Apocalypse: King of Zombies

A few moments later, a group of young people appeared at the entrance of Big Mike’s BBQ & Buffet.

They were dressed simply but practically—most of them wore hooded jackets or long coats, with scarves wrapped around their necks to keep out the dust. Their expressions were tense, eyes darting around the street like they were ready to bolt at any second.

They didn’t speak loudly. Instead, they communicated with quick hand signals or hushed whispers, moving fast but with a clear sense of coordination.

”This is the place Emily mentioned, right?”

”Yeah, no doubt about it.”

”Looks like it’s shut down.”

”Let’s go—move!”

”…”

They pushed the door open and stepped inside—only to immediately spot a girl standing at the bottom of the staircase.

”Over here, quick!” Emily waved them over, clearly excited to see them.

They hurried to her and followed her up the stairs.

”Emily, you said the new person you found is strong?”

”Yeah, I think so,” Emily replied without hesitation.

The guy leading the group raised an eyebrow. ”Stronger than me?”

”Probably…” she said, a little unsure.

”For real?”

Once they reached the second floor, the young man pulled down his scarf and lowered his hood out of courtesy, revealing a clean-cut, handsome face.

They headed straight for Mia’s room.

Inside, Emily made the introductions. ”Mia, this is Aiden Graves, leader of The Ember Ring.”

”Hey,” Mia said casually, barely glancing up.

Aiden gave her a once-over. His first impression? Stunning. Her features were sharp and striking, with a cool, distant vibe that made her seem effortlessly badass.

”Ahem! Hi, nice to meet you. I’m a B+ level Awakener—lightning-type abilities,” he said, trying to sound confident.

”Oh…” Mia responded flatly, not offering much else.

Oliver, Sean, and the others didn’t react either. They just kept doing their own thing, barely acknowledging the new arrivals.

Aiden looked around, confused. This wasn’t the reception he’d expected.

After all, B+ was basically the peak of human power in this town. Anyone who broke through to A-level would be hunted down and eliminated by the vampires immediately.

”Why aren’t they surprised?” he muttered to himself.

Just then, Chris strolled over with a friendly grin. He was always the sociable one. ”Hey Aiden, nice to meet you. B+ is impressive—you’re one of the strongest humans around.”

”Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Aiden replied with a modest smile, though he was clearly pleased. Finally, someone who got it.

But Chris added with a chuckle, ”No need to be modest. I’m B+ too—you’re almost catching up to me.”

”Uh…” Aiden’s smile froze for a second. ”Anyway, let’s focus on the real issue—how we’re gonna deal with the vampires. That’s what really matters.”

But before he could finish the thought, the whole town suddenly stirred. Outside the window, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the streets. Vampire guards were rushing toward the breeding facility.

Everyone in the room rushed to the window to see what was going on.

”What the hell’s happening?” Aiden asked, frowning.

He’d been laying low in this town for a while, and he’d never seen anything like this.

”Don’t worry,” Mia said calmly, her sharp eyes scanning the distance. She had a feeling one of the Zombie Kings was starting to make a move.

Not wanting to lose face in front of everyone, Aiden forced a grin. ”Me? Scared? If I was scared, I wouldn’t have founded The Ember Ring. We exist to fight back against the vampires.”

”That’s good,” Mia said with a nod.

Just then, a squad of vampire guards passed by downstairs. One of them glanced at the restaurant and noticed the ”Closed” sign hanging on the door. Something didn’t sit right.

”Why’s it closed?”

”Wait… I smell humans. And blood.”

”Move! Check it out—now!”

”…”

As the vampire captain gave a sharp wave of his hand, a squad of bloodsuckers kicked the door in and stormed into the restaurant without hesitation.

Aiden’s face went pale. ”Shit! I think we’ve been made. We should jump out the window while we still can!”

Mia turned to him, one brow raised. ”Didn’t you say you weren’t scared?”

”I’m not!” Aiden said, forcing a brave face.

”Oh? Then go downstairs and kill them all.”

”???” Aiden stared at her, completely thrown. ”Kill them? You mean, like, actually fight those monsters head-on?”

Before he could get an answer, the vampires had already sniffed their way up to the second floor.

”Get ready,” Mia said calmly.

”Yeah,” Oliver and Chris replied in unison, drawing their weapons with a metallic hiss. The sound of steel scraping echoed through the room.

The vampires charged down the hallway—but suddenly, their bodies froze mid-sprint.

A low, commanding voice rang out.

”Blood Burst.”

The vampires’ veins bulged grotesquely, their blood seemingly trying to rip its way out of their bodies.

”Ugh, does he have to be this hot while murdering people?” Griffin’s sharp voice cut through the tension as he burst out of a side room, looking absolutely feral.

His kukri blades flashed through the air, leaving afterimages as he sliced through the necks of the first few vampires with brutal precision.

Chris activated his fire ability, heat radiating off him in waves. He slapped a hand against the wall, and flames erupted, racing down the corridor like a living thing.

”AAARGH—!”

”Damn humans!”

”It burns! Are you trying to start a rebellion?!”

”…”

The vampires screamed in agony, their twisted faces contorting as the fire consumed them. Within seconds, they were reduced to ash, scattered on the floor like burnt paper.

”Holy crap, they’re insane,” Aiden muttered, wide-eyed.

He couldn’t just stand there and look useless—he had to show what he was made of.

Suddenly, the windows on the second floor shattered one after another. More vampires appeared, their monstrous faces pressed against the broken glass. Their true forms were on full display—veins bulging, fangs gleaming, eyes wild with bloodlust.

The noise had drawn even more of them. And with their ability to send out psychic signals, the swarm was growing fast.

”This is no different from fighting in a corpse nest…” Aiden thought, heart pounding. But there was no backing out now. ”Screw it—let’s go all in!”

”Right behind you!” Emily and the others shouted, activating their abilities. They didn’t have proper weapons, so they fought barehanded, throwing themselves into the fray.

Electricity crackled around Aiden, sparks dancing across his skin. His hair stood on end as his lightning powers surged to life.

He moved like a blur, striking out with electrified fists. Every vampire he hit convulsed violently, smoke rising from their twitching bodies before they collapsed in pain.

His lightning attacks were devastating—each strike dropped another vampire, their bodies writhing before turning still.

”Aiden’s killing it!”

”That’s our leader for you!”

”No wonder he’s the strongest human in town!”

”…”

The Ember Ring members couldn’t help but cheer him on.

”Hmph.” Aiden gave a smug little snort, clearly pleased with the praise.

Then, almost instinctively, he glanced over at Mia.

And, as luck would have it, she was looking right back at him. Her gaze was steady, thoughtful, with a flicker of something like nostalgia in her eyes.

Aiden’s heart skipped. He figured she must’ve been impressed. ”So? Not bad, right?”

”You’re pretty good,” Mia nodded. Then added, ”You remind me of that busted Tachi I used to have…”

…