Chapter 605: Alien signals

Lil’ Shroom stared silently at the creature in front of her. It looked humanoid, but a pair of bird-like wings stretched from its back, the feathers a pure, snowy white.

Well—mostly white. Some patches were scorched and singed, feathers missing or charred. One wing even looked bent at an odd angle, clearly broken. No doubt about it—this thing was seriously hurt.

What really caught Lil’ Shroom’s attention, though, was the creature’s nature. It was unmistakably a fusion-type Zombie King.

“Wait a sec… could this be the one the boss has been looking for?”

“Hey!” she called out.

The Zombie King inside the cave flinched like a startled animal. The sudden voice sent her into a panic, and she whipped her head around.

Her face was unmistakably female, but covered in soft fur. Her mouth was full of razor-sharp fangs, and her chin was smeared with fresh blood. In her hands, she clutched a half-eaten, fat rat.

Their eyes locked.

They stared at each other, frozen for a moment.

Then—

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

The Zombie King let out a high-pitched, ear-splitting shriek, clearly terrified. She was freaking out—because Lil’ Shroom still looked like an Awakener from Genesis Biotech.

“Shut up!” Lil’ Shroom snapped.

The scream cut off instantly. The Zombie King slapped both hands over her mouth, but the fear in her eyes didn’t go anywhere.

“P-please don’t kill me! I’ll give you whatever you want, just don’t kill me!”

Lil’ Shroom’s face twitched. Seriously? A Zombie King, scared out of her mind just because she saw a human form? She couldn’t believe it.

“Just tell me straight—are you the fusion-type Zombie King from the snow mountains? The one they call The Snowy Owl?”

“Uh… you know who I am?” The Snowy Owl blinked, surprised.

“You stole Dirtferret’s stone tablet, didn’t you?” Lil’ Shroom pressed.

“That was me,” The Snowy Owl admitted, not even trying to lie.

Lil’ Shroom’s lips curled into a smirk. Damn, talk about luck. She’d been running around trying to track this thing down, and here it was, practically falling into her lap. Mission complete—just like that.

Still, this chick had gone deep into hiding. She’d crawled into a crack in the earth and even dug herself a cave. Not bad.

“Hand over the tablet.”

“I buried it outside… it’s not here,” The Snowy Owl said quickly.

Lil’ Shroom raised an eyebrow. Smart move, actually. “Alright, come out first.”

“No… no way. I’ll be spotted,” The Snowy Owl shook her head furiously, like a bobblehead on overdrive. She was clearly terrified of the outside world.

But just then, a low buzzing sound filled the air.

Lil’ Shroom’s expression darkened. She turned her head sharply—and sure enough, a few drones were circling in the distance.

“We’ve been found…”

———

The drone footage streamed directly into the consciousness of a fifth-gen Cyborg—basically, they were all his eyes.

At that moment, in a Genesis Biotech camp, a striking young man opened his eyes. Green light flickered wildly in his pupils as he instantly locked onto the drones’ location.

“Target acquired.”

He sent out a mental signal to all nearby camps.

Mobilize the entire mech army. Head to the target zone.

All across the base, mechanical bodies powered up in unison. Maintenance pods hissed open, and rows of machines sat up in perfect sync. The sight was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

The Awakeners of Genesis Biotech—those with self-awareness—began to gather as well.

“We’ve found the tablet!”

“Move! Let’s go!”

“Once we’ve got it, we’re outta here!”

“…”

In a Genesis Biotech camp deep within Canadian territory, chaos was brewing. The mechanical army, sleek and agile, tore across the open wilderness, quickly converging into a roaring tide of steel and firepower.

Lil’ Shroom’s accidental discovery of The Snowy Owl had just lit the fuse—this was the spark that would ignite the Canadian War.

Tensions, already razor-sharp, now flared into open hostility.

There was no turning back. Blood would be spilled.

High above, a flock of red-eyed crows sliced through the sky, their glowing pupils reflecting the stampede of machines below.

One of them, Buddy Crow, suddenly veered off, wings slicing the air as it shot toward the American Zombie Horde. Ten minutes later, it landed beside Ethan.

“It’s happening… the fight’s about to start… Lil’ Shroom found The Snowy Owl.”

“Oh?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, instantly catching the implication.

Behind him, the Zombie Horde stirred. Eyes gleamed with anticipation—especially the Zombie Kings like Laura, who’d been itching for action. Up until now, they’d been sidelined, unable to join the skirmishes. But this? This was the real deal.

The bloodbath was about to begin—and they were ready.

“Showtime…” Laura hissed, letting out a piercing shriek. The horde behind her surged forward like a tidal wave of death.

Led by several Zombie Kings, the undead army charged with terrifying momentum.

“The path to domination will be paved with the bones of our enemies! No more holding back—charge with me!” Big Ears roared.

Behind him, Shrimpy, Mist, Fear, Little Gatorax, and the rest of the crew followed, their bloodlust rising with every step.

Ethan stood tall in the center of the horde, draped in a white fur coat, unmoving as countless savage zombies rushed past him.

As the Zombie Overlord of America, he too was ready to enter the fray.

But just as the battle was about to erupt, his phone buzzed.

“Huh? Who the hell’s messaging me now?”

Curious, Ethan pulled it out.

His phone was a custom-built piece of tech, designed by top-tier scientists. Satellite-linked, encrypted, and state-of-the-freaking-art—it could get a signal even in the middle of nowhere.

The message was from none other than Dr. Morgan, one of the elite scientists Ethan had “invited” from Mount Elbert after he’d taken down Genesis Biotech’s North American HQ. With Morgan’s help, they’d rebooted some major systems and reestablished network comms.

The message was short. Just one line.

“We’ve received an alien signal.”

“…What??” Ethan’s eyes narrowed. He was literally about to go to war, and now this?

Still, alien signals? That was… intriguing.

“What did it say?” he messaged back.

“There are three transmissions. I’ll send them to you now,” Dr. Morgan replied.

A moment later, three audio files popped up on Ethan’s screen.

He tapped the first one.

“I know you can hear me. I suggest you respond quickly… or deal with the consequences.”

Ethan blinked. That voice… it sounded familiar. No way—was this that Voidborn Undying bastard he’d smacked back through the portal last time?

He played the second clip.

“I’ll let go of what happened with the spatial key. But listen—LORN’s consciousness has already descended onto your planet. I don’t know what kind of vessel he’s using, but I know you have the spatial key. So work with me. Let me through. Otherwise, LORN will wipe you all out.”

“LORN…” Ethan muttered, the name rolling off his tongue like a curse. His mind flashed back to that night—the strange presence inside the Cyborg’s body.

And suddenly, it all clicked.

Genesis Biotech had changed. It wasn’t just corporate evolution—it was possession.

They’d been conned by something alien. Duped into building the so-called “fifth-gen Cyborgs” using tech gifted by an otherworldly entity.

But those Cyborgs weren’t just machines—they were vessels. Designed to host the consciousness of something not from this world.

And now that thing—LORN—had arrived.

So yeah… there was no such thing as a fifth-gen Cyborg.

It was all a damn lie. A setup.

And the company? It was already under his control.

…

Here’s a redemption code for everyone: