Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”They’re calling me? From HQ?” Nathan blinked, genuinely surprised.

Up until now, he’d had almost zero direct contact with Genesis Biotech’s Global Headquarters. Whenever something came up, they always went through Richard, the North America regional director.

So for HQ to reach out to him directly? That was a first.

Jacob, standing nearby, nudged him. ”Don’t just stand there—pick up!”

”Oh, right, right...” Nathan snapped out of it and quickly hit the answer button.

It was a video call. A moment later, the massive screen lit up with the image of a young man in a Genesis Biotech tactical uniform. His hair was cropped short, stiff like steel bristles, giving him a sharp, no-nonsense look. He held a file in one hand.

”You’re Nathan, right?”

”Yeah, that’s me,” Nathan replied quickly.

”I’m Simon Blake, CHRO of Genesis Biotech,” the man introduced himself.

”Oh—an honor, really!” Nathan said, even though he’d never heard the name before. Still, the guy was clearly high up, so he kept it polite.

Simon continued, ”According to this report, you were the one who held off the Los Angeles Zombie King in the early days. Survived a siege of over a hundred thousand infected and still managed to keep your team intact. That kind of leadership is rare.”

”You’re too kind, Mr. Blake. I just... did what I had to do,” Nathan said with a modest smile.

”No need to be humble, Mr. Nathan,” Simon said. ”Now that the North America regional HQ has fallen and the other branches are barely hanging on, we’re in a critical situation. After a high-level meeting, we’ve decided to appoint you as the new Regional Director for North America.”

”What?” Nathan’s jaw dropped. He stared at the screen, stunned.

Regional Director? Again? Another promotion?

”We believe you have what it takes to lead. Your mission is to stabilize the remaining branches and rebuild Genesis Biotech’s presence across North America,” Simon said.

”Uh... I don’t know about that,” Nathan replied, hesitant. ”I barely made it out of that zombie horde alive. I’m not sure I’ve got what it takes to manage other branches on top of that.”

Right now, the zombie horde from L.A. was still tearing through everything in its path. The smart move was to lay low, stay off the radar—especially from that Zombie King.

Simon nodded. ”I understand your concerns. The situation is dangerous, no doubt. But HQ has already drawn up a plan for you. All you need to do is focus on producing Cyborgs.”

”Wait, what?” Nathan blinked, thinking he must’ve misheard. ”Did you say... produce Cyborgs?”

That came out of nowhere.

And with the tech he had access to, the best he could manage was second-gen Cyborgs—obsolete junk that had been phased out ages ago. Practically useless now.

”Why... why Cyborgs? What’s the point?”

”You don’t need to worry about that,” Simon said flatly. ”The company has its reasons.”

”But I’m running low on resources. I don’t even have enough crystal cores to—”

”If necessary,” Simon cut in, his tone suddenly serious, ”you’re authorized to extract crystal cores from your own Awakeners. Convert them all.”

Nathan’s eyes widened in shock.

That... was insane.

He hesitated, clearly rattled, but didn’t dare outright refuse. ”Understood. I’ll do my best.”

”Good. Stay strong. Survive.” With that, Simon ended the call.

The office fell into silence. Nathan sat there, frowning, deep in thought.

”This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered. ”Why is HQ so hell-bent on producing Cyborgs? It’s a total waste of resources.”

”Mr. Nathan...” Jacob spoke up quietly. ”Have you considered the possibility that something major might’ve happened at HQ?”

Nathan’s eyes widened. Now that Jacob mentioned it...

”No way...”

”You never know,” Jacob said, calm and analytical. ”In the apocalypse, nothing’s off the table.”

Nathan knew Jacob wasn’t just some random survivor—he was sharp, resourceful, and had made it this far purely on his own wits. Sophia had left him behind as her last ’gift,’ and Nathan had come to value his insight.

”So... what do you think? Should we follow HQ’s orders?”

”If it were me?” Jacob said seriously. ”I’d wait. Best move right now is to hold steady. Don’t make any sudden moves.”

”Yeah...” Nathan nodded. If there was one thing he was good at, it was dragging his feet—and he was also smart enough to listen to good advice.

”Alright. We’ll do it your way...”

...

After Richard’s death in battle, the remaining Genesis Biotech branches scattered across North America began receiving word: Nathan had been promoted to Regional Director.

The news hit hard.

No one had expected things to spiral this far out of control.

Along with the announcement came a directive—clear and urgent: full-scale production of Cyborgs was now top priority.

Meanwhile, the former North American HQ of Genesis Biotech in Texas had fallen completely into the hands of the undead.

Atop the building, the Elegy Zombie King stood tall, her fingers dancing across the strings of her guitar. Vines swayed behind her, black mist curling through the air, and a rain of petals drifted down around her like a twisted music video.

”Just dance, gonna be okay...” she crooned, her raspy, smoky voice giving the pop lyrics a haunting edge.

Below her, a sea of zombies swayed in rhythm, their grotesque bodies moving to the beat like a macabre flash mob.

Big Ears was among them, grinning wide. ”Look at this! I took this whole base for you guys!”

”Big Ears, you’re a damn legend!” Shrimpy cheered, clapping his tiny hands.

Gatorax leaned in, curious. ”So what’s next, Big Ears? Got another plan?”

”Of course!” Big Ears puffed up with pride. ”I’m gonna keep fighting for Boss Ethan, spread his name across the world until no one forgets it!”

He paused dramatically, then added, ”Which means our next target... is to wipe Genesis Biotech off the face of the Earth.”

”Huh? Didn’t we already crush them?” Shrimpy asked, confused.

”I’m talkin’ about... Genesis Biotech Global Headquarters,” Big Ears said, drawing out the words with a wicked grin.

The surrounding zombies froze for a second, their glowing eyes widening in shock—then came the chorus of awe.

”Whoa... badass!”

”Insane!”

...

Inside the ruined base, a small group of humans was still active—Mia, Chris, and the rest of their crew. They’d already looted the place top to bottom, walking away with a serious haul.

Using the base’s satellite comms, they managed to get in touch with the Los Angeles safe zone.

”How’s it going in Texas?” came Robert’s voice through the speaker. He hadn’t joined the battle—someone had to stay behind and hold down the fort.

”Pretty good,” Mia replied casually. ”Ethan took over Genesis Biotech’s North American HQ.”

Robert went quiet for a moment, processing the news. Damn... he thought. That Zombie King of ours really is something else. Took down the entire HQ.

”How many heavy hitters did Genesis Biotech throw at you guys?” he asked.

”A lot,” Mia said. ”Two SS-rank Awakeners from The Awakened Files, plus ten fourth-gen Cyborgs. They threw everything they had at us.”

Robert’s eyes widened. That kind of lineup was no joke—pure nightmare fuel.

”Must’ve been one hell of a fight.”

”Yeah, it was,” Mia nodded. ”Ethan even got his clothes dirty...”

...