Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The group had been chatting in the conference room for over two hours when Michael finally rushed back in, panting slightly, a medium-sized duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

He glanced at General Cross. After getting a nod, he stepped forward and placed the bag in front of Ethan.

”Ethan, here are the two hundred thousand Tier 1 crystal cores. Please check and confirm.”

”Thanks, Director Michael. Appreciate the effort.” Ethan took the bag and casually handed it off to Sean, who grabbed it without a word.

”You guys… aren’t going to count them?” Michael asked, a little stunned.

”...”

Ethan gave him a look, then chuckled. ”No need. I trust Director Michael wouldn’t mess up the numbers. Since the trade’s done, we’ll head out. I’ll leave Henry’s family search in your capable hands.”

”Of course, of course. I’ll make it a priority.”

With that, Ethan and his team left the conference room.

General Cross and the others watched them go in silence.

Once they were out of sight, Cross finally turned to the young man who’d been standing silently behind him the entire time.

”Rambo,” he said, voice low. ”Were you able to sense their power levels?”

Boone Wolfe—codename Rambo—was one of the compound’s three Tier 8 Awakened, and by far the strongest among them.

The first Tier 6 crystal core the compound had ever acquired was originally meant for General Cross himself. But he’d given it to Rambo instead—a clear sign of trust.

And Rambo had never let him down.

Despite being the compound’s top combatant, he stayed by Cross’s side as his personal guard, answering only to him. His loyalty was one of the key reasons Cross’s authority remained unshakable.

Rambo’s first ability was [Threat Detection]—he could sense the strength of nearby zombies, Awakened, and Enhanced. In the early days, this ability had been a game-changer, helping the compound hunt down high-tier zombies and secure valuable cores.

After reaching Tier 6, he awakened a second ability: [Metal Augmentation], which massively boosted the power of any weapon he wielded. Combined with his background as a legendary special forces operative, Rambo was a one-man army—completely unmatched within the compound.

But right now, his expression was grim.

He glanced at General Cross and the other senior officers, then said in a low, serious voice, ”One Tier 9. Seven Tier 8.”

”!!!”

Everyone in the room sucked in a sharp breath.

They’d had their suspicions, but hearing the exact numbers still hit like a punch to the gut.

Then Rambo spoke again.

”They’re not normal Enhanced. I can’t get a read on the Tier 9 one at all. As for the Tier 8s… I don’t think I could beat a single one of them.”

”!!!”

Every head in the room snapped toward him, eyes wide with disbelief.

Rambo—their strongest fighter, a Tier 8 Enhanced with two powerful abilities and elite combat training—was saying he couldn’t take on even one of them?

That wasn’t just strong.

That was terrifying.

They all knew how powerful Rambo was. With [Metal Augmentation] paired with [Threat Detection], he was practically unbeatable among his peers. For him to say he couldn’t take on even one of them?

That hit harder than the actual Tier numbers.

”You think they’re all Awakened?” General Cross asked, frowning.

”I’m not sure,” Rambo said, his tone heavy. ”But their presence is strong—way stronger than your average Tier 8 Enhanced.”

The room fell silent.

No wonder they’d managed to kill a Tier 9 zombie with just a handful of people. Their strength was on a whole different level.

Even the top-tier elites in Atlas City’s compound might not be able to suppress them.

Thank god they hadn’t made enemies of that group…

But still—how had they gotten so strong, so fast?

Cross was certain of one thing: in the early days of the apocalypse, no civilian group could’ve killed zombies faster than the military. They had artillery, tanks, air support—entire blocks of undead wiped out in minutes. Civilians? At best, they were hacking down a few at a time.

And yet, somehow, these people had surpassed the military in raw power. It didn’t make sense.

Luck? No one was that lucky for that long.

”If they’ve grown to this level, it’s not just because of one or two Awakened,” Cross muttered. ”It’s likely every single one of them has an extremely powerful ability. That’s the only way they could outpace the military through teamwork alone.”

”But still… how the hell do you gather eight Awakened at the very start of the apocalypse?”

Awakened had a clear edge before Tier 6, but they were incredibly rare. The odds of forming a squad of eight Awakened right when the outbreak began? Practically zero.

Cross thought it over for a long time, but in the end, he could only shake his head.

”Spread the word. While they’re in our compound, make sure everyone treats them with respect—and keeps their distance. I don’t want any unnecessary incidents.”

”Yes, sir!”

...

After leaving the command center, Ethan and his team headed straight back toward their assigned quarters. Along the way, they didn’t see any other Enhanced.

This area was a military zone—heavily guarded, with soldiers posted at every checkpoint. Regular Enhanced weren’t allowed anywhere near it.

But just as they exited the restricted zone, they were suddenly surrounded.

A crowd of nearly three hundred people blocked the street. Among them were over twenty Tier 6 Enhanced—and two Tier 7s.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he scanned the group.

Ironfang Squad.

He recognized a few faces from earlier—some of them had tried to surround them before. But he hadn’t expected them to be this strong. Two Tier 7s?

”You’re all still alive?” the young man at the front said, his face dark.

”Why wouldn’t we be?” Ethan replied with a faint smile.

”You killed someone in the compound. Right in front of the Military Police. And nothing happened to you?” the man snapped, his voice rising. ”The military talks about fairness and equal treatment—what a fucking joke.”

”Why is it that when we kill someone, we get punished, but when you do it, it’s like nothing happened?” His voice was shaking with anger now.

Ethan rolled his eyes. ”You really that dumb?”

Even in peacetime, there was no such thing as true equality—let alone in the apocalypse.

”Move. You’re in the way.”

”You think you can just walk away after killing my brother?” the man growled. ”If the military won’t enforce the rules, then don’t blame us for breaking them too.”

He wasn’t bluffing. Their side had real strength—two Tier 7s, and over twenty Tier 6s. And just to be safe, he’d even paid a hefty price to bring in the captain of Blazefury Squad for backup.

With that kind of firepower, what did they have to fear?

”Kill them!” he ordered coldly.

But just as the people behind him started to move, a sharp voice rang out from nearby.

”Rourke! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

A figure sprinted toward them.

The moment they saw who it was, Rourke and the others froze.

”Director Vaughn!” they said in unison, lowering their heads.

”What are you doing? Planning a mutiny?” Vaughn barked, eyes blazing.

”No, sir,” Rourke said quickly. ”But Director Vaughn, these people killed someone inside the compound—right in front of the Military Police—and they weren’t punished at all. Don’t we deserve an explanation?”

”I don’t owe you a damn explanation,” Vaughn snapped. ”Stand down and get the hell out of here. Anyone who throws another punch inside this compound is finished.”

”I don’t accept that!” Rourke shouted.