Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Maxwell let out a blood-curdling scream as he collapsed to the ground.

Without the protection of the flames, the surrounding zombies swarmed him, burying him under the relentless tide of the horde.

"The prize is ours."

Bulldozer held the box in his massive hands, the handcuffs still attached to half of a severed arm dangling from it.

The few remaining humans in the area had already been torn apart and devoured.

The zombies, victorious in this battle, were in a frenzy of excitement.

"Raaaargh—!"

Bulldozer joined in, raising the box high above his head like a trophy, as if he'd just won the World Cup. There was a hint of showboating in his actions, even though… he had no idea what was actually inside the box.

What made it even more amusing was how the surrounding zombies played along, letting out low growls and howls, celebrating with him.

"Big idiot! What are you showing off for? Get moving already!" came the sharp, bird-like voice of Crow.

"Huh? Oh, right!"

Bulldozer snapped out of his excitement.

This wasn't his turf.

It was dangerous here, and he needed to leave—fast.

He quickly toned down his bravado, clutching the box tightly to his chest, and began to sneak away as inconspicuously as possible.

"Hey! Stop right there."

Suddenly, a deep, gravelly voice, like stones grinding together, echoed from behind him.

It was the towering Zombie King, the one who ruled this territory. Enjoy new chapters from empire

"Hm?"

Bulldozer froze mid-step, his massive frame stiffening. He didn't turn around, leaving only his broad back for the Zombie King to see.

The arrival of the Zombie King silenced the rest of the horde. The lesser zombies all turned their attention to their leader, then followed his gaze to the hulking figure of Bulldozer.

In an instant, Bulldozer became the center of attention.

"Sometimes being the star of the show… isn't such a good thing," Bulldozer muttered to himself.

The towering Zombie King had already figured out that Bulldozer didn't belong to this territory.

"Hand over what you're carrying."

"Hand over my ass!" Bulldozer snapped back without hesitation, then barked at Crow, "Run!"

Without waiting for a response, he bolted, not even glancing back. His massive frame barreled forward, smashing through several walls as he charged through the building.

The Zombie King's glowing, menacing eyes narrowed. He immediately realized something was wrong.

"Get him!"

"Raaaargh—!"

The horde roared in unison, chasing after Bulldozer and Crow with feral intensity.

But the two were incredibly fast.

Bulldozer, in particular, was like a human wrecking ball, smashing through anything in his path and maintaining a straight-line sprint no matter what stood in his way.

Finally, he reached the edge of the building. Without hesitation, he leaped off, soaring through the air from a height of several stories.

"Crap!"

Mid-air, Bulldozer realized something was wrong.

It wasn't the fall that worried him—he wasn't afraid of that. The problem was the street below. It was packed with a dense swarm of zombies, as if they'd been waiting for him all along.

"Boom!"

Bulldozer landed in the middle of the horde with a thunderous crash, the sheer force of his impact cracking the pavement and sending several zombies flying.

But the rest of the horde wasted no time. They lunged at him from all directions.

Bulldozer charged forward like a raging bull, plowing through the mass of undead. Even when zombies clung to his back, biting and clawing at him, he didn't slow down or pay them any mind.

But then, from behind, the towering Zombie King appeared, leading a group of elite zombies in pursuit.

If they caught him, no matter how strong Bulldozer was, he'd be torn to shreds.

"Head for the rooftop… the rooftop!" Crow's sharp voice echoed from above as it circled in the air, offering advice.

"Oh!" Bulldozer glanced up. Sure enough, there was a tall building ahead. Without hesitation, he charged forward, took a massive leap, and latched onto the wall, climbing upward with incredible speed.

In just a few moments, he reached the top.

The regular zombies couldn't climb, but the elite ones—those were a different story. They were already hot on his heels.

"Stop running!"

Bulldozer turned his head and saw the towering Zombie King leading the pack, closing in fast.

