Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The aircraft soared into the sunset, slicing through the clouds. Outside the window, the view was breathtaking—like something out of a dream.

Inside, the team was riding high on the thrill of victory. Laughter and chatter filled the cabin, the mood light and celebratory. But Griffin's eyes were locked on Brandon, staring like he was trying to burn a hole through him.

"Huh? Why do you keep staring at me?" Brandon shot him a sideways glance.

Griffin looked down, suddenly bashful, clearly wrestling with something. He hesitated, then mumbled, "I've been thinking… You saved my life, and I'm super grateful. But there's still one thing that's been bothering me. My, uh… my egg injury. You think you could fix it?"

"Wait, your what?" Brandon blinked, trying to process.

"My, uh… you know. Down there. The egg injury."

Brandon paused, thinking it over. Then he smirked. "Well… I could give you a few eggs."

Griffin's eyes lit up. "Wait, seriously?!"

Brandon nodded, deadpan. "Yup. How about a scrambler, a dumb-egg, and a goof-egg?"

Griffin: "..."

Chris and the others burst out laughing, trying to hold it in but failing miserably.

"Griffin," Chris chuckled, "Brandon can control blood, not regrow body parts. He's not exactly a miracle worker. But hey, don't lose hope. Maybe someday you'll meet someone with the power to fix your, uh… eggs."

"Yeah, you're right!" Griffin nodded earnestly. In this new world, the old rules didn't apply anymore. Who's to say someone out there hasn't awakened a power that can rebuild the body? There was still hope.

He silently vowed to spend the rest of his life searching for that miracle—to reclaim his manhood and rise again.

Just then, Chris turned to look at Brandon, his expression unreadable.

Brandon caught the look. "Uncle Chris, now you're staring at me too. What's up?"

"Nothing," Chris said, shaking his head. "Just… still wrapping my head around it. Can't believe you actually awakened a special ability."

There was a hint of envy in his voice. That Blood Burst power—offensive, defensive, and even capable of healing—was insanely strong. Brandon alone could probably take on several regular Awakeners at once.

"Why the hell… did I end up with fire powers?" Chris muttered.

"According to researchers, awakening abilities are influenced by a bunch of factors," Mia chimed in from nearby. "One of the biggest is your emotional state at the time of awakening."

"Oh…" Chris nodded thoughtfully. That actually made a lot of sense.

Brandon grinned. "So, Uncle Chris, if we go by what Mia said… maybe you were just really pissed off when you awakened."

"..." Chris's face darkened. A vein twitched on his forehead.

But the more he thought about it… yeah, that actually tracked.

…

Genesis Biotech, North America Regional HQ.

Richard sat alone in his office.

He had just finished combing through the Zombie King files, reading every last detail. His fists clenched unconsciously, veins bulging on his forehead. He'd clearly discovered something serious.

After a long moment of internal struggle, he exhaled deeply, like a balloon deflating. He leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, as if trying to calm his mind.

The office was silent. He sat there for a while, unmoving.

Then—

A female assistant burst in, breathless and panicked. "Richard! Adrian's team ran into an SS-class Zombie King. They've all gone dark—no contact."

"I know," Richard said calmly, eyes still closed.

"What?" The assistant froze, stunned. That's it? He already knew?

Of course—it was Richard. Even in the face of disaster, he stayed cool as ice.

Truth was, Richard had already pieced it together. Cross-referencing the Zombie King files, he'd figured out exactly which one they'd encountered—the one holed up in that skyscraper in downtown L.A.

His people never stood a chance.

Losing Lucas and Adrian—two of his top operatives—along with hundreds of Awakeners who had formed crystal cores, not to mention all the high-grade Crystal Core Armaments… Even for someone with Richard's resources, it was a brutal loss.

Then the assistant seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right—before Adrian went dark, he managed to send back a voice recording. Do you want to hear it?"

Richard's eyes snapped open. He sat up straight, suddenly alert.

"Really?" His voice was low, but charged with interest.

Because anyone who came face-to-face with that SS-class Zombie King in L.A. didn't usually live to tell the tale.

If Adrian had managed to send something back… it could be invaluable.

"Play it. Now."

"Yes, sir."

The assistant quickly pulled out a portable player and hit play.

The recording started with a burst of static—clearly the signal had been terrible. Then came Adrian's voice, ragged and breathless, like he was running for his life.

"We've been ambushed by an SS-class Zombie King. Chances are… we're not making it out. I—I think I could die any second!"

"He's right behind us… still killing—God! It's a massacre!"

"This SS-class Zombie King is insanely powerful. He's awakened an ability called Absolute Domain. No one can get close to him… I don't think I'm gonna make it."

"If we're gonna have any shot at taking this thing down, we need someone with top-tier tracking abilities. That's non-negotiable. And we'll also need a high-level psychic-type Awakener—at least S+ rank—to resist the effects of his Absolute Domain…"

"As for offense… I honestly don't know what kind of Awakener could even hurt him. That's all I've got for now. He's almost on me…"

"I'm heading to find Samuel from the Black Hand Legion. Maybe he's got something—anything—that can slow this monster down and give us a fighting chance…"

click

The recording ended there.

Even through the grainy audio, Adrian's panic and desperation were palpable. You could feel the sheer terror in his voice, the sense that death was breathing down his neck.

"Where's Samuel from the Black Hand Legion?" Richard asked, his voice low.

The assistant hesitated, then answered, "We just got off the line with the Legion's HQ. Samuel's gone dark too."

"…"

Richard's face darkened. The last sliver of hope he'd been clinging to vanished.

So that was that.

No miracle. No survivors.

"Haaaah…"

He let out a long breath and closed his eyes again, sinking into thought.

Adrian's final message, grim as it was, still held value.

That SS-class Zombie King had traveled all the way from L.A., crossing three states to get here. That meant it wasn't just a mindless monster—it had long-range mobility, maybe even purpose.

That was terrifying.

It was like someone had cracked open Pandora's box.

According to Adrian, taking this thing down would require two key components: a top-tier tracker and a high-level psychic Awakener. But even that might not be enough.

Richard didn't have all the answers. Not yet. But he knew one thing—he couldn't figure this out alone.

He needed more intel. More minds.

People who'd been close to that Zombie King. People who might've seen something, survived something.

Two names came to mind immediately: Nathan and Sophia. They'd both operated near the L.A. zone. If anyone had insight, it was them.

"Get Nathan and Sophia on a call. We're having a meeting."

"A meeting? Oh—yes, right away."

The assistant blinked, caught off guard by the sudden order, but didn't dare question it. She rushed off to set up the emergency conference.

Richard sat there, eyes fixed on nothing, his expression grim.

"Let's see… if this thing really can't be stopped…"

...