Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Smirk didn't think much of it. He figured code names were usually given by leaders or captains, so it seemed pretty normal to him.

Out of nowhere, Shroom asked, "Where are you guys from?"

"Sunland, out in the suburbs," Smirk blurted out without a second thought.

"Ahem!"

Matt, standing nearby, cleared his throat sharply, clearly annoyed. Seriously? You're just gonna tell them where our base is?

"Stop running your mouth and let's keep moving," Matt said, his tone clipped.

"Oh… got it."

Smirk immediately understood what Matt meant. What's the big deal? he thought to himself. They're our partners now. They're gonna find out sooner or later anyway.

Still, he decided to steer clear of any sensitive topics and switched to something lighter.

"Hey, Shroom, do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

Lil' Shroom shook her head. The concept of a "boyfriend" felt foreign to her—zombies didn't exactly experience romantic feelings like humans did.

Smirk's face lit up at her answer. To him, it sounded like she was leaving the door wide open.

He leaned in a little closer to her, his confidence growing.

Lil' Shroom, catching the strong scent of human flesh, felt like a delicious piece of cake had been placed right in front of her. She couldn't help but lean in closer too.

In a way, you could say they were "mutually interested."

Smirk was over the moon. He could feel it—she was into him.

"Shroom, what do you think of me?"

"You're… really great," Shroom said, turning her gaze to him. She swallowed hard, her bright eyes glinting with something unreadable.

Smirk's heart practically did a backflip. It's the apocalypse, he thought. Might as well enjoy life while I can. Who knows what'll come first—tomorrow or the end of the world?

"Then… can I get a kiss?" he asked, his voice full of anticipation.

"Really? I can?" Lil' Shroom's eyes sparkled, and her expression turned visibly excited.

"Yeah, yeah!" Smirk nodded eagerly, his mind racing. Man, I'm about to lose it here!

The two were already sitting close, and now Lil' Shroom took a step closer, licking her lips as she leaned toward Smirk's face.

"Heh heh heh…" Smirk chuckled to himself, ready to savor the kiss from this beautiful girl.

But Lil' Shroom had other thoughts. She'd already gotten the answers she needed—where they were meeting, where they were from. The mission her boss had given her was basically complete. Now, it was time to eat.

A flicker of madness flashed in her eyes, and her once-normal teeth suddenly sharpened into razor-like fangs, gleaming like steel spikes.

Smirk, to his credit, was sharp enough to sense something was off. He turned his head just in time to see her face twist into something horrifying, monstrous.

They were so close now, practically nose-to-nose. There was no time to react.

Lil' Shroom opened her grotesque mouth wide and sank her teeth into his neck.

"AAAAARGH—!"

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the dark, abandoned subway tunnel.

Smirk thrashed, but there was no escaping her grip. A zombie of her caliber was far too strong. His body convulsed as his blood was drained rapidly, leaving him weaker by the second.

In his final moments, one thought crossed his mind: Guess the end of the world came first after all…

"Shit!"

Matt and the others immediately noticed the commotion. Their faces went pale as they realized what was happening. The sweet, innocent-looking girl was actually a flesh-eating monster.

One of the younger guys in the group, a speed-enhanced fighter, reacted quickly. He whipped out an alloy dagger and charged straight at Shroom.

Shroom's feral eyes gleamed as she swiftly dodged to the side, trying to escape the incoming attack.

But one of the girls in the group narrowed her eyes, summoning her energy. Walls of earth erupted from the ground, cutting off Shroom's retreat.

At the same time, a wave of psychic pressure bore down on her, adding to the assault.

Leading the charge, Matt surged forward, his body crackling with electricity as he raised his fist to strike.

The group moved with precision, their teamwork seamless, their attacks relentless.

Lil' Shroom thrust her hands forward, releasing a cloud of fungal spores. The air filled with a misty, white haze, acting as a barrier against the humans' attacks.

