Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The group didn’t hesitate for long after hearing the order—they all took off in pursuit. Failing this mission wasn’t an option; going back empty-handed would mean serious consequences. And if anyone bailed mid-operation? The punishment would be brutal.

Especially the Tracker Captain—he shot forward like a rabid dog off its leash, leading the charge. He had to stay within tracking range at all times.

The humans moved fast. Some sprinted down the streets, others leapt across rooftops, sweeping through the city like a swarm of locusts.

But just moments later, the Tracker Captain’s brow furrowed.

”Boss, the target stopped moving!”

”Oh?” Adrian raised an eyebrow, surprised. Why’d he stop running? he wondered. Is this another trap? He scanned the area ahead and noticed the black mist had thinned out a bit.

That meant the target had left the mist’s cover.

Could it be… he’s got nowhere left to run?

Without the mist to hide him, the target’s stealth would be weakened. And on top of that, he was marked with a Hunter’s Mark—they could track him easily now.

No matter how you looked at it, the odds were tipping in their favor. Victory was within reach.

”Alright, tighten the formation. Slow down a bit,” Adrian ordered, more cautious now. He wasn’t about to give the enemy another chance to ambush them.

...

At that moment, Ethan had already broken free from the black mist and entered the city center. This area clearly wasn’t part of Mist’s so-called ”territory” anymore—it belonged to another Zombie King.

Ethan figured, Since the humans are so fired up and full of energy, why not put them to work for me first? Let them clear out this part of the city, then die. That way, I get the most out of the situation.

After all, Mist was basically his underling now, and the zombies in this area had been bullying him—wandering in and out of his turf like they owned the place. Sooner or later, that was going to be a problem. Might as well deal with it now.

This plan had come to Ethan on the fly, right after witnessing the humans’ combat strength firsthand.

Up ahead was a wrecked plaza. The pavement was cracked, weeds sprouting from the gaps. In some spots, dried blood still stained the ground.

But the low growls of zombies echoed nonstop. The square was packed with monstrous figures—twisted, snarling, eyes glowing with bloodlust.

There had to be over a thousand of them, a dense, seething horde.

At the front stood a towering Zombie King, arms crossed over his chest, small beady eyes locked onto Ethan.

The most striking thing about him? Three deep claw marks slashed across his face, likely from some mutated beast. The wounds had cut down to the bone. Though they’d scarred over, they still looked gruesome and terrifying.

”Why’ve you stepped into my territory?” the Zombie King rasped, his voice like rusted metal scraping together.

Behind him, his elite underlings snarled and growled, their faces twisted with bloodlust. They were itching to tear Ethan apart, barely holding back.

But without the boss’s command, they restrained themselves—for now.

Ethan glanced around. These zombies were brimming with energy too, clearly bored and looking for a fight. His expression, previously cold and unreadable, suddenly curved into a smile.

”I came to bring you something.”

”Oh?” The Zombie King—Triple Scar, judging by the claw marks—raised an eyebrow. Is he here to surrender?

Ethan said casually, ”How about some fresh meat?”

”Hell yeah! Of course we want that!” Triple Scar’s dismissive look instantly turned eager. Zombies couldn’t resist the lure of flesh and blood.

Now he was even more convinced this guy had come bearing gifts. Smart one, he thought, nodding slightly in approval.

”Where is it? How much you got?”

”Oh, plenty. Over a thousand humans, actually. Should be here any minute now.”

”Holy shit!” Triple Scar’s eyes went wide, stunned. Over a thousand? That was unheard of since the apocalypse began.

He was a power-type zombie, ranked A-class in strength—but like most of his kind, not exactly a genius. So he didn’t question it too much.

”You’re not half bad, kid,” Triple Scar rasped, giving Ethan a once-over. ”Why don’t you stick around? Roll with me from now on.”

”Oh?” Ethan nodded casually, then turned his head to glance back the way he came. ”Your meat’s here.”

”For real? Lemme see.” Triple Scar stretched his neck, following Ethan’s gaze.

Roughly 1,800 feet away, human figures began appearing on the rooftops. Down on the street, Genesis Biotech’s Awakeners were advancing in tight formation.

They moved with precision—tall, sharp, and deadly in their matching black nano-combat suits. Every single one of them had reached the crystal core stage of awakening.

There were several A+ ranks, too many A-ranks to count, and leading them was none other than S-rank Adrian himself. The pressure they gave off was suffocating.

For a typical zombie nest, this kind of human force was a waking nightmare.

Richard hadn’t sent just anyone—these were his elites.

But to Ethan, they looked... kinda dumb.

”Boss, there’s a ton of humans out there!” one of Triple Scar’s elite zombies growled.

”Yeah...” Triple Scar nodded slowly. ”But... don’t you think something feels off?”

”What do you mean?” the underling asked, confused.

”We’re no match for them,” Triple Scar said suddenly, his voice low and grim.

”Huh?”

All around, the zombies’ bloodshot eyes widened. They’d just noticed the red ”GB” insignia on the humans’ black suits.

They hadn’t seen it before, but they’d definitely heard of it.

Genesis Biotech.

”Wait, weren’t we supposed to be getting fresh meat? Why the hell are Genesis Biotech’s people showing up?”

”Shit! We’ve been played!”

”He lured them here on purpose!”

”Wait—where is he?!”

”...”

They all started looking around for Ethan—only to realize he was already gone.

And just then, Adrian and his squad arrived.

”Looks like another zombie nest,” Adrian said, scanning the area.

”Boss, our target’s just behind the horde,” the Tracker Captain reported, locking onto Ethan’s position.

”Alright then. Let’s plow through.”

Adrian didn’t even blink at the sight of an A-rank Zombie King and his horde. Honestly, his own subordinates were stronger.

”Kill them all!” someone shouted, and the Awakeners surged forward, weapons drawn.

”ROOOAAARRR—!”

Triple Scar had no choice. He let out a furious roar, rallying his horde to charge the humans.

From deep within the city, more howls echoed in response.

Just like Mist had said, Triple Scar commanded over ten thousand zombies. Now they came flooding in from every alley and street, a tidal wave of rotting flesh and rage. It was a hell of a sight.

But Adrian didn’t flinch. His face was calm, unreadable.

He simply raised a hand and signaled to the team behind him.

The Awakeners immediately lifted their crystal core firearms, aimed at the oncoming horde, and pulled the triggers.

Energy surged, roaring to life, and a storm of blazing projectiles tore through the air.

Zombies were shredded on impact—limbs flying, torsos exploding, some reduced to nothing but red mist.

Ethan watched from a distance, eyes scanning the chaos.

Yeah... these Genesis Biotech guys are actually pretty damn useful.

...