Chapter 983: Big Plans

Early the next morning, at Ray’s luxury home in Lakeview Estates—

Ray burst into the backyard, eyes gleaming with anticipation. He was hoping to find a newly evolved Tier 4 zombie waiting in the cages.

Instead, what greeted him were two mangled corpses—limbs torn, torsos shredded, nothing left but twitching scraps of flesh.

"What the hell were you doing last night?!" Ray roared. "How did two more zombies get eaten?!"

Silence.

No one answered.

Ray’s eyes narrowed. "Where is everyone?!"

Evan quickly jogged around the property, checking every corner. When he returned, his face was pale.

"Ray... they’re gone."

"Gone?" Ray’s voice dropped an octave. "You mean they were killed?"

"I don’t think so," Evan said, shaking his head. "No signs of a fight. No blood. Looks more like... they ran."

"They ran?!"

"Yeah. Probably figured you’d lose it over the missing zombies and bailed before you could blame them."

Ray stood frozen for a moment, jaw clenched, fists trembling.

"Traitors," he hissed. "You’re all dead. You hear me? You betray the Harlan family, you don’t get to walk away."

Evan glanced around the yard. "So... what now? With them gone, there’s no one left to guard the place."

"I’ll have to ask my father to send more men," Ray muttered. "We can’t leave this place unprotected."

"Should I check if any of the zombies hit Tier 4?"

"Do it."

Evan moved from cage to cage, testing each zombie’s strength. After a few minutes, he returned, shaking his head.

"Nothing. Still no Tier 4s."

Ray’s brow furrowed. "That doesn’t make sense. We’ve been feeding them crystal cores for days."

Evan hesitated. "What if... the ones that died were the Tier 4s? And those guys took the cores and ran?"

Ray’s eyes widened.

"...You bastards," he growled. "You’re dead. I don’t care where you run—I’ll find you."

His furious shout echoed through the courtyard, sharp and venomous.

...

Meanwhile, in another luxury home just a few blocks away, Ethan and his crew were enjoying a leisurely breakfast.

"Ethan, did you hear something just now?" someone asked, pausing mid-bite.

"Nope," Ethan said, casually scooping another spoonful of oatmeal. "Eat up. We’ve got big plans today."

"Big plans?" Sean asked, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of big?"

"We’re taking down that Tier 5 zombie," Ethan said, voice low and tight with resolve.

"...!!"

Sean’s spoon clattered into his bowl. "Ethan, are you sure that’s a good idea? Last time we barely made it out alive. I still have nightmares about that thing."

"That’s exactly why we can’t wait," Ethan said. "That thing hit Tier 5 way too early. It’s got insane potential. If we give it more time, it might evolve again—and then we’ll really be screwed."

He leaned back, eyes gleaming. "Besides, after those two crystal cores we snagged last night, I’ve hit peak Tier 4. I need a Tier 5 core to break through."

Chris looked up from his plate. "So if you go toe-to-toe with it again... how confident are you?"

"Fifty-fifty," Ethan said. "Peak Tier 4 strength should be around 3,200 pounds. But thanks to the mysterious energy I’ve been absorbing from stargazing every night, I’m already at 4,000. We’re about even now."

"But it’s been a few days," he added. "That thing’s probably gotten stronger too. So I’m not betting everything on a solo fight. If it gets dicey, Chris, I’ll need you to jump in."

Chris nodded. "Got it. I’m in."

"That thing’s probably gathered more underlings by now," Ethan said. "But you guys are all Tier 4 now. You can handle its minions."

"No problem," the others said in unison.

"Alright then," Ethan said, standing and stretching. "Finish up. We move out as soon as we’re done eating."

Elsewhere...

Over thirty FMTV military trucks rumbled out of the Safe Zone at dawn, heading straight for the site of yesterday’s ambush.

This time, Lieutenant Park wasn’t in charge. The operation had been reassigned—personally—by Mayor Marks to a man named Logan Shaw. Park, now sidelined, was merely along for the ride.

