Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The zombie was ridiculously fat. Its arms and legs were layered with rolls of fat, stacked one on top of the other, making it look just like the Michelin Man from those tire commercials. Let's just call him Michelin for now.

Justin quickly raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

"We're here to talk about a deal. If it works out, I promise you'll get plenty of benefits."

"Benefits? … Are benefits something you can eat?"

Michelin tilted his head, his expression blank. Clearly, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

With intelligence like that, there was no way he could be the ruler of the Five-Star Zombie Nest. Michelin was just a grunt—a brute-force tank, the zombie equivalent of a Bulldozer from Ethan's territory.

Justin froze for a moment, realizing this too.

So, he wasn't the one in charge of the Five-Star Zombie Nest…

"Humans, follow me," Michelin said in a deep, rumbling voice. Then he turned and started walking ahead. With every step, his rolls of fat jiggled and wobbled like jelly.

Justin and Mark exchanged a glance before quickly following behind him.

The whole way, the two of them were on edge, their nerves stretched thin. Even though the zombie hadn't shown any signs of hostility, zombies were unpredictable and violent by nature. Who knew if, in the next second, it might decide to rip them apart and drink their blood?

Thankfully, they didn't encounter any other zombies along the way.

But the air grew colder and colder, and a metallic stench lingered in their noses. On the trees lining the street, something seemed to be writhing.

Justin squinted to get a better look, and when he realized what it was, he gasped sharply.

Thick, mottled pythons, as wide as a person's arm, were coiled around the branches, flicking their tongues and baring razor-sharp fangs.

Just looking at them sent shivers down his spine.

"Damn… there are so many snakes," Justin muttered, noticing that nearly every tree had one—or several. Overwhelmed with fear, he decided to just look away. Out of sight, out of mind.

Still, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. The fact that there were so many snakes in the heart of the Five-Star Zombie Nest made him suspect that the zombie king here had some kind of strange power. It might even be a Phantom Infected.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally arrived in front of a building.

The glass doors were shattered, and the metal doorframe was wrapped in several massive pythons. Their bodies were as thick as a grown man's waist, their heads as large as lanterns, and their glowing yellow eyes radiated malice.

The giant snakes raised their heads, sizing up the "guests" who had arrived. Their long tongues flicked in and out, as if they were ready to strike at any moment.

"What the hell is this? A snake pit?" Justin muttered, his skin crawling.

Michelin, however, remained polite. "Please, come in."

"…" Justin's face darkened. His fear was palpable, but he couldn't help muttering under his breath, "Damn it… cursed boss, cursed corporate greed…"

"Justin… are you scared?" Mark asked in a trembling voice, hoping for some reassurance.

Gulp.

Justin swallowed hard, forcing himself to act tough. "Scared? Of what? We're already here. No turning back now. Pull yourself together—we're representing the company's reputation!" Explore more at empire

"Oh…" Mark wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

The two of them cautiously approached the door.

Thankfully, as they passed the giant pythons, the snakes didn't attack. They simply turned their heads to follow the pair with their unblinking eyes, watching as they entered the building.

"Phew—"

Justin was just about to let out a sigh of relief when the sight inside the building made his hair stand on end. His breath caught in his throat, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The entire lobby was filled with snakes.

They were everywhere—coiled together, slithering over one another, writhing in massive, tangled piles. The sheer number of them was enough to make anyone's skin crawl. The air was thick with the stench of blood and decay, so strong it made Justin gag.

"Ugh…" Justin fought the urge to vomit, forcing it back down.

His fear reached its peak. His whole body shook like a leaf, and he felt a pressure in his bladder, as if he might wet himself at any moment.

Mark, equally terrified, didn't want to linger in this place any longer. Seeing Justin frozen in place, he urged him forward. "Justin, hurry up!"

"Y-you're gonna have to help me walk…" Justin stammered, his legs like jelly.

"…" Mark was speechless but had no choice.

The two of them leaned on each other for support, carefully stepping over the snakes as they made their way through the lobby. Their hearts were pounding so hard it felt like they might burst out of their chests.

Justin couldn't help but think that, aside from his boss's schemes, this was the most terrifying ordeal of his life.

Time seemed to lose all meaning. It felt like both a single second and an eternity had passed as they made their way forward.

Finally, they made it through the snake pit and entered the inner hall.

"Roar—"

The familiar sound of zombie growls echoed around them. One terrifying face after another emerged from the shadows.

These weren't ordinary zombies—they were elite ones, the equivalent of a personal guard.

At the forefront of this group sat a towering figure. His skin was deathly pale, almost ash-white, but it showed no signs of decay. His facial features were surprisingly handsome, though the area around his eyes was crisscrossed with bulging black veins, giving him a sinister and unsettling appearance.

But the most terrifying thing about him was his eyes.

They were a piercing yellow, with slit-like pupils—Serpent Eyes, identical to the snakes outside.

"Hiss…" Justin felt a chill run down his spine. His body froze, and a sudden warmth spread in his pants. He had wet himself out of sheer terror.

"Master, this human is kind of cute," said a woman standing beside the Serpent-Eye Zombie King.

She wasn't fully human, though. Her upper body was that of a woman, but her lower half was a grotesque spider's abdomen, supported by eight razor-sharp legs that gleamed like steel blades. She was a fusion of a zombie and a giant tarantula, her bloated abdomen twitching slightly as she spoke.

The woman licked the corner of her mouth with a long, slimy tongue, her gaze lingering on Justin with a disturbing curiosity.

"Damn it!" Justin cursed silently, frozen in place, not daring to move a muscle.

The Serpent-Eye Zombie King finally spoke. His voice was hoarse, like the sound of rusted metal scraping together.

"Come. Sit."

"Uh… okay…" Justin stammered, hesitating for a moment before forcing himself to move. His legs felt like jelly as he shuffled forward, and when he reached the chair, he noticed that it, too, was surrounded by snakes.

Once again, he cursed inwardly. Damn boss. Damn corporate greed.

Sending me to negotiate with a zombie king? This is worse than death!

Suppressing his disgust and fear, Justin reluctantly sat down. Almost immediately, the snakes coiled around his legs, their cold, scaly bodies pressing against his skin. It felt like they could bite him at any moment and end his life.

Justin's mind went blank. Out of habit, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. His hands were trembling so badly, though, that it took him several tries to get it into his mouth.

When he finally managed, he fumbled with his lighter, his shaking hands making it impossible to strike a flame. He tried again and again, but the lighter kept going out.

The Serpent-Eye Zombie King watched him for a moment, then reached out and took the lighter from Justin's hand. With a simple flick, the flame came to life.

"Th-thank you," Justin stammered, taking a deep drag from the cigarette. The rush of nicotine helped calm his nerves, if only slightly.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" the Serpent-Eye Zombie King asked, his tone cold and indifferent.

"Well… uh…" Justin hesitated, trying to steady his voice. "We're from Genesis Biotech. A while back, one of our shipments—some experimental serums—crashed in your territory. Do you… still have it?"

The Serpent-Eye Zombie King nodded at first, but then his expression darkened. "Yes, it crashed here. But…" His voice grew colder. "The Zombie King from the skyscraper district stole it. He killed one of my best lieutenants and over a thousand of my men."

"What? Him again?" Justin muttered, frowning as he processed this new information. Things weren't going as he had expected. "Looks like the boss's analysis was wrong…"

"What did you just say?" the Serpent-Eye Zombie King asked, his tone sharp.

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" Justin quickly waved his hands, his nerves getting the better of him.

His hands trembled even more violently now...