie King of Rancho Cucamonga had been keeping a close eye on the Awakeners’ camp, always having his subordinates monitor the area. So, it didn’t take long for the news to reach him.

”I just raided that place, and now he’s gone and done the same? Is he trying to provoke me? Does he want to compete with me?” Nightmare pondered.

He prided himself on his ability to slaughter humans—he didn’t believe any other Zombie King could outmatch him in that regard.

”How many humans did he hunt?”

”Boss, at least a hundred, conservatively speaking,” one of the Zombie Kings reported.

”…What?”

Nightmare’s brow furrowed in surprise. His own psychic field covered a wide area, and even then, he hadn’t managed to kill that many humans in one night.

And besides… the Awakeners’ camp was packed with strong fighters. It wasn’t an easy target.

”What about the humans’ crystal cores? He couldn’t have taken those, right?”

”Boss, not just the crystal cores—he took the bodies too. The humans are saying over a hundred people just vanished without a trace.”

”...”

Nightmare fell silent, his expression darkening. His mismatched black-and-white eyes gleamed with deep thought.

Nearby, the Scissorhands Zombie King rasped, ”Los Angeles is definitely not as simple as Wreckhead made it sound. He said there were only three Zombie Kings, but I’ve seen more than that. And they’re all strong—really strong. They’ve stolen a lot of my crystal cores…”

”…What exactly is their strength?”

Nightmare couldn’t figure it out just yet, but one thing was certain—they had been hiding their true power, throwing up a smokescreen to mislead him.

If he didn’t gather intel soon, they would just keep throwing more ’surprises’ his way.

He needed to know exactly what he was dealing with.

Luckily, he had the perfect ability for this—Dream Invasion.

Gathering intelligence would be easy.

As long as he could enter someone’s dreams, he could peer into the deepest corners of their soul and uncover their secrets.

But there was a problem.

This ability didn’t work well on zombies. Zombies didn’t sleep. Some of them were so brain-dead that even their subconscious was a mess.

”So… I need a human. And not just any human—I need someone who knows that Zombie King.”

...