Chapter 712: Top-of-the-line cutting-edge tech

"..."

Umbradrake stood there, speechless, silently reminding himself not to stoop to their level.

Don’t lose it. Don’t lose it. You’re better than this...

PhD spoke up, "All you need to do is stay put at home. Once the Zombie Horde arrives, we’ll definitely back you up."

"Huh? Uh..."

Umbradrake had his doubts. Would that really work?

"But before that happens, Gravestone will definitely show up first. He’s way faster than the Zombie Horde," PhD added.

"That’s fine. Even if he gets there first, he won’t dare attack right away. Don’t forget—you’re a Voidborn Undying too. Just stall him. Tell him you’ll fight in a month." PhD laid it out calmly.

"Oh..."

Umbradrake thought it over. It actually made sense. But... would a month really be enough?

Still, at this point, he didn’t have any better options. He had no choice but to trust PhD completely.

Live or die—it all rested on them now...

"Alright! Got it!"

"Good. Head back," PhD said, waving him off.

And with that, Umbradrake took his crew and left the Solaris Citadel zombie nest, their figures fading into the distance...

Behind him, Mad Dog and the other Zombie Kings exchanged curious glances, clearly puzzled.

"PhD, why wait a whole month?"

"Because by then... we won’t be the same anymore," PhD said, his tone full of meaning.

Mad Dog and the others looked at each other, still not getting it.

But they didn’t press him further.

...

Once Umbradrake returned to his own zombie nest, he followed PhD’s instructions to the letter—locked himself in, fortified the place, and even called back all his roaming underlings. The whole place was on high alert.

The real battle hadn’t even started yet.

But already, zombies began to gather around the nest. Their faces twisted with aggression, they taunted and provoked him nonstop.

"Umbradrake, you’re done for! Boss Gravestone’s coming to wipe you out!"

"Still feeling cocky? Always out there extorting people, stealing livestock—this is what you get for being arrogant!"

"Our boss commands millions in the Zombie Horde. You don’t stand a chance. Come out and surrender already!"

"Don’t think hiding in your little nest makes you safe. We’ll drag you out eventually."

"Heh, when two Voidborn Undying go head-to-head, now that’s gonna be a show..."

"..."

The crowd of zombies outside kept growing—some were there to harass, others to keep watch, tracking his every move.

But Umbradrake didn’t budge. He stayed holed up in the nest, doing exactly what PhD told him: stall for time.

About a week later—

A flying craft, after a long journey across the endless Exile Zone, finally descended into the Solaris Citadel zombie nest.

The hatch opened, and out stepped Ethan.

Their king had returned.

"ROAR—!"

The Zombie Horde erupted in howls, wild with excitement.

"Boss! You’re finally back!" Bulldozer grinned, his dumb smile wide.

Big Ears was practically drooling. "We missed you, man."

Ethan didn’t waste time with small talk. With a wave of his hand, he dumped out a mountain of human corpses.

The pile was massive, the stench of blood overwhelming.

The zombies swarmed in, diving into a gruesome feast.

But that was just the warm-up.

The real priority? Assembling the stolen Guard Mechs and setting up a lab.

"We need to pick out a thousand elite zombies for mech training," Ethan ordered. The mechs weren’t hard to operate, but they still needed to get used to them—couldn’t afford to be clumsy in battle.

"Mechs? What’s a mech? Is it tasty?"

A bunch of zombies looked confused. Their evolved brains had no concept of such tech—it was completely foreign to them.

Ethan didn’t bother explaining. He just summoned a completed mech.

Boom.

A towering 15-foot metal beast appeared before them. Its silver body gleamed like a mountain of steel, radiating raw power and futuristic menace.

The zombies stared, slack-jawed.

"Holy shit!"

The zombies all craned their necks, eyes wide with awe.

"That thing’s insane!"

"Wait, how many did the boss say? A thousand of these?"

"Damn! That’s enough to steamroll the entire Southvale continent!"

"..."

The horde was buzzing with excitement.

Of course, all the training and lab setup was left in PhD’s hands.

"No wonder... PhD said we needed a month," Mad Dog muttered, finally putting the pieces together. He’d planned this all along—buying time to prepare for this exact moment.

Big Ears stood among the Zombie Horde, eyes locked on the sleek, badass mech.

Wasn’t this thing practically made for him?

His eyes lit up, and he quickly shoved his way through the crowd, chasing after PhD.

"PhD! You’re picking a thousand zombies to pilot the mechs, right? Look at me—I’m smart as hell. I’ll pick it up in no time!"

PhD didn’t even look back. "Go feed the pigs at the livestock pens."

"..."

Big Ears froze, deadpan. Yeah, message received loud and clear.

Figures...

This had nothing to do with him after all.

"..."

Time ticked by.

The lab was finally completed, and Ethan now had access to a full comms network—he could send and receive signals from human civilization or the heart of Necroterra at will.

That made gathering intel a hell of a lot easier.

Meanwhile, all one thousand Guard Mechs were fully assembled and assigned to elite zombie pilots. Their training ground? The Exile Zone.

Vast, barren, and littered with rocky hills—perfect for target practice. With their enhanced intelligence, the elite zombies quickly got the hang of piloting the mechs.

But they weren’t the only ones leveling up.

Laura had upgraded too—sporting a brand-new mechanical arm. Actually, half her body was now cybernetic.

Liquid metal flowed along her arm, morphing into different weapons—spikes, hammers, claws—whatever she needed to tear through enemies.

At the center of her palm, a crystal core pulsed with energy. When it charged up, it unleashed a devastating energy blast.

BOOM!

An entire stretch of rocky hills ahead was obliterated—flattened in seconds.

The firepower was off the charts—easily on par with an SS-rank Awakener’s full-force strike.

Laura was thrilled with the upgrade.

Her bloodlust was boiling over. She was itching to get out there and start killing.

Meanwhile, PhD had cobbled together some leftover parts to make something for Bulldozer too.

It wasn’t fancy—just a chestplate made from thick alloy plates. Heavy, solid, and built for defense.

But with Bulldozer’s brute strength, it felt light as a feather.

His massive frame now wrapped in metal, he looked more like a literal bulldozer than ever.

He thumped his chest with a grin. The alloy armor clanged loudly.

"Heh, PhD’s the real deal. Knew he wouldn’t forget about me."

"Uh-huh..."

A few elite zombie underlings squatted nearby, eyeing the armor skeptically.

"Bulldozer... that thing kinda just looks like a bunch of scrap metal bolted together. Doesn’t seem all that high-tech."

Bulldozer scowled, clearly offended.

"Bullshit! You guys don’t get it. This chestplate? Top-of-the-line cutting-edge tech, alright? You just don’t have the eye for it."

...