Apocalypse: King of Zombies

As they headed toward the main hall, nearing the entrance, a few familiar figures came into view—Chris and Brandon were among them.

"Hehehe, Sophie, you're back! How'd it go? Everything smooth? You're not hurt, are you?" Chris hurried over, his concern written all over his face.

Sophie's eyes sparkled mischievously as she gave a shy smile. "I'm fine, really. What about you? You okay?"

"Me? Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm good. Totally fine." Chris felt like his bones were turning to jelly. She looked even more stunning than before. If he stared any longer, he might just melt on the spot.

And he couldn't help but notice something—a subtle shift in Sophie's demeanor toward him. There was a hint of something… an unspoken signal, like she was opening the door for him to get closer.

Suddenly, he felt like all those whole-grain sandwiches he'd shared with her hadn't gone to waste after all.

Can't hold onto your sandwiches? Don't expect to hold onto a girlfriend.

Nearby, Brandon and the others were greeting Mia and her group. Meanwhile, Zane's eyes scanned the area, quickly piecing things together. It was this team. They'd been stationed at the entrance earlier, which made sealing it off easier for them. No wonder they'd gotten back faster.

Still, the fact that the entrance was secured meant Isaac had succeeded. Whatever task Zane had entrusted to him must've been handled.

That's my guy, Zane thought, a flicker of pride in his chest.

Turning to Mia, he decided to give her a heads-up, just in case. "Mia, you saw it earlier—sealing off the entrance wasn't exactly a walk in the park. It's dangerous, and injuries or worse are always a possibility. If Isaac couldn't cover everything, well… that's just how it goes."

"Yeah, I get it," Mia replied curtly, not saying much more.

With Chris and the others leading the way, the group moved into the hall together. But the moment they stepped inside, Zane felt something was off. His people—his team from the shelter—were nowhere to be seen.

His gaze swept the room, and then he spotted it. A figure, dressed in pristine white, standing in the center of the research lab.

"What the…?" Zane's eyes widened in shock. He rubbed them hard, convinced he must be seeing things. But no, the figure was still there.

This doesn't make sense. What's he doing here?

A sinking feeling hit Zane like a punch to the gut. His mind raced. "Where's Isaac? Where did he go?"

"Isaac's dead," Ethan said flatly, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

"What? That's impossible!" Zane's voice rose, his expression twisting with disbelief. "Isaac's one of our shelter's top Awakeners—Shelter 005's best! He's strong. There's no way he's dead!"

"He failed to seal the entrance," Ethan replied matter-of-factly. "Got surrounded by monsters and killed."

Zane's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding audibly. A vein throbbed on his forehead as he struggled to process the news. "No. No way. Something's not right here!"

"Captain Zane," Mia interjected, her tone calm but laced with irony. "Didn't you just say earlier that sealing the entrance was dangerous? That casualties were to be expected?"

"…" Zane's face turned an ugly shade of red, his frustration boiling over but leaving him with no retort.

And then he noticed something else—none of the people from Rancho Cucamonga Shelter were here. Not the scar-faced man, not the freckled girl. No one.

Casualties? Zane thought bitterly. This isn't casualties. This is a complete wipeout!

"But if Isaac's dead," Zane pressed, his voice sharp with suspicion, "then how did you manage to seal the entrance?"

"The entrance collapsed during the fight," Ethan said casually, as if it were no big deal. "Blocked itself."

"What?" Zane's disbelief deepened. The entrance had been perfectly intact when they came in. How could it just conveniently collapse like that?

And then there was the bigger issue—his entire team was gone. Too many coincidences stacked up, and Zane couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously off.

His eyes locked onto Ethan, scrutinizing him. With Ethan's level of strength, there was no way he could've been a threat to Isaac. Then he glanced at Chris and the others. They looked like they'd barely scraped through. No way they could've pulled something like this off either.

At that moment, Mia spoke again, her voice cutting through his thoughts. "Captain Zane, didn't you say you were used to this kind of life? The whole life-and-death thing?"

Zane's fists clenched at his sides, his face darkening. But he made up his mind. "I'll get to the bottom of this. I'll find out the truth."

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the corridor. Another group was returning—Robert's team. His figure emerged from the shadows, his sharp eyes scanning the room.

"What's all the noise about? Did the plan fall apart?" Robert asked, his tone calm but commanding.

"No, it went fine," Ethan replied nonchalantly.

Robert's gaze swept over them, quickly noting the missing members. "These monsters are crafty. You've got to be ready for losses before you even engage. My condolences."

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"Did your team lose anyone?" Zane asked, his frustration still simmering.

"Nope," Robert said with a shrug.

Zane: "…"

Robert, with his S-rank strength and extensive experience fighting parasitic monsters, had no trouble leading his team to seal off an entrance. The task had gone off without a hitch.

Now, with the first phase of their plan complete, everyone regrouped.

"The next step is the most dangerous part," Robert said, his sharp eyes glinting. "We need to be ready to face the monster leader head-on."

"Hmph! I've been ready. Isn't that why we're here? To take it down?" Zane crossed his arms, his tone brimming with confidence.

"Hmm…" Robert nodded slightly. "But finding the monster leader won't be easy. These parasitic creatures rely heavily on stealth as their trump card. The stronger the monster, the better it is at hiding. For monsters above S-rank, they can completely suppress their presence. You won't sense a thing."

"That's… definitely a problem." Zane frowned, his brows knitting together. With so many monsters around, figuring out which one was the leader felt like trying to pick the right mystery box at random.

His thoughts wandered for a moment, and his gaze flicked toward Ethan. That guy had no discernible presence at all. It was eerily similar to how Robert had just described the monster leader.

Robert continued, "Because of this, we can't come up with a detailed plan for what's next. We'll have to adapt as we go. Let's just hope we all make it out alive."

"Got it!" The group nodded in unison, their determination palpable.

After a brief rest, they set off again. They moved through a wide corridor, heading deeper into the shelter. The darkness pressed in around them, and the atmosphere grew heavier. Everyone knew the next phase of their mission was fraught with danger, so most kept quiet, their minds focused.

Well, most of them.

Sean, for one, seemed completely unfazed. His sharp, curious eyes darted around like a tourist on a sightseeing trip, taking in every detail as if he were on a casual stroll.

Ethan, as usual, walked silently at the back of the group, his expression unreadable.

Chris, on the other hand, couldn't stop himself from striking up conversations with Sophie every few minutes. He hadn't expected much, but to his surprise, Sophie responded to every single one of his comments. Every. Single. One.

Chris was over the moon. Her responses only encouraged him to be even more forward, his enthusiasm bubbling over.

Brandon, watching this unfold, felt a pang of secondhand embarrassment. He quickly pulled Chris aside. "Uncle Chris, don't you think you're going a bit overboard?"

"What's wrong with what I'm doing? Huh? You jealous, kid? Don't think I've forgotten how you're always bragging about your online girlfriend," Chris shot back, a smug grin plastered across his face.

"…" Brandon sighed, utterly exasperated. Love really does make people lose their minds. "That's not the point. The point is, her boyfriend—Captain Zane—is literally right there."

"Boyfriend? Please." Chris waved dismissively, clearly unbothered. "That's just a fling. Nothing serious." He smirked, recalling Zane's infamous reputation for juggling over two hundred girlfriends. "Just wait. I'll show you how it's done. Watch me score a goal with a solo play."@@novelbin@@

Brandon: "…"