Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Blood splattered everywhere as the zombies fell one after another. The cyborg moved with a cold, mechanical precision, completely devoid of emotion—a true killing machine.

"What is that thing?" Scissorhands growled, his shoulder pierced and oozing dark, foul blood. He was injured, but his frustration outweighed the pain.

Before he could react further, fireballs and ice spikes rained down from above, blasting apart or impaling his zombie underlings. A squad of Awakeners, working alongside the cyborg, had arrived from the distance, their attacks relentless.

"Damn zombies! Die already!"

"We're wiping you all out today!"

"Don't even think about running!!"

"..."

The humans, long oppressed and desperate, finally had a chance to vent their fury. They hacked and slashed at the surrounding zombies with unrestrained rage.

Scissorhands watched the scene unfold, his face twisting with anger. His teeth ground together audibly, but he knew there was nothing he could do. With no other choice, he turned to flee.

His figure blurred as he retreated at an incredible speed, leaving behind afterimages as he bolted away, tail between his legs.

Lucky for him, he was a speed-type zombie.

If he wanted to escape, humans couldn't stop him. But his zombie minions weren't so fortunate. Within seconds, they were completely wiped out by the humans.

"We made it… I can't believe we actually survived," one of the survivors, who had been surrounded moments ago, said with a trembling voice. Relief washed over his face as he realized they'd narrowly escaped death.

The others shared his joy, their expressions lighting up. "Yeah, Genesis Biotech's people showed up just in time. They're so strong!"

"Heh, no need to thank us," a young man in a sleek nano-combat suit said as he stepped forward. "I'm David Brooks, captain of the Awakener squad. Let's get you all back to San Bernardino."

This was one of the rare successful rescue missions in recent times, and it had gone off without a hitch. No casualties, no major setbacks—just a clean victory.

...

"Victory!" Sophia exclaimed, her eyes glued to the surveillance footage in her office. She couldn't hide her excitement. "I knew the third-gen cyborgs wouldn't let us down. Their power is incredible."

After days of frustration and setbacks, today was finally a win.

And to top it off, they'd managed to injure Scissorhands, one of the Zombie Kings. He'd need time to recover, which meant he wouldn't be causing trouble anytime soon. One less threat to worry about, at least for now.

Her secretary, standing nearby, let out a sigh of relief. "It feels like… maybe it's time for us to start fighting back."

"Not necessarily," Sophia said, shaking her head. "We only drove off the Zombie King from Rancho Cucamonga. There are still a few others in Los Angeles, and they're even more dangerous."

"Hmm, you're right," the secretary nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

But Sophia wasn't too worried about Los Angeles for now. When the time came, someone would deal with them. After all, the global bounty issued by headquarters was bound to attract some incredibly powerful individuals.

...

Meanwhile, in another part of the wasteland…

Big Ears, Shrimpy, and Locomotive—three zombies—were wandering aimlessly in the backstreets.

"Ugh, this is so boring! No opponents, no action… life's just dull," Big Ears complained, hands clasped behind his back.

"Are we sure that Zombie King wasn't just a shrimp?" Shrimpy asked, his face scrunched up in thought, still hung up on the earlier encounter.

Big Ears rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't fall out. "For the last time, he had scissors for hands! Scissors! You know, the kind that go snip-snip and cut things?"

"Oh… well, they'd work great for peeling shrimp shells," Shrimpy said, his eyes lighting up as if he'd just had a brilliant idea.

"...I can't with you," Big Ears muttered, his face darkening with exasperation.

Locomotive, meanwhile, scanned their surroundings. "Where'd all the humans go? I can't find a single one."

"Do you even need to ask? They've all been wiped out," Big Ears replied with a shrug.

With his Hyper Hearing ability, he couldn't pick up any human sounds nearby. It was eerily quiet.

But just then, a slender figure appeared in the distance, walking toward them. Her piercing eyes locked onto them, as if she'd found her prey.

Big Ears squinted, noticing the figure right away. His curiosity was piqued. "Queen Laura?"

