Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan was walking toward the building.

He could already sense it—four human presences closing in behind him. They were leaping across the rooftops on either side, stealthily tracking him.

"Stop right there!" Suddenly, someone landed behind Ethan, one hand on the ground to steady himself as he barked out the command.

Ethan stopped in his tracks and turned around.

It was Ryan. He straightened up, dusting off his hands. The expression on his face was completely different from before. Gone was the warm, friendly smile—replaced by a cold, sinister smirk, as if he were a completely different person.

"If you won't trade food with me, don't blame me for what happens next."

Ryan's smirk deepened as he continued, "Oh, and by the way, I should probably mention—I'm with the Black Hand Legion."

Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!

The other three dropped down from the rooftops, landing to Ethan's left, right, and behind him. The four of them formed a tight circle, trapping him in the middle.

"Spatial abilities, huh? Pretty rare. Don't let him get away!" said a burly man with a booming voice.

Ethan glanced at the four of them but stayed silent.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Hahaha," sneered a wiry man with a sly grin.

The Black Hand Legion had a reputation for being ruthless. To ordinary people, they were terrifying—completely lawless and willing to do whatever they pleased.

Ryan studied Ethan carefully. "A spatial Awakener, huh? You've got potential. Tell you what—hand over all your food, and maybe… just maybe, I'll consider letting you join us." Continue your journey on empire

"No need," Ethan finally spoke.

"Oh?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. Ethan didn't look scared at all.

"So, you're planning to fight back, huh? Don't think that just because you've got spatial abilities, we can't deal with you."

"Do you know why I didn't trade food with you?" Ethan asked, his tone calm.

"What?" Ryan frowned, confused.

The burly man was already losing his patience. "Enough talk! Let's just take him down before something goes wrong!"

"Because…" Ethan said, his voice suddenly cold, "you're the food."

The four of them froze, their expressions shifting. What the hell was he talking about? His words didn't make any sense. Something about him felt… off.

But they didn't have to wonder for long.

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, like the rumble of a thousand charging horses. The once-empty street started to fill with movement—zombies. They appeared out of nowhere, moving with terrifying speed and agility, climbing down walls, leaping from rooftops, swarming toward them.

"W-what the hell?!"

One of the zombies, Laura, flickered like a shadow and suddenly appeared right in front of them.

Another, Bulldozer, moved like a massive gorilla, bounding across the rooftops before landing with a deafening crash on a wrecked car, smashing it to pieces.

"Z-Zombie Horde?!"

Ryan's face went pale as he realized what was happening. His eyes widened in shock. "Where the hell did all these zombies come from?!"

"Fall back!" he shouted, panic setting in.

The four of them tried to retreat the way they came, but it was too late. A swarm of zombies, led by a mutated PhD zombie, had already cut off their escape route.

Everywhere they looked, there were zombies. Some crouched on rooftops, others clung to walls, their glowing eyes filled with hunger. Their guttural growls and snarls echoed through the street, surrounding the group completely.

"This… this can't be happening…" Ryan stammered, his voice trembling. He instinctively turned to look back at Ethan.

Ethan stood there, calm and unmoving, with a sea of zombies behind him. His cold, emotionless gaze locked onto Ryan.

"Y-you… you're the Zombie King!" Ryan's voice cracked as the realization hit him like a thunderbolt.

The four of them were paralyzed with fear, their hearts pounding in their chests.

"This is the 'big catch' you were talking about?!" the burly man roared, his face twisted in rage and terror. "This isn't a fish—it's a goddamn megalodon!"

Ryan was utterly dumbfounded. "I… I didn't know!"

He couldn't wrap his head around it. The person Sean and Mia had traded food with turned out to be the Zombie King?! Damn it! A fool and a lunatic—of course, they'd screw things up!

The zombie horde surrounded the four of them, their growls echoing like a pack of ravenous wolves ready to tear their prey apart.

Among them, Bulldozer was the most excited. His small eyes squinted with glee, thinking how the boss always brought back food whenever he went out.

Heh heh…

This is great!

Ryan, seeing the zombies closing in, panicked. As the realization of his impending death sank in, he desperately begged Ethan for mercy. "Don't kill me! I… I can join you!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Sure," Ethan said with a calm nod. "You're about to become one with them."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the horde roared and surged forward. These weren't ordinary zombies—they were elite ones enhanced with the X-virus. Before Ryan and the others could even activate their Awakener abilities, they were tackled to the ground.

Sharp teeth tore into flesh, and blood splattered everywhere.

Ryan and his group screamed in agony, their cries echoing through the streets. But it didn't last long. Soon, their voices were drowned out by the frenzy of the Zombie Horde.

...

While the horde feasted on the four, far off in the distance, a helicopter roared through the sky.

Inside sat a young man, his face pale and his hands trembling. It was none other than Justin Parker, Nathan's assistant.

He had been sent by his boss to negotiate with the Zombie King.

"Damn that boss… damn these greedy capitalists," Justin muttered under his breath, his anxiety growing with every passing second. He stared out the window, feeling like a prisoner being marched to the gallows.

"Are we… are we there yet?" he asked nervously.

"Almost, Justin. Just past that building up ahead," replied the pilot, Mark.

"Oh." Justin nodded, then hesitated. "Uh… how about we circle around a few more times?"

Mark: "…"

The helicopter was empty except for the two of them. After all, if the negotiation succeeded, great. But if it failed? Bringing more people would just mean more food for the zombies.

The helicopter's rotors thundered as they flew over the rooftops, officially entering the Zombie King's territory—his infamous five-star zombie nest.

Justin's palms were drenched in sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. He glanced down through the window.

Below, countless zombies were stirred into a frenzy by the sound of the helicopter. Like rabid dogs, they sprinted through the streets, gathering in greater and greater numbers, snarling and chasing after the noise.

"Justin, we're here. Should we land?" Mark asked.

"Land my ass! Are you trying to get us killed?!" Justin snapped.

If they landed now, it would be a death sentence.

Instead, Justin grabbed the microphone attached to the helicopter's loudspeaker and shouted, "Hello! Hello! I'm from Genesis Biotech! I'm here on behalf of the company to negotiate with your boss!"

"Hello? Can you hear me? I'm from Genesis Biotech…"

His voice echoed across the city, repeating several times.

Justin kept his eyes glued to the scene below. After a moment, he noticed something strange—the zombies suddenly stopped. Their growls faded, and they began dispersing, retreating into the shadows.

"Huh? It worked?" Justin muttered in disbelief.

"Justin, what if they're just tricking us into landing so they can eat us?" Mark asked nervously.

"Shut up!" Justin barked.

The helicopter slowly descended, landing in an open plaza. Justin and Mark stepped out cautiously, glancing around. To their surprise, there weren't any zombies nearby.

But standing in front of them was a single figure.

It was massive—easily six feet tall, with rolls of fat covering its body. It looked like a sumo wrestler straight out of a video game, resembling E. Honda. Its sharp fangs gleamed in its mouth, and its small, beady eyes glinted with malice.

…