Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The entire compound was surrounded by a tall metal fence, reinforced with spikes and what looked like an electric current running through it. Security was tight—no doubt about it.

Leah and the others knew exactly what this place was—a goddamn hellhole. Once an ordinary person stepped inside, they were in for a world of suffering, the kind that could rival the depths of hell itself.

The bald brute stepped forward, the heavy iron lock clanking as he unfastened it. With a slow, grating creak, he pushed the massive gate open just enough for them to pass.

”Go on in.”

”Alright.”

Ethan, unfazed as always, led the group inside without hesitation.

Mia, following closely behind, didn’t just step through—she turned back and swiftly locked the gate shut behind them, securing it tight with practiced ease.

The bald man raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. Huh. Thoughtful of her.

Once inside, the first thing that caught their eyes was a large open courtyard, surrounded by towering buildings. Several heavily modified trucks were parked around the area.

Black Hand Legion members moved between the buildings, their presence thick in the air.

Ethan quietly extended his senses, scanning the area. There were a lot of people here—easily over three thousand. The strongest among them was an A+ rank, likely the one in charge of this sector.

The Black Hand Legion had the firepower to clear out an entire city of zombies. Their strength was on par with the Genesis Biotech division in San Bernardino—plenty of A-rank Awakeners among them.

”Let’s go.”

The bald man’s tone had noticeably cooled since they entered the courtyard. His men, walking alongside them, had a different kind of energy now—predatory, invasive. Some of them even had a sleazy glint in their eyes.

As they moved through the compound, a strange noise reached their ears—high-pitched squeaking, sharp and incessant.

Rats.

Looking ahead, they spotted several large iron cages filled with them.

These weren’t ordinary rats. Some were the size of piglets, others as big as full-grown hounds. Their fur was sleek, their bodies plump, packed with meat.

Just then, a Black Hand Legion member approached, carrying a large metal basin. The stench hit them first—raw, metallic, unmistakably blood. The basin was filled with chunks of red, glistening flesh.

”Come on, come on…” The man called out, his voice carrying the same tone someone might use when feeding livestock.

Then, without hesitation, he dumped the entire contents of the basin into the cages.

The rats went berserk.

They screeched, their tiny claws scraping against metal as they tore into the meat. Some of the larger ones slammed against the cage walls, making them rattle violently.

Leah and the others stood frozen, their bodies stiff with unease.

And then they saw it.

Among the chunks of meat, half-buried in the pile, was a severed human finger.

One of the rats snatched it up, gnawing through the bone with a sickening crunch—like it was nothing more than a baby carrot.

”Oh, fuck…”

Their stomachs churned. Leah and the others fought back the nausea clawing up their throats, barely managing to keep from throwing up.

Ethan, on the other hand, barely reacted. His gaze swept over the scene, indifferent. This? This was nothing. Child’s play.

”This… wouldn’t happen to be the ’farm’ you mentioned, would it?”

”Sure is.”

The bald man nodded. ”Rat meat’s still meat, isn’t it? And they breed fast—litter after litter every two months. Some of the well-fed ones even develop Neurocores. Way more efficient than raising herbivores.”

”Huh. Makes sense.”

Ethan murmured to himself. In a post-apocalyptic world, efficiency was everything. Fast reproduction was a major advantage. These guys knew how to adapt.

After crossing the courtyard, they entered one of the buildings and stepped into a large hall.

Inside, numerous Black Hand Legion Awakeners lounged around, their eyes locking onto the newcomers with an unsettling intensity.

”What is this place?” Ethan asked, his voice calm but firm.

The bald brute didn’t answer. Instead, he turned around and shut the heavy door behind them, looping thick iron chains around it several times.

The entire door was made of alloy bars—solid, unyielding. It looked more like a prison gate than anything else.

”First, we need to register you,” the bald man finally said. ”But before that, we’ll be collecting your weapons and phones.”

Without waiting for a response, he reached out, aiming to grab Mia’s Tachi.

But before his fingers could even brush the hilt, Mia’s hand shot up, gripping his forearm in an instant.

”Hm?” The brute frowned, instinctively trying to pull away—only to realize he couldn’t move an inch.

Damn. The girl had some serious strength.

”What’s this? You planning to resist?”

”No,” Mia replied evenly. ”I’m not resisting.”

But by then, the atmosphere in the room had already shifted.

The Black Hand Legion members lounging around the hall had all risen to their feet, slowly closing in.

This place wasn’t just for registration—it was where they confiscated weapons and locked up survivors. Resistance was common. And these men? They were the ones responsible for breaking that resistance.

Their expressions twisted, eyes gleaming with cruelty.

”No need to waste words on them.”

”These kinds of people never behave unless you beat them into submission.”

”Yeah. They always need a little pain before they learn to listen.”

The bald man smirked, emboldened by his men surrounding them. ”You know what we were feeding those rats earlier?” he sneered. ”Anyone who doesn’t cooperate gets ground up and turned into rat food.”

”Yeah, I know,” Ethan said casually.

The brute’s smirk faltered. He scanned Ethan’s face, expecting fear—panic, at the very least.

But there was nothing.

Ethan’s expression remained completely neutral, as if he were discussing the weather.

What the hell? He wasn’t scared at all?

”…Alright, fine,” the bald man scoffed. ”No more games. I’ll be straight with you—I’m a member of the Black Hand Legion.”

”Oh, cool,” Ethan replied, his tone just as casual. ”Then I won’t pretend either. I’m a Zombie King.”

”…What?”

The brute blinked, momentarily thrown off.

A Zombie King?

The surrounding men exchanged confused glances. Was this guy out of his damn mind?

But before anyone could laugh, Ethan’s eyes flashed red.

And then—

A tidal wave of oppressive energy crashed over the room.

The Domain of the Dead erupted, swallowing everything in its suffocating grip.

The bald man and his subordinates froze. Their lungs seized, their bodies suddenly feeling as if they’d been plunged into the crushing depths of the ocean.

The weaker ones didn’t even last a second. Their bodies convulsed, bones cracking under the sheer pressure before they collapsed to the ground, twitching helplessly.

Terror.

Pure, unfiltered terror surged through every single one of them.

”He… he’s not human!”

”He’s really a Zombie King!”

”What the fuck is happening?!”

Panic spread like wildfire.

The bald man’s eyes went wide, his mind racing. What the hell had he just brought into their base?!

And then Mia spoke, her voice soft, almost amused.

”I wasn’t planning to resist,” she murmured. ”I was just planning to kill all of you.”

CRACK!

Her fingers tightened.

The brute barely had time to scream before his forearm shattered like brittle glass.

”AAAAAHHHH—!”

His howl of agony echoed through the hall, his arm bending at an unnatural angle.

Mia didn’t hesitate.

In one fluid motion, she drew her Tachi—and slit his throat.

Blood sprayed, his body crumpling to the floor.

Sean, Chris, and the others moved in immediately, cutting down the surrounding men with ruthless efficiency.

Ethan stood in the center of the chaos, his white coat unstained, his expression unreadable.

Around him, the slaughter unfolded.

Screams filled the air, one after another, blending into a symphony of death.

Outside, Black Hand Legion members passed by the building, hearing the unmistakable sounds of agony from within.

None of them reacted.

They barely spared a glance.

Because in this building, screams like that were just too damn normal…

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