Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Ethan could see it—a massive blue whale, over a hundred feet long, moving through the ocean like a small mountain.

The whale was hunting a school of mutated fish. It opened its enormous mouth, dark as a black hole, and with a sudden inhale, swallowed them all in one gulp.

Fish, water—everything got sucked in.

"That thing could probably feed us for days if we hauled it back," Ethan muttered to himself.

But just then, beneath the whale, a colossal shadow emerged from the depths. Its dark silhouette was at least ten times larger than the whale itself.

As the shadow rose, its true form became clear—an enormous mutated jellyfish, stretching hundreds of feet long.

Its tentacles moved swiftly, wrapping around the blue whale in an instant.

The whale thrashed violently, sending waves hundreds of feet into the air, creating a massive surge. But in the end, its struggle was futile. The jellyfish dragged it down into the abyss, vanishing into the deep...

Ethan's eyes widened in awe. That thing had to be at least SS-rank.

"That one could probably feed us for a whole month..."

As he continued flying, he witnessed several other massive creatures hunting. The ocean was full of danger—deadly and unpredictable.

But these giant beasts didn't bother going onto land to hunt humans or zombies. To them, anything that small was no different from insects.

Of course, there were always exceptions—some monsters had... peculiar tastes. Every now and then, one might wander to the shore, scoop up a handful of humans, and drag them back into the deep like they were nothing more than snacks.

After about two and a half hours, the endless black ocean below finally gave way to land. They had reached Japan.

The aircraft slowed significantly and began descending.

As they flew over various Japanese cities, Ethan observed the devastation below. Some places were filled with zombies, growling and tearing into each other in endless battles. Others were eerily silent—completely devoid of life, shrouded in an unsettling stillness.

From experience, Ethan knew that the quiet cities were always the most dangerous.

Something had wiped out everything inside...

Genesis Biotech wouldn't set up a transport camp in any of these cities. In fact, they'd stay as far away as possible.

It was just too risky.

Instead, they had chosen a temporary camp in the wilderness.

This area had always been a no-man's land, with very few living creatures, making it relatively safe. The open terrain also provided a clear line of sight—if anything dangerous approached, they'd see it coming.

The landscape was covered in wild grass, with occasional clusters of strange rock formations. Trees were sparse, and the wind howled fiercely, kicking up clouds of dust.

"What a godforsaken place..." Ethan muttered under his breath.

The aircraft was now descending toward the camp.

Something seemed to be going on down there. Aside from Genesis Biotech's workers and the Awakeners guarding the perimeter, there were several heavily modified trucks parked at the entrance.

The trucks had reinforced metal plating, sharp spikes on the front, and even flamethrowers mounted on them.

Despite their heavy modifications, they were covered in dents and scratches—clear signs of rough encounters.

A group of Japanese survivors stood in front of the trucks, looking desperate. They had clearly just arrived.

"Hey! Let us in! We need to get on the aircraft and leave Japan!" The young man leading the group was visibly anxious.

But the guards waved him off impatiently.

"Calm down. There aren't any available aircraft right now. You'll have to wait."

"We can't wait any longer!" The young man's desperation grew. "Captain Jacob promised us! He said if we helped capture mutated creatures, he'd get us out of Japan!"

"Yeah, but as you can see, we're in the middle of transporting those creatures. There's no room for you." The guard shrugged.

The young man clenched his jaw, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Then just throw me in a cage! Transport me like one of the damn creatures if you have to!"

The guard stared at him, speechless.

Damn, this guy's really desperate... Find more chapters on My Virtual Library Empire

Sure, Japan was dangerous—monsters everywhere, survival conditions brutal—but was it really that bad?

Only Ken and his group knew the real reason for their urgency.

On their way here, they had accidentally provoked a mutated monster. It had been chasing them relentlessly, and it wouldn't be long before it caught up.

They had to get out of here as soon as possible.

But there was no way they could tell Genesis Biotech about it. If the company found out, their people would be the first to flee.

With so few aircraft available, there wouldn't be any room left for them.

They needed to board a flight before the monster arrived. After that? Well, whatever happened to the others wasn't their problem.

The guard eyed them suspiciously.

Transporting people was expensive. The cost of flying these survivors out probably wasn't even worth the fuel it would take. That's why they were reluctant to take them.

But Jacob had made a promise, so they didn't have much choice.

"Fine, fine! When the next aircraft arrives, we'll send you out first."

"Thank you!" Ken's eyes flickered with relief, and he quickly bowed in gratitude. His heart was pounding with excitement.

They had to get out of here now.

Behind him, his companions looked exhausted—faces pale, clothes tattered, covered in dirt. They resembled refugees fleeing from disaster.

A few of them glanced nervously back the way they had come, still shaken. But for now, everything was quiet. The monster hadn't caught up yet.

They just had to pray the next aircraft arrived fast.

"Come on, you can wait inside," the guard said.

Ken and his group nodded eagerly, bowing slightly as they followed him into the camp.

But just as they stepped forward—

A streak of light flashed across the sky.

An aircraft was approaching at high speed, descending toward the camp.

"Brother! The next aircraft is here!" a young girl in the group exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah! Finally!" Ken's face lit up.

His full name was Ken Ishida, a B+-rank Awakener from a Japanese shelter.

Like thousands of other survivors, he was desperate to escape this place.

Genesis Biotech's mission to capture mutated creatures had given them the perfect opportunity.

Now, as the aircraft streaked across the night sky, its glowing exhaust trail looked like a shooting star—like a beacon of hope.

For the first time in a long while, they felt like they had a chance at survival.

"We made it..." Some of them had tears in their eyes, overwhelmed with emotion.

The nearby guard glanced at them and scoffed. "Damn, these guys got lucky. The aircraft showed up right on time."

Under everyone's watchful gaze, the aircraft landed precisely in an open area ahead.

Its bright headlights flicked on, cutting through the darkness.

With a mechanical click, the hatch unlocked and slid open.

A tall figure stepped out.

Ken and his group had been waiting for this moment. Their eyes burned with urgency as they rushed forward.

"Captain Jacob promised us! We helped capture mutated creatures, so he said he'd get us out of here! Please, let us board!" The young girl from before bowed slightly, her tone sincere.

Standing at the hatch, Ethan swept his gaze over them, silent for a long moment.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"You want to leave this place?"

"Yes! Yes!" The girl nodded rapidly, her expression desperate.

Ethan smiled slightly.

"Alright. I'll help you..."

...