Without missing a beat, Bulldozer sprinted across the rooftop, leaping from one building to the next like a world-class parkour athlete. His massive frame moved with surprising agility, but the Zombie King was even faster.

After all, Bulldozer was built for raw power, not speed. Against an opponent of the same level, he was at a clear disadvantage. The Zombie King was gaining on him, and behind it, hundreds of elite zombies followed like a pack of ravenous wolves, relentless in their pursuit.

"I can't outrun them…" Bulldozer muttered, clutching the box tightly. He glanced back at the approaching Zombie King. If things got any worse, he'd have no choice but to fight.

But before he could act, Crow's voice rang out again, calm and sharp: "You need to find a place to hide."

"Huh? Oh, right!" Bulldozer's eyes lit up. That was a good idea—why hadn't he thought of it?

Ahead of him, the rooftop's edge loomed closer. The building was over 300 feet tall. Instead of aiming for the next rooftop, Bulldozer made a bold decision—he dove straight off the edge, heading for the street below.

"Huh?" The Zombie King slowed, sensing something was off. Bulldozer's massive figure plummeted downward, disappearing from view in an instant. The Zombie King rushed to the edge and peered down, scanning the street below.

To its surprise, the street was empty. Bulldozer was nowhere to be seen.

"Boss, where'd he go?" one of the elite zombies asked, equally confused as it joined the search.

The Zombie King frowned, thinking for a moment. "He's still nearby. He's hiding. Spread out and find him!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Yes, sir!" The elite zombies scattered, combing the area.

...

Meanwhile, Bulldozer and Crow had already slipped into a small room inside the building.

When Bulldozer had jumped off the rooftop, he hadn't landed on the street. Instead, he'd grabbed onto a windowsill mid-fall and swung himself inside the building.

Now, he crouched in the corner of the room, his massive frame awkwardly hunched over, clutching the box tightly.

"Little Shadow Bird, that was a great idea," Bulldozer whispered, his voice filled with genuine appreciation.

"Of course it was," Crow replied smugly, its red eyes gleaming.

"But… what now? We're stuck here. There's no way out!" Bulldozer frowned. He knew the Zombie King wouldn't give up. Its minions would only gather in greater numbers, eventually surrounding the entire area. It was only a matter of time before they found him.

As the minutes ticked by, the situation grew more dire.

Crow, ever the problem-solver, flapped its wings and said, "Don't worry. I'll go get help. You just stay hidden."

"What? How are you going to get out? The whole place is crawling with them! If you go out there, they'll spot you and eat you alive!" Bulldozer protested, his voice filled with concern.

Crow blinked its red eyes, pausing for a moment. Then it gave Bulldozer a look—a look that could only be described as the avian equivalent of Are you stupid?

"I can fly, dumbass," it said flatly, flapping its wings for emphasis before darting out the window.

"…" Bulldozer was speechless. He'd completely forgotten that birds could fly.

As he sat there in silence, he couldn't help but feel a little touched. Crow could've flown away at any time, but it had stayed to help him. It had waited until he was safely hidden before leaving to get help.

"Yeah… it's a good bird," Bulldozer muttered to himself, nodding in approval.

But just as he was starting to relax, he noticed a familiar black shape circling back toward the window. Crow landed on the windowsill, its red eyes gleaming as it stared at him.

Bulldozer was confused. "Huh? Why are you back? Don't worry about me—just go!"

"Give me the box," Crow said, its tone sharp and direct.

...

Knock, knock, knock.

Not long after, Ethan heard a tapping sound on his window.

He turned to look and saw Crow perched on the windowsill. But what really caught his attention was the box it was holding in its beak—a sleek, metallic container with a shiny silver finish. On its surface was a red circle with the letters "GB" in the center.

It was the unmistakable logo of Genesis Biotech.

"What's with the fancy delivery? You're bringing me gifts now?" Ethan asked lazily as he opened the window, his tone casual and amused.

Crow's red eyes glinted as it dropped the box onto the windowsill.

"This one's a surprise," it said cryptically.

…