Apocalypse: King of Zombies - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Cheers!
“Seriously? This is supposed to be my turf, so why are those two groups fighting each other up front?”

Bulldozer scratched his head, confused.

“Wait a second… don’t tell me they came to my territory just to settle their own beef?”

Meanwhile, Ethan stood tall on the rooftop, his lean figure silhouetted against the sky. He’d already noticed earlier that a massive horde of zombies was heading this way, so he’d told his crew to hold back and not get involved.

Now, with the two factions going at it like there’s no tomorrow, Ethan decided to just sit back and enjoy the show.

“Go on, give it your best shot!”

He even cheered them on in his head, secretly hoping they’d tear each other apart.

A red-eyed crow circled around Ethan, its raspy voice breaking the moment.

“Hey, good guy, good guy! When’s dinner at your place?”

“Don’t rush me. The water in the pot isn’t even boiling yet,” Ethan replied without even turning around.

Turns out, Buddy Crow had shown up just in time for dinner, hoping to mooch a meal.

In the distance, the battlefield was pure chaos. Gunfire echoed through the air, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and severed limbs littered the ground. The stench of blood was overwhelming, turning the place into something straight out of a nightmare.

The humans had brought out their trump card: two 10-foot-tall bio-engineered killing machines—Doom Hunters.

These hulking monstrosities had broad, muscular builds and grotesque scars running across their massive foreheads, like giant centipedes crawling over their faces. Their bodies were wrapped in ammo belts, and each carried a massive iron hammer strapped to their backs. In their right hands, they wielded Gatling guns, the barrels already spinning as they unleashed a storm of bullets.

The six rotating barrels roared to life, spitting fire and raining down a relentless hail of bullets.

It was a metal storm.

Any zombie unlucky enough to get hit was either blown in half or completely obliterated, their remains scattered across the battlefield in gruesome fashion.

If an elite zombie managed to get close, the Doom Hunters didn’t flinch. They’d simply swing their massive iron hammers in a devastating counterattack. No one knew what material the hammers were made of, but they were unbelievably dense—easily weighing 40 tons. When they struck the ground, they left deep craters, and any zombie caught in the impact zone was instantly reduced to a bloody pulp.

Watching the carnage unfold, Ethan couldn’t help but be reminded of his childhood. Back then, every Thanksgiving at the orphanage, they’d roast a turkey. His job was to crush ice for the lemonade.

Looking at the zombies now, he thought they weren’t much different from those ice cubes.

The arrival of the Doom Hunters had completely turned the tide in favor of the humans. Even with the overwhelming numbers of the zombie horde, they couldn’t break through the line.

No wonder these things were considered the ultimate weapon in the “Zombie Eradication Program.”

The only real threat to the humans was the occasional giant rat scurrying out from underground. But even then, the soldiers were equipped with nano-combat suits, which the rats’ sharp teeth couldn’t penetrate. At most, they’d manage to bite someone, but that was about it.

It was clear that Operation King Hunt was no joke—they were a force to be reckoned with.

In just five minutes, they’d wiped out six or seven thousand zombies, reducing the once-massive horde by a third.

And that’s when it happened.

The Red-Faced Zombie King strolled onto the battlefield, wearing what looked like a scarf around his neck. He moved at a leisurely pace, as if he had all the time in the world.

He glanced around, wondering if his minions had already taken over Ethan’s territory.

But as he squinted at the scene in front of him, something felt… off.

His minions weren’t just fighting humans—they were locked in a full-on battle with them. And those two Doom Hunters? They stood out like sore thumbs, smashing zombies left and right with their massive hammers, as if they were crushing ice cubes.

To make matters worse, there were human Awakeners on the battlefield—individuals with supernatural abilities—tearing through his forces like they were nothing.

“What the hell is going on here?” the Zombie King muttered, his voice low and dangerous.

One of his elite zombies shuffled over to report. “Boss… there are human Awakeners here. We’ve started fighting them.”

“Oh.”

Yeah, no kidding. The Zombie King could see that for himself.

“And what about the Zombie King inside that building? Has he come out yet?”

“Uh… no idea. Doesn’t seem like it.”

“What?!”

The Red-Faced Zombie King’s temper flared. The whole point of this operation was to take down the rival Zombie King. But now, his forces had suffered heavy losses, and they hadn’t even seen their target yet.

This was unacceptable!

“Boss, how come there are human Awakeners here?” one of the underlings asked from the back.

