Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Maxwell finally let out a quiet breath when he saw Ethan arrive. ”Alright. Since everyone’s here, let’s begin.”

”Wait.” A man sitting across from Ethan spoke up. ”General Kane—aren’t you going to introduce this… gentleman?”

The speaker was Rowan Pierce, representing Nova City.

Nova City was the most important city in the federation after the capital itself. And Rowan Pierce, as a top government figure, knew pretty much every powerful person in the Atlas Federation’s upper ranks.

Yet he’d never seen the man in front of him.

But he also understood something else: if Maxwell had placed him in that seat, the man was definitely not ordinary.

Maxwell hesitated, visibly a little awkward. ”Uh… this is Ethan. Captain of Fallen Star Squad.”

When it came to Ethan, Maxwell honestly didn’t know what the ”right” introduction even was. He couldn’t exactly announce, This is a Tier 12 powerhouse, could he? Setting aside whether anyone would believe it, Maxwell didn’t dare reveal Ethan’s strength without permission.

”Pfft—”

The snort came from below, and then the mockery followed.

”You’ve gotta be kidding. I thought it was some big shot. So he’s just a squad captain?” The speaker laughed. ”What were you people in Atlas City thinking, putting a squad captain in the top seat?”

The room instantly got noisy.

Among the top powers, aside from General Cross and Goldcrest City’s newly appointed leader Damien Caldwell, the other major-compound reps all frowned.

If Ethan were a major compound’s leader, they could’ve swallowed it.

But a mere squad captain sitting above them?

That felt awful.

Still, nobody at the top immediately spoke. They were sharp enough to know Maxwell wouldn’t do this without a reason. A man placed there was almost certainly dangerous.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the room was that sharp.

A young man stood up. ”General Kane, this arrangement doesn’t seem appropriate.”

Maxwell’s gaze cut to him. ”And why isn’t it?”

”What right does a squad captain have to sit up there?”

”Whether Ethan is qualified isn’t for you to judge,” Maxwell said coldly. ”If I placed him there, I have my reasons.”

”I think Ethan sitting there is perfectly fine,” General Cross said, standing.

Damien Caldwell followed immediately. ”Agreed. I don’t see a problem with Ethan being seated there.”

Two major-compound leaders backing him in public shut a lot of mouths on the spot.

The other major-compound reps looked surprised. Then, one by one, they studied Ethan more carefully—like they were burning his face into their memories, already planning to have someone investigate him afterward.

In the crowd, a powerfully built woman with an unexpectedly sweet face watched the exchange, her expression twisted into something both shocked and complicated.

She’d thought that with her strong ability, her competence, and a bit of luck, she’d surely surpassed him by now.

But seeing him again…

The gap looked even bigger.

A seat reserved closer to the head of the table than the five major compounds. Two major-compound leaders openly taking his side.

It was obvious Ethan’s status now was on a level she couldn’t touch.

And she knew exactly who he was—a student from Starlight State University, no absurd background, no god-tier family connections. Which meant there was only one explanation.

He’d carved that position out with his own strength.

As for what kind of strength could make Atlas City—and the major compounds—treat him like this…

She didn’t know.

She only knew she was still far, far away.

So it’s true, Vivian thought, bitter and stunned at the same time. That whole bunch… they really are monsters.

Off to the side, a tall, beautiful woman also watched with surprise written plainly on her face.

”…He’s already reached this level?”

Through all the questioning and side-eyes, Ethan never once bothered to respond. He just sat there, relaxed, as if the whole argument had nothing to do with him.

Speculate all you want, he thought. I’m sitting here either way. If you don’t like it—what’s that got to do with me?

Maxwell cleared his throat, bringing the room back under control. ”Alright. Since there are no further objections to the seating arrangement, the summit will now officially begin.”

He looked over the room, voice steady.

”Everyone here should understand this: we’re living through a disaster unlike anything in recorded history…”

...

Maxwell talked for a full two-plus hours.

The core message was simple: if humanity wanted to survive what was coming, they had to stand together.

He also pushed for small compounds in remote cities—especially the ones that didn’t feel confident they could hold—to merge into nearby mid-sized and large compounds, boosting their odds of making it.

He listed a long string of compounds that had already been wiped out by zombie hordes, though how many people actually let it sink in was anyone’s guess.

A lot of people had come in worried the government would use this summit to pull every compound under centralized control.

But that never happened.

Maxwell made it clear he was willing to let compounds remain independent, and you could feel the tension in the room ease.

In this world, most compound leaders were kings of their own turf. Nobody wanted to give that up—government Safe Zones included.

Maxwell had probably realized that. So he didn’t force unification at the meeting. As for whether that would change later… who knew.

When the meeting ended, Maxwell announced that delegates from each region could head to the crystal core exchange center to trade for higher-Tier cores.

That was what everyone had been waiting for, so the moment he finished speaking, people practically poured out the back like a dam had broken.

”Ethan,” Rowan Pierce of Nova City said with a smile as he passed, ”I’m heading out. If you get the chance, come visit Nova City.”

”Haha, sure,” Ethan said easily. ”Sounds good.”

A few people who actually knew Ethan glanced at Rowan with weird looks, silently thinking, If he really visits Nova City, you won’t be smiling then…

As the other major-compound leaders filed out, they also offered polite greetings to Ethan on the way.

They still hadn’t figured out exactly who this young man really was, but that didn’t stop them from trying to get on his good side.

In fact, there used to be only four major compounds besides Atlas City.

But after recent expansion, Ironhaven City compound absorbed several nearby city compounds and finally hit the population threshold to qualify as a major compound too.

So now, besides Atlas City, Clearford City, Nova City, Goldcrest City, Silverlake City, and Ironhaven City were all considered major compounds.

”Ethan,” General Cross said, getting to his feet as well, ”I’m going to exchange some crystal cores first. How about we grab a drink tonight?”

”Sure,” Ethan said with a grin.

”Good. Then it’s settled.” Cross nodded. ”I’ll come by where you’re staying tonight.”

Not long after, Cross left the conference room too.

That was when a young man from the lower seats walked up to Ethan, smiling as he offered his hand.

”Garrett Knox, manager of Riverton City compound. Mind if I get acquainted with you?”

Ethan didn’t take the hand. He just looked at him blandly. ”I know you. You’re the guy who said I wasn’t qualified to sit here, right?”

”Uh…” Garrett awkwardly pulled his hand back, smile stiffening.

He cleared his throat. ”So… you’re definitely more than just a squad captain, then?”

”Of course.” Ethan lifted his chin a little, not hiding his pride. ”I’m also the Commander of Fallen Star City.”

”Oh…” Garrett blinked, then forced enthusiasm back onto his face. ”That explains it!”

He hesitated, then asked, ”Where is Fallen Star City? I don’t think I’ve heard of a place like that.”

”I named it,” Ethan said matter-of-factly. ”Of course you haven’t heard of it.”

Garrett’s eyes flicked, quickly recalculating. ”Naming your own city—Ethan, that’s bold.”

He tried again, testing the waters. ”From the way you talk about it, Fallen Star City must be pretty big, huh?”

”It is,” Ethan said, nodding seriously. ”Over fifty thousand people.”

”F—fifty thousand?” Garrett’s eyes bugged out.

Then he frowned, like he was sure he’d misheard. ”You mean five hundred thousand, right?”

”No,” Ethan said honestly. ”Just fifty thousand. If it were five hundred thousand, I couldn’t afford to feed them.”

”…”