Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Inside the room stood an elderly man with neatly combed silver hair. He wore a crisp white lab coat and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose—definitely the scholarly type. His face radiated a kind, gentle demeanor.

This was Dr. Morgan, the head of the lab and a leading expert in extraterrestrial meteorite research.

"You are…?" Dr. Morgan looked up as Mia approached, curiosity flickering in his eyes. Clearly, he didn't recognize her.

"I'm Mia, Awakener Unit 001 from Los Angeles," she introduced herself. "I've got a friend who's really into meteorites—especially the ones from space. He's got a few questions and was hoping to pick your brain."

"Oh! Of course, of course!" Dr. Morgan nodded enthusiastically, a warm smile spreading across his face. He seemed genuinely pleased that young people were taking an interest in his field.

"Ask away. If it's something I know, I'll tell you everything I can."

"Well, my friend recently found something that looked like a square stone tablet—said it was a meteorite. It had these strange markings on it. Has anything like that ever shown up before?" Mia asked.

"A square tablet-shaped meteorite?" Dr. Morgan's brows lifted in surprise. That was clearly a first for him.

"Meteorites are usually round or irregular in shape. A square one is extremely rare. And with strange markings? That doesn't sound natural at all. Are you sure your friend isn't pulling your leg?"

"No way. He really found it—I saw it with my own eyes," Mia said firmly.

Dr. Morgan's curiosity was clearly piqued. "Where is your friend now? Do you think I could take a look at this meteorite?"

"No can do. He's kind of... possessive. Doesn't want anyone else touching it."

"Ah… I see." Dr. Morgan looked a bit deflated, baffled that someone could be so protective over a rock. Still, he couldn't hide his intrigue.

Mia, on the other hand, felt a twinge of disappointment. It seemed like Ethan's so-called "Star Map" tablet wasn't something that had ever been documented before.

She pressed on. "Dr. Morgan, is there anywhere recently that's had a lot of meteorite activity? Or maybe a place where something like that tablet might show up?"

"Well, I can't say where something like that would appear—never seen anything like it myself. But if you're asking about meteorite hotspots, then definitely Albuquerque, New Mexico," he said, slipping into lecture mode. "Our satellite data shows a meteor shower hit there not long ago—over two thousand fragments fell, and the energy readings were off the charts."

Mia fell silent, thinking. Even with that many meteorites, there was no guarantee Ethan's puzzle piece would be among them. It really was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Still… that's how meteorite hunting worked. No shortcuts. She figured she'd just pass the info along to Ethan and let him take it from there.

She'd done her part.

Dr. Morgan continued, "These days, meteorites aren't like the ones from before the apocalypse. Some of them emit high levels of radiation—enough to mutate living organisms into terrifying monsters."

"And the area around Albuquerque? It's all desert, badlands, and mountains. After the world went to hell, it turned into a no-man's-land. Now it's crawling with mutated creatures. If your friend's planning to go there, well… let's just say the odds of coming back aren't great."

"That's fine. He's not the type to worry about danger. He just really loves meteorites. He'll go, no matter what," Mia said.

Dr. Morgan looked genuinely stunned. Someone willing to risk their life for a rock? That kind of obsession was rare—and admirable.

"If he ever went into scientific research, I bet he'd make some serious breakthroughs," he mused. Then, glancing at Mia, he asked, "Young lady, do you think I could meet your friend sometime?"

"Uh… probably not. He's still in L.A., and that's a bit of a hike from here," Mia replied.

"Ah, I see. That's a shame," Dr. Morgan said, clearly disappointed. Still, he made a mental note—if he ever found himself in Los Angeles, maybe he'd try to track this guy down.

With the conversation winding down, Mia gave a polite nod. "Well, thanks for your time, Dr. Morgan. I'll get going now."

"Oh, no trouble at all, no trouble," he said, waving his hand. But as Mia turned to leave, he suddenly called out, "Wait—young lady, hold on a second…"

She turned back. "Yeah? Something else?"

Dr. Morgan hesitated, then asked with a half-smile, "You… really have a friend like that?"

Mia froze for a beat, then sighed, exasperated. "Seriously?"

She could practically feel the giant question mark hanging over his head—clearly, he thought she'd made the whole thing up.

…

At that moment, Ethan was still lounging at home.

With most of his crew out on various missions, the area around his high-rise was unusually quiet.

Golden sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm, lazy glow across the room. It was the perfect afternoon for doing absolutely nothing—and Ethan was soaking it in.

But deep down, he knew this peace wouldn't last. It was the calm before the storm.

Out on the horizon, a streak of silver light cut across the sky—a sleek aircraft descending fast toward the city center.

"Well, well… they're back. Guess giving them a little push actually worked," Ethan muttered with a smirk.

In the blink of an eye, his body vanished from the couch. A second later, he reappeared downstairs.

The aircraft had already touched down smoothly.

With a sharp click, the hatch opened.

Mia and Sean stepped out.

"Ethan! We're back from Mount Elbert," Sean called out cheerfully. "Brought you some red berries—oh wait, that's right, you don't eat fruit. So I figured I'd just eat them myself." He grinned, happily munching away on a handful of berries.

Ethan gave him a sidelong glance. This kid clearly had no intention of sharing from the start—but whatever. No point arguing with a fool.

Mia stepped forward. "Here's your aircraft back."

"Oh? And did you ask about the stone tablet?" Ethan asked.

"Of course I did," Mia replied, hand on her hip. "We're practically family, right? Ride-or-die. Your business is my business. Of course I asked."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. Okay, he had to admit—she was pretty solid.

"So? What'd you find out?"

"Dr. Morgan, the guy who studies celestial objects at the Mount Elbert shelter, said there was a massive meteor shower near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Over two thousand fragments fell. If you're looking for something, that's your best shot."

"Wait, hold up…"

Ethan frowned. That many meteorites, scattered over who knows how wide an area? That sounded like a nightmare. He'd be searching forever.

"This kinda feels like you're brushing me off."

"What? No way. Why would I do that?" Mia said, feigning innocence. "Look, when it comes to meteorites, there's no shortcut. This is the only lead we've got. I did my part."

"No, you didn't," Ethan said, shaking his head. "If you really did your part, you'd be helping me look."

Mia rolled her eyes. Of course he wasn't gonna let it go. She should've known he'd rope her into this.

Ethan kept going. "I mean, come on—if I go all the way out there and something happens to me, who's gonna have my back? You gotta come protect me, right?"

"..." Mia stared at him, deadpan. One thought popped into her head: scheming bastard.

Still… the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

That conversation with Dr. Morgan had revealed something interesting—some of those meteorites might contain rare elements with serious scientific value.

If they could haul a few back, maybe she could even forge a new high-powered weapon or something...

"Hmph. Fine. I'll go. What's the big deal anyway?"

...