Chapter 477: Hey! This guy gets it!

“Boss, I think I smell humans!” one of the elite zombie underlings said, sniffing the air.

Gatorax flared his nostrils. As a fusion-type Zombie King with crocodile DNA, his sense of smell was razor-sharp.

“Hmm… Smart little bastards. The moment I showed up, they all scattered. But—” his voice dropped into a growl, “we’re not letting them off that easy. After them!”

“Yes, sir!”

The underlings roared in unison, their guttural cries echoing through the swamp. One by one, they clawed their way out of the muck, leaving thick trails of sludge behind as they charged after the human scent.

Gatorax didn’t roll with a small crew—he commanded a full-blown zombie horde, ten thousand strong. A grotesque, unstoppable tide of death and decay.

Up ahead, a group of humans was sprinting at full tilt. They were all Awakeners from Genesis Biotech, carrying out Richard’s orders for “Operation: Lure Gator.”

The rumble of undead footsteps and the chorus of zombie howls behind them was music to their ears.

“Hell yeah! This is perfect!” the lead runner, an A-rank speed-type Awakener, grinned to himself.

At first, they’d worried the zombies would be too territorial to chase them out of their swamp. But things were going smoother than expected.

“Keep the pace steady. We need to lead them straight into San Antonio.”

“Got it!” his teammates replied, matching his stride. They weren’t running flat-out—just fast enough to stay ahead, keeping the bait tantalizingly close.

This was driving Gatorax absolutely insane.

He could feel the humans just ahead, smell them, practically taste them—but no matter how fast he went, they stayed just out of reach. If he sped up, they did too. If he slowed down, so did they. The distance between them stayed locked at around 600 feet.

It was like chasing a bone tied to a stick—he could see it, smell it, but never quite get his jaws around it. And it was pissing him off.

“Arrrghhh! I’m gonna lose my damn mind! These damn humans—just wait till I catch you!” Gatorax roared, fury boiling over as he pushed himself harder.

His horde followed suit, driven wild by the scent of prey. The undead stampede tore through forests and open fields, leaving chaos in its wake—birds scattered, animals fled, and the earth trembled beneath their feet.

After more than an hour of relentless pursuit, the landscape ahead shifted. A ruined city came into view—crumbling buildings, scorched streets, and the scars of brutal battles.

San Antonio.

A place Genesis Biotech feared. A place soaked in blood and bad memories.

“Whoa, Boss… what the hell happened here?” one of the elite zombies asked, looking around at the devastation.

San Antonio had seen more than its share of war. Compared to other cities, it was a wreck.

Gatorax scanned the ruins. “If I’m not mistaken… this used to be a city center.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right,” the underling nodded quickly.

The massive zombie horde gathered at the city’s edge, their snarls echoing off the broken buildings, a wave of menace rolling in.

Gatorax sniffed again. The human scent was strong here—very strong. And it wasn’t just a passing trace. Someone had stayed here. But… something was off. It wasn’t the same scent as before.

“The humans in this city… they’re not running anymore.”

“Maybe they’re too exhausted to keep going?” one of the underlings guessed.

Gatorax nodded eagerly. “Heh… pathetic little humans. Time to feel my wrath.”

With that, the zombie horde surged into the city, following the trail of human scent.

But what they didn’t realize was that the scent they were tracking now wasn’t from the Genesis Biotech Awakeners who had lured them here.

It was Leah and her team.

…

San Antonio was under siege.

The thunderous arrival of the ten-thousand-strong Zombie Horde sent shockwaves through the ruined city. The noise alone was enough to rattle bones—and it didn’t go unnoticed.

Big Ears, with his freakishly sharp hearing, picked it up instantly.

“We’ve got intruders.”

“Oh? Genesis Biotech again?” Shrimpy asked from the side, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Big Ears shook his head. “Nope. Smells like zombies.”

“What?” The other zombies around them looked stunned. Zombies? Out here? That made no sense—there weren’t any major corpse nests nearby.

“How many are we talking?” someone asked.

Big Ears shrugged casually. “Not that many. Maybe ten thousand.”

To most, that would be a terrifying number. But to Big Ears and his crew—veterans of countless battles—it barely registered. They’d seen worse. Much worse.

Besides, Big Ears had something else on his mind lately. Ever since he saw Mist with a powerhouse like Fear under his command, he’d been itching to recruit a heavy-hitter of his own. Something to solidify his status as a true overlord.

“Let’s go check it out,” he said, rallying Fear and the others. Time to intercept the uninvited guests.

Just like before, the thick black fog of San Antonio began to rise again, curling through the streets like smoke from a battlefield. It was their version of a war horn—a signal that blood was about to be spilled.

Gatorax’s horde surged into the city like a tidal wave, flooding the broken streets. Their movements were swift and aggressive, and among them were grotesque crocodile hybrids, snapping and snarling.

But then—they saw it.

Up ahead, the black fog thickened, rising like a storm cloud, blotting out the sky.

“What the hell is that?” Gatorax muttered, narrowing his eyes.

And then it hit.

“ROOOAAARRRR!”

A deafening, soul-shaking roar tore through the city. It wasn’t just sound—it was power. Fear had unleashed his signature move: the Corpse Howl, amplified with a devastating Soulquake effect.

From within the fog, shockwaves rippled outward like rings in water. The ground trembled. Dust exploded into the air. Windows shattered on both sides of the street, and buildings groaned under the pressure.

Gatorax raised an arm to shield his face as the sonic blast slammed into him like a sandstorm. Behind him, his horde staggered, caught in the wave of sound and psychic force.

Their ears rang. Their minds reeled. A deep, primal fear took root in their hearts, spreading like wildfire.

“So strong…” one of them whispered, trembling.

The once-raging horde came to a dead stop, frozen in place by sheer terror. Fear’s roar had paralyzed ten thousand zombies in a single breath. The sight was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Gatorax and his lieutenants exchanged uneasy glances. None of them had expected this.

“There’s a powerful Zombie King here,” Gatorax muttered. “We must’ve wandered into their territory.”

“What do we do, boss?”

“Hold up. Let’s see what we’re dealing with first.”

From the swirling black fog, a figure emerged—Fear, his presence radiating menace. Behind him, a squad of elite zombies followed, each one exuding raw killing intent.

But they didn’t attack.

Instead, Fear called out, voice cold and steady, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Gatorax stepped forward cautiously. “We’re from the swamplands. We were chasing humans and ended up here. I take it you’re the ruler of this place?”

Fear shook his head. “I’m not.”

Just then, four more figures stepped out of the fog. Big Ears among them.

“Mist, boss!” Fear greeted with a respectful nod.

Mist gave a slight nod in return, black smoke coiling around him like a living thing. He was the source of the fog—his aura thick and oppressive, like death itself.

Gatorax’s eyes widened. So this was the real power behind San Antonio.

Mist studied the newcomers with mild interest, then turned to Big Ears. “What do you think of these guys?”

Big Ears gave Gatorax and his horde a once-over. If Ethan weren’t in the city, he might’ve turned tail right then and there. But with Ethan around, he could afford to be bold.

“They’re… average at best,” he said with a smirk.

Gatorax’s brow furrowed deeper, unease creeping into his expression. These zombies looked strange—unique. And he couldn’t sense any aura from them. That was a bad sign. A very bad sign.

“Wait… are you the real king of this place?” he asked, eyes locking onto Big Ears.

Big Ears’ eyes lit up. “Hey! This guy gets it!”

…