Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"Someone from Genesis Biotech is here!"

Serpent-Eye glanced over, his eyes narrowing as a thought crossed his mind. In an instant, countless serpents surged out from the darkness behind him.

The snakes hissed and screeched as they lunged toward Ethan, but before they could get close, they exploded one by one. Shards of flesh and splattered blood filled the air, obscuring the view.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Serpent-Eye turned and bolted, heading straight for the Genesis Biotech camp at an incredible speed. His plan was simple: redirect the disaster toward someone else.

Justin, who had been observing the battlefield, suddenly noticed a tall figure sprinting toward him. The man looked panicked and utterly disheveled.
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"Whoa, you got wrecked, huh?" Justin remarked, sizing up Serpent-Eye. The once-imposing figure was now covered in dust and grime, his chest visibly caved in as if he'd taken a massive hit.

Not bad, not bad...

Justin smirked inwardly. His plan was working perfectly. If even Serpent-Eye, an A-rank zombie king, had been beaten to this state, then Ethan must be in rough shape too. Once both sides were worn out, Justin could swoop in and clean up the mess.

But he didn't let his thoughts show. Instead, he put on a concerned expression and asked, "Bro Serpent-Eye, you're hurt! What about the zombie king in that building? How's he holding up?"

"They're strong! Way too strong! We're no match for them. Thank God you showed up when you did. Hurry, take them down!" Serpent-Eye urged, his voice filled with urgency.

"Huh?" Justin frowned, sensing something was off. He scanned the battlefield carefully and asked, "Wait a second... those guys getting their asses kicked over there—don't tell me they're your men?"

"Not all of them, but yeah, most of them," Serpent-Eye admitted.

"Are you kidding me?!" Justin nearly choked on his own spit.

"And the zombie king in the building?" Justin pressed.

"There." Serpent-Eye tilted his head toward the battlefield.

Justin followed his gaze and froze. Amid the chaos, a tall, slender figure strolled casually through the battlefield. His white shirt was pristine, untouched by dirt or blood. Not a single scratch marred his body.

FUCK.

Justin cursed internally. This Serpent-Eye was utterly useless. The guy had gotten himself beaten to a pulp, while Ethan looked like he'd just stepped out of a fashion magazine. So much for playing the waiting game—there'd be no easy win here.

Ethan, meanwhile, had noticed Serpent-Eye retreating toward the Genesis Biotech camp. The camp was guarded by over twenty Awakeners, but Ethan didn't rush. Instead, he walked toward them at a steady, unhurried pace.

"He's coming! He's coming!" The tension in the camp skyrocketed as everyone's eyes locked on Ethan.

As he approached, several elite zombies broke away from the main group and charged toward the human camp, their ferocity palpable.

"Attack!" Justin barked, his voice sharp and commanding.

The Awakeners behind him sprang into action. Energy surged as elemental powers came to life—walls of earth and ice rose to block the zombies, while fireballs and ice spears rained down in rapid succession. The coordination was seamless, a testament to their training.

Among them was a woman clad in a sleek black nano-combat suit that accentuated her athletic figure. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail, giving her a sharp, no-nonsense look. Her name was Marina Drake, a water-element Awakener and one of the captains of Operation King Hunt. Her reputation as a powerhouse was well-earned.

With a wave of her hand, a surge of blue energy coalesced into a roaring water dragon. It tore through the horde of zombies, scattering them like leaves in a storm.

"Humans do have some fight in them..." Serpent-Eye muttered under his breath. The elite zombies were being handled by the Awakeners, while the regular ones were left to the Doom Hunters.

The Doom Hunters were relentless. Their Gatling guns roared, spitting out streams of bullets that shredded the zombies into unrecognizable chunks. If any zombie managed to get close, the Doom Hunters would swing their massive iron hammers, smashing their enemies into bloody pulp with a single blow.

"There's hope!" Serpent-Eye thought, a flicker of optimism lighting up his battered spirit. For the first time, he felt like victory might actually be within reach.

Just then, a shadowy figure, silent as a ghost, slipped into the battlefield unnoticed. It crept around to the rear of the Genesis Biotech camp and merged seamlessly with the shadow of one of the Awakeners on the ground.

The figure, known as Shadow, moved without a sound—an assassin born of darkness.

From the shadow of the unsuspecting Awakener, Shadow's semi-ethereal body began to rise, flickering like black flames as it took form.

"Huh?"

A psychic-type Awakener nearby suddenly sensed something amiss. He instinctively turned his head, his eyes widening in horror.

"Jennifer! Behind you!" he shouted in alarm.

