Apocalypse: King of Zombies

”Ethan, are you heading to the government Safe Zone to take out Mayor Marks?” Miles suddenly asked.

”Yeah,” Ethan said casually. ”He’s had me on his wanted list long enough. Time to settle it.”

”Well, since your mind’s made up, I won’t try to talk you out of it. But you should be careful. Lately, Mayor Marks has been expanding his power like crazy—using every trick in the book. Word is, he’s got tens of thousands of Enhanced under his command now.”

”Your faces were posted all over the Safe Zone at one point. A lot of people there would recognize you. So when you go in, make sure to disguise yourselves.”

”Got it,” Ethan nodded.

”There’s a big building in the center of the Safe Zone—that’s where Mayor Marks lives. But I don’t know which room exactly. The place is heavily guarded, and civilians aren’t allowed anywhere near it. So getting close won’t be easy.”

”Also, rumor has it he’s got three Awakened by his side. I don’t know what their abilities are, but they’re supposed to be strong. Even if you’re both Tier 6 now, don’t underestimate them.”

Miles had spent time inside the compound, so he knew a bit about how things worked in there.

”Heh, Awakened, huh? That’s good,” Ethan said with a grin. ”Actually, it’s great news for you.”

”...Huh?” Miles blinked, confused.

”You’ll see when we get back.” Ethan clapped him on the shoulder, offering no further explanation.

Miles was still puzzled, but he didn’t press.

After leaving the house, the group split up.

Ethan and Chris headed for the government Safe Zone, while the others went off to hunt Tier 6 zombies.

Without Ethan, it’d be harder for them to track down high-tier zombies, but Tier 6s weren’t exactly rare anymore. And their traits were pretty obvious—if they ran into one, they’d recognize it.

With their current strength, taking one down wouldn’t be a problem.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Chris managed to scrounge up a pair of bicycles and pedaled toward the Safe Zone.

It was a long ride. Driving would’ve been faster, but Ethan wanted to drive, and Chris flat-out refused to get in the car with him.

So… bikes it was.

They pedaled hard for over three hours before the Safe Zone finally came into view.

They ditched the bikes in some bushes and started observing from a distance.

The place had changed a lot.

The Safe Zone had expanded at least tenfold. The walls, once ten feet high, now stood at seventeen. Soldiers patrolled constantly along the top, and every few meters there was a turret. Each side had at least a dozen heavy machine guns mounted.

”Damn. Gotta hand it to the government—their defenses are on another level,” Ethan muttered. ”Looks like a frontal assault’s off the table.”

”Ethan, want me to just sneak in and take him out?” Chris whispered.

Ethan thought for a moment, then shook his head. ”Let’s scout first. Rushing in blind is too risky.”

”Alright.”

They smeared dirt across their faces, making themselves look filthy and unrecognizable. In the apocalypse, people like that were everywhere—no one would give them a second glance.

”I’ll teleport to that corner,” Ethan said, pointing to a blind spot near the wall. ”You go invisible and meet me there.”

”Got it,” Chris nodded.

They moved quickly. As they neared the wall, Ethan blinked out of sight with a teleport and reappeared inside the Safe Zone.

Chris, completely invisible, strolled right through the front gate like he owned the place.

They regrouped a few minutes later and headed toward a cluster of low-rise buildings.

The area was full of people who looked just like them—dirty, ragged, and worn down. No one would question their presence here.

But as soon as they stepped into the zone, both Ethan and Chris frowned.

The stench was overwhelming. The people here looked like they hadn’t changed clothes in weeks. Their bodies reeked, and their eyes were dull, lifeless.

Skin clung to bone. Starvation was written all over their faces.

Ethan and Chris exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock in each other’s eyes.

This… was the government Safe Zone?

It was nothing like they’d imagined.

Ethan had expected food to be tight, sure—twenty thousand people was a lot to feed—but not like this.

The government had swept through dozens of regions. With all the resources they’d seized, feeding this many people shouldn’t have been a problem.

And yet… this was what they found.

Ethan and Chris’s arrival didn’t draw much attention at first.

But the moment people noticed the backpacks on their shoulders, more than a few eyes lit up with greed.

Still, when they saw the weapons in their hands, no one dared make a move.

”Hey, handsome… looking for some company? One piece of bread each,” a woman in her twenties stepped up to them, eyes locked on their packs as she swallowed hard.

”Uh… no thanks,” Ethan said awkwardly.

”Half a piece for both of you, then?”

”...”

They both froze.

Seriously? That cheap?

She wasn’t unattractive—before the world fell apart, a woman like her wouldn’t have been anywhere near this desperate.

And now she was offering herself for a single piece of bread.

When she looked like she was about to keep pushing, Ethan simply drew his machete.

That was enough to make her back off.

They kept walking, but it wasn’t the last time. They ran into several more just like her.

Here, it seemed like people would do anything for food.

”Looks like Mayor Marks has been skimming a lot off the top,” Chris said coldly.

”Yeah. Probably funneling resources to build up his own private force. As for the regular people? As long as they don’t starve to death, he doesn’t care.”

”I’m getting real tempted to kill him right now,” Chris muttered, licking his lips.

”Let’s find him first. This area’s probably where they keep the ’low-class’ citizens. If we want to get to him, we’ll need to move closer to the center.”

”Right.”

They headed toward the inner zone.

After a long walk, they finally reached the edge of the district. A wall separated this area from the next—clearly a boundary between the slums and the more privileged zone.

At the gate, a few guards stood watch, likely to keep people from sneaking out.

”Food distribution’s coming up soon,” one of the guards said with a sleazy grin. ”Time to let those women earn their rations.”

”You’re not worried you’ll wear yourself out?”

”Please. I’m Awakened now. I could go all night.”

”Women who just take it aren’t any fun. The ones who fight back? That’s where the real thrill is.”

”True that. Hey, you still haven’t broken that chick in Alley 16?”

”Not yet. She keeps threatening to slit her throat. But it’s only a matter of time. I haven’t given her food in two days—her kid’s about to starve. I guarantee she’ll give in today.”

”Ha! I used to hate food distribution duty. Now? I’m starting to love it.”

”Hell yeah. Way better than going out there to fight zombies and hunt for crystal cores.”

”No kidding.”

Ethan and Chris listened from the shadows, eyes cold and sharp.

So this was the so-called government Safe Zone.

”Mayor Marks,” Ethan said quietly, voice like ice, ”you really know how to dig your own grave.”

...