Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Inside the valley…

Ethan and the others were already awake.

The poison had been fully purged from their systems, and most of their injuries were patched up thanks to Henry’s healing.

Everyone had regrouped, but the mood was heavy.

Ethan stood there, brow furrowed in thought.

This was, without a doubt, the first true failure since the Fallen Star Squad had formed. Sure, they’d been injured in past fights—it came with the job—but they’d always completed their objectives in the end.

Not this time.

They’d walked away with nothing. Just bruises and frustration.

Then again, none of them were strangers to setbacks. In fact, a hard loss like this might actually do the squad some good in the long run.

Ethan wasn’t the type to take failure lying down. He was methodical, always analyzing, always learning; and he had a stubborn streak a mile wide.

Right now, he was stuck trying to figure out a way to take down those Ironback Rats.

But no matter how long he mulled it over, nothing solid came to mind.

Those damn things were like little tanks with tails—solid as a bunker and way too fast for something that ugly. Made you wonder how they’d survived out here, surrounded by stronger mutants, despite having poor sight, slow reflexes, and lousy perception.

But clearly, it worked. That armor and mobility combo made them freakishly effective.

Hell, even those white-furred apes probably didn’t want to pick fights with them.

Ethan exhaled a long breath and looked around the circle. ”How’s everyone holding up?”

”Shit,” Big Mike grumbled. ”I swear I never want to fight those freaks again.”

”Same,” Garrick said with a tired laugh. ”I’d rather go toe-to-toe with a Tier-10 Titan Ape than face those rat bastards again.”

Everyone else looked just as fed up. No one seemed eager for a rematch with the Ironbacks anytime soon.

”Well… guess that means we’re turning our sights back to the Titan Apes,” Ethan said with a shrug. ”We’ll rest up here for now. Tonight, I’ll go hit their camp for a quick ambush.”

They’d been through hell today—first mauled by that Bloodfang Wolf, then wrecked by the Ironback Rats. Physically and mentally, everyone was running on fumes.

It felt like ever since they’d entered this place, they’d either been wounded, getting wounded, or healing from being wounded.

Back outside, they’d felt pretty capable. Maybe even got a little cocky.

In here? They were being slapped back to reality with every step.

Hearing Ethan’s plan, the group nodded. No arguments. Rest was not just welcome—it was necessary.

”I’ll go with you tonight,” Chris offered.

”Works for me. You’ve got a knack for this kind of thing,” Ethan said, giving him a nod.

The squad settled in inside the valley.

This was Ironback Rat territory, which had its perks—other mutant beasts usually steered clear. The Ironbacks themselves didn’t seem interested in the rocky terrain of the valley, either. They preferred roaming the grasslands. So far, none had shown up around here.

And even if they did come snooping, they were slow. Getting away wouldn’t be a problem.

Ethan glanced over at their mutant beasts. Bengal Tiger Goldie and the rest looked drained and listless. From his storage ring, Ethan pulled out a few carcasses of Bloodfang Wolves and tossed them over.

Right now, only Pumpkin—the orange cat—was still stuck at Tier 8.

The thing with mutant beasts was they couldn’t just absorb crystal cores to level up. They had to eat. The better the meat, the faster the gains. Same logic either way.

Which was why Ethan didn’t waste any of their hard-won cores on them—instead, he just fed them corpses from high-tier prey.

As soon as the Bloodfang Wolf meat hit the ground, the beasts perked right up. Energy surged back into them as they dug in like it was a five-star buffet.

Was the wolf meat just tastier or what? Because none of them had looked this happy chewing on Titan Ape before.

”These things love Bloodfang meat that much? Maybe we oughta roast a few ourselves,” Big Mike mused, licking his lips as he watched the beasts chow down.

Chris rolled his eyes. ”You wanna die, go ahead. Who’s dumb enough to light a fire in this place?”

”I was just saying…” Big Mike mumbled, scratching his head with an awkward grin.

