Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan had just dealt with the remaining humans.

Now, only Ava was left.

She stood there, staring blankly at the scene before her. There was no fear, no panic—just numbness, and perhaps even a faint trace of relief.

From a dazzling star to a prisoner at the mercy of others, the drastic fall from grace had been too much for her to bear. She had long since lost the will to live.

Ethan could see it in her eyes. She was begging for release. Without hesitation, he swung his blade, ending her life in one swift motion.

"Another tormented soul set free..." Ethan muttered to himself. "I, the reborn King of the Undead, the Redeemer of the Apocalypse."

With that, he gathered up the bodies and blood, then activated his Domain of the Dead ability, phasing through the walls and leaving the scene.

Outside, it was midday. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting beams of light that danced like threads in the air, creating a Tyndall effect. The occasional eerie birdcall echoed through the forest, adding to the unsettling tranquility.

Ethan glanced back briefly.

There were likely more survivors in the villa at the mountaintop, but he had no intention of going after them. There was no point in wiping them all out—it held no meaning for him.

With that thought, his figure vanished as he activated his stealth ability, retracing his steps back to his territory.

About twenty minutes later, Ethan emerged from the forest.

Waiting for him at the perimeter were Laura and Bulldozer, along with a group of elite subordinates. They had been standing there respectfully, having noticed earlier that the dense ivy covering the area had withered away.

"The boss is back. Looks like he took care of that little weed," Laura remarked.

"Of course. The boss never fails," Bulldozer replied with admiration.

"Time to eat."

Ethan's words were brief and to the point. With a casual wave of his hand, he tossed out over a dozen corpses.

The undead around him froze for a moment, their eyes widening as the scent of blood filled the air. Then, like ravenous wolves, they pounced on the bodies, tearing into them with unrestrained hunger.

"The boss even brought back prey!"

"Was this a bonus hunt?"

"This is amazing~~~"

"..."

Ethan ignored the feeding frenzy and headed straight back to his home.

After taking a shower, he sat down on the couch. With a flick of his wrist, a seed appeared in his palm. It radiated a chaotic yet immense energy.

"How am I supposed to plant this thing?" Ethan wondered to himself.

It was clear that this crystal core seed wasn't something that could simply be buried in the ground and left to grow. Conventional methods wouldn't work.

Suddenly, he recalled what he had seen back on the mountain. The roots of the ivy had all been embedded in human skulls.

Maybe... that was the way to do it.

He stood up and looked out the window at the street below, where zombies wandered aimlessly. A strange idea began to form in his mind.

In the past, when attacking the territories of other zombie kings, he had encountered many fusion creatures—mutants like human-faced rats and eight-legged human-faced spiders. It was proof that zombies had a high degree of compatibility.

So, what if he could create his own fusion creature?

But instead of fusing zombies with other creatures, he would use this mutated plant seed.

Once the idea took root, Ethan wasted no time. Activating his Domain of the Dead ability, he descended to the street below. The surrounding zombies immediately bowed their heads in submission at the sight of him.

Ethan scanned the crowd, his gaze locking onto an elite zombie—a warrior who had been injected with the X-virus, one of his top fighters.

"You. Come here."

"Huh?"

The zombie looked up, curiosity flickering in its dull eyes.

The boss was calling him out personally? That had never happened before. Still, he didn't dare question it and obediently stepped forward.

Ethan chose one of his elite warriors for the experiment because he feared the seed's energy might be too overwhelming for an ordinary zombie. A weaker host would likely be consumed entirely, reduced to mere nourishment for the seed.

Even with an elite zombie, success wasn't guaranteed. If the experiment failed, he'd lose a valuable subordinate. But if it succeeded, he'd gain a powerful fusion creature.

It was like Genesis Biotech's human experiments—except Ethan was experimenting on zombies.

He pulled out the seed and, using his Domain of the Dead ability, placed it directly into the zombie's brain with a simple gesture.

The zombie stood there, dazed, not fully comprehending what had just happened.

"What just happened?" it muttered, confused.

"You don't feel anything?" Ethan asked, studying it curiously.

"Nope, nothing."

The zombie shook its head, but as it did, a faint crackling sound came from within its skull—like the sound of roots digging into soil.

"Ugh... my brain feels so itchy!"

Suddenly, the zombie dropped to its knees, clawing at its head in agony. It writhed on the ground, overwhelmed by the unbearable sensation.

Ethan frowned. Was the experiment failing?

But then, the zombie threw its head back and let out a deafening roar. Its eyes snapped open, glowing an eerie green. A sharp crack followed, and a tiny green sprout emerged from the top of its head.

The zombie's aura grew significantly stronger. The itching subsided, and it stood up, flexing its hands. To Ethan's surprise, its fingers transformed into vines, stretching outward in all directions. The nearby zombies recoiled in shock.

What the hell? Did this guy just grow plants?

The vines retracted, returning to fingers. The zombie clenched its fists, a look of excitement crossing its face.

"Boss, I've gained some strange new powers. I feel way stronger now."

"Oh..." Ethan nodded, though his gaze lingered on the tiny green sprout atop the zombie's head.

The experiment had worked. He had successfully created a fusion creature. But... something about it felt off.

Other fusion creatures he'd seen were terrifying in appearance—grotesque, monstrous, or exuding an aura of raw power. His creation, on the other hand, had a single blade of grass growing out of its head. It looked... kind of ridiculous. Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire

"Well... I guess it works," Ethan muttered to himself. "Sometimes, you just have to embrace the green."

He accepted the outcome. After all, the zombie's strength had indeed increased significantly, and its potential seemed limitless. With enough blood and flesh, it might even achieve the Endless Growth ability of the legendary Greenman.

Thus, the zombie became Ethan's fifth top lieutenant.

He gave it a fitting name: Sprout.

Nightfall.

The sky was overcast, and a cool breeze swept through the air. Before long, a light rain began to fall, the rhythmic pitter-patter of droplets echoing outside the window.

But even the rain couldn't dampen the chaos of the apocalypse. Beneath the darkened sky, the sounds of frenzied roars and violent clashes continued to ring out.

Ethan, however, was perfectly content staying home. He lounged on his couch, scrolling through his phone and gathering intel. Lately, he'd been keeping a close eye on Genesis Biotech, hoping to get his hands on the elusive Y-virus.

Logging into Genesis Biotech's official website, he noticed a few new announcements:

"Our research has successfully developed a soil-free cultivation technique. Crops can now grow in nutrient solutions, maturing faster and potentially alleviating food shortages."

"Exciting news! An A-rank Awakener from our headquarters will soon arrive to protect the safety of survivors."

"..."

At first glance, the announcements seemed mundane—just the usual corporate self-promotion, hyping up their achievements to boost public trust.

But Ethan couldn't help but wonder.

"An A-rank Awakener... Could they be bringing the Y-virus along with them?"

...