Apocalypse: King of Zombies

But what they didn’t know was that the moment the hatch had just closed, Ethan had already used his Domain of the Dead ability to phase through from the outside.

Right now, he was standing right behind them.

Oliver felt like he was about to collapse. He was still shaken from the encounter—he wasn’t a combatant, just a pilot.

He was only responsible for transporting supplies, and the job was done in shifts. Earlier, it had been his turn to rest, so he had been staying at the camp the whole time.

”That Zombie King was terrifying!” Oliver said, still rattled.

A teammate beside him nodded.

”That was the strongest Zombie King in Los Angeles, according to the records. He’s on the list. I never thought we’d run into him today!”

”Yeah, didn’t HQ put a bounty on him? What the hell was he doing at the camp?” another person asked, confused.

Oliver shook his head. ”No idea. But at least we’re safe now.”

”Yeah.” The others nodded, turning to look outside the aircraft. They had already ascended high into the sky, and for the first time, they felt a sliver of relief.

”Hey… do you think we might be the first humans to ever escape from him?”

”I don’t think so.”

Before the other three could respond, a voice spoke up from behind them.

”Uh…”

The four of them froze. Their nerves, which had just started to relax, instantly tensed up again. Their hearts leaped into their throats.

”Who just spoke?”

Like puppets on strings, their heads slowly turned toward the source of the voice.

And sure enough…

A figure had appeared in what had been an empty space just moments ago.

Their breathing hitched. Their stomachs dropped. Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. Fear gripped them completely.

This was beyond unnatural.

When had he gotten in???

”B-Boss, please have mercy!” Oliver’s face twisted in despair. The aircraft wasn’t big, and they were already high in the sky—there was nowhere to run.

The other three were just as terrified, frozen in place, barely daring to breathe.

The Zombie King had boarded the aircraft. This was a death sentence.

Oliver’s mind raced, desperately searching for a way to survive.

Maybe… maybe he should just drop to his knees and beg? He could claim he wasn’t with Genesis Biotech, that he had only just arrived from Rancho Cucamonga and barely knew these people.

Maybe, if the Zombie King was in a good mood, he’d let him go.

Just as Oliver was weighing his options—

Thud!

A teammate beside him suddenly dropped to his knees, wailing loudly, snot and tears streaming down his face.

”Waaahhh! Boss, please, I’m begging you! I’m not with Genesis Biotech! I’m just a survivor from Rancho Cucamonga! I only got here recently—I don’t even know them that well!”

”Uh…” Oliver blinked in surprise.

But Ethan didn’t hesitate. With a swift motion, he swung his blade, cutting the man down in an instant. The body collapsed backward, lifeless.

The remaining three shuddered violently.

Their faces were blank with shock, their minds paralyzed with fear.

Oliver’s panic only deepened. Clearly, that approach wasn’t going to work…

He needed a different strategy.

Maybe… maybe he could swear loyalty to Ethan? Promise to serve him wholeheartedly, with absolute devotion?

But just then—

Another teammate burst into tears, his expression sincere as he wailed, ”Boss, please don’t kill me! From now on, I’ll do whatever you say! I swear my loyalty! If you tell me to go east, I won’t even glance west! If you tell me to chase a dog, I won’t dare go after a chicken—”

Schlick!

Ethan didn’t even let him finish. With a swift slash, he cut him down on the spot.

As he did, he muttered to himself, Bold enough to chase chickens, huh?

Today it’s chickens, tomorrow it’s zombies…

The last two survivors stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock, their despair deepening.

Especially Oliver.

Nothing was working. The sheer terror was pushing him to the brink of collapse.

Screw it… maybe he should just fight to the death!

Oliver clenched his teeth, trying to summon the resolve—

But before he could act, his last remaining teammate had already snapped. His face twisted in desperation as he yanked a knife from his belt and lunged straight at Ethan.

”I’LL TAKE YOU DOWN WITH ME!”

Ethan barely spared him a glance. With a casual flick of his blade, he sliced through both the man and his knife in one clean motion.

The body crumpled to the floor.

”...”

Oliver was speechless.

His eyes turned hollow, his expression numb. He didn’t even want to resist anymore.

Just kill me and get it over with…

But instead, Ethan waved his hand, making the corpses and blood vanish as if they had never existed. Then, as if nothing had happened, he strolled over to a window seat and plopped down.

”Keep flying.”

”Uh???”

Oliver’s vacant eyes suddenly lit up with a spark of life. It was like hearing the voice of an angel. Hope surged back into him.

”You… you’re not gonna kill me?”

”Did I say I was?” Ethan shot back.

Oliver’s eyes widened in disbelief. Then, as the realization sank in, joy flooded his chest. He never expected this to be the outcome.

At that moment, he understood something—

For small things, effort might get you somewhere.

But when it came to life and death? That was pure luck.

And if he had a chance to live, he sure as hell wasn’t going to throw it away. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire

Even if it was just for a little longer.

Without hesitation, he scrambled back into the pilot’s seat, suddenly full of energy.

”Boss, where are we headed?”

”Wherever you guys took that mutated creature from. That’s where we’re going.” Ethan said casually.

”Uh…”

Oliver instantly understood—Ethan wanted to go to the transport camp in Japan.

But if he took him there… a lot more people were going to die.

Then again, even if he didn’t take him, Ethan would find it anyway, wouldn’t he?

With that thought, his guilt eased a little.

So, without further hesitation, he slapped the navigation system and set the course.

Ethan had spared him for a reason—he needed a pilot to get to the other camp.

Because if you’re going to wipe something out, you don’t leave loose ends.

Who knew what else they might try to transport next?

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

He was also curious about Japan’s situation.

And, well… he wouldn’t mind grabbing some all-you-can-eat sushi while he was there.

”You speak Japanese?”

”Of course I do!”

Hearing Ethan’s question, Oliver immediately perked up. Now was his chance to prove his usefulness—maybe it would keep him alive.

”My Japanese is excellent! I actually majored in it! Even studied abroad in Japan for a while—I know the place inside and out!”

”Mm. Good.” Ethan nodded.

Los Angeles wasn’t exactly close to Japan.

Even with a high-speed aircraft, the trip would take about two and a half hours.

Ethan didn’t say anything else. He simply turned to gaze out the window.

Below them stretched the endless ocean.

Under the night sky, the sea was pitch black—like a bottomless abyss.

Beneath those dark waters lurked countless deep-sea monsters.

With Ethan’s vision, the night was even clearer than the day.

He could see straight through the water, down to the ocean floor, tens of thousands of feet below.

And what he saw…

Was nothing like what humans imagined.

To him, the ocean wasn’t just water.

It was a playground for colossal horrors—

A sight beyond human comprehension.

…