Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Ahem!”

Sophia cleared her throat softly, signaling the two behind her to stop whispering. It’d be rude if Elias overheard them.

But Elias just smiled faintly, ”It’s understandable for this gentleman to have doubts. Honestly, I haven’t been feeling too well lately.”

”Uh...” Sophia froze for a second, realizing he’d already overheard their whispers.

This alone proved Elias had incredibly sharp senses and keen insight—definitely a top-tier expert.

”Mr. Elias, are you...injured?” Sophia asked cautiously.

”Yeah, to tell you the truth, before coming here, we had a pretty intense fight with another Zombie King listed in the Zombie King files. It drained me quite a bit, and I got slightly injured. Cough, cough!” Elias admitted openly.

Sophia was even more surprised, ”Which Zombie King was it?”

”The Zombie King from San Diego,” Elias said, eyes distant as he recalled the battle. ”Since it was on our way here anyway, we thought we’d give it a shot. Turns out...that Zombie King was incredibly powerful. It’s an SS-level Zombie King that’s already formed an Absolute Domain.”

”Damn!” Sophia exclaimed inwardly, stunned and unable to calm down for a moment. These guys were seriously bold—casually challenging an SS-level Zombie King just because it was ”on the way.”

Indeed, San Diego had a notorious Zombie King, infamous for destroying the local Genesis Biotech branch. Many strong Awakeners had tried hunting it down, but none had ever returned.

”So it’s already formed an Absolute Domain... No wonder it’s so strong,” Sophia muttered thoughtfully.

Jacob, standing behind her, chimed in, ”Wait, hasn’t the Zombie King in Los Angeles also formed an Absolute Domain?”

”Even if they’ve both formed Absolute Domains, they’re not the same,” Elias explained professionally. ”Before the apocalypse, Los Angeles had around 3.5 million people. San Diego originally had only 1.5 million, but after the outbreak, a massive influx from Mexico pushed its population to around 4 million. With such a high population density, the zombies that emerged there are on another level.”

”San Diego alone has a combat-ready Zombie Horde numbering over a hundred thousand. It’s one of the most dangerous places in the country. So, the Zombie King in Los Angeles probably isn’t as strong as the one in San Diego.”

”Besides, the Genesis Biotech branch and shelters in Los Angeles are still standing, meaning that Zombie King hasn’t reached the absolute top of the food chain yet.”

”...”

Elias’ analysis was spot-on, and Sophia nodded repeatedly, impressed by his expertise.

Jacob scratched his head, ”Well...actually, the Genesis Biotech branch in LA is kind of a joke right now.”

”Exactly!” Sophia agreed immediately. ”Their current leader is useless. Their combat strength is negligible, so we can’t really use them as a benchmark.”

”Then, looking at it from another angle,” Elias continued, ”our chances against the LA Zombie King should be pretty good. After all, it was just recently added to the Zombie King files and hasn’t been ’quality-tested’ by other experts yet. Its strength might be exaggerated.”

In Elias’ experience, Zombie Kings that had been on the list longer were usually stronger, while newly listed ones tended to be weaker. He’d successfully taken down an S-level Zombie King before precisely because it had just recently appeared on the list.

Sophia hesitated slightly before asking, ”If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your current Awakener level?”

”S+ level, psychic type,” Elias answered openly. ”I saw in the files that the LA Zombie King was also listed as S+ level, right?”

”Uh...that was data from a while ago,” Sophia admitted awkwardly. ”We suspect it’s probably reached SS-level by now.”

”What?” Elias was genuinely surprised. After reaching S-level, the energy required to advance further increased exponentially. It was incredibly difficult to level up again. Had that Zombie King really evolved so quickly?

”But...it’s fine,” Elias quickly regained his confidence. ”I’m an S+ psychic-type Awakener. You probably know how valuable psychic abilities are. Plus, I have my teammates backing me up.”

”Right,” Sophia nodded. Psychic-type Awakeners at S+ level were extremely rare. Psychic powers were intangible, invisible, and deadly—truly the most dangerous weapon.

One thing was certain: Elias was definitely stronger than Nightmare, the Zombie King who specialized in invading dreams. With Elias around, they’d never have to worry about Nightmare again.

”Mr. Elias, how long will it take for your injuries to heal?” Sophia asked.

”My injuries aren’t serious, just a bit exhausted. Two or three days at most, and I’ll be good as new.”

”Great,” Sophia nodded, suddenly remembering Nightmare. ”Actually, there’s another S-level Zombie King nearby in Rancho Cucamonga. It hasn’t been officially recorded yet, but if it’s convenient, could you take care of it too?”

”No problem,” Elias smiled casually. To him, Nightmare was just a minor nuisance, hardly worth mentioning.

Sophia was very satisfied with their conversation. ”Secretary, please arrange accommodations for Mr. Elias and his team. If they need anything, make sure they get it.”

”Of course, Sophia,” the secretary replied politely, stepping forward gracefully. ”Mr. Elias, please follow me.”

”Alright,” Elias stood up with his teammates, leaving the office to rest in their designated rooms.

Now, only Sophia and Jacob remained in the office.

”So, what do you think? I didn’t lie to you this time, did I?” Sophia asked smugly.

”Yeah,” Jacob nodded approvingly. ”Anyone who can fight their way out of San Diego is definitely the real deal. Way more reliable than that Ryuji guy you brought in last time.”

”Ugh, don’t even mention him. That guy was a total fraud,” Sophia said, rolling her eyes in disgust.

With Elias and his team here, Sophia felt her confidence returning. Now she had a powerful bounty hunter on her side, Jacob was about to break through to the next level, and Leon—the last of the Bernardino Four Riders—was already on his way back from headquarters.

On top of that, she had three A+ level third-generation liquid-enhanced soldiers under her command. And at the grassroots level, they’d successfully integrated the survivors from Rancho Cucamonga, significantly boosting their fighting strength.

She finally had everything she needed—elite fighters, capable commanders, and plenty of troops. San Bernardino had never been this strong before. This was their moment to shine.

”Hmph! Just wait and see...” Sophia muttered bitterly.

She’d been bullied by zombies for far too long, forced to hide inside the San Bernardino base, too scared to even step outside. Even then, the camp had suffered repeated attacks, causing heavy casualties.

The worst humiliation was when someone poisoned their lab, stealing the X and Y viruses right under her nose. It was like someone had literally spat in her face—a disgrace she’d never forget.

And then Nathan had the nerve to call and mock her about it...

But now, with all these powerful allies and resources at her disposal, Sophia was ready to turn the tables. She’d crush Nightmare first, then Ethan, and finally march into Los Angeles to take over Nathan’s branch. Soon enough, all the surrounding cities would be hers.

”Oh, right...” Sophia suddenly thought of Nathan again. She wondered how that smug bastard was doing now. He’d called just to rub salt in her wounds before—maybe it was time she returned the favor, now that she was about to have her moment of glory.

Smirking to herself, Sophia reached for her phone, deciding it was the perfect time to give Nathan a friendly little ”check-in” call...