Chapter 722: Play safe

“What?!” Howard’s face twisted in disbelief—but it didn’t take long for him to understand. Serah had been broken. The Zombie King had crushed her spirit.

Serah bit her lip, her voice trembling. “I fought him up close. I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t think… we stand a chance.”

Howard stared at her, speechless. This was Serah—the so-called War Goddess of humanity—and now she was saying they had no hope? He couldn’t believe it.

Across the table, Claire leaned back in her chair, legs crossed, arms folded, a smug little smile tugging at her lips. In her mind, the meeting was over. The vote was done. Time to go home.

But then—something unexpected happened.

A fourth hand slowly rose into the air.

“…Huh?”

Everyone turned, eyes wide, following the movement.

It was Harren.

“I vote in favor of hunting the Zombie King,” he said, his voice low but resolute.

Claire’s smile vanished. She uncrossed her legs and sat up straight, her brows knitting together. “Harren, what the hell are you doing?”

Harren looked around the room, his gaze steady. “I won’t lie to you. That war thirty years ago… it’s haunted me every day since. The guilt, the failure—it’s eaten away at me. I’ve lived with that shame long enough. I want to end it. I want to go back to Necroterra and finish what we started.”

His voice rang with conviction, and for a moment, the room was dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.

Now the vote stood at four to four.

But Harren wasn’t just another vote. He was the leader of the human alliance, the former commander of everyone in that room. His vote carried weight—more than anyone else’s.

Claire closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew it was over.

“Fine,” she said, exhaling slowly. “Then fire up the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser.”

…

And just like that, the Grand Council came to a close—with a decision that would shake the world.ity would activate the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser and launch a mission into Necroterra to hunt down the Zombie King who had dared to invade the Inner City.

The plan was set, but execution would be another matter entirely.

First, they needed elite fighters—Awakeners.

Combat academies across the alliance began holding brutal selection trials. Only the best of the best would earn the right to join the mission. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance—those who made it would go down in history.

The great families began preparing in earnest.

But launching a Dreadnought-class Starcruiser wasn’t as simple as flipping a switch. The ship was a behemoth, and unlike nimble aircraft, it would take months to cross the Exile Zone. At least three months, minimum.

A massive operation was now in motion—an invasion of Necroterra unlike anything since the last war.

…

Meanwhile, Ethan had no idea any of this was happening.

Several days had passed since he absorbed the crystal core from Gravestone. His body had grown stronger—tougher, more resilient—but it wasn’t enough.

An SSS-grade crystal core had only enhanced his physical form. It hadn’t unlocked any new abilities.

“Where the hell am I supposed to find more high-grade crystal cores?” Ethan muttered to himself. His body felt like a bottomless pit, still far from reaching its next breakthrough.

And he still didn’t know what would happen if he kept evolving. Would he eventually unlock the so-called “Fourth Stage”? Would he gain the power to reverse zombification—to turn the undead back into humans?

So far, there’d been no progress on that front.

His thoughts drifted back to the alien signal he’d intercepted—the one that told him to keep evolving, to become a god.

A being beyond limits.

With a flicker of movement, Ethan vanished from his chamber and reappeared in the lab.

PhD was still there, buried in his work. Around him, elite zombies moved with mechanical precision, assisting where they could—but none of them had the intellect for real research. They were just following orders.

“Boss, you’re here,” PhD greeted him respectfully.

Ethan gave a small nod. “I came to check in. Any updates on human communications?”

“Yes,” PhD replied. “I tapped into their network. A few days ago, they held a Grand Council. Right now, they’re running selection trials across their combat academies—looking for top-tier Awakeners.”

“Grand Council, huh? And they’re picking Awakeners…” Ethan murmured, already piecing it together. He didn’t need a genius to tell him what that meant.

PhD continued, “It looks like they’re planning something big. And it’s aimed at us.”

“No doubt,” Ethan said, nodding. “That much is obvious.”

Even Bulldozer could’ve figured that out.

“They’re making it public,” PhD added. “Trying to rebuild trust, rally the people. After your last visit, their morale took a serious hit.”

Ethan smirked. “So now they’re trying to save face. Let everyone know they’re not done yet. That they’re coming for payback.”

But he also knew—they were still in the planning phase. It would be months before they were ready to move.

Plenty of time.

“Forget about them for now,” Ethan said, waving a hand dismissively. “We’ll deal with it when the time comes. What about the rest of Necroterra? Any signals from other regions?” His tone shifted, more curious than concerned. After all, in a few months… who knew how far he’d have evolved?

“There are,” PhD replied, pulling up data streams on a nearby screen. “The eastern region—Eastreach—has been invaded by Xenobeasts. Several zombie nests have already been wiped out, and the incursion is still spreading. One of the local Zombie Kings sent out a signal, calling for reinforcements. He’s urging other Zombie Kings to join the fight, promising a massive haul of flesh and crystal cores in return.”

“Oh?” Ethan raised an eyebrow, but he wasn’t surprised.

Eastreach bordered Xenorift—the territory of the Xenobeasts. Invasions weren’t exactly rare. It had happened before, and it would happen again.

The Zombie Kings there had long since learned to turn crisis into opportunity. By calling in backup, they not only relieved the pressure of the invasion but also offered a tempting reward—fresh meat and high-grade crystal cores. A win-win.

Eastreach had always been known as “The Hunting Grounds” of Necroterra.

In fact, every region of Necroterra had its own set of problems.

Eastreach, in the east, constantly faced the threat of Xenobeast invasions from Xenorift.

Southvale, in the south, bordered the Exile Zone and was dirt-poor in resources—barely enough to sustain a proper zombie nest.

Frostmere, up north, was riddled with radiation zones. Many Zombie Kings there had mutated in unpredictable ways—some stronger, some… not so lucky.

And Westmarch, in the west? That place was practically a graveyard. Thirty years ago, it had been hit by humanity’s WMDs during the war. Most of the zombie nests were obliterated. Now, it was a barren wasteland, crawling with little more than dust and echoes.

The only region that could be called “thriving” was the Heartland, right in the center of Necroterra. It was the most fertile, the most resource-rich—and naturally, the most densely packed with powerful Zombie Kings.

“Oh, and one more thing, boss,” PhD added. “We intercepted a signal from the Heartland. They’re asking if anyone’s encountered a Zombie King from another planet. That signal’s been bouncing around for a while now—clearly trying to find us.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Yeah. I figured.”

He didn’t need to guess who it was. It had to be that guy—the Voidborn Undying. The one who’d tried to descend onto Earth through a spatial rift, only for Ethan to slap him back into his own portal like a fly.

That bastard knew Ethan had synthesized the spatial key and used it to teleport to this planet—Originis. And now, he was hunting for him.

“Let him look,” Ethan said coolly. “Don’t respond. Not a word.”

“Understood,” PhD nodded. He knew exactly why. Any kind of reply could be traced. Even a single ping could give away their location.

Right now, Southvale’s so-called ruler was Umbradrake—but that was just a front.

He wasn’t SSS-tier, which made him easy to control. But to the outside world, he was presented as the Voidborn Undying himself—an SSS-tier monster who had unified Southvale. It was a perfect cover.

Ethan had no intention of poking the Heartland hornet’s nest just yet. Not until he was absolutely sure he could crush it.

Until then, the strategy remained the same:

Play safe. Don’t int.

PhD leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “Boss, if you’re looking to stock up on more crystal cores… I’d say Eastreach is your best bet right now. The Xenobeasts are pushing hard, and the local Zombie Kings are desperate. It’s a feeding frenzy out there.”

…