The Red-Faced Zombie King couldn’t figure it out either. Sure, he’d evolved enough to gain intelligence, but let’s be honest—he wasn’t exactly a genius.

“Could it be… that he’s working with the humans?”

“Boss, is it possible,” another zombie chimed in, “that the humans came here to attack him too, but we just ran into them first?”

The Red-Faced Zombie King’s eyes widened. That… actually made sense.

Wait a second—did they just screw this whole thing up?

“RAAAARGH!”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, until he was practically screeching in frustration.

“So, boss, what do we do now? Should we retreat?” one of his minions asked cautiously.

“Retreat?”

The Zombie King’s eyes burned with fury. After losing so many of his forces, retreating would only make him feel even more humiliated. They’d already sunk too much into this fight—there was no turning back now. The only way to make up for the losses was to win, no matter the cost.

Besides, humans were enemies too. And their crystal cores? Oh, those were even sweeter.

“There’s no way out now. Kill them! Kill them all!”

“ROOOAAARRR!”

At his command, the zombies behind him let out deafening howls.

If the boss said no retreat, then there was no retreat.

Their eyes turned blood-red as they charged forward, throwing themselves into the fray. These weren’t just any zombies—they were highly evolved, practically on the same level as zombie kings themselves. Their strength was terrifying.

“SCREEEEECH!”

The scarf-like creature on the Zombie King’s shoulder let out a piercing shriek before leaping off. It hopped and scrambled its way up a nearby building, its body beginning to emit tendrils of black mist.

This wasn’t just any ordinary zombie—it had a sinister ability: mind control.

“Wait, is that… a Zombie King?” Michael’s brow furrowed as he heard the deafening roars echoing across the battlefield. He’d already guessed that a horde of this size had to be led by a Zombie King.

“Everyone, stay sharp! The real fight is about to begin!”

“Got it!”

The soldiers around him responded in unison, their voices steady and determined.

But the black mist was already creeping toward them, swirling around several of the armed personnel.

“I’m so… hungry…”

“Yeah… me too…”

“Hey, look over there!”

“Look at that… the beach! I wanna go chill by the ocean, crack open a cold beer, and enjoy some oysters!”

“….”

One of the soldiers’ eyes glazed over. He mimed the motion of grabbing a beer, but instead of a drink, his hand reached for the grenade on his belt.

“Hey! Stop! What are you doing?!” Michael shouted, realizing something was wrong and rushing to intervene.

But it was too late. The soldier had already pulled the pin.

“Cheers!”

BOOM!

The grenade exploded, engulfing the soldier in flames and sending shrapnel flying in every direction. The deadly fragments tore through the nearby soldiers, leaving a trail of carnage.

These fragmentation grenades were no joke—their destructive power was immense.

But it wasn’t over yet.

More soldiers, their minds clouded by the black mist, began pulling out their grenades as well.

“Cheers!”

They raised their “glasses” together, and in a horrifying moment of unity, they detonated themselves.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosions ripped through the battlefield, sending rocks, shrapnel, and debris flying like a deadly storm. The chaos was overwhelming, and the once-organized human forces were thrown into disarray.

Michael thrust his hands forward.

As an Earth-type Awakener, he summoned a shield of solid earth that condensed in front of him, forming a thick, sturdy barrier to block the force of the explosion.

The rest of the armed team scrambled for cover behind the armored vehicle, shielding themselves from the shrapnel.

But even as they avoided physical harm, a creeping sense of dread spread among them. Just moments ago, one of their comrades—someone who had been fighting alongside them—had inexplicably taken their own life.

It was chilling.

That kind of ability, the power to kill without leaving a trace, was the stuff of nightmares.

Michael’s brow furrowed deeply. He had already pieced it together—they were under some form of mind control.

“Evan, activate a mental barrier and locate the enemy,” he ordered, his voice steady but tense.

“Got it.” Evan nodded firmly.

As a Mind-type Awakener, Evan closed his eyes for a brief moment. With a single thought, a mental barrier expanded outward, cutting through the oppressive black mist that surrounded them. Within seconds, he pinpointed the source of the attack.

“There! I found it! Up above!” he shouted, his voice sharp with urgency.

Everyone followed his gaze and looked up. On the third-floor windowsill of a nearby building, they spotted it—a massive, pitch-black rat crouched there, its fur matted and oily. But what made their stomachs churn was its face.

It had the grotesque, hairy face of a human.

…