Chapter 554: Betrayed?

Jerky and Slick, the two Zombie Kings, couldn’t help but sigh in admiration—no doubt about it, their boss was a total powerhouse.

With a horde this massive, they could steamroll through the northern U.S., maybe even all of Canada. Even Redgaze, the so-called Overlord of the North, wouldn’t stand a chance—Ethan would have him rolling his eyes back in defeat.

Without wasting time, they welcomed Ethan into the city. The two zombie hordes merged, swelling their numbers into an unstoppable force.

Ethan’s horde had marched over 1,300 miles to get here, finally stepping into the northern territories.

Now, all that stood between them and total dominance of the U.S. was one last target: the infamous Redgaze Zombie King, a name etched in the Zombie King archives. Take him down, and Ethan wouldn’t just rule America—he’d be a world-class Zombie King, nearly unmatched on the entire planet.

No wonder Bulldozer and the rest of the crew were buzzing with excitement. They figured it was time to celebrate. While resting up in Mirevale, why not throw a party?

Up on the bell tower, Elegy Zombie King stood with her guitar cradled in her arms. Her fingers danced wildly across the strings, unleashing a fierce, electrifying riff.

The music exploded into the sky, raw and thunderous.

Behind her, black mist surged like a storm, vines whipped through the air, and pink petals fluttered down like confetti.

“Let the bodies hit the floor!~~~~”

Elegy’s signature raspy voice tore through the air, full of grit and power.

Down below, Big Ears, Shrimpy, and the rest of the zombie underlings started grooving to the beat, their bodies swaying and jerking in rhythm.

Slick and Jerky blinked in surprise.

“Damn, this wild?”

“You’ll get used to it,” Ethan said with a smirk. Then he asked, “So, what’s the situation up north?”

“It’s a mess,” Slick replied respectfully. “Redgaze is locked in a brutal fight with some foreign Zombie Kings. All-out war.”

Jerky chimed in, “We only managed to grow our forces here because Redgaze was too busy to notice. If he’d had the time, he would’ve crushed us already.”

“So he’s that strong, huh?” Ethan mused, eyes narrowing.

Neither of them denied it.

“Yeah, he’s the real deal. His mutation’s in the eyes—some kind of freaky ocular power. Creepy stuff.”

“And he’s… weird,” Slick added. “In his territory, there are still a bunch of humans.”

“Humans?” Ethan raised an eyebrow.

But then it clicked. Redgaze was probably running some kind of vampire-style setup—keeping humans penned up like livestock, a steady supply of fresh meat.

Jerky and Slick nodded quickly. “Yeah, tons of them. And he guards them tight. We don’t really know what he’s doing with them.”

“Hmm…” Ethan nodded thoughtfully.

He made a mental note to check out Redgaze’s territory himself when the time was right.

…

And so, hundreds of thousands of zombies settled in Mirevale to rest and regroup.

Ethan’s campaign to sweep the continent was down to its final chapter. Once he took the North, he’d stand unchallenged atop the U.S.

But the ripples from his recent trip to Tasmania hadn’t faded yet.

Monroe’s death wasn’t something that could be swept under the rug. It didn’t take long for word to reach The Crimson Count. And knowing his ruthless nature, there was no way he’d let it slide.

He’d already dispatched his people to deal with it.

At that moment, a sleek aircraft sliced through the American skies, descending rapidly toward a ruined cityscape.

It came to a stop in front of a crumbling high-rise, the red letters “GB” still visible on the rooftop.

This was clearly a shattered outpost of Genesis Biotech.

Back when Ethan fought Richard, they’d gutted the company’s branches, leaving only scraps behind—mostly the old, the weak, and the barely functional.

Still, a few guards remained at the building’s entrance. When they saw the aircraft land, their eyes widened in confusion.

“Who the hell is that?”

“Seriously, who’s still coming here at a time like this?”

“No clue, man.”

“…”

Just as the guards were murmuring in confusion, the aircraft’s hatch hissed open with a sharp ka-chak, sliding apart to reveal a striking figure standing inside—a woman with blazing red lips and a face so stunning it seemed unreal.

The Genesis Biotech guards froze, their expressions blank with shock. Then, recognition hit them like a slap.

“Sophia?!”

Gasps rippled through the group.

The woman’s pale face was cold, her eyes sharp and unfeeling. She gave a slow, deliberate nod.

“Yeah. It’s me.”

“You…”

The guards stared at her, speechless. Something about her was… off. This wasn’t the same Sophia they remembered—the fierce, confident corporate queen who once ruled the boardroom.

Her eyes now held nothing but icy detachment, bloodlust, and a quiet, simmering rage. Just one glance from her sent a chill down their spines.

“What are you doing here?” one of them finally asked.

“I’m here to rally the old crew,” she said flatly. “We’re going to kill that Zombie King in L.A.”

“You—you’re out of your damn mind!” one of the guards snapped. “You think you can take down the L.A. Zombie King? Richard already lost to him! No one can beat that monster now. And you? You’re not even with the company anymore! You betrayed us—joined the Black Hand Legion!”

Sophia didn’t flinch. Her expression didn’t even change. She just asked coolly, “So tell me—who’s in charge of Genesis Biotech’s North American division now?”

“Mr. Nathan, obviously,” the guard replied without hesitation.

At that name, something flickered across Sophia’s face. For the first time, her icy mask cracked.

She froze.

Nathan.

A name she hadn’t heard in a long time—but clearly hadn’t forgotten.

Then, she laughed. A hollow, bitter laugh that echoed through the ruined city.

“Hahaha… Nathan? He’s the one in charge now? Hahahahahaha!”

“You’ve lost it,” one of the guards muttered, unnerved by her laughter. “What the hell’s so funny?”

But the laughter kept coming, sharp and broken, like glass shattering in the cold.

“Sophia, you betrayed Genesis Biotech. We’re placing you under arrest!”

“Betrayed?” Her voice dropped, low and venomous. “You’re the ones who betrayed me.”

A red gleam flashed in her eyes. The fury she’d been holding back surged forward, twisting her features into something feral.

Then she moved.

In a blur, she lunged at the guards.

“AAAHHH—!”

Screams tore through the air as Sophia sank her teeth into their necks, draining their blood with savage hunger. At the same time, she injected them with a mutated virus, turning them into something else—something monstrous.

One infected another, then another. The infection spread like wildfire.

Within minutes, the entire Genesis Biotech building was echoing with inhuman shrieks and guttural roars.

The nightmare had begun.

…

“Achoo!”

Back in a sleek office tower miles away, Nathan leaned back in his chair, rubbing his nose.

“Someone’s talking shit about me again…”

Lately, life had been pretty chill for him. He stuck to a routine—eat, sleep, the occasional meeting, nothing too crazy.

“Mr. Nathan,” his secretary said as she stepped into the office, “it’s time for the monthly company meeting. Should we still go ahead with it?”

Nathan waved a hand lazily. “What’s the point? Half the branches are ghost towns now.”

Still, he was technically the North American Regional Director now, having taken over Richard’s old position. That meant the monthly meetings were his responsibility.

The secretary hesitated. “It’s probably still a good idea to hold it. Just in case HQ checks in—we’ll have something to show.”

“Fine, fine. Let’s do it. Tell the other execs we’re going virtual.”

“Got it. I’ll send out the invites now.”

She turned and walked out, her hips swaying as she disappeared down the hall.

Nathan stretched, then reached for his VR headset, slipping it on with a sigh.

“Let’s get this over with…”

…