Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"I mean, that Zombie King is just too much! He dared to kill your men. We should team up and wipe them out completely!" Justin explained hastily, trying to justify himself.

The Serpent-Eye Zombie King had already been thinking along those lines. Someone coming into his territory to kill and loot, then leaving as if nothing happened? That was just plain arrogant.

But previously, he hadn't acted recklessly because he didn't know enough about the other side's situation.

"Do you know anything about their zombie nest?"

"Yes, yes, I do!" Justin nodded repeatedly and continued, "According to the intel my company gathered, he commands a horde of ten thousand zombies, with two thousand elite troops. And now, with the addition of the X-virus, their numbers have increased by at least five hundred."

"Those terrifying zombies have eaten a lot of our people. It started with 200 at the prison, another 200 at the mall, and then the Operation King Hunt squad, including 500 armed personnel. Because of that, their evolution level is insanely high. In fact, most of the city's major battles were led by him. You could say he's undefeated and unstoppable!"

"Oh..."

The Serpent-Eye Zombie King nodded, starting to piece things together.

"So, what you're saying is... you've lost to him three times in a row?"

"Uh... technically, yes," Justin admitted awkwardly. "But that's only because they ambushed us! During the Operation King Hunt mission, we ran into the Red-Faced Zombie King first, and he ended up reaping all the benefits."

The Serpent-Eye Zombie King knew about the Red-Faced Zombie King. In fact, they'd even crossed paths before. He had originally planned to recruit him, but Ethan had killed him and taken over his territory instead.

"Master, the fact that Red-Faced got hunted down just proves how stupid he was," said the Spider Zombie Woman arrogantly from the side.

She herself had once been a powerful ruler, stronger than the Red-Faced Zombie King. But later, she was subdued by the Serpent-Eye Zombie King, and their forces had merged into one.

Now, they commanded a total of thirty thousand zombies, including a significant number of elite troops.

"Hmm, even though they have a lot of elite zombies, we can make up for it with sheer numbers. Besides... I've got my little treasures." The Serpent-Eye Zombie King reached down to stroke the snake coiled beneath his chair.

The snake flicked its crimson tongue and hissed, its demeanor radiating excitement.

Justin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking to himself, This guy is seriously twisted... But then, something suddenly came to mind.

"Oh, right! That Zombie King is often surrounded by a flock of crows. They're pretty strong too, so we can't underestimate them."

"The crows flying over the city?"

The Spider Zombie Woman's predatory eyes gleamed, and a wicked smile crept across her lips. As a hybrid of a human and a giant tarantula, she was practically a natural predator of all birds.

"They scatter the moment they see me. Leave them to me."

"Alright."

The Serpent-Eye Zombie King nodded, calculating his odds. From the looks of it, victory was almost guaranteed. And with Genesis Biotech backing him, there was no reason he could lose.

In fact...

He was already planning to turn on Genesis Biotech after using them. Once they were out of the picture, he would become the undisputed ruler of the central region.

"Looks like... it's time to expand my territory."

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ethan's underlings were feasting on the four members of the Black Hand Legion. One zombie gnawed on an arm, another on a leg, and two others fought over a head, tearing into it together.

"This is way too little meat..."

Ethan frowned, realizing it wasn't nearly enough to feed his men.

His five hundred elite zombies had evolved to such a high degree that their appetites had grown significantly. The meat from just four people? It wasn't even enough to fill their teeth.

Why didn't Ryan bring more people?

Ethan felt a pang of regret. As his gaze swept the area, he noticed a phone lying on the ground. Its screen was lit up, displaying messages from a group chat.

The phone had fallen from Ryan's pocket.

If he won't call for reinforcements... I'll do it for him.
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Ethan picked up the phone and started scrolling through the messages. Sure enough, it was a group chat for members of the Black Hand Legion, who were actively discussing things.

"Hey guys, how's it going today? Anyone find anything interesting?"

"Yeah, I found a bunch of survivors out in the eastern suburbs. So much fun, hahaha~~~"

"Hmm, the city's too densely populated—most people have already turned into zombies. But if you head out to the suburbs or the countryside, you might still find some living ones."

"Any hot guys? Send me a few. They need to be 6'7", have abs, and, you know... be well-endowed."

"What the hell! You should've told me earlier! I already killed all the men! Want them dead?"

"Umm... just cut off their dicks and bring them back. I'm collecting a thousand of them, and I'm only halfway there."

"F*** no! I'm not touching that! You come here and do it yourself!"

"...."

Before the apocalypse, the Black Hand Legion had already been active on the dark web. They were known for their bloodlust, cruelty, and twisted fetishes. They often killed people in horrifying ways just for fun, recording videos to share with others.

Ethan read through their chat, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his lips.

"These little guys... they're kind of adorable."

From the chat logs, Ethan learned that there was a small Black Hand Legion outpost not far from his location. It was in an underground mall, stocked with plenty of supplies.

The outpost housed over twenty Black Hand Legion members, who were living like kings. They had over a hundred survivors imprisoned there, treating them as livestock, and were enjoying a life of luxury and indulgence.

"Living the good life, huh..."

Ethan muttered to himself. He couldn't stand seeing others doing well, so he decided to take his men and raid their outpost.

But just as he was about to act, a private message popped up on Ryan Brooks' phone. It was a distress signal.

"Bro! I ran into something near the museum! I'm in serious danger right now. You've got to come save me! Bring people from the shelter if you have to—just tell them I'm a regular survivor!"

Ethan glanced at the sender's name: Jason Brooks. The connection to Ryan was obvious.

Something near the museum?

Ethan thought for a moment. The museum wasn't in his territory, but it wasn't far either.

How could there be something like that near my territory?

"What did you see?" Ethan replied.

"I don't know... it's something that comes and goes like a ghost. It's almost invisible, like it can blend into the surroundings. It's already killed four of us!"

Invisible? Comes and goes like a ghost?

Ethan frowned. He had never encountered anything like that near his territory. Could it have wandered in from somewhere else?

Maybe I should check it out. Can't leave something like that lurking around.

"Bro! Please hurry! I feel like it's getting closer to me. I don't even know... I don't know how much longer I can hold on!"

Jason's messages became increasingly frantic. He was clearly terrified, on the verge of a complete breakdown. Whatever he had encountered must have been truly horrifying.

"Alright! Just hang in there!"

Ethan sent a message of encouragement, though what he really meant was... Don't die yet. Wait until I get there, then you can die.

"I'am coming to save you right now!"

...