Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”They actually built a city...”

Ethan was surprised. No wonder people had disappeared—they’d all gathered in one place.

After the world went to hell, the Black Hand Legion had a field day. They expanded fast, wiping out the zombies in an entire city and claiming it as their base.

Once the Black Hand Legion made a name for itself, plenty of survivors from other shelters started defecting to them. After all, human nature is weak—food, supplies, women... everyone has a price.

In just a few months, their numbers had swelled to over ten thousand Awakeners. And they had no morals, no limits. They did whatever the hell they wanted, completely unchecked.

The city they built was a lawless, depraved haven—Sin City in the truest sense. If a human mind could conceive it, they were doing it.

Ethan thought to himself—this place might actually suit him.

Like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Mia spoke up. ”They call it Blackhand City. It’s in Texas, about 1,350 miles from here.”

”Oh, that’s a hell of a trip.” Ethan replied. That was three whole states away. And then another thought hit him—Genesis Biotech’s U.S. headquarters was in Austin, Texas.

Now that was an interesting place.

”If you’re walking, it’ll take you at least two months,” Mia calculated. Then she added, ”If you’re in a hurry for a crystal core, I could just dig mine out and give it to you.”

”...” Ethan fell silent.

What the hell kind of suggestion was that?

Still, she was loyal—willing to die for a friend.

”Forget it. Judging by the look of you, your crystal core probably wouldn’t taste sweet anyway.”

”You think mine wouldn’t be sweet?” Mia frowned, clearly disagreeing. She considered herself a gentle girl. ”What exactly makes a crystal core sweet?”

”Well, for starters, you could try talking a little sweeter. Stop acting like such a damn tomboy all the time.” Ethan replied offhandedly.

Mia immediately caught on.

”Ohhh, you mean like—’Ethan~ I’m just a helpless little girl~’? That kind of sweet?”

”...” Ethan was speechless again. In his mind, he could only describe her with one word—lunatic.

”Forget it, I don’t have time to mess around with you. Go get Oliver from your shelter—I need to talk to him.”

”Got it, no problem.” Mia nodded.

Ethan still had a few aircraft stored in his spatial ring. Austin might be far, but with those, he could get there in about an hour.

Distance wasn’t an issue.

They say love crosses oceans. Hell, I’ll cross three states if I have to.

...

Ethan headed downstairs and stepped out onto the street. As usual, before leaving, he gave his crew some instructions.

”I’m heading out for a bit. You guys hold down the fort.”

”Oh, got it, boss.” Bulldozer responded quickly. ”Where you headed this time?”

”Blackhand City,” Ethan answered.

Bulldozer scratched his head. He had no idea where that was.

”What’s Blackhand City?”

”It’s a place that runs an all-you-can-eat buffet,” Ethan said, not bothering to explain further. He figured this way, Bulldozer would understand better.

Sure enough, Bulldozer’s eyes gleamed. Sounded delicious.

A while later, Oliver arrived at Ethan’s base. He was supposedly fluent in sixteen languages and served as Ethan’s personal pilot.

Of course, he didn’t come alone.

Behind him were Mia, Sean, Chris, and Brandon. Judging by the way they showed up, they were clearly planning to haul some cargo.

Ethan tilted his head, eyeing the group approaching him.

”Why are all of you here?”

”Taking advantage of your trip to scavenge some supplies,” Mia said casually. ”Farming in the shelter is way too slow.”

Clearly, Oliver had already spilled the beans about Ethan having aircraft.

”Yeah, exactly!” Sean nodded enthusiastically. ”Especially apples—they take two and a half years to grow!”

”Fine.” Ethan didn’t object.

With a simple wave of his hand, a sleek aircraft materialized in the middle of the wide street. Its silver exterior gleamed under the light, its streamlined design looking futuristic as hell—pure sci-fi vibes.

”Whoa! That’s gorgeous!”

”Yeah, it’s got that cyberpunk aesthetic.”

”This is some next-level tech!”

Chris and the others crowded around, marveling at the aircraft.

Oliver, already familiar with it, walked up and opened the hatch. The moment he stepped inside, the interior lights flickered on automatically, followed by a mechanical voice.

”Welcome aboard Aircraft 098.”

The inside was spotless, spacious, and practically brand new. After all, Genesis Biotech had barely finished manufacturing it before Ethan snatched it up.

Chris and the others looked around like a bunch of wide-eyed kids in a candy store.

”This place is insane!”

”Yeah, man, thanks for letting us ride in something this high-tech.”

”No need to thank me,” Ethan waved them off. ”Thank Genesis Biotech instead.”

”Oh... right...” Chris and the others nodded.

Mia glanced at Ethan, a little surprised. So he actually knows how to be grateful? Then again, his version of gratitude involved wiping out an entire Genesis Biotech outpost.

Oliver, on the other hand, had a more complicated reaction.

After all, he used to work for Genesis Biotech.

If he hadn’t met Ethan and ended up at the Los Angeles shelter, he would’ve still been at the San Bernardino branch. And if that were the case, he’d probably be dead—just another corpse in a sea of zombies.

Losing one road doesn’t mean you’re lost—it just means there’s another way.

Sometimes, what seems like a disaster—even a dead end—can turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

”We’re taking off.”

With that, Oliver pressed the ignition button. The aircraft’s thrusters roared to life, unleashing a powerful burst of energy. In the blink of an eye, it shot into the sky like an arrow, quickly becoming nothing more than a little shadow against the horizon.

...

The aircraft streaked through the clouds like a comet.

Golden sunlight bathed the vast sea of clouds below, creating a breathtaking view—one that felt almost unreal.

For a moment, everyone just stared out the windows, lost in the peacefulness of it all. It was like stepping back in time, to a world before the apocalypse.

”This is... amazing,” Chris murmured.

Sean, leaning against the window, absentmindedly wiped a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth.

”Look at that big cloud—doesn’t it look like cotton candy? If it was cotton candy, I could eat the whole thing in one bite!”

Mia shot him a look. ”You’re such a glutton.”

Sean didn’t even flinch. ”Hey, do you think Blackhand City has cotton candy?”

”They probably do,” Mia said.

Those guys looted and pillaged everything in sight—there was no shortage of supplies.

Ethan suddenly thought of something.

”You two came with me—aren’t you worried about the shelter getting attacked?”

”Not really.” Mia shook her head. ”We’ve still got that edgy teenager holding down the fort. Besides... as long as you don’t stir up any bullshit, the shelter won’t get attacked.”

”...Alright, fair enough.” Ethan had no comeback for that.

...