Chapter 968: Ambition Like That Gets People Killed

The two officers reached them quickly, boots crunching over broken glass and spent casings.

The older man—the colonel—looked them over with a flicker of surprise on his weathered face.

"Well, I’ll be damned," he said. "Didn’t expect to find a bunch of kids still standing in the middle of that mess."

He glanced at their gear, their bloodied clothes, the exhaustion in their eyes. "Judging by your age and the direction you came from... you students from Starlight State University?"

"Yes, sir," Ethan replied with a nod.

The colonel gave a low whistle. "Impressive. Didn’t think any of you would’ve made it out of there, let alone with this kind of strength."

Then his brow furrowed. "But how’d you end up surrounded like that? That wasn’t just a random horde."

Ethan gave a tired, crooked smile. "We were trying to get out of the school, find somewhere safer. Thought we’d cleared the worst of it, but then out of nowhere—bam. Thousands of them. No warning. If you guys hadn’t shown up when you did, we’d be toast."

The colonel nodded slowly, eyes narrowing in thought. "You held out against that many... You’ve all got to be Tier 3 at least, right?"

He paused, then offered, "What do you say—interested in joining up with us?"

Before the apocalypse, the National Guard didn’t recruit like this. But now?

Every Enhanced who could fight was a walking asset. And they knew it.

Ethan scratched the back of his neck, giving a polite but firm smile. "Appreciate the offer, sir, but we’re not really the military type. We’re used to doing things our own way."

"No need to decide now," the colonel said, unfazed. "Just think about it. If you join, we’ll supply you with crystal cores to help you grow stronger. A hell of a lot safer than hunting them down yourselves."

He gestured toward the battlefield. "You’re good, no doubt. But there’s only a handful of you. Situations like today? You’ll run into more of them. And next time, we might not be around."

"Thanks," Ethan said, still polite. "We’ll keep it in mind."

He had no intention of joining. Sure, the military might be safer, but it came with rules—too many of them. And any crystal cores they earned would be pooled and redistributed. No way. He wasn’t about to hand over his hard-earned kills for someone else to divvy up.

The colonel sighed, then shifted gears. "Alright. How many survivors are left at your school? We’re heading there next for a rescue op."

Ethan’s expression sobered. "Maybe... seven hundred, give or take."

"...What?" The colonel’s face fell.

A school that once held over thirty thousand students—reduced to a few hundred.

The weight of it hit hard. He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared past them at the blood-soaked street.

"Alright," he said finally. "Let’s move. We’re heading to the university. You all, get in the trucks."

"Uh... actually," Ethan said, raising a hand, "we’ll sit this one out. We just escaped from there, and we’re all banged up. Not really in shape for another round."

"That’s exactly why you should get in," the colonel said. "We’ve got medics in the convoy. They’ll patch you up. And once we’re back at the Safe Zone, we’ve got a full medical setup—real doctors, real equipment. Most injuries, we can treat."

Ethan blinked. "You’ve already got a Safe Zone up and running?"

The younger officer nodded. "Perimeter walls are finished. It’s secure. We’ve been broadcasting emergency alerts to survivors across Starlight City, telling them to head there."

Ethan hesitated, then said, "In that case, how about this—you go handle the school rescue, and we’ll make our way to the Safe Zone on our own. There’s still close to twenty thousand zombies in that campus. We’re not in any shape to go back in."

He didn’t want to get pulled into their operation. If they went with the Guard, they’d be stuck following orders, stuck waiting, stuck doing nothing.

The colonel frowned. "It’s still ten miles to the Safe Zone. We cleared the route once, but there’s no guarantee more zombies haven’t wandered in. It’s risky."

Ethan gave a lopsided grin. "We’ll manage. I mean, we just survived a few thousand zombies, right? I think we’ve earned a little confidence."

The colonel studied Ethan for a long moment before finally speaking again. "Alright then. Be careful. Head up that overpass and follow the beltway—it’s about 9.7 miles. There used to be an old industrial park out that way. We’ve converted it into a Safe Zone. Someone will be there to receive you."

"Got it. Thank you," Ethan said sincerely. "If you hadn’t shown up when you did, we’d be dead."

By now, the soldiers had finished collecting the crystal cores from the battlefield.

