Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”...Alright.”

Chris had no choice but to obediently push the cart. Not that it really mattered—after all, these supplies weren’t going to end up in the hands of outsiders anyway...

Meanwhile, Ethan activated his stealth ability and blended into the crowd. With so many people around and all kinds of scents mixing together, no one would be able to detect him.

The entire convoy was massive, easily over a hundred people. Most of them were slaves, but there were also a few dozen core members of the Black Hand Legion, responsible for ensuring the safety of the transaction.

And the strongest among them, of course, was their leader—Damon.

Right now, he was riding at the very front of the convoy on his Harley, leading the way.

As they passed by the underground fight club, he couldn’t help but glance over. The place was still dead—no bets being placed, no fights happening. A few Black Hand Legion members had gone in to check things out, only to come back out looking disappointed.

”Hey! Harvey’s still not back?” Damon shouted from a distance.

”No, boss. Still no sign of him,” two men immediately responded.

”Oh...” Damon nodded, a thoughtful look crossing his face.

Still not back?

Where the hell did Harvey go?

The convoy rumbled forward, the sound of chains clanking and cart wheels grinding against the ground filling the air.

Before long, they reached the outskirts of the city.

The core members of the Black Hand Legion spread out around the group, acting as the main combat force to prevent any potential ambushes.

They weren’t just on guard against Genesis Biotech—they also had to be ready for any mutated creatures that might show up.

After all, this was the apocalypse.

Zombies roamed freely, mutant beasts lurked everywhere—danger was constant.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth. Nothing unexpected happened.

Damon led his people closer to the meeting point.

He glanced back at the convoy and the supplies they were carrying, feeling a twinge of reluctance.

”I want what Genesis Biotech has, but I don’t wanna give up our own supplies. So what the hell should I do?”

”Boss, how about... we just take them out?” his lieutenant suggested.

After all, the Black Hand Legion was ruthless. No morals, no limits—they were capable of anything.

But Damon quickly shook his head. No, that wouldn’t work.

Not because he cared about playing fair, but because he knew better than to mess with Genesis Biotech.

”You don’t get it. Genesis Biotech isn’t just some random group. Their guy in charge, Richard Williams, is the regional director for all of North America. And he’s a high-level Awakener.”

”On top of that, the resources he controls are beyond anything we can imagine. He’s got direct ties to Genesis Biotech’s headquarters. Right now, we’re nowhere near strong enough to go up against him.”

”Oh...” The lieutenant nodded, realizing just how powerful this guy must be.

Damon continued, ”If it weren’t for the fact that he’s wary of the zombies and mutants in the area, he probably wouldn’t even bother dealing with us. Hell, he might’ve wiped us out already.”

”So what do we do?” The lieutenant looked uneasy.

If Richard ever managed to clear out all the zombies and monsters around here, wouldn’t they be next on his hit list?

”There’s nothing we can do—except grow stronger before he finishes cleaning house. We need to reach a point where we can actually stand a chance against him. Otherwise... Blackhand City is doomed.” Damon let out a long sigh, his usual confidence dimming slightly.

Their entire conversation, of course, was overheard by Ethan.

So this guy, Damon, might act all carefree, but he was actually under a lot of pressure. No surprise there—survival in the apocalypse was brutal for everyone.

And then there was that name—Richard Williams.

Ethan made a mental note of it.

Back when Sophia and Nathan were coming after him, this guy had probably been pulling strings behind the scenes, providing resources, maybe even giving them advice.

Yeah... Richard was definitely one of the masterminds.

What goes around comes around.

And now, they’d finally crossed paths.

Of course, Richard wouldn’t show up in person for a deal like this. He’d definitely send someone strong in his place.

Ethan started analyzing the potential threats.

Genesis Biotech would probably send someone on Damon’s level—an S-rank Awakener. Maybe even stronger.

If Ethan had to take on two S-rank Awakeners at once, plus a few hundred grunts, it’d be a hassle. Not impossible, but definitely a pain in the ass.

But now that he had Mia and Sean backing him up?

Yeah, this was gonna be a whole lot easier.

”Time to collect a little interest from Richard first... and then, I’ll come for the rest later.”

...

After a long trek, the Black Hand Legion finally came to a stop.

They had arrived at a barren wasteland, surrounded by mounds of dry, cracked earth scorched by the relentless sun.

Most of the vegetation here had long since withered away. When the wind blew, brittle blades of dead grass scattered into the air, painting a picture of pure desolation.

This was the designated meeting point for their deal with Genesis Biotech.

”They’re not here yet?” The Black Hand Legion members scanned the horizon.

”Those assholes... they’re late every damn time,” Damon grumbled, clearly annoyed.

The fact that his people—who had traveled on foot, pushing carts—had still arrived before them only made Genesis Biotech’s arrogance even more obvious.

A few moments later—

A faint buzzing filled the air as several drones zipped past overhead.

Genesis Biotech’s usual routine.

They always sent drones ahead first to scout for potential threats before the main group moved in.

”They’re coming,” Damon muttered, narrowing his eyes.

In the distance, a thick cloud of dust rose from the wasteland. Moments later, several heavily modified trucks came roaring toward them.

The vehicles gleamed with a sleek silver finish, looking brand new—completely out of place against the bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape.

The trucks sped forward like a storm, kicking up dirt as they closed in.

”Damn,” Ethan murmured, eyes lighting up. ”Those trucks are actually kinda badass...”

Within seconds, five massive trucks skidded to a halt in perfect formation, their tires grinding against the cracked earth.

As the dust settled, the back doors of the trucks swung open, and a group of Genesis Biotech Awakeners stepped out in unison.

They were all clad in matching black nano-combat suits. But what caught Ethan’s attention wasn’t their uniforms—it was their weapons.

Gone were the titanium-alloy machetes they used to carry.

Instead, each of them was armed with sleek, silver firearms.

”Wait a second...” Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he took a closer look.

Yeah, he wasn’t imagining things. Those were definitely guns.

But they weren’t ordinary firearms.

Something about them was different—modified. He could sense a faint energy signature pulsing from within, the unmistakable aura of a crystal core.

Genesis Biotech’s latest invention—Crystal Core Firearms.

”Well, well... Been out of the loop for a while, and they’ve already got new toys,” Ethan mused, scanning the weapons with interest.

The door of the middle truck swung open, and a young man hopped down.

He strolled forward with a lazy, almost cocky gait, his expression indifferent.

”Damon. You again,” the guy said casually. ”Let’s not waste time. Hand over the goods—I’ve got places to be.”

Damon scoffed. ”What, you in a rush to meet your maker?”

Something felt off. Genesis Biotech had pushed up the trade schedule, and now they were acting all impatient.

Were they in trouble?

”Doesn’t matter how much of a hurry you’re in—we’re still gonna check the goods first,” Damon said flatly. ”For all we know, you could be trying to screw us over.”

”Fine.” The young man waved a hand.

Immediately, his subordinates sprang into action, dragging out two massive alloy crates.

With practiced efficiency, they popped the latches and swung the lids open.

Inside, neatly arranged in rows, were gleaming silver firearms—each one radiating the unmistakable energy of a crystal core.

Crystal Core Firearms.

Sleek. Advanced. Deadly.

And there were a lot of them.

...