Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Pretty strong..."

As Little Shadow kept moving forward, he grew more and more surprised. Some of the elite zombie troops were wandering around, each one radiating a powerful and ferocious aura.

At one point, a zombie passed right by him, sniffing the air. It seemed to sense something unusual and almost discovered him.

"What a sharp nose..."

Little Shadow muttered to himself, feeling uneasy. If his stealth skills got exposed and Ethan's crew found out, it'd be beyond embarrassing—it'd be a total disaster.

Just as he was about to move on, a voice called out from behind him.

"Stop right there."

"Huh??"

Little Shadow turned his head and saw a zombie with unusually clear eyes. It was obvious this one wasn't your average mindless undead—it had intelligence. In fact, it was none other than one of Ethan's three generals, the PhD zombie.

The PhD zombie, with his awakened psychic abilities, had already locked onto Little Shadow. His sharp senses had detected the intruder.

Before Little Shadow could react, a group of elite zombies came rushing over. Among them was Laura, her movements ghostly and swift, and the hulking Bulldozer, whose massive frame made him look like a walking tank.

The air grew tense as the zombies surrounded Little Shadow, their killing intent palpable.

He'd been caught!

Little Shadow felt like he'd been slapped in the face by fate. Worse still, Ethan's zombies were undeniably strong—there was no way he could fight his way out of this.

"Don't panic! I'm on your side!"

He quickly blurted out, terrified that if he hesitated even a second, they'd tear him apart and eat him alive.

Bulldozer stared at him, his curiosity piqued.

"Huh? Where'd this big black rat come from?"

"I... I'm not a rat!"

Little Shadow immediately dropped his shadow form, revealing his true body—jet black, like a lump of coal.

"My name's Shadow. You can just call me Little Shadow."

Bulldozer squinted at him, still full of curiosity.

"Looks like a big black rat to me..."

The PhD zombie spoke up, his tone sharp and direct.

"What are you doing here?"

"I've got something important to report to Ethan." Little Shadow explained.

As soon as he said that, the surrounding zombies parted, clearing a path. Ethan appeared, his white shirt practically glowing in the darkness.

"What's the matter?" Ethan asked, his voice calm but commanding.

"Boss, I found out something big today!" Little Shadow exclaimed, his tone exaggerated. "Genesis Biotech is sending food to Serpent-Eye's territory—boxes and boxes of it! At least ten crates, all packed with meat!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but drool. It was so bad that it practically turned into a little waterfall, making his words come out garbled.

"Calm down first." Ethan frowned, clearly unimpressed by Little Shadow's lack of composure.

"Right, right!" Little Shadow nodded furiously, wiping his mouth before continuing.

"And Serpent-Eye's troops are gathering. They're definitely planning to make a move against you!"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"What? They dare to go after the boss?" Bulldozer roared, his anger erupting like a volcano. "That slimy snake must've lost his mind!"

The elite zombies behind him growled in agreement, their loyalty to Ethan unwavering. To them, Ethan wasn't just a leader—he was their faith, their reason for fighting. They were ready to charge out right now and tear Serpent-Eye's forces to shreds.

Ethan, however, remained calm.

"What kind of lineup are we talking about?" he asked.

"Serpent-Eye himself, along with his two top lieutenants—Michelin and the Spider Zombie Woman. He's got 30,000 zombies under his command, with at least 2,000 elites. Plus, he's got a whole bunch of mutant snake beasts. There's no shortage of those, that's for sure."

"Hmm... that's quite a lot."

Even Bulldozer, with his limited intelligence, could understand the situation. Ethan's territory currently had about 10,000 zombies. Thanks to Ethan's recent efforts, many had evolved, and there were now nearly 3,000 elites among them. Of those, 500 were part of the X-Virus-enhanced elite corps.

But in terms of sheer numbers, they were still outmatched.

"Serpent-Eye is working with Genesis Biotech. When the time comes, Genesis Biotech will definitely step in, and their strength isn't something to scoff at. Plus..." Little Shadow paused for dramatic effect before continuing, "Serpent-Eye has evolved into an A-rank Zombie King. He's awakened the ability Phantom Realm. It's creepy, powerful, and downright terrifying!"