"Take care of yourselves," the colonel said, giving them a final nod. "We’re moving out."

"Yeah. You too."

The two officers climbed back into their Humvee, and the rest of the soldiers followed suit. Engines rumbled to life, and the convoy began rolling forward, FMTVs leading the way.

Thanks to Ethan’s group clearing the road earlier, the path ahead was mostly open—no wrecks, no stragglers. Just the lingering stench of blood and gunpowder.

Inside the Humvee, the colonel glanced at the younger officer beside him.

"What do you think of those kids?"

The younger man shrugged. "Strong. No doubt about that. But cocky."

The colonel gave a dry chuckle. "Cocky? That’s putting it mildly. They’ve got ambition. I saw it in their eyes."

"You think they won’t go to the Safe Zone?"

"I’d bet my stripes on it," the colonel said. "They’re not looking for shelter. They’re looking to grow. People like that don’t want to be under anyone’s thumb."

The younger man frowned. "That kind of thinking gets people killed."

"Yeah," the colonel said quietly. "But sometimes, it also changes the world. Let’s just hope they figure out which one they’re headed for."

...

Back on the street, Skinny Pete leaned in toward Ethan, voice low and anxious. "We’re not seriously going to that Safe Zone, right?"

Ethan snorted. "Why would we? We’ve got a luxury villa with a pool waiting for us. That Safe Zone’s probably still under construction. You go there, you’re just another pair of hands hauling sandbags."

"Thank God," Pete said, visibly relaxing. "I was not ready to give up the pool."

"Alright," Ethan said, scanning the area. "Let’s find a new ride and get moving. The Guard cleared this stretch, so it should be smooth."

"On it."

As they spread out to search for a working vehicle, Ethan suddenly felt it—that prickling sensation at the back of his neck. Someone was watching them.

He narrowed his eyes and activated his True Sight.

There.

A figure in black stood in the shattered window of a nearby building, half-shadowed, unmoving. The Tier 5 zombie. Its eyes locked with Ethan’s, cold and calculating.

Ethan sneered and drew a finger across his throat in a slow, deliberate gesture.

He didn’t know if the thing understood—but its expression darkened.

"You’ve got no army left," Ethan muttered under his breath. "Come at me again, and I’ll end you."

"Ethan?" Chris called. "What’s up?"

"That Tier 5’s still watching us," Ethan said, voice low.

"What?!" The others tensed immediately.

"Relax," Ethan said. "It’s alone now. No minions. It won’t risk a direct fight. Let’s move. Once we’re stronger, we’ll come back and finish it."

He meant it. Ethan wasn’t the type to let things go. That bastard had nearly killed them. He wasn’t walking away without its crystal core.

"Yeah," Chris muttered. "Let’s get the hell out of here."

They found a working SUV not far off—two rows of seats, big enough to cram everyone in. The back could hold the rest crouched down. Not comfortable, but it’d do.

As they pulled away, the Tier 5 zombie remained in the window, watching them go, its gaze like a blade on the back of Ethan’s neck.

Inside the vehicle, Henry got to work patching everyone up. Nearly all of them were injured—some worse than others. Even Ethan, who’d held out the longest, was running on fumes. He’d powered through on sheer grit and muscle, but now that the adrenaline was fading, the pain was catching up fast.

The road ahead was mostly clear. A few stray zombies wandered in from side streets, but nothing serious. The Guard had done a thorough job.

After about 9.7 miles, they spotted it in the distance—a towering wall, ten feet high, ringed with HESCO barriers on the outside and reinforced concrete within. The place looked solid. Secure.

That had to be the Safe Zone FEMA and the Guard had set up.

They could see people heading toward it from all directions, some limping, some carrying others. Along the road, uniformed personnel were directing survivors toward the gates.

Ethan didn’t slow down.

They kept driving.

Another nine miles later, they finally reached their real destination—Lakeview Estates.

The road there was just as clean. No wrecked cars, no corpses. Even the sidewalks had been swept of debris. The Guard had definitely been through here.

Which made sense.

If they were rescuing the university, there was no way they’d skip Lakeview Estates. This was where Starlight City’s elite lived. Politicians, CEOs, old money. Of course it was one of the first places they secured.

...