The figure was indeed Laura, but her eyes glimmered faintly, as if processing some kind of data.

[Scanning… Target identified: B-class zombie. Ability: Hyper Hearing. Combat power: 75. Target is huntable.]

It was clear—this "Laura" wasn't human. She was a cyborg in disguise.

When Big Ears caught sight of Laura, a flicker of fear crossed his eyes. Without hesitation, he nudged Shrimpy and Locomotive.

"Let's go, let's go. This way," he muttered, steering them toward a different path.

The three of them had been walking straight ahead, but suddenly, they veered off course, taking a sharp turn to the side.

Why?

Simple.

Ever since Big Ears had known Laura, he'd always been terrified of her. He avoided her at all costs, never daring to cross paths. If he saw her, he'd turn the other way without a second thought.

"Huh???" The cyborg, disguised as Laura, was momentarily stunned. This development didn't align with any of its calculated scenarios.

Why were they acting like this?

Its advanced brain began running through countless possibilities at lightning speed.

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Maybe Big Ears had suddenly decided to head somewhere else…

Or perhaps he'd twisted his ankle and had to change direction…

…

Despite its immense computational power, the cyborg couldn't pinpoint the exact reason.

But it didn't matter. Adjusting its strategy, the cyborg shifted course and began following Big Ears and his crew.

"Hey?" Big Ears' ears twitched at the sound of footsteps behind them. Something felt off.

What was this about? Was Queen Laura really planning to take him out?

"Wait a second…"

Then, Big Ears noticed something peculiar: Laura's footsteps were unusually heavy.

As a speed-type Zombie King, the real Laura moved with such lightness that her steps were practically silent. But this one? Not so much.

Big Ears, with his hypersensitive hearing, immediately picked up on the anomaly. "Guys, something's not right! This Queen Laura… she's off!"

"What do you mean?" Shrimpy asked, his curiosity piqued.

Big Ears pulled them closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I think… she's a fake."

"What?!" Shrimpy's face twisted in shock, and his pace quickened instinctively. "So we've got ourselves an enemy, huh?"

"Hmph! Enemy or not, leave it to me to handle," Locomotive said with a cold snort, his confidence clearly misplaced.

Meanwhile, the cyborg grew increasingly puzzled. The three zombies were picking up speed, deliberately keeping their distance.

According to its database, these zombies were supposed to be part of the Los Angeles faction. This behavior didn't make sense.

"Hey, you three, wait up. I need to talk to you," the cyborg called out, testing the waters.

Big Ears froze for a split second before his suspicions solidified. "That tone? Yeah, definitely fake. Move it!" He broke into a jog, his instincts screaming at him to get away.

The real Laura would never speak to him like that.

The cyborg tilted its head, its processors working overtime, practically overheating as it tried to make sense of the situation. But with the three zombies pulling farther and farther away, it had no choice but to abandon subtlety.

Time for Plan B: Eliminate them.

The cyborg stopped holding back. It broke into a sprint, its movements unnervingly fast. At the same time, long, razor-sharp steel spikes extended from its arms, gleaming menacingly.

Hearing the sudden burst of speed behind them, the three zombies turned their heads in unison. Their faces instantly filled with alarm.

"See?! I told you it's a fake!" Big Ears shouted.

"He's coming after us! Run!" Without hesitation, Big Ears shifted from a jog to an all-out sprint.

"I'm the former ruler of San Bernardino! I don't run away! I just… move… faster!" Locomotive yelled, his legs pumping furiously. Despite his mediocre abilities, he'd at least been injected with both the X and Y viruses, giving him a decent boost in agility. In no time, he zipped past Big Ears.

Shrimpy, on the other hand, didn't even need a pep talk. Running was his bread and butter, his ultimate survival skill. His legs blurred as he bolted like a gust of wind, disappearing into the distance in mere seconds.

Big Ears glanced up, only to catch a fleeting glimpse of Shrimpy's rapidly vanishing figure.

"Now that… is what you call professional."

…