Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The sound was like the call of death itself, chilling everyone to the bone and extinguishing any flicker of hope in their hearts.

Ahead, a horde of terrifying zombies seemed to awaken, letting out ferocious snarls as their bloodshot eyes gleamed with a ravenous hunger.

Among them, Bulldozer stood out, his expression disturbingly ecstatic.

"Boss really outdid himself today—an all-you-can-eat buffet with over 200 dishes on the menu..."

"ROAR—"

With a guttural howl, Bulldozer charged forward, leading his gang as they barreled into the crowd like a wrecking ball.

Screams and cries of despair erupted as people scattered in every direction, desperate to escape. But the zombies were relentless, tackling them one by one, pinning them to the ground, and tearing into their flesh.

The scene descended into utter chaos.

The moment the doors were opened, humanity had already stepped into the abyss.

Marcus felt a wave of despair crash over him.

He was completely drained, his mental energy spent, leaving him powerless to resist. Only now did he fully understand.

It was this very group of highly trained zombies that had overrun the prison and killed Alex.

And now, Ethan had risen to become the Zombie King.

A Zombie King with the power of Absolute Domain—a force so overwhelming it was practically invincible.

"How... how can humanity possibly survive this?" This was Marcus's final thought before death claimed him.

A searing pain tore through his body as Laura ripped him open, gutting him without hesitation.

Once the Genesis Biotech team was wiped out, the remaining survivors—ordinary people—stood no chance. They fell one after another, their futile resistance crushed, their bodies devoured by the ravenous undead.

This was the true apocalypse.

A world drenched in blood and slaughter, leaving nothing but helplessness and despair in its wake.

Before long, the screams of the living faded into silence, replaced by the grotesque sounds of zombies feasting on flesh.

The entire mall was overrun. Not a single soul survived.

Ethan's expression remained cold and detached as he turned and began walking away.

Behind him, Bulldozer, Laura, and the others followed obediently, their movements precise and disciplined.

"It's time to head back…"

...

After killing Marcus and his group, Ethan obtained five crystal cores. He consumed three of them, feeling a surge of power coursing through him.

It was as if he was once again on the verge of evolution.

However, the energy from the three cores was immense and would take time to fully absorb. For now, he decided to hold onto the remaining two.

On the way back, the sky began to lighten.

In the world before the apocalypse, this would have been a bright, hopeful morning, with the sun rising to greet a new day.

But now, all that lay before him was devastation. Corpses littered the streets.

The entire city was a ruin.

Ethan led his zombie followers through an abandoned city park.

A broken swing creaked softly in the breeze. Rusted benches were stained with dried blood, and the air was thick with the stench of decay and death.

Scattered zombies wandered aimlessly through the park. Some of them, eerily enough, seemed to be stuck in the routines of their former lives, their actions mechanical and hauntingly repetitive.

An elderly man, dressed in a faded tracksuit, stood stiffly in the middle of a dilapidated basketball court. His hands clutched a cracked basketball as he tried to shoot it into the hoop. His movements were slow and jerky, and the ball slipped from his grasp, rolling to the ground. Yet he seemed oblivious, continuing to mimic the motion of shooting, over and over again.

Not far away, an old woman staggered along a cracked pathway, pushing a rusted baby stroller. Her steps were unsteady, and the wheels screeched with every turn. She seemed trapped in an endless loop, walking the same path again and again.

Ethan glanced over.

Inside the stroller was a massive rat, its claws clutching something unrecognizable as it gnawed on it with relish.

Before long, a few young zombies appeared up ahead. Unlike the stiff, mindless ones from earlier, these seemed more agile—clearly, they'd fed on flesh recently.

"ROAR—"

One of the zombies opened its mouth wide, baring sharp teeth, and let out a menacing snarl at Ethan.

"Hm?" Ethan glanced at it, his expression calm.

He hadn't expected such a small, insignificant zombie to dare growl at him.

But then, he caught the meaning behind the snarl.

"This is my boss's territory. Outsiders aren't welcome here…"

It was clear this zombie served another leader. This area belonged to a different Zombie King.

No wonder it had the audacity to challenge him.

Ethan quickly understood the situation.

But Bulldozer, with his fiery temper, wasn't one to let such disrespect slide. Seeing a zombie growl at his boss, he stormed forward in two heavy steps, grabbed the offending zombie by the neck like it was a helpless chick, and slammed it into the ground with brutal force.

CRACK!

The young zombie's body shattered into pieces, blood splattering across the ground.

Still unsatisfied, Bulldozer turned to the rest of the small group of zombies and, with a few punches and kicks, reduced them all to mangled heaps of flesh.

When he returned to Ethan's side, his face was full of smug pride, as if silently demanding praise for his work.

"Let's go. Time to head back," Ethan said casually, unfazed by the incident. He led his group of zombies away without a second thought.

But from a distant hill in the park, a group of zombies watched the scene unfold.

At the front of the group stood a towering figure, at least 6'7" tall. His skin had a faint reddish hue, and thick black veins bulged across his face, forming grotesque patterns that made him look even more terrifying.

Around his neck was something dark and furry, coiled like a massive scarf.

"Master, the humans in the shopping mall were hunted down by them," one of the zombies beside him communicated. This one had clearly evolved a significant level of intelligence, comparable to Laura's.

The towering zombie let out a low growl, deep and guttural.

He considered the mall part of his territory. The humans inside had been his to hunt, to consume slowly over time.

But now, another group of zombies had taken them all.

The law of the wild was simple: two kings couldn't coexist in the same domain. Killing was instinctual for zombies, and by devouring the crystal cores of others, they could absorb their energy and grow stronger.

"It's time…" the Zombie King's eyes gleamed with bloodlust. "Time to expand my territory."

He had already marked Ethan and his group as prey.

If his horde was to grow stronger, he would have to hunt down and kill other Zombie Kings.

"Squeak—squeak-squeak!"

The furry "scarf" around his neck suddenly let out a series of eerie squeaks. It wasn't a scarf at all—it was a massive rat. But what made it truly horrifying was its human-like head, covered in fine black hair, with a grotesque, twisted face that sent shivers down the spine.

...

Ethan returned home and immediately took a bath. Afterward, he changed into a fresh set of clothes.

Nina, his housekeeper, moved quickly and efficiently, tidying up the house until it was spotless. Every item was arranged with meticulous precision, so much so that even someone with OCD would feel at ease.

After all, for most housekeepers, slacking off might cost them their paycheck. But for Nina, a poorly cleaned house could cost her life.

When Ethan changed out of his clothes, Nina immediately took them to be washed.

Even though Ethan hadn't physically touched anyone at the mall, his white shirt still carried faint traces of blood and the unmistakable metallic scent of violence.

Nina could smell it clearly.

"B-Boss, you went out for… dinner again?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah. Buffet," Ethan replied nonchalantly.

"Yikes…" Nina shivered, pulling her neck back slightly. It must've been a big scene this time. But she didn't dare ask any more questions and quickly got to work washing his clothes.

Ethan sat down and pulled out his phone, scrolling through the latest news online.

Despite the chaos he'd just caused, Genesis Biotech hadn't yet discovered what had happened.

Their official website still displayed an announcement: "Operation King Hunt is progressing smoothly and will begin soon…"

The comments section was buzzing with activity.

"If they can wipe out the zombies, that'd be great. We could rebuild society. I really hope this mission succeeds!"

"Pfft! Genesis Biotech is just using this as an excuse to conduct human experiments. They don't care about humanity—they're only hunting zombies to further their own selfish goals."

"I wonder how this operation will turn out. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

...