Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Leonard answered Ethan’s question with a cold look. ”You killed Conrad. That’s like cutting off one of my arms. You also made me lose face. Of course I wasn’t going to let you find them that easily.”

”You think I’d believe that?” Ethan snorted, then glanced at Skinny Pete. ”Ask him.”

”Yeah.” Skinny Pete looked Lucas in the eye again. ”Why did you swap them out? What was the goal?”

”I don’t know,” Lucas said woodenly. ”Uncle Leonard probably wanted to… stall for time.”

”Why stall?”

”Maybe he wanted to… live… specimens…”

”Shut up!” Leonard suddenly bellowed.

That roar hit Lucas like a whip. The fear that had been hammered into him for years surged up, and his face twisted in resistance.

”I don’t know! I don’t know anything!” Lucas shook his head violently, struggling harder and harder.

Skinny Pete frowned and increased the pressure of [Enthrallment].

Lucas’s struggle abruptly stopped.

He tilted his head at Skinny Pete, broke into a stupid grin, and started giggling.

”Heh heh…”

”Hahaha…”

”...”

”Damn.” Skinny Pete sighed. ”He’s a vegetable.”

”Could he be faking it?” Ethan frowned.

”No.” Skinny Pete shook his head, sounding genuinely annoyed. ”My ability isn’t working on him anymore. His head’s blank. Completely wiped.”

That was the downside of [Enthrallment]. If someone resisted too fiercely and you forced control anyway, it was easy to break their mind.

Humans weren’t like mutant beasts. Their thoughts were too complicated—and their brains were too fragile. One wrong push and they just… collapsed.

That was why [Beast Control] only worked on mutant beasts. For humans, it had to be [Enthrallment].

Ethan shrugged. ”Fine. If he’s brain-dead, he’s brain-dead. As long as the key person is still here.”

Then he looked back at Leonard, voice turning sharp. ”You’re impressive, you know that? One sentence and you turned your own nephew into an idiot.”

”…”

Leonard shot Ethan a look, expression flat, and stayed silent.

Honestly, Lucas becoming an idiot was better for Leonard. Less risk of things leaking. If Leonard kept his mouth shut, he could still manage this.

He’d just underestimated Ethan’s methods.

Ethan rubbed his chin and looked at Skinny Pete. ”Skinny Pete. If I beat him half to death, do you think your Enthrallment success rate goes up?”

”Not necessarily,” Skinny Pete said. ”Some people get more stubborn the more they’re hurt.”

”That’s just because they’re not hurt enough,” Ethan said with a light laugh. ”Willpower’s something you can grind down.”

He turned to Leonard with a crooked smile.

Leonard’s face tightened. ”What are you going to do…”

”I’m warning you—this is Goldcrest City. Don’t do anything stupid!”

”Goldcrest City, huh?” Ethan’s smile went cold.

He lifted his foot and stomped down on Leonard’s foot.

Crack!

”Mmph—!” Leonard sucked in a harsh breath, rage blazing in his eyes as he glared up at Ethan. ”You lunatic! You dare do this to me? Believe it or not, I’ll have someone kill his parents right now!”

”I don’t believe it,” Ethan said, voice like steel. ”You won’t dare. If they lose even a single hair, I’ll turn you into a biology specimen—slice by slice.”

”!!!”

Leonard’s face twitched. ”What do you want?!”

”Don’t want anything.” Ethan shrugged. ”Just feel like torturing you.”

Then he stomped Leonard’s other foot.

”Gah—!”

”You’re insane!”

”Thanks.” Ethan’s grin came back, sharp as a blade. ”Now talk. What the hell is this ’live specimen’ thing?”

”What live specimen?” Leonard snarled through clenched teeth. ”I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

”Still playing dumb?” Ethan hauled Leonard up by the collar, eyes locked on his face. ”Then let me guess. ’Live specimens’… you mean live human experiments, don’t you? You weren’t planning to ’stall’—you were planning to grab us and use us as test subjects!”

Leonard’s expression flickered—just for a split second.

Then he masked it again.

”I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

”Holy shit.” Ethan’s eyes narrowed. ”So it’s true.”

He slammed Leonard back onto the floor.

”You bastard. You’ve got some nerve—trying to set your sights on us.” Ethan’s voice was almost amused, but it carried a knife edge. ”I’m curious, though. What made you think you could take us?”

Leonard clenched his jaw and refused to answer.

The commander of Goldcrest City’s compound—former Deputy Base Commander—being treated like this… Leonard was furious beyond words. And more than that, he was sick with humiliation.

He’d planned everything out, step by step.

But these two didn’t follow any script.

Worst of all, they had a mental control ability. It wrecked his entire setup in one move.

And the most unbelievable part? Ethan had attacked him without warning.

This was Goldcrest City. Who in their right mind would lay hands on the highest commander here?

Only a madman.

From the moment they entered the compound, every single step had gone outside Leonard’s expectations. And now he was a prisoner in his own mansion.

It didn’t even feel real. Like some stupid nightmare.

Then a shout came from outside the door.

”Whoever’s inside, listen up! You’re surrounded! Release Colonel Hale right now, or you’ll have nowhere to stand in all of Goldcrest City!”

Leonard’s forehead beaded with sweat.

Idiots… are you trying to get me killed faster?

Ethan looked down at Leonard with a half-smile.

”Your people are pretty loyal.”

He crouched a little, voice calm. ”Alright. No time for chit-chat. If you won’t talk, I’ll use my method to make you.”

Ethan stepped down on Leonard’s foot again—then started grinding upward, inch by inch.

”Aaah—!”

The pain of bone being crushed into powder finally ripped a scream out of Leonard.

”Kill me if you’ve got the guts!” Leonard spat, shaking. ”Kill me—and you won’t get away clean! His parents will be the first to die!”

”Who said I’m killing you?” Ethan said lightly. ”I’m just giving you a massage.”

Crack. Crack.

The sound of breaking bone kept coming, steady and awful. Leonard’s entire face contorted.

Then—

BAM!

The mansion’s front doors were smashed open.

A wave of people rushed in.

”Stop!”

”Let Colonel Hale go, or I’ll kill them!”

A few guards shoved a middle-aged couple forward at gunpoint.

”Dad! Mom!”

Skinny Pete’s face lit up—then tightened with raw emotion.

”Peter…?”

”Peter!!”

The couple stared at him like they’d seen a ghost, rubbing at their eyes as if they couldn’t trust what they were seeing.

”Peter!”

Skinny Pete’s mom tried to rush to him, but the guards blocked her. At the same time, more gun barrels snapped up—over a dozen—pressing toward their heads.

The couple froze, terror of the guns locking their bodies in place. But the way they looked at Skinny Pete was pure concern.

”Peter, run!” his mother cried. ”As long as you’re alive, Mom can finally rest!”

”Go, Peter!” his father shouted.

Skinny Pete’s dad even leaned his body forward, trying to shield the gun barrels—like he was afraid they’d point them at Skinny Pete next.

Skinny Pete’s expression went dead cold.

”You…” His voice shook with rage. ”You’re looking for death.”