Apocalypse: King of Zombies

"They've completely lost it." That was Ethan's verdict on his little zombie underlings.

As their evolution progressed, zombies were starting to show more and more emotions. But throwing a rave inside a corpse nest? Yeah, that was a first.

After that, nothing much happened. The territory returned to its usual calm. Ethan stayed holed up at home, living the good life. The apocalypse might be raging outside, but what did that have to do with him?

Or maybe… as long as he didn't step outside, the apocalypse wasn't really that dangerous after all.

Ethan was bored out of his mind.

When he wasn't absorbing crystal cores, he'd pull out his phone and browse the internet, checking for any new announcements.

Only the official website of the survivor shelter posted updates now and then.

Genesis Biotech's local branch? Completely silent. Their last announcement was from months ago.

They used to post updates mainly to brag about their strength and lure in survivors. But now that the city was devoid of human life, there was no one left to attract.

If they kept posting, the only ones who'd show up would be zombies.

Besides, anyone who had survived this long already knew exactly what kind of operation Genesis Biotech was running. No amount of self-promotion would change that.

Ethan stayed home. Nothing happened. So, there wasn't much to say.

Until that night.

Deep into the night.

The sky was scattered with stars.

A crescent moon hung low on the horizon, veiled by a thin layer of clouds, casting a hazy glow.

Big Ears, Shrimpy, and Locomotive stood in the middle of a wrecked street.

"I've got a feeling in my bones—tonight's the perfect night to hit Rancho Cucamonga!" Big Ears declared.

"For real?" Shrimpy hesitated. "We're not gonna run into trouble, are we?"

"Nah. Those humans hauling supplies probably cleared out ages ago. There aren't any tough zombies left in Rancho Cucamonga either. And besides… you seriously don't trust my ability? You think I'd lead us into danger?" Big Ears shot back.

"Oh, right, good point." Shrimpy nodded quickly. He wasn't exaggerating—Big Ears' danger-sensing ability was the real deal.

Locomotive chimed in, "Then let's go. I've never been to Rancho Cucamonga. Kinda curious to see what it's like."

"Let's move! I'll take you guys there." Big Ears waved his hand dramatically.

Then, he crouched down, pressed his ear to the ground, stretched his hind legs straight, and started moving forward in a weird, swaying motion.

The other two zombies were already used to this ridiculous sight.

But honestly? It was reassuring.

Every little sound in the area—every rustling leaf, every shifting shadow—Big Ears picked up on it all. Just like that, he led the other two zombies out of Los Angeles' main city.

The journey was smooth.

Because every major threat in the area had already been wiped out by Ethan.

About two hours later…

The three zombies arrived at the outskirts of a suburban city. Rancho Cucamonga lay ahead, shrouded in darkness.

Some buildings had collapsed, their surfaces covered in moss.

The streets were a mess, overgrown with thick, tangled vegetation.

A few low-level zombies wandered aimlessly, their expressions vacant as they swayed in place. In the darker corners, oversized rats gnawed on zombie corpses, their teeth scraping against bone with a dry, rasping sound.

"Heh, looks like there's nothing dangerous here after all." Big Ears' eyes lit up as he relaxed.

With his strength, he could easily dominate this place.

Especially with Locomotive backing him up. Sure, Locomotive wasn't exactly top-tier, but he had been injected with both the X-virus and the Y-virus. Even a half-dead camel was still bigger than a horse—he was at least elite-level.

"This place is a total wasteland."

"Let's look around. Who knows? We might find something fun." Big Ears suggested.

And so, the three zombies started wandering aimlessly, treating the ruined city like their personal playground. It was like an adventure—reckless, carefree, and oddly exhilarating.

Everything went smoothly. No surprises.

They walked from the west side of the city to the east, then looped back to where they started.

Big Ears stood with his hands on his hips, looking mighty pleased with himself. Now that he was sure there was no danger, he got a little cocky.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted into the empty city, his voice echoing through the darkness.

"Not a single one of you can put up a fight! Anyone wanna challenge me? Step up and let's see what you've got!"

His voice carried through the ruins, lingering in the air.

Thankfully, there was no response.

Because if something had answered, the three of them would've probably shit themselves.

Big Ears kept going. "Alright then! From this moment on, I am the undisputed ruler of Rancho Cucamonga!"

His declaration echoed back at him, just as before.

Shrimpy and Locomotive immediately chimed in with congratulations.

"Congrats, Big Ears! Long live the king!"

"Yeah, now you're officially on our level."

"…"

The three zombies hyped each other up, but honestly, they were just bored. They'd come out here to mess around, knowing full well that Rancho Cucamonga was Ethan's territory—meaning it was completely safe.

Besides, the survivor shelter's people had been here before, leaving plenty of traces behind.

But then—

A streak of light suddenly flashed across the distant sky, a meteor cutting through the darkness with a brilliant tail of fire.

"Whoa! A shooting star!" Shrimpy pointed excitedly.

"Mm." Big Ears nodded. "Probably here to witness my coronation."

"Shooting stars are supposed to be lucky! Quick, make a wish!" Locomotive clasped his hands together.

The three zombies stood there, heads tilted back, admiring the celestial display.

But after a while, Shrimpy started feeling… uneasy.

"Uh, Big Ears? You notice that thing's getting bigger?"

"Huh? Yeah… what the hell are they feeding it? That thing's growing fast." Big Ears muttered.

A few more seconds passed.

The clouds above turned a deep, fiery red, glowing brighter and brighter. The entire sky shifted from pitch black to a dusky crimson, as if the night had suddenly turned to twilight.

Locomotive stared, his expression blank.

"Based on my analysis… that's not a shooting star."

"Yeah, I don't think so either." Big Ears frowned, deep in thought.

"Then… what is it?"

"Big… Big Ears… I think that's a meteorite." Shrimpy's voice trembled.

Because at that moment, the sky roared.

The air itself screeched as friction tore through it, and an overwhelming pressure descended upon them.

The star was no longer falling—it was plummeting, straight toward them.

"Yep. Meteorite. And it's coming right for us." Big Ears nodded.

"Wait a sec…"

The three zombies' eyes widened in unison.

They exchanged a single glance.

"RUN!"

They spun on their heels and bolted, sprinting at full speed, pushing their undead bodies to the absolute limit.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Big Ears yelled in panic.

Because Shrimpy and Locomotive were way better at running than he was. They were already pulling ahead.

Behind them, the sky was now completely ablaze.

A massive fireball tore through the clouds, hurtling straight toward the ground.

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, the meteorite struck.

The impact unleashed a deafening explosion, sending a shockwave rippling outward. The already-ruined buildings didn't stand a chance—they were obliterated, reduced to nothing but dust and rubble.

Big Ears, still mid-sprint, got caught in the blast.

The force sent him flying nearly one hundred meters through the air.

One second, he was behind Shrimpy and Locomotive—

The next, he was ahead of them, crashing face-first into the ground.

"Hhhhhhssss!"

Pain shot through his entire body. He felt like his bones had been completely rearranged.

Lying there in the dirt, grimacing, he groaned,

"So this… is what it feels like to be Usain Bolt…"

…