Apocalypse: King of Zombies-Chapter 263: Looks like I’ve found something new to taste…

Not far away, a security guard furrowed his brows. Something felt off. Ethan wasn’t wearing a nano-combat suit like the others—he was dressed in a crisp white shirt and tailored black dress pants, looking sharp and composed. From the moment he appeared at the hatch, the guard had a nagging sense of déjà vu.

And then it hit him.

The Zombie King file!

His heart skipped a beat. The man standing before him was a perfect match for the records from Los Angeles. There was no doubt—this had to be that terrifying Zombie King.

Yet, the Japanese Awakeners were actually approaching him, asking for his help. The realization sent a chill down the guard’s spine.

"Hey! Stay away from him! He’s not human!" the guard warned.

"Huh?" The Japanese Awakeners froze, turning to look at him with puzzled expressions.

Not human?

But Ethan looked perfectly normal—handsome, clean, even smiling slightly. He didn’t resemble some kind of flesh-eating monster at all.

"Is this just another excuse to keep us from leaving?" someone muttered.

But before they could process the thought—

With a casual wave of his hand, a tachi materialized out of thin air. In one swift motion, Ethan slashed through the neck of the young girl who had spoken earlier. Blood sprayed across the ground as her body collapsed lifelessly.

"There. She’s gone now."

"..."

The group stood frozen, their eyes wide with shock, their minds struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

So this is what he meant by ’leaving’…

"You bastard! I’ll kill you!"

These people had been through hell, surviving countless battles. Their instincts kicked in immediately. Two of them drew short blades from their waists and lunged at Ethan, while others gathered energy, activating elemental abilities.

The scene erupted into chaos.

But then—

A crimson glow flickered in Ethan’s eyes.

In an instant, the noise died down.

A suffocating pressure spread outward as the terrifying Domain of the Dead unfurled.

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The Awakeners caught within its range froze mid-motion, their bodies locking up as if trapped in invisible chains. Then, with a sickening series of cracks, their bones gave way, and they crumpled to the ground like broken marionettes.

"So strong…?" The remaining Japanese Awakeners stared in horror, realizing they were completely outmatched.

Panic set in.

They turned and ran, desperate to escape the encroaching Domain of the Dead.

Meanwhile, the Genesis Biotech security guard had already bolted toward the camp’s exit, silently cursing the fools who had dared to attack the Zombie King of Los Angeles.

Idiots. Do they have a death wish?

Still, at least they were buying him some time.

The Japanese Awakeners scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.

Ethan’s gaze followed them. He took a step forward, giving chase—but he wasn’t in a hurry.

Anyone too slow to escape was cut down effortlessly.

Suddenly—

Two headlights flared to life ahead, their beams piercing the darkness. An engine roared to life, the deep growl of a modified heavy truck filling the air.

Someone was driving straight toward him.

Ethan turned his head slightly, his eyes locking onto the driver through the cracked windshield. The man’s face was twisted in a snarl.

"I’LL RUN YOU OVER! GO TO HELL!" he bellowed, slamming his foot down on the gas pedal. The engine howled like a beast unleashed, the truck surging forward at full speed.

Ethan didn’t move.

He didn’t even try to dodge.

Instead—his figure simply vanished.

"Where did he go?!" The driver’s eyes widened in disbelief.

And then—

A tachi appeared inside the cab.

Before the driver could react, the blade sliced clean through his neck. Blood sprayed across the dashboard, painting the interior in crimson.

Even in death, he never understood what had happened.

Ethan had used the Domain of the Dead to phase through solid objects. The moment the truck passed through his position, he had materialized inside and executed the driver in an instant.

With no one at the wheel, the truck veered off course, slamming into a massive boulder.

The fuel tank ruptured.

A split second later—

BOOM!

Flames erupted into the night sky as the truck exploded, sending a shockwave rippling through the camp.

The blazing explosion tore through the night, its fierce light pushing back the darkness.

Ethan kept walking, never once looking back.

Because real men don’t look at explosions.

The raging fire behind him stretched his shadow long across the ground, making him look like death itself, striding forward with quiet inevitability.

The fleeing survivors couldn’t help but glance back.

And what they saw made their blood run cold.

Especially Ken, a speed-type Awakener. He was one of the fastest among them, but even as he ran, his mind raced with questions.

"Why? Why the hell would Genesis Biotech bring something as terrifying as the Zombie King here?"

"Ken, I think… I think the Zombie King hijacked the aircraft and came here on his own," one of his companions speculated, glancing ahead—only to realize that even the Genesis Biotech guards were running for their lives.

That’s when Ken suddenly remembered something.

Back when they arrived, they had disturbed some mutated creatures. By now, those things should be closing in.

And they were coming from right ahead.

"Hey! You can’t run that way! It’s not safe!" Ken shouted at the guards.

But the Genesis Biotech personnel ignored him.

Not running means certain death!

"These Japanese guys must be trying to trick us," one of the guards muttered. "They probably want to keep us here to slow down the Zombie King while they escape."

But before he could think further—

A deep, rumbling noise echoed from the darkness ahead.

"Huh?" The guards stiffened, a sudden, primal fear creeping up their spines.

What the hell was that?

The wilderness landscape was vast and open, with nothing to obstruct their view. The guards squinted into the distance but saw no sign of any creatures.

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Yet Ken and the other Awakeners had stopped running.

They stood frozen, their faces pale with terror, whispering in a daze.

"They’re here… They’re coming…"

"What’s coming?" One of the guards turned in confusion, scanning the barren wasteland. The night stretched endlessly around them, empty and silent—except for the growing sense of dread clawing at their chests.

And then—

The ground trembled.

Several mounds of earth bulged upward, moving rapidly toward them.

"They’re underground!" someone finally realized.

But it was too late.

One of the mounds reached them, and with a thunderous crash, a massive centipede’s head burst from the earth.

Then came its thick, segmented body—lined with rows of razor-sharp legs.

The creature was monstrous, its body so massive that it would take three grown men linking arms to encircle it. Dust and debris swirled in the air as it screeched, its high-pitched cry filled with savage hunger.

The centipede’s grotesque head reared up, towering over them. Even the portion that had emerged from the ground was already over thirty feet tall.

Who knew how much more of it was still buried beneath?

"This… this is insane…" The Genesis Biotech guards stood paralyzed, their minds struggling to process the sheer scale of the horror before them.

A suffocating fear gripped them.

And then—

The centipede struck.

Its head lunged forward, snapping up one of the guards in its monstrous jaws. With a sickening crunch, it chewed twice—then swallowed him whole.

"RUN!"

The remaining guards snapped out of their daze, turning and sprinting for their lives.

But they couldn’t run back—because behind them was the even greater terror of the Zombie King.

Their only option was to veer sideways, desperately trying to escape.

The centipede wasn’t about to let them go.

It threw its head back and let out a piercing shriek.

Then—

It spewed a fountain of dark green liquid from its mouth.

The toxic fluid rained down like a deadly storm.

The moment it touched the ground, it sizzled, eating away at the earth.

And when it landed on human flesh—

"AAAAAHHHH!"

Agonized screams tore through the night.

The liquid wasn’t just poisonous—it was highly corrosive.

Skin melted away in an instant, flesh dissolving as if drenched in concentrated acid.

The guards collapsed, writhing in agony, their bodies smoking as they rolled on the ground, trying in vain to escape the burning pain.

Ethan arrived at the scene, watching the carnage unfold with quiet amusement.

"Looks like I’ve found something new to taste…"

...