The convoy carried over a thousand soldiers, sweeping through the streets like a steel tide. It didn’t take long for them to reach the spot where the supply trucks had been intercepted.

Zombies still lingered in the area, but with this kind of firepower, they didn’t stand a chance. The soldiers opened up with machine guns, mowing down the undead in a thunderous barrage. Within minutes, the area was cleared.

The troops moved quickly, inspecting the supply trucks and assessing the damage.

Soon, a soldier jogged up to Logan and Park, saluting crisply.

"Report: Most of the supplies are intact. Only minor damage. Out of eight trucks, two are non-operational. The rest are banged up but still drivable."

"Good," Logan said. "Hook the dead trucks to the FMTVs with tow cables. We’re heading back immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

"Hold on," Park said, frowning. "We’re just leaving?"

Logan turned to him, expression unreadable. "Is there a problem, Lieutenant Park?"

"There are still hundreds of people waiting for rescue out there!"

"Lieutenant," Logan said coolly, "you said it yourself—there are over ten thousand zombies in that area. Even if we could clear them out, the cost in ammo and lives would be massive. And we’re already low on supplies. We’re not wasting precious resources on people who weren’t part of the mission."

"’People who weren’t part of the mission’?" Park snapped. "Those people saved our lives! We wouldn’t have made it out if not for them. I gave them my word—we’d come back for them. They’re still waiting for me!"

Logan’s voice hardened. "Lieutenant Park, I need you to calm down. Those people were not in the mission parameters. You know how this works. Our priority is the cargo."

"I promised them!" Park shouted. "I’m not leaving them to die!"

"Are you refusing a direct order?" Logan asked, voice low and sharp. "You know the chain of command."

"I..." Park opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat.

"Return to base," Logan ordered.

The trucks began to turn around, engines roaring as the convoy prepared to head back.

Park stood there, staring into the distance—toward the high-rise where those people were still holed up. In his mind, he could see their faces, their eyes watching the horizon, waiting for help that wasn’t coming.

"I’m sorry," he whispered. "Once we’re back, I’ll report this. I swear I’ll get someone to come for you."

...

Not far away, Ethan and his crew watched the FMTV convoy roll off into the distance. Only once the last truck disappeared did they pull their own vehicle onto the road.

"They’re not going to rescue those people?" Sean asked, frowning.

"Looks like they’ve been written off," Ethan said. "Ten thousand zombies? That’s not a rescue mission—it’s a suicide run."

"But that Lieutenant Park guy didn’t seem like the type to abandon people."

"He’s probably not," Ethan agreed. "But that doesn’t mean he gets to call the shots. Don’t kid yourself—just because it’s the government doesn’t mean they’re out to save everyone. In the apocalypse, the masks start coming off."

"Damn... so those people are screwed."

"Maybe not," Ethan said. "That female officer—she seemed like she had some pull. She might be the key."

"Holy shit," Chris said, eyes narrowing. "Ethan... don’t tell me you knew this would happen. Is that why you left her behind?"

Ethan smirked. "What am I, a prophet? I just didn’t like her. Didn’t want her in the car."

"Really?" The others gave him a look.

"Alright, enough guessing," Ethan said, waving them off. "The military just cleared the road for us. Let’s not waste the opportunity—stay back and follow their trail."

"Got it."

They drove on, the road ahead eerily smooth. With the FMTVs having bulldozed through earlier, there wasn’t a single zombie in sight all the way to the Safe Zone.

Once they passed it, the undead started to reappear—scattered, slow, and easy to deal with. Nothing that could slow them down.

Before long, they arrived at the same place where they’d been surrounded days ago.

They pulled over and stepped out.

"Ethan, how are we supposed to find it?" Sean asked, scanning the area.

"We don’t," Ethan said. "We just start killing zombies. That thing holds a grudge—it’ll come to us."

"Alright."

They moved forward, casually cutting down the scattered undead as they went.

But after a few minutes, they noticed something strange—the zombies were thinning out. Fast.

"Something’s coming," Ethan said. "Let’s move—head for that building. I’m not getting caught in the open again."

...