Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Since Sophia had spoken, Jacob couldn’t really refuse.

”Alright, leave this to me. I’ll figure something out.”

”Mm.” Sophia nodded. Honestly, this was a last resort. The resources around San Bernardino had already been picked clean.

The vast forests were now completely empty—not even a single mutated beast left.

The company was struggling to keep going.

So, the only option was to head to Japan, capture some mutated creatures for research, extract their genes, and then toss them into the Zombie Horde.

After all, word was that ever since the apocalypse began, Japan had been hit hard by nuclear radiation. Most biological matter there was probably inedible.

Even if the zombies ate it...

Who knew what kind of problems that might cause?

Jacob, on the other hand, was deep in thought. Going to Japan was insanely dangerous. If he wanted to find a Radiant Crystal, he’d have to face at least an S-class parasite.

With his current strength, that was nearly impossible.

But capturing a few mutated creatures? That shouldn’t be too hard. He’d just have to focus on smaller ones—mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, that kind of thing.

Even so, he’d need to send some scouts ahead first...

The next stretch of time was relatively peaceful.

Most major factions had entered a temporary ceasefire. No one was making any secret moves; they were all focused on their own development.

Only Nightmare still had its eyes on San Bernardino.

They kept sending small zombie squads to harass the area.

But thanks to the Cyborgs holding the line, they didn’t gain much ground.

Ethan, meanwhile, was living the easy life. No one dared to mess with him. He holed up at home, absorbing crystal cores. With the help of the Radiant Crystal, his evolution was progressing at an insane speed. In just a few days, he was about to finish absorbing all the high-level crystal cores he had.

”Why isn’t anyone delivering food to me anymore?” Ethan muttered, standing by the window and looking outside.

The resources around here were seriously running low. Everything that could be killed had been killed. Everything that could be taken had been taken. High-level, rare crystal cores were almost impossible to find. He could only wait for someone to bring more.

Just like that, more than half a month passed.

...

That day, Los Angeles was as quiet as ever. Nothing was happening. The Zombie Kings were all idle.

Bulldozer was sitting by the river, gnawing on a fish. The water in front of him flowed steadily, endlessly...

He was just snacking, killing time.

Buzzzzz~~~

Suddenly, a faint buzzing sound reached his ears.

A palm-sized mutated mosquito flew right past his face, circled twice, and then landed on his cheek.

”Huh? Where the hell did a mosquito this big come from?”

Bulldozer frowned, confused. He glanced sideways at the insect, raised his massive hand, waited for the right moment—then smacked down hard.

SMACK!

A crisp slap echoed through the air.

Bulldozer had just slapped himself across the face. His whole body wobbled from the impact.

”Ow!”

He rubbed his face, stunned.

The mosquito wasn’t dead.

It had already flown off into the distance.

He missed?

That thing was fast...

Bulldozer wasn’t about to let it go. Forget the fish—he got up and started chasing after the mosquito, determined to get his revenge.

The mosquito zigzagged through the air, and Bulldozer followed.

But no matter how many times it looked like it was about to land, it would suddenly take off again.

Bulldozer was getting more and more frustrated, grinding his teeth in anger.

...

In the end, after chasing it for a long time, the mosquito finally landed—right on the back of a zombie’s head.

That zombie was sitting on the ground, chatting away with two others, talking non-stop.

Obviously, it was none other than the trio: Big Ears, Shrimpy, and Locomotive.

”Guys, I think I’ve evolved again recently. This time, it’s my physique—I’m way stronger than before,” Big Ears said smugly.

Locomotive scoffed. ”When it comes to physique, I’ve never lost to anyone.”

”Oh? You wanna test that?” Big Ears smirked.

”Bring it on!” Locomotive wasn’t backing down.

Big Ears curled his fingers, motioning him over. ”Alright! Then hit me first.”

But just as he finished speaking, a massive figure appeared behind him, creeping forward on tiptoe. Bulldozer was being extra careful, afraid of scaring the mosquito away. Once he got close enough, he raised his giant palm, wound up his arm, and brought it down with full force.

SMACK!

A thunderous slap rang out. Big Ears was sent flying, soaring over twenty feet before tumbling across the ground several times and finally coming to a stop.

”OWWW~~” Big Ears grimaced in pain, covered in dust, his face twisted in agony.

He looked up and saw Bulldozer.

”Bulldozer, why the hell did you hit me?!”

”I didn’t hit you. I hit the mosquito.”

”Then why did I go flying?!”

”Because the mosquito landed on you,” Bulldozer answered matter-of-factly.

”...” Big Ears’ face darkened. He felt like he had just been wronged in the worst way possible. ”Did you at least kill it?”

”I dunno.” Bulldozer checked his palm—no mosquito corpse. Maybe it got smashed to bits and flew off somewhere.

Big Ears suddenly felt even more wronged.

”Next time, just tell me if there’s a mosquito. I’ll handle it myself!”

”Alright, sure.” Bulldozer shrugged.

But just then, a low, droning hum echoed from the distant sky.

The group turned their heads and saw what looked like a rising black cloud. But upon closer inspection, their expressions changed drastically—it wasn’t smoke.

It was a swarm of mosquitoes. Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of them.

Bulldozer blinked. ”Big Ears, there you go. Mosquitoes. Knock yourself out.”

”...” Big Ears’ face twitched. This wasn’t just a mosquito problem—this was an invasion.

”Call the others! We need backup!”

The swarm surged forward, their hunger for flesh palpable as they engulfed the zombies on the street.

The zombies roared and flailed, trying to swat them away, but their efforts were clumsy and ineffective. They were getting bitten left and right, spinning in circles in frustration.

Luckily, the mosquitoes weren’t actually dangerous. They couldn’t do any real damage—just annoy the hell out of everyone.

But there were just too many of them.

Soon, the Zombie Kings got involved.

PhD unleashed a wave of psychic energy, forming a barrier that crushed the mosquitoes mid-air, sending them plummeting to the ground in droves.

Sprout spread out its green vines, sweeping through the sky like a net, wiping out swaths of mosquitoes with each swing.

But the real MVP was Lil’ Shroom. Its fungal spores drifted through the air, infecting the mosquitoes on contact.

Within moments, the sky was dotted with thumb-sized, pulsating fungal growths.

Then, one by one, they dropped from the sky.

Finally, the crow army joined the battle. A massive flock of crows took to the air, forming a swirling black cloud that blotted out the sky. They dove like arrows, tearing through the mosquito swarm, scattering them completely.

The commotion naturally caught Ethan’s attention. Standing by the window, he tilted his head and watched the chaos unfold.

”Well… that’s lively.”

At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder—where the hell did all these mutant mosquitoes come from?

There weren’t supposed to be any around L.A.

All the mutated beasts in the mountains had been wiped out long ago.

Mosquitoes shouldn’t have been able to thrive here.

This had to be someone’s doing.

Still, it wasn’t a big deal. This was more of a nuisance than a real threat. The mosquitoes had no real killing power—they couldn’t harm the zombies.

The only real casualty…

Was Big Ears.

Because Bulldozer hit him.

…