Apocalypse: King of Zombies

The old woman called out, but there was no response. She knew in her heart that the black cat was already dead.

"Heh heh heh." A sinister laugh echoed from behind her. A gaunt figure slowly emerged from the shadows. He was so thin that his skin clung tightly to his bones, and his hands—shockingly—had no flesh at all, exposing bare, gleaming white bones.

"Good riddance. Dead is better. Saves me from listening to that annoying meowing all day…"

The Bone-Claw Zombie King grinned, revealing two rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The old woman's eyes burned with hatred as she turned her half-cat face toward him, glaring coldly. But after a moment of thought, she held back her anger.

"There are humans. I can smell traces of them lingering here."

"Just food," the Bone-Claw Zombie King replied dismissively. "They're not going to cause any real trouble. What we should be worried about is the Zombie King across the river. He's been expanding his territory like crazy lately, making a lot of noise. Be careful, or we might end up on his radar."

The old woman shot him a sideways glance. "Hmph! Do you think I need you to tell me that? I've already taken precautions. They won't get through."

"Fine, whatever."

The Bone-Claw Zombie King clearly didn't want to argue with her. It was obvious there was some bad blood between them. Humming a tune to himself, he turned and walked away.

"I'm a kitty cat, and I dance, dance, dance… and I dance, dance, dance~"

"...…" The old woman's terrifying face twisted in frustration, her teeth grinding. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing it on purpose to annoy her.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Ethan had already returned home after parting ways with Mia.

As usual, he took a hot bath, changed into clean clothes, and swallowed two crystal cores before pouring himself a drink.

By now, night had fully fallen, and the world outside his window was pitch black.

Every night, the city descended into chaos. Zombies and mutated beasts alike grew restless, their howls and roars echoing through the apocalyptic ruins. The cycle of slaughter never stopped.

Even within Ethan's territory, things weren't always peaceful.

Particularly near the outskirts, around Mount Wilson, the creeping vines had begun to spread from the forest into the city. They coiled around the ruins of buildings and climbed up streetlights.

These vines were an eerie crimson, like blood vessels, with what seemed like blood flowing through them.

In the darkness, one of the vines wrapped around a streetlight suddenly began to move, slithering like a living snake. Stay connected via empire

Beneath the streetlight stood a zombie, its tattered clothes soaked in blood. It swayed mindlessly, unaware of the danger above.

The vine crept closer, inching toward the zombie until it was just three feet away. Then, in a flash, it struck like a python, coiling tightly around the zombie's neck.

"GRAAAHHH—"

The zombie let out a guttural roar, thrashing wildly as its hands clawed at the vine. But the vine was incredibly tough, and the zombie couldn't tear it apart. With a sudden yank, the vine hoisted the zombie into the air.

The zombie dangled there like a hanged corpse, its legs kicking frantically as it howled.

Moments later, more vines slithered toward it. With a sickening squelch, they pierced the zombie's body, acting like straws as they began to suck the blood and flesh from it.

Dark, viscous blood flowed through the vines, staining them an even deeper black.

This wasn't an isolated incident. Nearby, several other zombies were also being attacked by the vines. Some were ensnared around their waists, others by their ankles.

The once-quiet night was now filled with the sound of zombie screams.

"ROOOAAARRR—"

A deafening roar echoed from the distance as Bulldozer, a hulking zombie with a massive frame, appeared on the scene.

His small, beady eyes scanned the chaos, but he couldn't quite figure out what was happening.

"Are we under attack?" he muttered.

He stomped forward, grabbing one of the vines that had wrapped around a zombie. With a powerful tug, he ripped it apart.

A spray of dark, putrid blood gushed from the severed vine, splattering everywhere.

But the vines weren't done. Dozens more crept toward Bulldozer, attempting to ensnare him. Some coiled around his ankles, while others latched onto his wrists.

Unfortunately for the vines, Bulldozer might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was incredibly strong. With brute force, he tore the vines apart one by one, sending black blood flying in all directions.

Realizing they couldn't overpower him, the vines retreated, dragging the captured zombies with them as they slithered back toward Mount Wilson.

"Ugh—ahhh!"

The ordinary zombies clawed desperately at the ground, trying to crawl forward, but they didn't have the strength to break free from the vines. In the blink of an eye, they were dragged over thirty feet away.

Just then, a sharp gust of wind swept through, and a figure darted into the fray.

With claws as sharp as steel blades, the figure slashed through the vines in a single fluid motion, cutting them apart and freeing the trapped zombies.

Laura, now in full-on "lawnmower mode," swung her claws relentlessly. Wherever she passed, the vines were shredded into pieces, and dark, putrid blood sprayed into the air.

Realizing they were no match for her, the vines retreated like a receding tide, slithering back toward the forest. Laura and Bulldozer gave chase, pursuing them all the way to the edge of the woods.

But the sheer number of vines was overwhelming, far too dense to cut through completely. A few unlucky zombies were still dragged into the forest, disappearing into the darkness. Their anguished howls grew fainter and fainter until they finally faded into silence.

"ROOOAAARRR!"

Bulldozer wasn't about to let it go. He stomped forward, clearly intending to charge into the forest after them.

But Laura quickly stopped him. "Hey, don't go in there."

"Huh?" Bulldozer froze mid-step, his expression full of frustration.

"Some stupid plants think they can mess with us? I'm going in there to rip them all out by the roots!" he growled.

"The plants are too dense in there," Laura said, crossing her arms. "Or do you want a repeat of last time, when the boss had to come drag your sorry ass out?"

"Uh…"

The mention of his previous blunder made Bulldozer pause. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, his anger cooling a little. "Fine, I'll let them off the hook this time. But… what are we supposed to do about this?"

"That's easy." Laura's tone was calm and analytical as she thought it over. "We go tell the boss."

...

Later that night, Ethan was informed of the incident. He wasn't particularly surprised—he'd already noticed the creeping vines acting strangely, as if they were slowly encroaching on his territory.

"So, they've finally made their move…" Ethan muttered to himself. He knew that to deal with external threats, he first had to secure his own domain. The vines would undoubtedly return, and this time, he needed to put an end to them for good.

However, the battle at the sugar factory earlier that day had drained some of his energy. Ethan decided not to rush into action. Instead, he rested for the night, allowing his body to recover to peak condition.

...

The next morning, Ethan arrived at the scene of the attack.

Bulldozer and Laura followed closely behind him, their demeanor respectful and serious.

"Boss, so it went like this—first, the vines came out of nowhere, then they did this, and then my guys got dragged into the woods!" Bulldozer gestured wildly as he tried to reenact the events, clearly hoping to explain everything as thoroughly as possible.

Ethan's sharp gaze swept over the area. The ground was a mess—shattered plant stems and dark, sticky blood were scattered everywhere. Long trails of blood and drag marks stretched toward the forest, painting a grim picture of what had happened.

In the distance, the dense forest loomed, its greenery vibrant and lush. Clusters of creeping vines clung to the trees, swaying gently in the breeze. At first glance, they looked like ordinary plants, completely harmless, with nothing out of the ordinary.

But Ethan wasn't fooled. He could already tell that these vines weren't acting on their own. They were more like "tentacles," controlled by something far more dangerous—a central mind pulling the strings.

The true culprit was hiding deep within the dense forest.