Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Back on the coast, they’d already wiped out a few small compounds. They knew exactly what places like this meant—

Endless food.

The five red-skinned monsters let out excited, hungry howls and charged straight at the compound.

Boom boom boom boom!

Heavy artillery thundered. Shells slammed into the ground at their feet, blasting out huge craters and throwing dirt and smoke sky-high.

It only slowed them down a little.

It didn’t hurt them. Not even close.

A moment later, the red-skinned monsters burst out of the smoke and kept sprinting like nothing happened.

”Ranged Enhanced—fire!” someone shouted.

A storm of long-range abilities slammed into them—ice spikes, blades of wind, energy bolts, everything the defenders had.

The effect was pathetic.

The attacks hit those bodies and might as well have been rain. The monsters didn’t even flinch.

They pushed through the barrage and reached the gate.

The massive walls that had protected Nova City for years might as well have been cardboard. One casual shove, and sections collapsed with a grinding roar.

”Melee units! Go!” the commander on the wall barked.

Even knowing it wouldn’t change anything, he kept his voice steady, kept issuing orders, like discipline could somehow hold the world together.

High-tier Enhanced rushed in wave after wave, throwing themselves at the red-skinned monsters.

They died like insects.

Swatted aside. Crushed. Ripped apart.

People always talked about ”ants devouring an elephant.”

Turns out that only works if the ants can actually break skin.

If you can’t even pierce the hide, you can bring a million bodies and it still won’t matter.

The only reason Nova City wasn’t already a burning crater was because the red-skinned monsters had decided the humans inside were food.

They didn’t use their fire abilities.

Because the moment they did, everything nearby would turn to ash—no meat left to eat.

So even with people hacking at them from all sides, the monsters moved slowly and methodically, killing as they went… eating as they went.

From the roof of the tallest building in the compound, Rowan and the other top officials watched with grief carved into their faces.

Only now did they truly understand how terrifying the Fallen Star Squad was.

Before, they’d seen Ethan’s people chase these red-skinned monsters off and thought, maybe the monsters aren’t really ”invincible.”

Now they realized how wrong they’d been.

To them—to normal people—these monsters were invincible.

Rowan watched soldiers fall one after another, and the helplessness made his chest ache. All he could do was pray the Fallen Star Squad would get here faster.

Like the prayer got answered—

Ten-plus minutes later, a few piercing cries rang out overhead.

Several flying mounts knifed through the sky, racing toward the compound at terrifying speed.

The instant the defenders recognized those massive birds, the entire compound shook with emotion. People actually started trembling.

You only understood what hope was worth after you’d tasted real despair.

Right now, those mounts were Nova City’s lifeline.

The red-skinned monsters saw them too.

Their expressions changed immediately.

Then, unbelievably, they turned and bolted—fleeing toward the distance like their lives depended on it.

The sight left everyone stunned.

These horrifying monsters… running the moment they saw Fallen Star?

That kind of pressure was unreal.

Ethan and the others locked onto the five targets instantly.

No hesitation.

Ethan simply tossed Dopey down.

With people everywhere inside the compound, this wasn’t the place to ”train” or draw things out. Better to end it fast. And Dopey had already shown itself at Silverlake anyway—there was no point hiding it now.

Dopey hit the ground and blurred.

It appeared behind one red-skinned monster—

No flashy skills. No windup.

One punch.

The monster exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Dopey vanished again, reappearing behind another—

One punch.

Blood mist.

Again.

Again.

By the time people’s eyes even started to track its movement, all five red-skinned monsters had been casually punched apart.

Five bodies erased like they’d never mattered.

The compound fell into dead silence.

Everyone just stared.

If you hadn’t fought the red-skinned monsters yourself, you couldn’t really grasp what it meant to ”scare them off.” You just knew it sounded insane.

But these people had fought them.

They knew exactly how terrifying they were.

And now they’d watched someone turn them into blood fog with one punch each.

If it hadn’t happened right in front of them, nobody would’ve believed it.

What kind of monster was that?

People strained, trying to get a clear look at the one who’d done it—

And then Ethan’s figure appeared.

A heartbeat later, Dopey was just… gone.

No sound. No trace. Like it had never been there.

The crowd’s faces shifted from shock to confusion, a wave of baffled murmurs starting to rise as everyone tried to process what they’d just seen.

Ethan calmly pocketed the five crystal cores.

Two Tier 17 cores. Three Tier 16 cores.

That alone was enough to put him in a great mood.

”Ethan—thank you!”

Rowan rushed over with a group of compound executives and bowed deeply.

”Thank you, Ethan! Thank you, Fallen Star Squad!” people shouted from all around them, faces full of raw gratitude.

Everyone here understood it perfectly: if Fallen Star Squad hadn’t made it in time, they’d be dead.

The scene actually made Ethan a little awkward.

He hadn’t come out of pure charity. He’d come for high-tier crystal cores.

…Still, he could accept the thanks. He had saved them.

”Ethan, this way, please.” Rowan gestured respectfully.

Ethan nodded. He didn’t love crowds like this. The way they looked at him was too intense—like he was some kind of saint—and it made his skin crawl.

They quickly made their way to the main conference room at the center of the compound. Ethan didn’t bother with small talk.

”General Pierce. How many red-skinned monsters’ locations do you have right now?”

”For the last two days, we’ve sent out a lot of scouts and drones,” Rowan said. ”At the moment, we’ve confirmed the positions of more than two hundred red-skinned monsters.”

”Good.” Ethan nodded. ”Send me the locations. Over the next few days, I’ll take them out one by one.”

”Alright.” Rowan nodded quickly.

Then he hesitated, looking a little helpless. ”But… there are still more than three hundred red-skinned monsters we’ve lost track of.”

Rowan drew a breath. ”Ethan… can I ask a favor? Something a little… unreasonable?”

”Say it.”

”It’s just…” Rowan looked embarrassed, but he forced the words out. ”Could I ask you to stay in Nova City for a while? You know how it is—if you’re not here, we don’t have the power to resist them at all.”

”Sure.” Ethan smiled. ”Arrange a place for us to stay. We’ll base in Nova City for now.”

He’d planned to stick around anyway.

These red-skinned monsters were basically walking treasure chests. There was no way he was letting them roam free.

”Really?” Rowan’s face lit up like someone had just handed him his life back. ”That’s—this is great!”

The other higher-ups in the room looked just as overwhelmed, some of them practically shaking with relief.

”Hurry and arrange lodging for Ethan and his people!” Rowan snapped, turning sharp with urgency. ”Give them the best mansion in the compound. The best.”

”Yes—right away!” The only woman in the room shot to her feet and rushed out.

Rowan had them treated to a huge meal. Then the Squad went right back out.

Hunting.

With Rowan’s intel, it was point-and-click. They found the targets fast and hit them clean.

After several waves of kills, Ethan’s strength finally climbed to Tier 17 peak.

They found a safe spot to rest. Ethan sat on the ground, pulled out a Tier 18 crystal core, and tossed it into his mouth like a piece of candy.

His eyes gleamed.

”Next…” He let out a breath, almost laughing at himself. ”Time for another power spike.”

…