Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The one-armed Light-type Awakened had been trying to quietly slip away with the rest of the crowd.

But the moment Ethan called out to him, his body froze.

He glanced over, hoping maybe it was a mistake—but no. Ethan was looking straight at him.

His heart sank.

”Uh… is there a reason you want me to stay?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

”Of course there is,” Ethan said with a smile.

”Chris, keep an eye on him. I’m heading to Mayor Marks’s place to do a little looting.”

They already had plenty of supplies, sure—but a proper bandit never left empty-handed.

”You got it,” Chris replied casually.

He didn’t reveal himself, but the Light-type Awakened felt a presence slide up beside him. A low voice whispered in his ear.

”Don’t move. My blade’s fast. You’ve felt it.”

”…”

The man went stiff. He had felt it. That blade was terrifyingly fast.

Ethan made his way into Mayor Marks’s residence, activating [True Sight] as he moved, scanning for anything valuable.

They’d only brought two people for this op, so they couldn’t carry much. He wasn’t here for food or meds—he was after crystal cores.

If he was serious about building his own faction, those were going to be essential.

With [True Sight] active, it didn’t take long to spot a hidden compartment in the mayor’s bedroom.

Ethan popped it open easily—and grinned.

Inside was a massive stash of crystal cores.

”Damn, this guy was sitting on a goldmine.”

Ethan’s eyes lit up. There were more cores here than he and Chris had collected over their entire run so far. Tens of thousands, easy. Every Tier was represented—except Tier 6 and above.

No wonder the government was so powerful. Their ability to gather cores was on another level. And this was just what Marks had left over after empowering all those Enhanced.

Give him a little more time, and his private army would’ve been terrifying.

”Good thing we took him out early,” Ethan muttered.

If they’d waited even a few more weeks, the Safe Zone would’ve been crawling with Stage D Awakened. At that point, trying to kill Marks with just two people would’ve been suicide.

Below Stage D, Awakened were basically just stronger humans—more muscle, more endurance.

But once someone hit Stage D, they almost always awakened a real ability. And when everyone had powers? One-vs-many became a death sentence.

The crystal cores were all packed into a big burlap sack—convenient. No need to scrounge for a bag. Ethan tied it shut and slung it over his shoulder.

There were also plenty of food, drinks, and medical supplies in the house, but he didn’t bother with those. Too bulky to carry, and not worth the effort right now.

Before leaving, he tore the Starlight City map off the wall and rolled it up. Might come in handy later.

When Ethan stepped out of the house, the burlap sack slung over his back, plenty of people noticed.

Luckily, the sack wasn’t see-through. No one could tell what was inside.

If they had… someone might’ve gotten desperate.

A sack full of crystal cores was enough to build a serious power base. Anyone who got their hands on it could become a major player overnight.

”Chris, bring him. We’re done here,” Ethan called out, already heading toward the Safe Zone’s exit.

Their mission had been simple: kill Mayor Marks.

Now that it was done, there was no reason to stick around.

As for the others? Ethan had no intention of wiping them out.

Sure, some of Marks’s loyalists might still be hiding among them—but he wasn’t about to waste time hunting them down.

Let the military clean up the rest.

Ethan strolled out of the Safe Zone with a burlap sack slung over his shoulder, Chris right behind him, casually carrying a full-grown man like luggage.

Everyone watched them go—but no one dared stop them.

They’d all seen what these two could do. Trying to block their path would be suicide.

At this point, most people just wanted them gone as fast as possible.

Even some of Mayor Marks’s former loyalists were quick to distance themselves, pretending they’d never even heard the guy’s name.

”Ethan, we heading straight back?” Chris asked.

”Not yet. Let’s swing by the National Guard compound. Have the military take over the Safe Zone.”

”If the Guard doesn’t step in, this place is gonna fall apart fast. And with over a hundred thousand survivors inside, that’s a death sentence.”

”Mm.”

”Y’know, people say you’re ruthless,” Chris said with a grin. ”But I think deep down, you’re actually a good guy.”

”That depends on who I’m dealing with.”

Ethan’s tone was calm, but firm. ”You have to be ruthless to your enemies. That’s the only way to survive in the apocalypse. But don’t lose your bottom line. Otherwise, what’s the difference between us and the infected?”

”Sometimes, just going a little out of your way can save tens of thousands of innocent lives. Why not do it?”

”But,” he added, ”if you asked me to evacuate them all, lead them out of Starlight City? I wouldn’t. That’d drag us down and probably get us killed.”

”So in the apocalypse, always put your own survival first. Help others only when it doesn’t cost you too much.”

”Got it,” Chris nodded seriously.

”Hey, uh… can you guys maybe stop chatting for a sec?” the Light-type Awakened slung over Chris’s shoulder suddenly spoke up, voice weak. ”I think I’m gonna bleed out if I don’t get some help soon.”

”Shut it. You’re a peak Tier 5 Awakened. You’re not dying that easy.”

”…”

”Chris, wrap him up. Can’t have him leaking all the way there,” Ethan said.

”Fine.” Chris tore the guy’s shirt into strips and tied them tight above the severed arm, cutting off the blood flow. Then he slapped on a quick, messy bandage and hoisted him back up.

”…”

Chris pulled out a map, checked the location of the military base, and the two of them took off running in that direction.

With both of them carrying cargo, bikes were out of the question. Running was the only option.

But after ten minutes of jogging, the guy on Chris’s shoulder groaned again.

”Okay, seriously… just kill me already. If I keep bouncing like this, I’m gonna die from whiplash before we even get there.”

”No can do. You’re still useful,” Chris replied.

”Then can you at least find a damn car? This is torture!”

”You’re Tier 5. You’ll live.”

”…”

”Actually,” Ethan said suddenly, ”maybe we should find a car.”

”It’s over ten miles,” Chris muttered.

”…”

”E-Ethan, I think running’s great,” Chris said quickly. ”Good cardio. Builds endurance.”

Yeah, he definitely had PTSD from Ethan’s driving.

”You should listen to your captain…” the Light-type Awakened groaned. He was clearly done being jostled like a sack of potatoes.

”You better not regret this,” Chris muttered through clenched teeth.

Eventually, they found a car on the side of the road.

Keys were still in the ignition. No hotwiring needed.

Ethan tossed the burlap sack into the trunk and climbed into the driver’s seat.

Chris dumped the Light-type Awakened into the back, then climbed in beside him—immediately buckling his seatbelt.

The engine roared to life.

And then—

Launch mode: engaged.

The car shot forward like a missile.

…