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Bulldozer snorted, clearly unimpressed. "How strong can he really be? Why are you hyping him up like this?"

"I'm not hyping him up. I'm just telling the truth... because I've fought him before."

"Uh..."

Bulldozer froze, momentarily speechless at Little Shadow's blunt honesty. If this guy was admitting he got his butt kicked, then Serpent-Eye must really be a tough opponent.

The zombies around them exchanged uneasy glances. This wasn't just any enemy—they were dealing with someone two levels stronger than the Red-Faced Zombie King they'd fought before.

All eyes turned to Ethan, waiting for his decision. No matter what he said, they were ready to follow him, even if it meant charging into hell itself.

Ethan stood silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then, his voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"Tomorrow, we'll wipe them out."

"ROAR—"

The zombies erupted in a deafening cheer, their bloodlust ignited.

Laura's lips curled into a grin so wide it nearly reached her ears, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs. She thought to herself, That's our boss. His decisions never disappoint.

The territory had been too quiet for too long. A good, bloody battle was exactly what they needed.

Bulldozer, too, was fired up. He felt a personal stake in this fight—after all, the grudge with Serpent-Eye had started because of him.

Tomorrow, we'll crush them!

Little Shadow glanced around at the zombies, their fighting spirit burning like wildfire. He couldn't help but feel a pang of awe. Ethan's crew was far stronger than he'd imagined. Tomorrow's battle was going to be brutal.

...

After the decision was made, the zombies dispersed to prepare. Through some quick negotiations, Little Shadow agreed to bring his 5,000 subordinates, including 1,000 elites, to join the fight.

Serpent-Eye will never see this coming, Little Shadow thought with a smirk. He's in for a nasty surprise.

But Ethan wasn't done yet. He had another "surprise" in mind. Back in his room, he sat on the couch and sent a message to Mia.

"I've got a huge opportunity for you."

Mia's reply came quickly. "Oh? What kind of opportunity?"

"Tomorrow, you can come kill zombies."

There was a long pause. Ethan stared at his phone, waiting for a response.

Mia, on the other hand, was sitting there, completely dumbfounded. Kill zombies? That's your idea of a huge opportunity?

In this world, zombies were everywhere. They weren't exactly a rare commodity.

Before she could reply, Ethan sent another message.

"We're hunting an A-rank Zombie King tomorrow—Serpent-Eye. You can raid his territory for supplies while we're at it."

That caught Mia's attention. She knew about Serpent-Eye. His territory was rumored to hold valuable resources. A while back, a small team had discovered a stash of preserved crop seeds there. But before they could retrieve them, Serpent-Eye's forces wiped them out. No one had dared to try again since.

Crop seeds were a rare and precious resource for humans.

"Hmm... that could work," Mia replied, explaining her interest in the seeds.

Ethan had no objections. "Go ahead. Bring your team and take whatever you need. If anything happens, I'll step in."

With that, the two finalized their plan.

Ethan put his phone away and stood by the window. It was already past midnight, the darkest hour of the night. Outside, the endless growls and roars of zombies echoed through the streets, a constant reminder of the world they lived in.

The next day.

Thick clouds blanketed the sky, blocking out the sun. The air was heavy and gray—no wind, no rain, no light.

"Caw—caw—caw—"

A few black crows screeched as they darted across the sky, their shadows flitting over the desolate streets below.

On the ground, chaos reigned. Broken buildings and debris littered the streets, a grim reminder of the world's collapse.

At the edge of Ethan's territory, a massive force had gathered. Ethan stood at the front, flanked by his three trusted generals. Behind them stretched a horde of 10,000 zombies, packed so tightly together that they seemed to stretch on forever. Their grotesque faces radiated bloodlust, their excitement palpable.

This was Ethan's army.

They had marched to the border of Serpent-Eye's territory. Just a short distance ahead lay the enemy's domain.

The zombies waited, tense and ready, for Ethan's command. One word from him, and they would charge forward, tearing through Serpent-Eye's forces like a tidal wave of death.

But Ethan raised a hand, signaling them to hold.

"Stay here. I'll go ahead and take a look first."

...