But then, Ethan’s eyes lit up.

”That’s actually… a damn good idea.”

”???”

Everyone stared at him, blank and blinking.

”Captain, I was seriously just joking,” Big Mike said quickly, hands raised like he was surrendering.

”I know,” Ethan replied, grinning. ”But it’s still a solid idea. I’m going with it.”

”...”

”Boss, you haven’t been craving grilled meat that badly, have you? Why don’t we wait till we get out of this nightmare first?” Big Mike looked like he was about to cry. ”Trying to cook out here is a death sentence.”

Ethan just laughed. ”Ah, so now you’re scared?”

”Damn right I am! I’m way too young to die.”

”Exactly!” another team member cut in. ”Lighting a fire in this hellhole is like ringing a dinner bell for mutant beasts. Once they get a whiff, we won’t even have time to run!”

Was their captain hit in the head by an Ironback Rat’s tail or something?

But Ethan smirked. ”That’s the whole point.”

He raised a brow. ”We’re not barbecuing here, though—we’ll go do it in the Titan Apes’ territory.”

”In… their territory?”

”Wait—” Mia’s eyes brightened, connecting the dots. ”You wanna use the smell to lure in other mutants? Stir up chaos in their turf?”

”Pretty much,” Ethan confirmed, nodding. ”If we’re lucky, it’ll draw other beasts into their zone. If not, it’ll at least split the Titan Apes’ numbers. Either way, gives us an opening to work with.”

”Damn… that’s actually kind of genius.”

”Save the compliments,” Ethan chuckled. ”First we rest. Tonight, Chris and I will sneak in, scout their numbers and patrol paths. If it works out, tomorrow night’s gonna be a BBQ party.”

The group let out a collective ”Hell yeah!”

As the sky darkened, the valley sank into shadow—thick, but not pitch black. Starlight dusted the heavens above, enough glow to make out movement within about fifty feet.

Ethan gathered the team and gave final instructions. ”Keep quiet, stay sharp. Chris and I are heading out.”

He and Chris slipped from the valley, moving low and fast toward Titan Ape territory.

With True Sight active, Ethan could see as clearly as in daylight. Night held no surprises for him.

They crept carefully back toward the exit zone’s edge, where the Titan Apes were thickest.

And sure enough, those oversized primates were still patrolling—even in the dead of night. Tireless bastards.

”Split up,” Ethan whispered. ”You go that way; I’ll circle from the other side.”

Chris nodded and immediately melted into stealth, drifting silently toward a nearby Tier 9 Titan Ape.

Ethan blinked out with Teleportation, vanishing into the dark.

The first Titan Ape roar shattered the night silence—just like that, the hunt was back on.

Howls and fury erupted across the territory. Massive shadows thundered by as groups of Titan Apes tore through the trees, howling like berserkers, chasing ghosts.

What they didn’t know? The ghosts were real.

Unbeknownst to them, several Silverfox Squad survivors were still hiding near the Titan Ape patrol grounds, tucked away in caves or buried shallow in shrub dens, some barely breathing.

Now? They were shaking like leaves.

Watching Titan Apes charge around—sniffing, growling, smashing anything that looked even remotely suspicious—was pure nightmare fuel for them.

Unfortunately for some of them… luck ran out.

The Apes didn’t find Ethan.

But they did find quite a few of the Silverfox Squad.

Dragged out by angry Titans, several unlucky refugees didn’t even get to scream before getting flattened or ripped apart. People who had dodged death in the valley were now cursing whatever idiot had provoked these monsters.

”Which damn bastard stirred them up!? I swear, I’ll kill you myself!”

Ethan hadn’t even realized they were there. His focus was entirely on the Apes.

But once he saw the chaos spilling through the area… well, it barely registered.

He didn’t feel bad.

He already didn’t care much for the Silverfox Squad.

If they died, they died.

After all, the reason they escaped earlier? Him.

And now they were caught again… also because of him.

You call it misfortune. Ethan called it karma.