Chapter 453: Operation Steamroll

It’s worth mentioning—Laura’s figure was now among the ranks of the Zombie Horde.

But her body had undergone a massive transformation. PhD had successfully modified her. Her entire right arm now gleamed with a sleek, metallic sheen—completely replaced with cybernetic tech.

The material? The same adamantium alloy used in the fourth-generation Cyborgs. Practically indestructible. And embedded in her palm were five razor-sharp claws, each a full twelve inches long—like five gleaming steel blades standing upright.

In the sunlight, they shimmered with a cold, deadly glint. Just looking at them was enough to make your skin crawl.

“Hehehehe…” Laura stared at her new arm, a familiar grin spreading across her face.

PhD had told her he was currently reverse-engineering a Crystal Core Armament. Once he cracked the tech, he’d be able to install a crystal core directly into her arm.

That meant she’d be able to channel energy into her palm and fire off a Crystal Core Blaster—perfect for long-range kills.

Just imagining it made Laura giddy. She couldn’t wait.

But PhD’s ambitions didn’t stop there. He was aiming for a full elemental set—planning to embed eight, maybe even ten different crystal cores into Laura’s arm. She’d be able to switch between them on the fly.

With the alloy arm boosting her combat power, Laura wasn’t just back—she was stronger than ever. In a twisted way, losing her arm had actually turned out to be a blessing.

So yeah, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing after all…

Among the horde, another zombie stood out—not because of his body, but because of his… accessory.

Big Ears had actually found a piece of string and threaded Chompers’ front tooth onto it, hanging it right through the hole in his injured ear.

Weirdly enough, it kind of worked.

The oversized tooth dangling from his massive ear gave him this bizarre, almost “fashion-forward” zombie vibe.

Even Shrimpy and Mist couldn’t help but compliment him.

“Damn, Big Ears, you’re looking sharp!”

Big Ears puffed up with pride, his vanity fully satisfied. “What can I say? I’ve already reached peak power—no one can touch me. Time to pivot to a career based on looks…”

Once the whole horde had gathered, Elegy stood alone, cradling her guitar. Her fingers danced across the strings, and a powerful, electrifying melody burst into the air, echoing across the skies of Los Angeles.

The zombies went wild.

They started moving to the beat, their excitement building. And now, the stage effects were next-level.

Sprout’s vines whipped through the air like backup dancers, swaying in rhythm.

Mist let loose a thick, swirling fog, cloaking the scene in a moody haze.

Then came Petal—her signature move. With a wave of her hand, a flurry of flower petals rained down like a floral storm.

The atmosphere hit its peak.

Elegy threw herself into the performance, her raspy, undead voice cutting through the air like gravel and smoke—pure zombie soul.

🎵 “When the night has come, and the land is dark… I won’t be afraid, just as long as you stand by me~~~” 🎵

“…”

“Holy shit,” Ethan muttered, standing at the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the chaos unfold below. He couldn’t help but be impressed. “Didn’t know my crew had this much flair.”

“Let ’em have their fun…”

After all, there weren’t any enemies left in the area. With no one to fight, singing and dancing were about all they had to do.

But Ethan had his sights set on the next move—Texas.

That’s where the Black Hand Legion had their base: Blackhand City. It was also home to Genesis Biotech’s U.S. headquarters. The resources there? Way richer than anything left in L.A.

And more importantly, it was the perfect place for Laura to get her revenge. Time to show Slade and his crew what real cruelty looked like.

But Ethan’s plans didn’t stop there.

He wasn’t just going to go himself—he was bringing the whole damn horde. A full-scale Zombie Horde migration straight into Texas.

At this point, hiding out wasn’t just unnecessary—it was a waste of time. There wasn’t a single other zombie faction left that could pose a threat to him.

So why wait?

Better to strike first. Crush any up-and-coming zombie factions before they had a chance to grow into real problems.

Sure, there were two states between L.A. and Texas—but with heavy-hitters like Bulldozer and Laura leading the charge, they could steamroll through anything in their way.

Ethan’s plan this time wasn’t just about wiping out threats—he wanted to consolidate. Aside from a few necessary eliminations, his main goal was to absorb the remaining zombie factions, pulling the undead from every city under one banner.

His current 100,000-strong Zombie Horde would remain the core—his inner circle. The rest? Auxiliary forces. Useful, but not entirely trustworthy.

After all, with that many zombies, you’re bound to get a few bad apples. If a traitor popped up at the wrong time, it could cause chaos he didn’t need.

So Ethan gave the operation a name: Operation Steamroll.

If everything went smoothly, the horde’s numbers would explode—hundreds of thousands, then millions. And eventually… every potential threat would be crushed before it could even breathe.

The thought of it made Ethan grin. It was bold. Brutal. Beautiful.

He didn’t waste a second. Orders flew out to his lieutenants. It was time to unleash hell.

Time for the undead to rise in full force.

The Swarm was coming.

…

Back in Los Angeles, the city was still buzzing. But the shockwaves from the epic battle between the two SS-class Zombie Kings hadn’t faded. Among human factions, the aftermath was pure panic.

Ethan had become the most powerful zombie overlord on the continent—and the most terrifying.

Everyone was asking the same question: What’s he going to do next?

And silently praying: Please don’t let it be us…

But no one was sweating harder than the folks at Genesis Biotech’s L.A. branch. The whole company was on edge, nerves fraying by the hour.

“Mr. Nathan! Now that the Zombie King’s won, he’s not gonna come after us, right?” a junior exec asked, voice trembling.

“I… I don’t know,” Nathan muttered, sitting in his office, fingers pressed to his chin.

Normally, he wouldn’t be too worried. If Ethan had wanted to attack them, he would’ve done it already.

But this time felt different.

Drone footage had clearly shown Sophia teaming up with the Black Hand Legion to injure one of the Zombie Kings.

And Sophia? She used to be Genesis Biotech’s golden girl—its public face.

“What if the Zombie King thinks… I ordered Sophia to do it?” Nathan whispered, dread creeping into his voice.

His secretary and a few other execs gasped.

“Oh god, that’s totally possible,” she said, eyes wide.

Nathan’s face darkened. If Ethan came for him, that was one thing. But he wasn’t about to go down as someone else’s scapegoat.

“Mr. Nathan, what do we do?” the secretary asked, panic rising.

“Is our network back online yet?” Nathan asked suddenly, a spark of an idea forming.

The secretary blinked, confused by the shift. “Uh… yes, it’s been restored.”

“Good. Then get a statement out. Now.”

“A statement? About what?”

Nathan leaned forward, voice sharp. “Put out a public announcement: Sophia has betrayed the company. She’s colluding with the Black Hand Legion and has fled to their base in Blackhand City. From this moment on, everything she does has nothing to do with us.”

“Oh! Got it!” The secretary caught on fast and rushed to get it done.

Within minutes, the long-dormant Genesis Biotech L.A. website lit up with a new post.

Headline: “Sophia’s Defection”

But the drama didn’t stop there.

The North American regional HQ had been watching everything closely.

And just as the L.A. branch’s network came back online, Nathan’s screen lit up with an incoming video call.

It was Richard—from corporate.

Nathan didn’t answer right away. He sat back, thinking fast.

How do I spin this?

Then it hit him.

Blame everything on Sophia. Even the failure to eliminate the Zombie King. Make it all her fault.

He straightened his tie, took a breath, and hit “Accept.”

…