Chapter 461: This clown? Acting tough?

From the young guy’s chatter, Ethan learned that Richard was planning to build the ultimate defense line—calling in top-tier talent from Genesis Biotech’s branches all over the country. It was basically an all-star lineup.

But to Ethan, it looked more like a delivery driver convention.

“Sure is lively,” he muttered under his breath, then turned his gaze toward the villa, thinking he might go “ask” someone else a few questions.

Meanwhile, Kara had wandered into one of the bedrooms.

She opened up a wardrobe and started rummaging through it.

Compared to sports cars, she had a soft spot for designer clothes and handbags—stuff she could actually wear back at Genesis Biotech.

The wardrobe was packed with high-end brands—Louis Vuitton, Gucci, you name it. The shelves were practically bursting with luxury.

“Ooh? What’s this?”

But then she spotted something weird—a thick rope hanging inside the wardrobe.

“Why the hell is there a rope in here? Is this… fashion now?”

She didn’t get it, but didn’t think too hard about it either. She just stuffed it into her backpack along with the rest. Who knows, maybe it’d come in handy later.

The clothes fit her perfectly too, which meant the previous owner must’ve had a similar build.

She slipped on a Hermès jacket, twirled in front of the mirror, and started admiring herself. Then she pulled out her phone and snapped a few selfies.

“Damn, I look good…”

She scrolled through the photos, grinning to herself, clearly enjoying the moment a little too much.

But then her finger froze mid-swipe. Her pupils shrank. Her expression twisted into one of pure shock.

She rubbed her eyes, thinking she must’ve imagined it.

Because in the last photo—in the mirror behind her—there was someone else.

A man in white, with a cold, expressionless face, standing silently behind her, staring straight at her.

Her skin crawled. Every hair on her body stood on end. A chill shot down her spine and exploded across her scalp.

She whipped her head toward the mirror—and sure enough, he was still there. Closer now.

“Shit…”

She gasped, the sound sharp and panicked, her heart pounding like a drum.

“Grayson—help me!”

But before the scream could even echo, Ethan raised a hand and yanked out her crystal core, sending her off to reunite with her dear cousin.

Her cry cut off instantly. The phone slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.

Ethan figured she was just a clueless tagalong—probably didn’t know anything important about Genesis Biotech. Hell, she might’ve known even less than her cousin Grayson. So he didn’t waste time—just took her out.

He glanced at the phone on the floor, picked it up. These Awakener-issued phones were top-of-the-line—satellite-connected, practically indestructible. Not even a scratch from the fall.

He scrolled through her info.

Turns out she and her team were from the Corpus Christi branch of Genesis Biotech. Since they were nearby, they were the first to arrive and help set up the defense perimeter.

Their contact here was a guy named Clint Morgan. Made sense—there were still some zombie factions lurking around the area, and it wasn’t totally safe. They needed someone to guide the newcomers in, keep them from wandering into a death trap.

Sure, Genesis Biotech had aircraft, but not enough to transport every Awakener. Plus, the energy cost was insane—every hundred miles burned through a B-grade crystal core. Even with all their resources, Genesis Biotech wasn’t about to throw money away like that. Classic penny-wise, pound-foolish.

Ethan’s eyes flicked toward the window—and there he was. The man in charge, stepping out of another villa. Had to be Clint Morgan.

“Now that’s a sweet gig…” Ethan muttered, then vanished into thin air.

Clint was staring down at his phone as he walked out of the villa, moving fast. He’d just gotten word from HQ—another batch of Awakeners from Corpus Christi was inbound. Time to go meet them.

“Alright, we’ve got a job! Let’s move!”

“Already? We just got here,” a younger guy called out from behind him.

“Yeah, well… this job’s never on a schedule. You never know when something’s gonna drop,” Clint said with a tired shrug.

The younger guy nodded. “Yeah, being on standby all the time sucks. Total mental drain.”

“No kidding. Once we hold off this zombie horde, I’m taking a damn vacation,” Clint said, glancing up at the sky, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

But then—

His brow furrowed.

Something felt off.

“Huh? Where is everyone? Why isn’t anyone coming out?” Clint called out, scanning the area. Only a handful of people emerged—five or six at most. The rest, including that cousin duo, were nowhere to be seen.

“That’s weird…” Clint frowned, a creeping unease settling in his gut.

Awakeners had sharp hearing—there was no way they didn’t hear him.

One of the guys beside him offered, “Maybe something came up? Delayed them?”

“What could possibly come up?” Clint shot back. “This villa complex isn’t that big. You can see the whole damn place from here. If something happened, we’d see it.”

“Yeah, true!”

The others nodded in agreement. It made sense.

“Hey! We’re heading out! Get your asses out here already!”

They raised their voices, shouting louder this time, calling out to the rest of the team.

Their voices echoed through the empty city, bouncing off the walls of the villas, ringing out over the entire area.

But what chilled them to the bone was the silence that followed.

No response. Not even a whisper.

It was like shouting into a void.

“Shit…”

The unease in their hearts deepened, turning into a gnawing dread.

“Clint… maybe we should just go. This place is giving me the creeps.”

“Yeah. Let’s move.” Clint nodded quickly. He could feel it too—something was off. The others could be found later. Right now, staying alive was the priority.

But just as they turned to leave, a chorus of guttural snarls and the pounding of countless feet echoed from the edges of the villa complex.

The sound of a horde.

“Here comes the mighty Zombie King!” a shrill, mocking voice rang out—Big Ears, leading the charge.

Behind him came Shrimpy, Locomotive, and Mist, each flanked by elite zombies. They moved with terrifying agility, leaping over fences, scaling rooftops, surrounding the group in seconds.

They looked like a damn circus of death—chaotic, loud, and completely surrounding them.

Truth be told, they weren’t here to win. They were here for the show—to fight alongside their boss and rack up some flashy kills for the highlight reel.

“Damn, that’s a lot of zombies,” Clint muttered, eyes narrowing.

But no one panicked. Not yet.

The zombie leaders were mostly B-rank, and their own team had a few A-rank Awakeners. They weren’t outmatched—at least, not by these guys.

“These must be the ones we drove out of the city earlier. Weaklings. Nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah. Let’s gear up.” The others nodded, slipping into combat stances.

Shrimpy tilted his head, eyeing the humans. “Big Ears, I think they’re saying you’re just a low-tier boss. Weak as hell.”

“Hmph! What do these humans know? They’ll be pissing themselves in a minute,” Big Ears snapped, his oversized ears twitching with irritation. He wore a ridiculous earring labeled “The Big Tooth,” and his smug face practically begged for a punch.

Clint raised an eyebrow. This clown? Acting tough?

“Alright, let’s see what makes you think you can strut around like that,” he growled.

Elemental energy surged around him, crackling in the air. He was going to end this fast—take out the loudmouth first and break their momentum.

But then—

A crushing wave of pressure slammed down on them.

Overwhelming.

Suffocating.

…