Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Hmm."

Ethan gave a soft response, then turned and walked toward the building.

Laura tilted her head, looking a little puzzled. The boss... has friends? That was new.

But before she could dwell on it, a mouthwatering aroma hit her like a wave.

As Ethan walked away, he casually tossed out a pile of corpses—some of them still warm.

"Hehehehe..." Laura grinned wide, deciding not to overthink it.

...

Mia and her group had walked quite a distance without encountering any zombies. It wasn't until they left Ethan's territory that the terrifying figures began to reappear.

But they were just low-level zombies—weak enough that even regular people could handle them. For Awakeners, they posed no threat at all.

"Mia, did you notice something?" Chris suddenly asked.

"Notice what?" Mia turned to look at him.

Chris explained, "We didn't see any zombies until we left that five-star zombie nest. That means... your friend... is probably the king of that nest!"

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"Oh."

Mia nodded, her expression calm and unreadable.

"Wait, that's it?!" Chris froze, stunned. Her reaction wasn't what he expected. Shouldn't she be shocked?

Beside them, Sean scratched his head. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but after everything they'd been through, he was starting to piece things together.

"Mia, do you think... Ethan is really a zombie?" Sean asked hesitantly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Human or zombie—does it matter?" Mia's voice paused for a moment before she continued, "As long as he's Ethan, that's all that matters."

...

Near the building.

The setting sun painted the sky a deep crimson, like blood smeared across the heavens. A few black crows circled overhead, cawing as they flew.

Under the desolate, apocalyptic sky, a few zombies were feasting on fresh flesh.

"Hehehe, the boss is the best! He goes out hunting himself and brings food back for us!" Laura's chin was smeared with blood as she spoke.

The nearby zombies nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

In most other nests, it was the underlings who hunted and offered their spoils to the zombie king. But Ethan was the complete opposite, and this gesture left Laura and the others deeply moved.

The zombies were happily devouring their meal, but one of them, Bulldozer, sat off to the side, lost in thought. His expression carried a hint of guilt.

He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd failed in his duties. There had been humans hiding in the area he was supposed to patrol, and he hadn't noticed. Yet Ethan hadn't blamed him—instead, he'd brought back food for everyone. This only made Bulldozer feel worse.

Laura glanced over at him. "Not eating?"

"Not hungry," Bulldozer replied, crossing his arms and turning his head away with a huff. He was already planning to hunt some humans himself to make up for his failure and show his loyalty to the boss.

Laura, while intelligent, wasn't perceptive enough to guess what he was thinking. She had no idea what was going on in his head.

"If you don't eat now, it'll all be gone soon. Then you'll have nothing left," she warned.

"...Oh." Bulldozer's eyes flicked toward the pile of flesh, and despite himself, he licked his lips. He couldn't help but feel tempted.

"Maybe just a bite or two..." he muttered.

...

The next few days passed peacefully, with nothing significant happening.

Ethan stayed holed up in his home, living a leisurely life. He spent his days gathering intel, absorbing energy, and occasionally chatting with Mia online.

The hunger, violence, and danger of the outside world seemed completely disconnected from him.

The area around the building had become his personal paradise.

Ethan had considered it before—Mia and Sean were both strong, and with his food supply being more than sufficient, it wouldn't be a problem to let them stay by his side. If trouble ever came knocking, they'd be two powerful allies.

But Mia and Sean weren't just ordinary people. They were Awakeners from Refuge 001 and 002, practically celebrities in their own right. And as the saying goes, the tallest tree catches the wind. If they stayed, peace would be out of the question.

So, Ethan decided to let go of the idea for now. It was better for them to remain in the refuge. After all, they could still maintain a cooperative relationship from afar.

...

Downstairs, Laura and the other zombies were bored out of their minds. Every day, they wandered the streets, patrolling the territory. But no matter how hard they tried, there was never anything to show for it.

The most dejected of them all was Bulldozer. With his current level of intelligence—roughly that of a seven- or eight-year-old child—he still couldn't let go of his guilt over his earlier "failure."

At the moment, his massive frame was slumped on the side of the street, his broad back radiating a sense of melancholy.

"Where can I go to kill someone? I need to make up for my mistake. I have to hunt something, bring it back as an offering to the boss. Otherwise, I'll just keep feeling guilty..."

But the main city had long since fallen. It was a zombie stronghold now, with not a single human in sight. At best, he might be able to fish a few oversized rats out of the sewers.

Still, the thought of presenting two sewer rats to Ethan as an offering made Bulldozer shudder. He was pretty sure the boss would crush him on the spot.

"What do I do?"

As Bulldozer sat there, racking his brain, the sound of flapping wings suddenly reached his ears. A red-eyed crow landed on a nearby streetlamp.

Under the blood-red sky, the crow's beak was smeared with blood, and it was holding a human eyeball in its mouth.

The scene was grotesque, to say the least.

"Huh?" Bulldozer's small eyes lit up as he stared at the bird, as if he'd just discovered a treasure.

Sensing his gaze, the crow tilted its head back and swallowed the eyeball in one gulp. Then it shot Bulldozer a disdainful look.

"Big idiot..." the crow croaked.

"..." Bulldozer was speechless. He felt a flicker of annoyance but quickly swallowed it down. He needed something from the bird, so he let it slide.

"Hey, little shadow bird, do you know where I can find prey?" he asked.

"Of course I do..." The crow's crimson eyes blinked slyly.

Bulldozer perked up, his excitement barely contained. "Where? Tell me!"

"I'm not telling you," the crow replied smugly.

"..." Bulldozer scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. He figured the bird was still holding a grudge from that time he'd tried to catch it. He hadn't even managed to grab it, but apparently, the attempt was enough to sour their relationship.

"Come on, just tell me. I need to hunt something to offer to the boss."

"Too dangerous... too dangerous... If you go, you won't come back," the crow warned.

"Pfft, as if!" Bulldozer scoffed. He didn't believe it for a second. He was one of the most well-known zombie kings in the area, and besides, he worked for Ethan. How could he not come back?

"Just tell me. If I catch something, I'll share it with you."

The crow didn't respond immediately. Its eyes darted around as it thought for a moment. Then, with a few flaps of its wings, it took off into the air.

"Follow me... follow me..." it called.

"Hehehe!" Bulldozer let out a goofy laugh, grinning like an overgrown child. He stood up from the curb, his massive frame towering over the street.

The red-eyed crow flew down the road, its wings flapping rhythmically as it muttered to itself.

"Treasure... treasure..."

"Oh?" Bulldozer's jaw dropped into an O-shape. It seemed there wasn't just prey—there was treasure too. His curiosity was piqued.

"Could it be... a big, juicy prey?" he wondered, his excitement growing.

Without hesitation, he followed the crow.

The bird soared through the air, its speed impressive, but Bulldozer was no slouch. Despite his massive size, he moved with surprising agility, leaping between buildings and scaling walls like a giant, nimble ape.

The two of them—one in the air, the other on the ground—chased each other deeper and deeper into the city.

It quickly became clear that the location the crow was leading him to was far beyond Ethan's territory...