Chapter 465: Less talk, more eating!

“What do we do now?”

That question echoed in everyone’s mind.

After the brutal fight just now, their numbers had been cut in half, and they were running low on everything—ammo, energy, morale. And now, to make things worse, a powerful Zombie King had just shown up.

Wade glanced back. There were still about fifty or sixty people left under his command—not a small force, but nowhere near what they started with.

“No choice. We fight.”

“Fight?”

The word sent a chill through the group.

“Are we seriously gonna take on an S-class Zombie King? Do we even stand a chance?”

“Wade,” someone said, voice tight with fear, “according to the Zombie King files, our company’s sent countless elites after him. Not one of them even managed to touch his clothes.”

Wade didn’t respond right away. He couldn’t. The truth was, this Zombie King—Ethan—was terrifyingly strong. Beyond anything they’d faced before.

But then he took a breath, eyes hardening. “Even so, we have to try. If I die fighting the strongest Zombie King out there… then that’s a death I can be proud of.”

“Yeah!”

His men shouted in response, their fear dulled by the fire in his voice. Somehow, his resolve gave them a sliver of courage.

Wade drew his titanium-alloy machete. The blade scraped against the sheath with a sharp metallic screech, like a final cry before the end.

His eyes burned with determination.

“If not me, then who?”

With that, Wade charged toward Ethan, dragging the heavy machete behind him. He looked like a moth diving into flame—ready to burn bright one last time.

Ethan didn’t move. He just stood there, watching Wade come at him, calm and still.

The blade sliced through the air, a silver arc of death.

And then—shockingly—it hit.

Wade’s machete slammed into Ethan’s neck, slicing through and embedding itself in his chest.

“I… I hit him?” Wade blinked, stunned. Even he hadn’t expected that.

Behind him, his men gasped.

“What just happened?”

“Did Wade actually hurt the Zombie King?!”

“Wait… does this mean we have a chance?”

According to every report, no one had ever even laid a finger on Ethan. And now, Wade’s blade was buried in his body. It felt like a breakthrough—like maybe, just maybe, they could win this.

But that hope lasted all of one second.

Ethan’s body began to fade, breaking apart into tiny glowing fragments, drifting away like stardust.

“An illusion…”

Wade’s eyes widened in horror. The truth hit him like a punch to the gut. His machete was hanging in midair—he hadn’t hit anything at all.

It was all fake.

And then Ethan reappeared—behind him.

Calmly, effortlessly, he raised a hand and reached into Wade’s skull like it was nothing. A moment later, he pulled out the crystal core.

Wade’s face froze in terror. His body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Ethan’s movements were smooth, emotionless—like he was just brushing lint off his jacket. Nothing about it felt dramatic. It was just… routine.

The rest of the team stood frozen, stunned into silence.

Even with everything Wade had, even giving his life, he hadn’t managed to touch Ethan. Not even once.

The gap between them was too wide. Like a canyon with no bridge.

This Zombie King wasn’t just strong.

He was hopelessly, terrifyingly unstoppable.

“How the hell… are we supposed to beat him?”

The silent scream echoed in everyone’s heart.

But before anyone could even begin to think of an answer, Ethan turned his gaze toward them.

And with that single glance, an overwhelming pressure exploded outward—crushing, suffocating. Ethan had unleashed the Domain of the Dead, and it surged like a tidal wave of blood and death.

In an instant, everyone was engulfed.

Agonizing pain tore through their bodies. Bones cracked and popped like dry twigs underfoot, as if invisible hands were mercilessly crushing them from the inside out.

“AAAHHHHH—!”

Screams erupted—raw, desperate, and endless. One by one, they collapsed, writhing in agony.

The battlefield turned into a living hell.

There was no resistance, no escape. Just helplessness, confusion, and death. The full brutality of the apocalypse played out in real time, and no one was spared.

Moments later, silence fell once more.

Over a hundred elite Awakeners from Genesis Biotech, along with the entire Black Hand Legion—gone. Not a single survivor.

“Hunt complete.”

With a casual wave of his hand, Ethan summoned the corpses into his storage space. In one sweep, he collected over a hundred crystal cores and a hefty stash of Crystal Core Armaments. Not a bad haul.

Then, his form flickered and faded, vanishing from the scene—leaving behind only blood, ruin, and silence.

…

According to the intel on Clint’s phone, that had been the last wave of Awakeners sent from Corpus Christi. The interception was a complete success.

Ethan returned to San Antonio.

Big Ears and the others had been waiting anxiously. The moment they saw Ethan walk in, their faces lit up with relief and excitement.

“Boss! You didn’t run into any trouble, did you?”

“Nah. Went smooth.”

Ethan noticed something—Big Ears had definitely evolved emotionally. Compared to Bulldozer, who only ever said he missed him, Big Ears actually asked if he was okay.

Then again, maybe Bulldozer didn’t even know what “danger” meant.

With a flick of his wrist, Ethan dumped out the “takeout” he’d brought back. The entire street was instantly filled with the thick, metallic scent of blood.

Big Ears and the others perked up immediately, eyes gleaming.

“Bulldozer and Queen Laura aren’t here, so we’re the main force now. Gotta eat more!”

“Bullshit! Even if they were here, we’d still be the main force!”

“Less talk, more eating!”

“…”

The zombies swarmed forward, tearing into the feast without hesitation.

There were only a few hundred of them, so the food was more than enough. Honestly, it was the happiest meal Big Ears had ever had.

“Early zombies get the meat…”

Big Ears sighed to himself, remembering the days when they had to lick blood off their fingers just to survive. Those days were finally behind them.

For once, he truly felt like a core member of the team. Years later, whenever he thought back to his time in San Antonio, Big Ears would always smile and think—those were the happiest days of my zombie life.

…

Meanwhile, at Genesis Biotech’s North America headquarters—

Richard was deep in preparations for the “Ultimate Defense Line” project. Powerhouses from all over were arriving one after another, and with each new arrival, his confidence grew. Even the looming threat of the Los Angeles Zombie Horde didn’t seem quite so terrifying anymore.

“The war between humans and zombies is inevitable,” he muttered, chest swelling with resolve. “And if someone has to step up and carry the burden… then let it be me.”

Just then, the comms device beside him lit up. Someone was calling—video chat.

The screen displayed the name of the Corpus Christi branch director.

“What’s he calling me for?” Richard frowned, curious. He accepted the call, and the man’s face appeared on the large wall screen.

“Richard, good to see you.”

“Yeah. What’s up?” Richard asked casually.

The branch director got straight to the point. “Richard, all of our available Awakeners have already been dispatched to your location. That’s everyone we’ve got, fully equipped with our best gear.”

“What?” Richard blinked, confused.

The Corpus Christi Awakeners were already here?

He hadn’t seen a single one. In fact, he’d been planning to follow up and ask when they were arriving.

The director, seeing Richard’s expression, assumed he was unhappy with the number of reinforcements. “Richard, I swear, that’s all I could send. We’ve still got some zombie factions in the city, so I had to keep a few people back to hold the line. I couldn’t send everyone—”

“Hold on,” Richard cut him off. “How many people did you send? Because I haven’t seen a single one.”

The director froze, just as confused.

“Wait… they’re not there yet? What the hell’s going on?”

…