Chapter 592: What strategy?

The Zombie Horde from Japan came roaring past Mia like a tidal wave, their sheer numbers and ferocity enough to completely overwhelm the enemy.

Mia turned back to glance at Chris and the others.

They were all still recovering from earlier injuries—faces pale, breath ragged, clearly running on fumes.

“Let’s go. Time to head back to the shelter.”

“Huh? Already?” Brandon looked surprised. “Aren’t we gonna join the fight up on the mountain?”

“That’s a zombie-on-zombie brawl. Not our business,” Mia said flatly.

The others paused, then nodded. Yeah, that actually made a lot of sense.

So, without another word, their squad turned and started heading down the mountain.

And just like that… the crisis at the Los Angeles shelter was officially over.

…

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield in the forested hills—

Mad Dog charged ahead, leading the assault. As he ran, white bone armor erupted from within, spreading across his body like wildfire. In a flash, he was fully armored, and long, razor-sharp bone blades extended from his arms.

He veered off to the side and dove straight into the ranks of the Vampire Race.

With each swing of his bone blades, he sliced them clean in half—like a hot knife through butter—tearing through the Vampire Horde like a living buzzsaw.

Samara and T-Rex weren’t far behind, just as brutal and relentless. Wherever they went, blood and gore followed.

Behind them, an endless wave of zombies surged forward, roaring as they charged into the fray.

“Wait… what the hell?”

Sophia’s brow furrowed. Something was off.

She quickly noticed a massive influx of regular zombies flooding the battlefield, led by three Zombie Kings, cutting through everything in their path like a wrecking ball.

“Where the hell did they come from?!”

“Lady Scarlet Moon! Look over there!” one of her vampire underlings shouted, panic in his voice.

Sophia turned—and her jaw dropped.

A sea of zombies was pouring up from the base of the mountain, thick as ants. The front lines had already reached the battlefield, while the rest still swarmed up from below. The entire mountainside was crawling with them—easily over a hundred thousand strong.

And these weren’t your average shamblers. They were vicious, like starving wolves, tearing through the Mutant Vampire Zombies with zero hesitation, giving them no chance to fight back.

“Lady Scarlet Moon… I think we just lost our numbers advantage.”

“…” Sophia fell silent, her mind racing. No shit. You think I didn’t notice?

She stared at the endless horde of Japanese zombies, a chill creeping up her spine.

This was insane.

Was this really happening?

Her first major battle since returning to power—and it was turning into a complete disaster.

“Guess the universe really has it out for me…”

Up ahead, the Japanese Iron Trio were going berserk, fighting like maniacs, their energy only growing.

“We just got here, can’t let the boss’s Zombie Kings think we’re weak!” Samara shouted.

“Right! Good point!” T-Rex nodded earnestly. After all, the PhD and the entire Mecha Zombie Legion were watching from above. First impressions mattered—they had to show what they were made of.

With that, the three Zombie Kings fought even harder, tearing through the enemy like a storm.

Mad Dog, in particular, wasn’t just focused on killing—he wanted to look good doing it. Style mattered.

“Fast moves, cool poses… gotta make it look badass…”

“…”

Sophia watched them, completely speechless. Were these zombies seriously trying to show off in front of their boss?

But the truth was undeniable—the tide had turned. Victory was no longer an option.

“Damn it!”

She clenched her fists, frustration boiling over. Was her plan to take everything back really going to fall apart like this?

Nearby, one of her vampire lieutenants was panicking.

“Lady Scarlet Moon! You need to give orders! Our forces are getting wiped out!”

But Sophia knew it was hopeless. There was no turning this around.

“If that’s how it is… then I guess it’s time to fall back on the old strategy.”

“What strategy?” the underlings asked, confused.

“Running away!” she snapped.

Without another word, she turned and bolted, leaving the battlefield—and her troops—behind.

The other vampire leaders quickly caught on and scrambled to follow her.

With her S-rank strength and a body built like a tank, Sophia tore through the forest at breakneck speed. The average zombie didn’t stand a chance of catching her.

She and her remaining followers bolted straight toward the landing site where their aircraft was parked.

“Lady Scarlet Moon, where are we going?” one of her lieutenants called out, panting to keep up.

“There’s no staying in L.A. anymore,” Sophia snapped. Most of the forces she’d painstakingly gathered had been wiped out. Even if she stuck around, there was nothing left to salvage.

“This whole thing was a damn fluke. Adoptive Father’s forces are regrouping up north, in Canada. That’s where the real war’s gonna be.”

“…”

Back on the battlefield, with Sophia gone, her Mutant Vampire Zombies didn’t last long. They were slaughtered to the last.

The forest floor was littered with mangled corpses, blood pooling into dark, sticky rivers.

Samara stood among the carnage, her eyes sharp and alert. Something felt off.

“The enemy Zombie King… she got away.”

“Yeah,” PhD said calmly, as if he’d expected it all along. “She’s gone.”

“I’ll go after her!” Samara crouched low, her body coiled like a spring, ready to launch. Her speed was her pride—if anyone could catch Sophia, it was her.

But PhD raised a hand, stopping her.

“Don’t bother.”

“Why not?” Samara blinked, confused. Was this one of those “don’t chase a cornered rat” situations?

PhD’s eyes glinted behind his monocle.

“We need to leave the Mutant Vampire Zombies a weakness.”

“Uh…” Samara hesitated, clearly not following. T-Rex and Mad Dog exchanged puzzled looks too.

A weakness?

What the hell did that mean?

“…”

The battle in the woods wrapped up quickly. Then came the sounds—wet, grotesque sounds—of chewing, crunching, and skulls being cracked open.

Zombies were swarming the battlefield, crawling over the corpses, digging out the vampires’ crystal cores with clawed fingers. The scene was surreal, drenched in horror.

A few surviving humans huddled nearby, trembling like leaves in the wind.

Nathan was pale as a ghost, barely breathing. Nearly all the Awakeners who’d come with him were dead. Only Jacob, his secretary, and a few lucky execs had made it out alive.

PhD approached slowly, flanked by the Mecha Zombie Legion and the three Zombie Kings. The air around them was thick with menace.

Gulp.

Nathan stared, lips dry, and swallowed hard.

“P… PhD! An honor! Really, a huge honor!”

“You’re the one in charge of Genesis Biotech’s L.A. branch?” PhD asked, eyeing him up. He’d heard the name before, but this was their first face-to-face.

“Yes, yes, that’s me!” Nathan nodded so fast he looked like a bobblehead, forcing a smile that was more grimace than grin.

“PhD, you know me—I’ve always respected your boss. Always.”

PhD tilted his head, voice light but laced with mockery. “Is this how you usually bullshit the Genesis Biotech headquarters?”

“…” Nathan’s face twitched. How the hell did even the zombies know about his shady dealings?

PhD went on, voice turning cold. “The boss didn’t say we had to kill you. But let’s be real—useless humans aren’t worth keeping around.”

Behind him, the zombies growled low, their heads twitching, jaws flexing like they were ready to rip Nathan apart.

Nathan nearly pissed himself. “Wait! Don’t kill me! I’m useful—I swear! Just today, HQ said if I made it out alive, they’d send over a shipment of cyborg-grade alloy materials!”

“If I die, that shipment’s gone…”

…

Here’s a redemption code for everyone: