Apocalypse: King of Zombies

By the time Ethan and the others reached the Kane Family’s residence, Maxwell Kane still wasn’t back.

No surprise. With the compound turning upside down today, he definitely had his hands full.

But Ryan and his sister Aurora were home.

The second Ryan saw Ethan’s group walk in, his hands started sweating. The calm, steady soldier from yesterday was gone—now he looked like a man trying very hard not to panic in his own living room.

Aurora, on the other hand, strode up immediately.

”Ethan, you’re here!” she said, practically glowing. ”Come in—please!”

Her eyes were full of raw admiration.

Aurora had grown up in a military family. She’d worshiped strength since she was a kid. Her father Maxwell had always been her number-one idol… but after seeing Ethan’s group on the battlefield today—so dominant, so decisive—Maxwell suddenly didn’t feel quite as untouchable.

Maxwell was strong, sure. But he had too much to consider. Too many chains.

These people didn’t.

They ignored rules, struck without hesitation, and even against a top-tier family like the Hales, they wiped them out like it was just another job. And an enormous place like Atlas City couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

To Aurora, that was what a true powerhouse looked like.

They sat down.

Aurora didn’t even wait for tea. ”Ethan—are you recruiting? What about me? I’ll do anything. Just let me join.”

”…..”

”Aurora!” Ryan shot her a look, then turned back to Ethan, mortified. ”Sorry, Ethan. That’s my sister, Aurora. She can be… a little impulsive.”

”It’s fine.” Ethan chuckled. ”Your sister’s… pretty cute.”

Compared to Victoria, Aurora was a breath of fresh air—no princess attitude at all.

Same background, totally different vibe. Family environment mattered. And it was obvious Maxwell had raised Ryan and Aurora with a tight hand.

Aurora leaned forward, eyes shining. ”So? Do I have a chance?”

”No.” Ethan shook his head. ”Our minimum standard is Awakened, and the ability has to be seriously strong.”

”…..”

Aurora visibly deflated.

Even Ryan looked a little speechless. That ”minimum standard” probably ruled out 99.999% of the country.

Aurora coughed and tried to salvage her pride. ”Fine, but even if I’m not Awakened, my Tier 6 ability is really strong!”

Ethan activated [True Sight] and gave her an easy once-over. He actually looked mildly surprised, then nodded.

”Gravity Manipulation. That’s not bad at all.”

Aurora’s eyes went huge. ”How do you know that?!”

Big Mike puffed up like he was taking credit. ”Our captain can not only tell what ability you have—he can tell what color underwear you’re wearing.”

”...!”

Ethan shot him a look. ”If you don’t talk, nobody’s gonna think you’re mute.”

Aurora didn’t even seem to register Big Mike’s comment. She was still staring at Ethan like he was the answer key to the universe.

”Ethan, then do I really have no hope?”

”Nope.” Ethan shook his head again. ”If you’re not Awakened, you don’t get into Fallen Star Squad.”

Technically, Ethan could transfer abilities. But the squad was already full in his mind, and he wasn’t planning to expand it right now.

One more person meant one more share of resources. That slowed everyone’s growth.

Unless he ran into an Awakened that truly made his eyes light up, it wasn’t worth it.

Aurora’s Tier 6 skill was solid—but Tier 6 abilities didn’t grow or mutate the way Innate Abilities could. The ceiling was the ceiling.

”Okay…” Aurora sighed. But she was the upbeat type—she recovered fast, sliding over to Mia and Emily to chat like nothing happened.

Ryan let out a quiet breath, then said to Ethan, ”I already had someone notify my father. He should be back soon. Let’s wait for him.”

”Works for me.” Ethan nodded.

They chatted casually for a bit. Before long, Maxwell hurried back.

”Ethan—my apologies, seriously. I got swamped and kept you waiting.”

”It’s fine, General Kane.” Ethan smiled. ”If you weren’t busy today, that’d be the weird part.”

Maxwell gave a helpless look, then turned. ”Ryan—have the chef start serving.”

”Got it!”

Maxwell glanced back at Ethan. ”Drink?”

He nodded toward a cabinet. ”I’ve got a few bottles of rare bourbon. Not exactly easy to find these days.”

”Sure.” Ethan nodded. ”I’ll have some.”

With a lot of things settled, there was no need to stay wound up 24/7. It was okay to relax a little.

Soon, dish after dish hit the table. Maxwell brought out his prized bottles and poured everyone a glass.

Chris and the others raised their cups.

Only Mia and Emily didn’t drink.

Partly because they weren’t drinkers—but more importantly, because someone always needed to stay sharp.

Emily’s [Cleanse] could detox and also sober people up. Mia’s crowd control could buy them time if anything went sideways.

As long as those two stayed clear-headed, everyone else could drink without worry.

After a few rounds, the real conversation finally surfaced.

”Ethan,” Maxwell said seriously, ”I looked into what happened today. I’m pretty sure someone deliberately targeted you.”

”I know,” Ethan said calmly, popping a bite of foie gras topped with caviar into his mouth.

”The Hale Family was a threat.”

”So I eliminated them.”

”...”

Maxwell exhaled, tension easing out of his shoulders. ”Good. I was honestly worried you’d take it out on the entire compound.”

”Not really,” Ethan said. ”But I do think Atlas City’s whole structure needs to change.”

Maxwell’s eyes narrowed. ”What do you mean?”

”The Five Families sharing power isn’t good for development,” Ethan said bluntly. ”I suggest you, General Kane—you take control of the compound.”

Maxwell nearly choked. ”Ethan—don’t say things like that casually.”

”I’m not.” Ethan’s tone stayed matter-of-fact. ”Five families means five agendas. Five sets of private interests. You want stability? Stop splitting authority.”

Maxwell rubbed his forehead. ”I won’t pretend unified management wouldn’t be better. But the families won’t accept it. Everyone thinks they deserve the chair. Unifying them isn’t that easy.”

Ethan looked at him. ”Do you want to run it or not?”

Maxwell didn’t hesitate. ”Yes.”

”Then that’s it.” Ethan set his glass down. ”You take over. Anyone who disagrees—I’ll go ’visit’ their home. I’m sure they’ll come around.”

”…”

It was a decision that could reshape Atlas City, and they were discussing it like they were picking appetizers.

Maxwell gave a crooked smile, half bitter, half resigned. ”I’ll… talk to them tomorrow.”

”What’s there to talk about?” Ethan said. ”Tomorrow, call them into the conference room. I’ll handle it.”

”…”

Maxwell stared at him for a long second, then finally sighed. ”Alright. Let’s eat.”

After dinner, Ethan and the others headed out.

Maxwell had already arranged a large mansion for them near the Kane Family’s area. No need to go back to their previous place.

Ethan wasn’t about to be polite about it. Their old lodging had been decent, sure—but it wasn’t a mansion.

When they arrived, everyone was immediately satisfied. It wasn’t on the level of the custom-built setup back in Fallen Star City, but it was even bigger than the mansion they’d had in Clearford City.

That was the perk of being strong.

Wherever you went, you got special treatment.