Global Evolution: I Became A Zombie!

Some time later, back at the zoo.

[Your horde is under attack.]

[3x Grade-1 Twisted Walkers were slain.]

[2x Grade-0 Dribblers were slain.]

Blaze was in the middle of important construction when those notifications appeared before him.

"What's this?" he asked, stopping midway.

The system had been erratic for a while now. It performed basic functions, but then refused to communicate with him as if their connection had been severed.

He was aware it had something to do with his deceased status, but this was something different.

The members of his horde had been slain many times before. Yet, it was the first time he had received such a notification.

It must be the effect of the maxed horde management trait.

Even stranger was that he could feel the place where the zombies had died.

North-east, right inside the spire's range.

Intrigue filled him.

This was the reason he spread the zombies everywhere. They were his makeshift radar system, informing him not only about stray groups, like the ones that killed them, but also human camps.

"At least they served their purpose," Blaze smiled.

His smile didn't go unnoticed by Marrow and Chimera. They both rushed to his side, eager to know what had happened.

Marrow was standing closer to Blaze, but Chimera was much faster and reached there first.

"Reh! Reh! Reh?" he asked, dancing around Blaze.

"Reh, reh, reh," Marrow scoffed as she got closer. "Can you even speak properly?"

"Skree!" Fester chimed in, agreeing enthusiastically.

"What are you nodding for?" Blaze retorted. "You're in the same boat as him."

"Skr…"

"And you. Stop dancing around and stay still."

Chimera immediately stopped and turned all serious. Finally, it was Marrow's turn, but Blaze had a better plan in mind.

If his scolding wouldn't make Marrow and Chimera get along, then he had other means to achieve that as well.

"We have some uninvited guests," he said, pointing north-east. "Marrow and Chimera, go welcome them in my stead."

"My lord… I think it would be if Fester accompanied me—"

"Leave now, take your skeletons and other undead with you."

Blaze interrupted her before returning to the construction. The conversation ended, leaving no room for debate.

Neither Marrow nor Chimera were pleased with the decision. Yet, they couldn't do anything. The Horde Master's word was absolute.

They turned to leave when Blaze uttered something.

"Marrow will lead the operation. Chimera, make sure she has nothing to complain about."

Marrow's frown disappeared as soon as she heard those words. She turned to Chimera, wanting to one-up him, but strangely enough, the creature was smiling as well!

It all came back to Blaze's wording.

He gave Marrow the control she craved while handing his trust to Chimera. Both of them felt their master had given them more importance and were happy to work together for the sake of not upsetting Blaze.

Soon, Marrow gathered an army of three hundred personnel, excluding herself and Chimera.

Half of them were her skeletons. A hundred undead soldier ants, and the rest were grade-2s under Blaze's command.

They didn't need such a big army to subjugate what could be a small group of ragtag adventurers. However, she wanted to make a statement and also prove Blaze right for giving her the command of the operation.

They set out and, not long after, stumbled upon the remains of the zombies.

However, something felt off.

Usually, the humans left the corpses behind after killing the zombies, as they had no purpose for them. But this group of thirty humans was strange.

They were led by a cloaked figure, who seemed to be interested in zombies as much as Blaze. That's why they were storing the corpses in a strange device after killing them.

"Reh?"

"Yes," Marrow nodded. "They are stealing Master's servants."

"Reh!"

"Get down!"

Chimera was itching for some action and almost charged at the humans, but Marrow pulled him down by the tail.

He was about to lash out at the thought of someone stealing Blaze's property, but remembered the master's parting words and sat back down, hiding in the bushes.

Marrow felt something was odd about these humans.

She scanned them and noticed ten of them carrying shields as big as themselves. Five were armed with ranged weapons, while thirteen held melee weapons. The last two carried staffs. But only one of them wore a robe that smelled of a freshly killed human.

"Strange," she mumbled. "Why would a human wear the skin of another human?"

"Reh! Reh."

Chimera quickly chimed in, pointing at him and then at her.

"Infighting?"

Chimera nodded.

Marrow found it odd. It made sense to her when the undead fought amongst themselves. They could spare the time and strength to do so since they were the dominant species.

But humans?

They were weak as is. Why would they fight among themselves and weaken themselves more?

Either way, she felt more presences around the humans.

The thirty of them weren't all. More humans were hiding around, probably waiting for someone or something.

The only ones they could be were… Blaze's horde.

As for where they were hiding, it was difficult to say.

Since Marrow had authority over both life and the undead, she could sense humans, although vaguely.

Yet, this time, it felt as if something was tampering with her ability to pinpoint their location.

She quickly instructed the ants to spread out and search, as they could relay information faster than the rest of them.

As for the zombies, she gave the authority of half of them over to Chimera. She then patted the undead beastman and pointed to the other side.

Chimera nodded and departed to sneak behind the humans by going around in an arc.

She waited for five minutes. The ants relayed the information she needed, and Chimera also got in place.

It was time to attack.

"Go."

On her signal, the Grade-2 rushed out of the bushes.

"More of them!" a woman yelled.

The humans surrounded the man in the cloak as he clasped his hands as if praying.

Marrow sensed familiar energy building up around the human.

It was like her golden wisps.

"Stop! Retreat!"

Marrow gave the command, but it was too late.

"Begone, heretics!"

The cloaked figure yelled as a golden aura burst out of his palms.