Chapter 824: It really was a surprise

“Oh? Not bad,” Bloodveil’s eyes gleamed with a savage light. Finally—fresh meat. And it was heading straight for him? Talk about walking into the lion’s den.

“Get us over there. Now.”

“On it!” the zombie underling responded, quickly steering the Bulk Freighter toward the target.

…

Deep in the jungle, the Lizardfolk Chieftain was leading his people in a desperate rush, following the direction Ethan had pointed them in. He’d said there’d be a “surprise” waiting.

But what kind of surprise?

Before he could dwell on it, the light around them suddenly dimmed. A massive shadow swept across the treetops, blotting out the sun.

“Uh…”

“What the hell is that?”

The Chieftain froze like a startled animal, throwing up a hand to halt the others.

They all looked up, eyes wide with disbelief, as a hulking shape descended from the sky, casting a long, ominous shadow over the forest floor.

It was a human aircraft—but not like any they’d seen before.

The Chieftain’s instincts screamed danger. Whatever was inside that thing, it reeked of bloodlust.

CLANG!

The Bulk Freighter groaned as it landed, its rusted hull crunching through trees and underbrush, metal grinding against metal with a sound that made teeth ache.

Several hatches hissed open, and figures began to emerge—dozens of them.

Zombies.

And leading them was none other than the Overlord of Eastreach himself—Bloodveil.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Bloodveil’s glowing red eyes scanned the Lizardfolk with interest. “What kind of species is this? Looks pretty eco-friendly. Green, lean, and clean—no preservatives.”

Behind him, his zombie horde grinned hungrily, their eyes gleaming with feral hunger. The air turned thick with killing intent.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain trembled, his face pale with fear. He hadn’t expected to run into a pack of feral undead—and judging by the aura coming off the leader, this wasn’t just any zombie.

This was a Voidborn Undying.

Wait… was this the “surprise” Ethan had mentioned?

“W-Wait! Don’t kill us!” the Chieftain stammered, throwing up his hands. “Our master—he’s one of you! He’s also a Voidborn Undying!”

“Oh?” Bloodveil’s eyes narrowed, clearly skeptical.

A Voidborn Undying taking in a bunch of Lizardfolk as underlings? Sounded like bullshit.

He was just about to give the signal—let his boys feast—when a sharp hum cut through the air.

A streak of silver light tore across the sky, heading straight toward them from behind the Lizardfolk.

Bloodveil and his horde immediately turned their eyes upward.

A sleek, mid-sized Command Cruiser was descending, sunlight glinting off its polished hull. It shimmered with high-tech elegance, a stark contrast to the rustbucket they’d arrived in.

“Damn! That thing’s slick!”

“Now that’s some real human tech.”

“Looks way more advanced than our ride…”

The zombies broke into murmurs of awe and envy.

Bloodveil, however, wasn’t distracted. He could feel it now—an unmistakable presence aboard that ship. A Zombie King. And not just any one… someone familiar.

“No way…”

The Command Cruiser touched down with a soft hiss. Its doors slid open with mechanical precision.

And out stepped Ethan.

“It really is him!” Bloodveil’s eyes widened, a flicker of surprise flashing across his face.

Behind him, the zombie underlings were just as stunned.

“Boss, that’s the Overlord of Southvale! And check out his ride—way sleeker than yours.”

“What do you know?” Bloodveil snapped, shooting a glare over his shoulder. “Didn’t you notice mine’s bigger? And it carries way more.”

The underlings fell silent, all thinking the same thing: Yeah, but it still looks like it’s held together with duct tape and prayers.

Ethan strolled over at a relaxed pace, a faint smile on his lips. “Long time no see.”

“Hasn’t been that long,” Bloodveil replied, then glanced at the Lizardfolk. “These yours? Livestock you’re raising?”

“Not exactly,” Ethan said, his tone even. He didn’t believe in hierarchies of worth—whether it was a scrawny Lizardfolk or a mountain-sized mutant beast, he treated them all the same. No weak or strong, just allies or enemies.

Bloodveil’s eyes flicked thoughtfully. “Huh. Didn’t expect to run into you here. Small world.”

“Guess we’re just meant to cross paths,” Ethan said with a polite chuckle. In truth, he’d picked up Bloodveil’s signal from miles away and had deliberately flown in this direction.

But Bloodveil’s rustbucket of a freighter didn’t have the tech to detect anything that far out—he had no idea he’d been tracked.

After a bit of small talk, Bloodveil got to the point. “My horde’s been marching for days, starving. We need meat—lots of it. You’ve gotta have some stockpiled, right? Since we’re ‘allies’ and all, how about sharing a little?”

“Of course,” Ethan said smoothly. “Meat’s no problem. Fresh, too. In fact, I’ve got a special gift just for you.”

“For real?” Bloodveil blinked, caught off guard. He’d expected to haggle, maybe even threaten a little. But Ethan was just handing it over?

Did this guy suddenly grow a conscience?

Ethan smiled. “How many zombies you got with you right now?”

“About three hundred thousand—wait, no, five hundred thousand,” Bloodveil said, correcting himself with a smirk. He deliberately inflated the number.

His horde was arriving in waves—some slower than others due to varying levels of evolution. The ones with him now were his elite, his inner circle.

Ethan nodded thoughtfully. “That’s plenty. Let’s head back and regroup with your main force. The meat’s on its way.”

“Sounds good to me.” Bloodveil grinned, clearly pleased.

He’d flown out too far and gotten separated from the bulk of his horde anyway. Following Ethan’s lead, he turned the freighter around to rendezvous with his troops.

The Lizardfolk Chieftain watched all this in silence.

He might not have been strong, but he wasn’t stupid.

He was starting to see exactly what Ethan was planning.

“…Well damn. It really was a surprise.”

…

Bloodveil climbed back aboard the Bulk Freighter, which rumbled back into motion, cruising steadily toward the rest of the horde.

But halfway there, something changed.

A deep, guttural roar echoed from the jungle below. Trees shook violently, some toppling over as something massive barreled through the underbrush.

“What the hell is that?” Bloodveil’s brow furrowed.

With his Voidborn Undying senses, he could feel it—dozens, no, hundreds of lifeforms converging on their position.

The zombie underlings crowded around the windows, peering out nervously.

Then they saw it.

Massive black clouds sweeping toward them at breakneck speed—except they weren’t clouds.

They were birds.

Giant, monstrous birds with wingspans over thirty feet, their long, spear-like beaks gleaming like polished steel.

“Flying Xenobeasts incoming!”

“Holy shit, there’s a lot of them!”

Within seconds, the sky darkened as the flock descended. The Bulk Freighter shuddered under the impact of their bodies slamming into the hull.

BANG! BANG!

The already-rickety ship groaned under the assault. Metal screeched. Panels buckled.

SKREEEEEE—

A piercing screech rang out as one of the birds drove its beak straight through the side of the freighter, punching a hole in the hull.

CRASH!

Glass shattered. One of the birds forced its way inside.

Some of Bloodveil’s elite zombies—Zombie Kings—reacted instantly, tearing the creature apart with brutal efficiency.

But more were coming.

Dozens more.

“This isn’t right,” Bloodveil growled, his expression darkening. “Where the hell is Ethan?”

He scanned the skies, eyes narrowing.

The sleek Command Cruiser was gone—vanished without a trace.

And the Lizardfolk? Nowhere to be seen. They’d scattered into the jungle, disappeared like ghosts.

…

Here’s a redemption code for everyone: