Chapter 755: The advantage

Bulldozer shot Laura a sideways glance. After a brief moment of thought, he gave in with a grunt and casually tossed her an S-rank speed-type crystal core.

"Hmph! As the top lieutenant under the boss, I’m already strong enough. You go ahead and evolve first..."

"..."

And just like that, the first clash between the Zombie Kings from Earth and the humans of this planet—Originis—came to a temporary end.

Aside from Bulldozer and a few others, the rest of the Zombie Kings had also gained something from the encounter and retreated back to their lairs.

They were buzzing with excitement. As per tradition, the first thing they did was throw a party...

Hank, Little Gatorax, and a few others came out to welcome Big Ears back.

"Big Ears! How’d it go out there?"

"With me on the field? Please. It was a total slaughter," Big Ears said smugly, puffing out his chest.

"For real?"

A few zombies looked skeptical.

Big Ears nodded confidently. "Dead serious. I barely had to lift a finger and the humans were already running scared. Don’t believe me? Ask Gorewood..."

"..."

Meanwhile, high above the vast, desolate wastelands of Necroterra, a massive object hovered in the sky—so huge it looked like a small moon. Its sheer presence was overwhelming, a nightmare for anyone with megalophobia.

It was humanity’s ultimate weapon: the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser.

Originally, there were two of these behemoths, but since this mission wasn’t a full-scale assault on Necroterra—just a targeted strike against one Zombie King’s faction—they’d only deployed one.

Still, it carried over half a million Awakeners, each one handpicked through brutal selection processes. These were the best of the best.

Right now, morale was sky-high. Everyone was fired up and ready.

"Damn, this is one hell of a show of force!"

"Isn’t this a bit much just to take down one Zombie King?"

"Mr. Howard’s always been cautious. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"..."

Inside the ship’s command center, Commodore Howard sat at the head of a long table, surrounded by elite human commanders. They were in the middle of a strategy meeting when one of his aides rushed in.

"Commodore Howard, of the fifty recon squads we deployed—two hundred people total—only eighty made it back. The rest are MIA."

"What? That many?" Howard’s eyes narrowed, clearly surprised.

The aide nodded grimly. "But they did manage to send back some critical intel. They found traces of lost tech weapons in the Southvale region of Necroterra. Based on that, we’re almost certain the Zombie King in the white shirt is hiding there."

"I see..." Howard nodded slowly.

The intel was valuable, no doubt—but the cost had been steep.

And even though they’d narrowed it down to Southvale, that area alone was massive. They’d need more recon to pinpoint the exact location of their target.

"Everyone," Howard said, addressing the room, "we lost 120 Awakeners in the first wave of recon. Let’s take a moment to honor their sacrifice."

The room fell silent. Faces turned solemn. The losses were heavier than expected.

A rugged, broad-shouldered man furrowed his brow. "Did Kaelen make it back?"

"Uh..." The aide flipped through his report. "Sorry, Instructor Garrick. Captain Kaelen is listed among the missing."

Garrick Stroud’s expression darkened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Kaelen Drovic wasn’t just any soldier—he was Garrick’s most promising protégé. The two shared a bond that went beyond mentor and student; they were practically family.

Missing in Necroterra... Unless a miracle happened, that meant he wasn’t coming back.

"That kid... First mission and he already blew it?" Garrick muttered under his breath.

He knew Kaelen’s potential—his talent, his intelligence. If nothing went wrong, the kid was destined to become an SSS-rank powerhouse, a pillar of humanity’s future.

A man nearby noticed Garrick’s grief and tried to offer some comfort. "Captain Kaelen gave his life in Necroterra. He fought for humanity. He’s a hero—and a credit to your training."

"Yeah... I guess you’re right." Garrick gave a faint nod, though the sorrow in his eyes didn’t fade. Another thought crept into his mind, one that made his chest tighten.

"My fiancée, Leia... she went missing in Necroterra too. Not long ago."

"Ah..."

The man beside him froze, unsure of what to say.

Garrick slowly pulled a photo from his pocket. It showed him and a woman, both smiling, caught in a moment of pure happiness.

They had both been Instructors at Pinnacle Academy—training together, sparring together, pushing each other to grow. Over time, that camaraderie turned into something deeper, and eventually, they became a couple.

But during one of the academy’s Hunt Trials, Instructor Leia led a group of students into Necroterra... and never came back.

That’s why Garrick had volunteered for this mission—not just to fight, but to find out what really happened to Leia.

"Instructor Leia gave her life for humanity too. She’s a hero, just like the others," the man beside him offered again, trying to be supportive.

"Yeah, yeah..." Garrick muttered, though his tone was flat. In his head, he was thinking,

Can we stop with the ’hero’ speech already?

"My fiancée and Kaelen are just missing. No bodies have been found. For all we know... they could be hiding somewhere, still alive. It’s not impossible."

"Maybe..." the man replied with an awkward chuckle, though he was clearly skeptical.

Finding a body in Necroterra? Good luck with that.

"..."

At the front of the room, Howard was already laying out the next phase of the operation.

"Here’s the good news," he began. "We’ve narrowed down the location of the Zombie King in the white shirt. He’s almost certainly in Southvale. Once we cross the Exile Zone, we’ll be right on top of him."

"Mm-hmm."

Heads nodded around the room. The plan was shaping up, and the odds were looking better.

"But," Howard continued, "we still need to pinpoint his exact location. Ideally, we draw him out—then hit him with overwhelming force. No hesitation, no mercy."

"This kind of mission... will require someone SS-rank or higher."

"..."

That made the room go quiet.

Most of the SS-rank and above Awakeners on the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser were already in this room. And even among them, this wasn’t a job to take lightly. Finding the Zombie King was one thing—baiting him into the open was another.

Howard added quickly, "Don’t worry. You won’t have to fight him directly. The moment he shows himself, the Starcruiser will move into position overhead. Even if he’s one of those SSS-tier Voidborn Undying, he won’t be able to escape. We’ll crush him from above."

"Yeah... that sounds solid."

The room relaxed a little. Howard had been leading military ops for years—his plans were always tight, always calculated.

Then Garrick slowly stood up.

"I’ll go to Southvale," he said. "I’ll find that Zombie King and draw him out."

"Oh?" Howard raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Perfect. Then it’s yours. Take whoever you need."

Garrick Stroud wasn’t just any soldier—he was a Master Instructor at Pinnacle Academy, with SS+ level strength. He was just a step away from breaking into SSS-tier. Outside of the ruling families, he was one of the most powerful individuals humanity had.

Smart. Tactical. Experienced.

If anyone could pull this off, it was him.

And so, while the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser continued its course toward Necroterra, humanity’s elite forces began their reconnaissance and finalized their battle plans.

On paper, it looked like a guaranteed win—humanity’s finest, backed by a flying fortress, going after a single Zombie King holed up in Southvale.

They had the numbers. They had the firepower.

They had the advantage.

Or so it seemed...

...