Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan's gaze shifted to the four women standing nearby. They now had two choices: become monsters under his control, or… become food.

The four women stared blankly, utterly stunned by the situation. None of them had expected this, and the shock left them reeling.

But smart people know how to make the right choice.

Faced with death, why not embrace one last act of madness?

One by one, they submitted to Ethan.

Without hesitation, Ethan tossed them four vials of the G-virus. After injecting themselves, their bodies began to crack and contort, their bones creaking audibly as guttural growls escaped their throats.

One by one, grotesque bio-monsters emerged from the cellar, their faces twisted and feral, exuding an aura of pure savagery.

Watching this rare and terrifying transformation, Ethan smiled, clearly pleased with the results.

He had come to Sunland alone, wiping out the Black Hand Legion's base of operations. But as he left, he brought with him six horrifying bio-monsters.

On the journey back, the six creatures, each as massive as a small hill, moved with earth-shaking steps. Every time their feet hit the ground, the earth trembled beneath them.

Even mutated beasts and zombies they encountered along the way instinctively avoided them, retreating into the shadows.

Ethan walked confidently in the middle of his six "bodyguards."

The sense of security was overwhelming.

The journey was smooth—at least, until they reached the halfway point. In the distance, at the edge of the wilderness, a grain depot came into view.

It was teeming with people, and a horde of zombies was charging at them, locked in battle with a group of humans.

"What's going on here?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, his sharp gaze locking onto the scene. These zombies weren't ordinary. Their bodies were slick and wet, and thin membranes stretched between their fingers and toes, resembling webbed duck feet.

He remembered Bulldozer and the others reporting something similar—zombies like these had once infiltrated his territory through the river.

Since they'd crossed paths, it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

Besides, it was a good chance to "train the troops" and test the combat capabilities of his new monsters.

Unbeknownst to Ethan, the battle ahead was between an official human shelter and a horde of zombies from Santa Monica.

After Mia's group was ambushed last time, they had retreated from the grain depot. But not all the food had been transported out.

Given how precious food was, they couldn't just abandon it. So they'd returned with reinforcements to reclaim it. However, the area had been plagued by zombie attacks recently, leading to frequent skirmishes of varying intensity.

Now, the two sides were clashing again.

The shelter's team was led by Mia, with Sean and a group of "builders" and "haulers" supporting her from the rear.

Mia's blade danced through the air, swift and deadly, cutting down zombies like a whirlwind. Blood sprayed in all directions as she carved a path through the horde, her movements precise and unrelenting.

On the flank, Sean was locked in combat with a lizard-like mutant. With brutal efficiency, he smashed it to pieces, his strikes merciless and decisive. It seemed he still hadn't forgotten the grudge over that half-eaten apple.

Further back, Chris and his group wielded weapons, forming a defensive formation as they fought off the zombies in close quarters.

"Damn it! There's way too many of them this time!" Chris cursed, his voice strained.

"Uncle Chris! Hang in there!" Brandon gritted his teeth. "If we don't get this food out soon, it's gonna start rotting!"

"Yeah…" Chris nodded heavily.

The recent rainy season had brought humid, stifling weather, making it nearly impossible to store food properly.

Their group numbered around twenty or thirty people, while the zombie horde was at least seven or eight hundred strong.

Mia was like a blade slicing through the horde, a relentless killing machine devoid of emotion. She continued to reap zombie heads, her surroundings drenched in foul blood as corpses fell like wheat under a scythe.

Her ferocity inspired the others, lifting their spirits.

"Mia's the real deal. She's incredible—no wonder people call her the light of humanity," Brandon said, awe in his voice.

Chris nodded in agreement. "Of course. And it helps that there aren't any elite mutants this time. We'll wipe them out soon enough."

But just as the words left his mouth, the ground began to tremble violently.

"Hmm? An earthquake?"

"No, wait! Uncle Chris, look over there!" Brandon pointed ahead, his face frozen in shock.

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Chris quickly turned to look. What he saw left him utterly dumbfounded.

Six towering figures, each as massive as a small hill, were barreling toward them. Their forms were grotesque and varied, radiating an overwhelming aura of bloodlust and savagery.

These six bio-monsters were nearly A-rank in strength, far surpassing the power of most Awakeners.

"What… what are those things?" Mia paused mid-swing, her sharp eyes locking onto the approaching creatures. Her expression, however, remained calm and composed.

Sean scratched his head. "Looks like something straight out of Attack on Titan."

"Can you not joke right now? If they charge at us, we're screwed!" Chloe snapped from the rear, her brows furrowed in worry.

The sight was undeniably terrifying, and even the most battle-hardened among them couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease. Defeating those six monsters might be possible, but the cost in lives would be steep.

But just as the group braced themselves for the worst, the six bio-monsters veered off course—charging straight into the zombie horde instead of attacking the humans.

Leading the pack were Aaron and Olivia, the monstrous siblings. They tore through the zombies with unrelenting ferocity. A single punch from one of them reduced a zombie to pulp, while others were grabbed and bitten into, their rotting flesh devoured with loud, crunching sounds.

These bio-monsters were omnivorous, capable of consuming fresh meat, decayed flesh, and even plant matter. Having pushed their bodies to the brink of evolution, they could no longer grow stronger. Their sole focus now was survival—eating to replenish their energy reserves.

With razor-sharp claws, they shredded the zombies to pieces. Limbs and torsos flew in all directions, painting the battlefield in gore. The monsters moved as a unit, like a row of steamrollers, flattening everything in their path.

"What the hell is going on?"

"They're only killing zombies?"

"Are they… helping us?"

The humans watched in a mix of fear and astonishment.

Mia stood still, her slender frame unmoving as she tilted her head slightly, her sharp eyes observing the scene. Then, her gaze shifted beyond the monsters to a figure walking leisurely behind them.

It was a tall, lean man, his pace unhurried, as if he were out for a casual stroll.

"That guy… he just keeps getting more and more ridiculous," Mia muttered under her breath.

Moments later, the six monsters had wiped out the entire zombie horde. Their massive bodies heaved with heavy breaths, their bloodthirsty aura gradually subsiding. Then, as if on cue, they stood to the side, waiting obediently.

Ethan had arrived.

All eyes turned to him. Many in the group recognized him instantly—Chris, Chloe, and several of the builders and haulers had crossed paths with him before. Some had even exchanged contact info with him back then.

Seeing that it was Ethan, they weren't entirely surprised. If anyone could pull off something this outrageous, it was him.

Sean, however, was the most excited. A wide grin spread across his face as he jogged up to Ethan.

"Heh, Ethan! You came to help me out, didn't you?"

"I was just passing through," Ethan replied casually.

Sean squinted at him, clearly unconvinced. "Yeah, right. Last time you said the same thing when we were on your turf, but you totally came to help us. You think I'm that gullible?"

"…" Ethan sighed, too exasperated to argue with him.

Mia's sharp eyes flicked toward the bio-monsters. "Looks like you've been busy lately. How'd you manage to whip these things up?"

"Someone gave them to me," Ethan said nonchalantly.

"Oh, impressive!" Mia gave him a thumbs-up, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Ethan's gaze lingered on her for a moment, and a thought crossed his mind. Mia's awakened ability, Deadly Pain, was already formidable. If she were to transform into a monster, she'd likely retain her ability—and become even more terrifying.

"Hey, Mia," Ethan said suddenly, his tone casual but laced with curiosity. "Ever thought about becoming a monster?"

"…"