"What?" Jennifer, the Awakener in question, looked confused. She began to turn, but before she could fully react, a sharp, searing pain tore through her body.

"Squelch!"

Shadow's clawed hand had already pierced through her back.

Jennifer's body convulsed violently as blood gushed from the wound. Her eyes widened in shock, but within moments, her life slipped away. Her lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

"Hehehehehe!" Shadow let out a sinister laugh, licking the blood off his claws with a twisted expression of satisfaction. For someone like him, who had lived in deprivation, this was the sweetest delicacy—a taste of pure ecstasy.

The scene sent chills down everyone's spine.

"What the hell is that thing?!" someone gasped.

"Another zombie king?!"

"Attack him! Now!"

The camp erupted into chaos as the Awakeners unleashed their powers, hurling attacks toward Shadow.

But Shadow had no intention of sticking around. After his successful ambush, he retreated swiftly, disappearing into the shadows. Moments later, from the street corner behind him, a massive horde of zombies surged forward.

This was Shadow's crew—his "brothers in poverty." Five thousand zombies, including a thousand elite ones, charged like starving wolves. Their desperation made them fearless, and the sight of so many humans only fueled their bloodlust.

"Damn it! He has backup!" Justin realized the gravity of the situation and quickly ordered his forces to intercept the incoming horde.

Meanwhile, Serpent-Eye recognized Shadow immediately.

"So it's you, you pathetic loser! And now you're here to mess things up for me?!" Serpent-Eye snarled.

"Serpent-Eye, your time is up," Shadow growled in a low, menacing voice.

The Awakeners Justin had brought with him were now locked in battle with Shadow's forces. But even as they fought, they couldn't forget the most dangerous threat of all—the zombie king, Ethan, who had been walking toward them just moments ago.

"Wait..." Justin's brow furrowed as a sense of unease crept over him. He scanned the battlefield frantically, but Ethan's tall, imposing figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Ethan's gone!"

"What?!"

The others around him were equally shocked. They turned to look, but Ethan had indeed vanished.

That didn't make sense. He had been walking toward them just a moment ago... Where could he have gone?

But there was no time to dwell on it. Zombies were attacking from all sides, and the humans had no choice but to focus on defending themselves.

With the arrival of Shadow and his horde, the battle had reached a fever pitch.

...

Elsewhere on the battlefield, another intense fight was unfolding.

The Spider Empress, a former ruler in her own right, was proving to be a formidable force. Her webs shot out in rapid succession, ensnaring zombies and either tearing them apart or immobilizing them. Her webs were thick and sticky, and many of them were covered in crows.

The Red-Eyed Crow, however, was having a rough time. It darted and weaved through the webs, narrowly avoiding capture as it tried to escape.

"Don't run, my little darling!" the Spider Empress called out, her voice dripping with mockery as she pursued the crow relentlessly.

"Freak! You're such a freak!" the Red-Eyed Crow squawked in terror, flapping its wings desperately. It was almost out of the web's range and ready to ascend into the sky.

But the Spider Empress was its natural predator.

With a sharp hiss, she opened her mouth, and a torrent of silk shot out, weaving itself into a massive web above the crow.

The crow had nowhere to go. The web fell like a net, trapping it mid-air. With a loud "thud", the Red-Eyed Crow crashed to the ground, tangled in the sticky threads.

It struggled with all its might, but the web only tightened around it, leaving it completely immobilized.

The Spider Empress's eyes gleamed with excitement as she leapt into the air, her eight razor-sharp legs poised to strike.

The Red-Eyed Crow's crimson eyes flickered with panic as the Spider Empress's massive form loomed closer. Death was seconds away.

"Shit... This is it for me..." the crow thought, despair washing over it.

But just as the Spider Empress's legs were about to pierce its body, a massive figure stepped in front of the crow, blocking the attack like an unyielding wall.

"Squelch!"

The Spider Empress's sharp legs stabbed into the newcomer's body, leaving several bloody holes. Blood poured from the wounds, but the figure didn't flinch.

It was Bulldozer.

His massive arms were crossed in front of him, shielding the crow from the fatal blow.

Once again, he had been turned into a pincushion.

Bulldozer gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain. He turned his head slightly to look at the crow and, through clenched teeth, forced out a few words:

"Hey... Remember when we first met, and I caught you? Well, now I've saved you. So... we're even now, right? Can we call it quits?"

The Red-Eyed Crow blinked its crimson eyes, staring at him for a moment. Then, it tilted its head and said softly:

"You big idiot..."

...