Apocalypse: King of Zombies

It took the group over an hour to dig out all the crystal cores.

In total, they collected more than 12,000 cores—over 5,000 Tier 3s, 6,000+ Tier 4s, around 400 Tier 5s, and one single Tier 6 crystal core.

As usual, Ethan handed the Tier 6 core to Chris. The rest were stored in Miles’s pocket dimension.

After consuming the new core, Chris finally reached the peak of Tier 6.

Once someone hit Stage D, they could passively absorb mysterious energy under the starlight. And while the absorption rate wasn’t blazing fast—probably due to their current Tier—it wasn’t exactly slow either. At this pace, it would take about seven or eight days to reach the peak of Stage D naturally. With crystal cores added into the mix, that timeline could shrink even further.

However, what came after reaching the peak of Stage D was still a mystery. No one knew how long it would take to light up the next point on the constellation map in their minds—the one representing the next stage, Mizar. They’d have to wait for Ethan to reach that point first to find out.

While the others were busy processing the crystal cores, the mutated Bengal tiger wandered off and started eating the corpse of a Stage D zombie.

Ethan noticed and couldn’t help but smile.

He’d been worried about how much food the tiger would need—given its size, it could probably eat through half a month’s rations in a single day.

But now? If it could eat zombie corpses, that was a game-changer.

In this world, if there was one thing they weren’t short on, it was zombies.

Though, it seemed the tiger was picky. It only ate the Stage D corpses—didn’t even glance at the others.

Ethan figured it was probably because the lower-tier zombies had more rot and decay, making them less appetizing.

Stage D zombies weren’t super common yet, but they were becoming more frequent. Feeding the tiger shouldn’t be a problem in the long run.

Once the crystal cores were sorted, the group hit the road again.

This time, the mutated tiger—now officially named Goldie—took point, clearing the path ahead. Ethan finally got a rare moment of peace.

Skinny Pete had named it Goldie because most of its fur was golden. The name left everyone speechless, but no one argued—after all, it was his pet.

Goldie, for its part, clearly hated the name. It took out its frustration on every abandoned car in its path. Instead of just pushing them aside, it would smash them flat first, then toss them away.

The rest of the journey was smooth. Any stray zombies they encountered were instantly swatted to death by Goldie. The squad barely had to lift a finger.

Aside from Mia and Sean taking turns driving, the rest of the team spent the ride napping or playing cards in the back.

By sundown, they’d covered nearly 200 kilometers.

That was pretty fast, considering how much time they’d lost earlier.

Since traveling at night wasn’t safe, they exited the highway at the next off-ramp and pulled into a small commercial strip to spend the night.

The area was deserted of people but crawling with zombies.

Not that it mattered.

Goldie made quick work of them—three swipes and the place was cleared.

Afterward, the group headed into a nearby supermarket. The place was a mess, but they still managed to scavenge some usable supplies.

Judging by the scene, people had holed up here at some point—until the zombies got to them.

Once they’d looted what they could, they moved to the motel behind the store to rest. They planned to get up around midnight to stargaze and absorb mysterious energy.

Maybe it was the pressure of Goldie’s presence, but their orange cat, Pumpkin, seemed to feel its throne was being threatened. That night, it broke through to Stage D, its body growing noticeably larger and stronger.

Still, it kept its distance from Goldie.

Bloodline suppression, probably.

Even when the squad had been fighting Goldie earlier, Pumpkin hadn’t dared to show its face.

After stargazing, they got another three hours of sleep. By 8 a.m., they’d eaten and were back on the road, heading home.

After a full night’s rest, Goldie was back in top form—and it showed. Their pace today was noticeably faster than the day before.

The massive tiger barreled down the road, smashing aside abandoned vehicles and clearing a path for the convoy behind it.

Mia drove right on Goldie’s tail, keeping tight formation.

The road was mostly uneventful. A few scattered zombie packs showed up here and there, but nothing that slowed them down.

That was, until they hit another tunnel—this one stretching over four miles.

Inside, they ran into another massive horde, just like last time. And once again, a Stage D zombie was leading the pack.

But this time, they had Goldie.

With the tiger tearing through the undead like a wrecking ball, the squad cleared the tunnel in just over an hour. Another pile of crystal cores added to their haul.

The Tier 6 core from the Stage D zombie went to Henry this time. Chris had already maxed out what he could absorb, and Henry’s strength was directly tied to the squad’s survival. Boosting him was a no-brainer.

Goldie devoured the Stage D corpse without hesitation, then led the way forward once more.

Finally, around 5 p.m., they crossed into Redwood County.

As the convoy rolled off the highway, they hit another wall of resistance—right at the Redwood County exit ramp.

Over a thousand zombies had gathered there, and a brutal fight broke out.

It was clear now: they’d fought their way back every step of the journey. If they hadn’t been strong enough, they never would’ve made it.

Once inside Redwood County, Ethan had Mia avoid the main roads and head straight for Chris’s house.

He had no intention of going back to his own. After his parents were gone, that place held nothing for him.

Chris’s home, though—that was different.

Chris’s parents had always treated Ethan well. Back in the day, Chris used to drag Ethan over under the excuse of needing tutoring. And since Chris’s grades had actually improved a lot after that, his parents were always warm and welcoming. Every visit came with a table full of food.

Mia turned off the main road and onto a narrow back road.

It was tight, but traffic was nonexistent, and there were barely any zombies. They made good time.

Chris kept glancing out the window, his face tight with nerves.

He hadn’t thought much about it before. But now that they were close, the anxiety hit hard.

Ethan reached over and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.

As the sun dipped low and the sky began to darken, they finally arrived at Chris’s small hometown.

But the moment they saw it, everyone fell silent.

The town was wrecked.

Collapsed buildings, overturned cars, and zombies wandering aimlessly through the ruins—it was clear the place had fallen.

The odds of anyone surviving here were slim.

Chris stepped out of the car, staring blankly at the devastation.

Then, without a word, he grabbed his weapon and started walking toward his house.

The others followed.

They cleared the way as they went, cutting down the few zombies that crossed their path.

Soon, they reached Chris’s home.

The front door was smashed in. Part of the house had collapsed.

Chris’s heart sank.

He’d expected this. But seeing it with his own eyes was something else entirely.

He rushed inside, calling out for his parents.

”Mom! Dad!”

He tore through every room, searching, shouting.

But there was no one.

No bodies. No signs of life.

Just silence.

Chris stood frozen in the middle of the living room. His eyes welled up, and tears began to fall.

Ethan walked over, placed a hand on his shoulder, and stood beside him without saying a word.

The others stayed quiet, watching from the doorway.

No one said anything.

Because deep down, they all knew—this could be their home too.

This was the world now.

And sometimes… not knowing was easier than finding out.

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