But these weren't ordinary humans—they were skilled fighters, all ranked at B+ level. With sheer force, they shattered the spore cloud, dispersing it like smoke in the wind.

"You're dead!" Matt roared, his face twisted with fury as he closed in on her.

Unbeknownst to him, a pair of cold, calculating eyes watched from the shadows. The gaze was detached, almost amused, like that of a predator observing its prey.

It was clear that while Lil' Shroom's shapeshifting abilities were impressive, her combat skills left much to be desired. She had only recently fused with her fungal crystal core, so it wasn't surprising she struggled against these humans.

Then, with a single thought, Ethan made his move.

The Domain of the Dead unfolded like a tidal wave, its oppressive energy crashing down on the humans.

Matt's fist, crackling with lightning, was mere inches from Shroom's face when his entire body froze mid-motion.

"What… what is this?!" he stammered, his voice trembling with shock. The crushing pressure pinned him in place, and his head, as if controlled by invisible strings, slowly turned to look behind him.

From the darkness, a tall figure emerged.

He wore a pristine white shirt, his expression cold and indifferent, his features strikingly handsome. He moved with an eerie calm, stepping up behind one of the psychic Awakeners. Without hesitation, he extended his long, slender fingers, plunging them into the back of the man's skull.

In one smooth motion, Ethan extracted the crystal core from the man's head.

The process was disturbingly casual, as if he were plucking an apple from a tree.

Matt's eyes widened in horror as he watched his teammate's lifeless body collapse to the ground.

That white shirt… it was unmistakable. This wasn't just any zombie. This was him. The undisputed ruler of Los Angeles. The Zombie King.

"It's him… He found us…"

Lil' Shroom, seeing her boss step in, immediately abandoned her fight with the humans. She scurried over to Ethan's side, her demeanor shifting to one of obedience. Her once-defiant expression softened into something almost childlike.

This was her first mission outside the base, and she couldn't help but wonder how she'd done.
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Ethan glanced at her and offered a rare compliment. "Not bad."

"Ehehe~" Lil' Shroom beamed, her face lighting up with joy.

The remaining three humans, however, were anything but cheerful. Their faces were grim, their fear palpable. It was as if the air itself had turned to lead, weighing them down.

"Earth Armor!" one of the women shouted, her voice filled with desperation. The ground beneath her feet shifted, encasing her body in layers of hardened earth. With her enhanced defense, she managed to move within the oppressive Domain of the Dead.

She raised her massive, earth-covered fist and charged at Ethan, aiming to crush him with a single blow.

To Ethan, the attack was laughably slow. With a flick of his wrist, he drew a sleek tachi from his side. The blade gleamed with a cold, deadly light as it sliced through the air.

In an instant, the sword cut through the earth armor, cleaving straight into the woman's skull. Her crystal core flew out, spinning through the air before landing with a dull thud.

The earth crumbled away, and her lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

"So this… this is the power of the strongest Zombie King?" Matt whispered, his voice trembling with disbelief.

He and his team were B+ level Awakeners, elite members of the Black Hand Legion. They'd been sent to negotiate with Genesis Biotech, a task reserved for only the best. Yet here they were, utterly powerless.

Ethan killed them as if they were nothing more than insects.

Taking a few steps forward, Ethan swung his blade again, effortlessly cutting down the speed-enhanced fighter. The man didn't even have time to react before his life was snuffed out.

Now, in the dimly lit corridor, only Matt remained.

He stood frozen, his eyes locked on Ethan's approaching figure. It felt as though Death itself was walking toward him, each step marking the countdown to his end.

Terror consumed him. His legs trembled violently, and a sudden warmth spread down his thighs. The acrid smell of urine filled the air.

"B-Boss… I've always respected you! I swear, I never meant to offend you…" Matt stammered, his voice cracking.

Ethan tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Then why did you piss yourself?"

"I… I thought it'd add to the drama…"

...