Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The AI in T-09’s brain was running at full throttle. He didn’t even need to track Laura’s movements visually—just the spot where she vanished and the angle of her motion were enough for him to calculate her trajectory with pinpoint accuracy.

A split second later, he raised his hand and snatched at the air.

Snap!

With a sharp crack, his fingers clamped down around Laura’s wrist—dead on target, thanks to his insane processing power.

”Ugh…”

Laura’s fierce, predatory eyes widened in shock. This was the first time anyone had ever caught her like that.

”Gotcha,” T-09 said, lifting his head. His eyes glowed with a pulsing green light.

Then his fingers tightened. Made of adamantium alloy, his grip was like a steel vice. Laura’s arm cracked audibly under the pressure.

”AAARGH—!”

She threw her head back and screamed, the pain ripping through her. Her injuries were getting worse by the second.

T-09 reached out with his other hand, aiming straight for her skull. One more move, and it’d be over.

But just then, the ground trembled—like something massive was charging their way.

T-09 turned his head—and there he was. Bulldozer, a hulking brute of a zombie, barreling toward them at full speed. He swung his massive fist straight at T-09’s face.

”Don’t you dare hurt Laura!”

BOOM!

With a heavy thud, the punch landed. T-09 was sent flying over a hundred feet, his body carving a deep trench into the ground as he tumbled and finally skidded to a stop.

The liquid metal on his face had caved in, forming a deep dent—but within seconds, it began to ripple and reform, healing itself.

Bulldozer shook out his fist, wincing. ”Damn… dude’s built like a tank.”

”Kill them all!” Laura snarled, staggering to her feet. She was covered in blood and grime, her right arm hanging uselessly by a few tendons and strips of skin. It was clearly broken beyond repair.

But her eyes still burned with bloodlust, glowing with a savage light.

”Shit…”

Selene and the others were frozen in place, horrified. This Zombie Queen was terrifying. Just meeting her gaze sent chills down their spines—it felt like poking a hornet’s nest with a stick.

”Did Sophia overlook something?” someone whispered. ”These zombies… they’ve evolved way too far. They’re actually backing each other up.”

”Yeah, T-09 almost had her just now. That was our best shot. So close…”

”So what now?”

…

While they hesitated, a voice crackled through their earpieces—Sophia, calling in from the rear.

”If it’s not working, fall back for now. Those zombies still have to face off against the San Diego horde. They won’t chase us too far. We can regroup and strike again later.”

”Oh—right!”

The team snapped out of it. That actually made a lot of sense. Sophia had a sharp read on the battlefield, and her command instincts were spot-on.

”Let’s pull back for now…”

Selene lowered her voice, speaking to the others. She didn’t dare make any sudden moves—one wrong twitch, and those two Zombie Kings would be on them in a heartbeat.

But just as she started to back away, something coiled around her ankle—a vine.

A raspy, gravelly voice rang out.

”Who the hell do you think you are? Beat up Queen Laura and think you can just walk away?”

A new figure rose from the brush nearby—another Zombie King. His head was crowned with vibrant green foliage, and he walked toward them slowly, deliberately.

”ROAR—!”

A tiger’s roar split the air. A zombified white tiger leapt into view, its face and fangs slick with the blood of zombie hounds. The air around it reeked of death and fury.

More backup had arrived.

And not just any zombies—these were elite units, even top-tier enforcers.

They’d already wiped out their enemies in the battle against the San Diego nest. Nightbane’s forces had been decimated. Even if they didn’t keep killing, there was no one left to stop them.

Now, with humans daring to ambush Laura, they were closing in from all sides.

”Shit. We’ve drawn every damn zombie in the area,” Selene muttered, her brows furrowed tight.

The rest of the team looked just as grim. Hunting a Zombie King was already a suicide mission on a good day—now it was turning into a full-blown nightmare.

One of the younger guys hesitated, then said, ”This is way harder than we thought. Honestly… maybe we should’ve just listened to Mr. Nathan…”

”Shut up!” Selene snapped, cutting him off before he could finish.

Thankfully, just then, Cyborg T-09 rose from the trench he’d carved into the ground. He walked forward slowly, positioning himself between the team and the incoming horde.

That bald, gleaming head of his had never looked more reassuring.

”I’ll cover you,” he said, voice calm and steady.

”Can he really hold them off…?” Selene thought, doubt creeping in.

Truth was, they actually had a slight advantage right now—Laura was badly wounded, while the humans were still in decent shape.

But that only mattered if they could get the hell out.

”Fall back!” Selene barked, swinging her longsword in one clean arc. The blade sliced through the vine wrapped around her ankle, and she turned on her heel, bolting away.

She moved like a shadow—quick, agile, every step light and precise. As an S-rank Speed Awakener, she was built for this.

”ROOOAAAR!”

Bulldozer let out a thunderous roar and charged after her, joined by Sprout, the zombie tiger Snowy, and a swarm of elite undead.

Frostwall! Flame Barrier!

T-09 threw his arms wide—ice surging from his left hand, fire erupting from his right. Twin elemental forces exploded outward, forming a barrier between the humans and the oncoming monsters.

Bulldozer and Snowy were the first to slam into him, claws and fists flying.

Meanwhile, Sprout’s body glowed with a sickly green light. Vines burst from the ground, growing at an insane rate. They slithered around T-09’s defenses, snaking toward the fleeing humans.

”Oh my god!” someone screamed, slashing wildly at the vines.

But there were too many. They came in waves, thick and fast, impossible to cut through.

Aside from Selene, none of the others had S-rank power. They were outmatched.

One of the weaker fighters was instantly impaled by a vine, lifted high into the air, and drained of blood and flesh in seconds.

A young man nearby turned pale. ”I… I don’t think I’m getting out of here…”

”You’re absolutely right.”

A raspy voice whispered behind him.

He spun around—and froze.

A shadowy figure was rising from the ground, pitch-black and silent.

”Wha—there’s another one?!”

They hadn’t even noticed Little Shadow until now.

Without hesitation, the creature raised a razor-sharp bone claw and shlunk—drove it straight through the young man’s chest.

Blood sprayed. The body went limp.

Then Little Shadow melted back into the darkness, joining Sprout in the slaughter.

The human team was dropping fast.

…

High above, a sleek aircraft streaked across the sky.

Inside, Nathan lounged in his office chair, watching the live feed on a massive screen. He’d been monitoring Selene’s team the whole time.

”See? What did I say? This was a suicide mission from the start,” he muttered, shaking his head.

”Yeah… Sophia was a little too reckless this time,” his secretary added, standing nearby.

Nathan leaned back, arms crossed—until something on the screen made him freeze.

”Wait a second…”

His expression shifted. He slowly sat upright, eyes narrowing like he’d just seen a ghost.

Because there, on the monitor, was Sophia—standing beside one of the aircrafts.

But she wasn’t alone anymore.

Several figures had appeared around her.

Leading them was a broad-shouldered man, built like a tank, with a jagged scar running across his face. But what really caught Nathan’s eye was the tattoo on the man’s jawline:

A black hand—the unmistakable mark of the Black Hand Legion.

The man was talking to Sophia, smiling casually, even flirting a little.

Nathan’s voice dropped to a whisper.

”Black Hand Legion…”

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