Apocalypse: King of Zombies-Chapter 365: Harvest

"..."

Everyone just stood there, speechless.

They were deep in the pitch-black forest now, nerves stretched tight. Eyes darted around, scanning every shadow. The underbrush was a mess, and some of the leaves were stained with dark, dried blood.

That was the trail left behind by the Zombie Horde.

Wherever the Horde passed, no mutated beasts dared linger. The area was eerily quiet—aside from the soft rustling of leaves, there wasn't a single sound.

"Looks like there aren't any monsters around here," Travis said, eyes narrowed as he scanned the darkness.

They'd already ventured deep into the woods, but still hadn't run into any real danger.

Maybe it was because Ethan's presence was just that overwhelming.

He'd scared Bighead so badly the guy probably pissed himself and ran back to the corpse nest with whatever was left of his crew.

"Well, that means we've got a pretty good shot at making it out alive," the big guy with the strength-type ability said with a goofy grin.

"Yeah. We had a one percent chance before. Now it's up to two. Definitely an improvement," Brian chimed in dryly.

"..."

The big guy rolled his eyes. He figured if he didn't say anything, no one would mistake him for mute.

Just then, Lena, the girl in the group, sniffed the air and tilted her head, a curious look on her face.

"What's that smell? It's... really nice."

"Yeah, I smell it too," another teammate nodded.

"It's flowers," Travis said, eyes locking onto something ahead.

In the middle of the tangled grass, a small pink flower swayed gently in the wind. Even in the darkness, it stood out—tiny specks of pollen drifting lazily through the air.

In this brutal, blood-soaked apocalypse, a single flower felt like a whisper of hope.

"It's beautiful..." Lena murmured, almost entranced.

But Ethan's gaze had gone cold. He stared at the flower, eyes devoid of emotion. Quietly, he activated the Domain of the Dead, sealing off all surrounding scents and energy.

"They're here..." he muttered.

This was the whole reason they came—to wipe out the Zombie Cultivation Grounds around San Diego. And that pink flower? It was the core of one.

Travis and the others had no idea. Danger was already creeping in, silent and invisible.

They were still chatting among themselves.

Ethan didn't warn them. Instead, he took a few steps back, putting some distance between himself and the group.

Once a human inhaled enough of that pollen, they'd start hallucinating. Then they'd walk straight into the Cultivation Ground and start killing each other—feeding the Daisy Zombie King.

A few moments later, the others had clearly breathed in too much. Their eyes started to glaze over, their expressions turning hazy and unfocused.

Then came the truly disturbing part.

The six of them, wandering through the dark forest, suddenly started talking to thin air—like they were having full-on conversations with invisible people.

They thought their teammates were right there beside them.

"So this is where it starts," Ethan mused, watching with interest.

Last time, he'd only seen the Japanese Awakeners talking to nothing before walking into the flower field and tearing each other apart. He hadn't seen what led up to it.

Now, this was his experiment.

It didn't take long for the hallucinations to intensify. Lena's face suddenly twisted in terror, like she'd just seen something horrifying. She screamed.

"Don't kill me! Please, don't! I—I'll fight you if I have to!"

Her expression turned savage. She yanked out her kukri and, without hesitation, lunged at one of her teammates.

Shhk!

The poor guy didn't even have time to react. She slashed him down in one blow.

But she didn't stop. She kept hacking at him like a woman possessed. After several brutal strikes, the body beneath her was a mangled mess of blood and flesh.

Her face, smeared with blood, slowly relaxed. She let out a long breath, like a weight had been lifted.

"Phew... A Zombie King, trying to threaten us? Serves you right, bastard."

"...Huh?" Ethan tilted his head, frowning.

What the hell did she just see?

Then Lena turned and started talking to the air again. "Thank God, backup's finally here. Let's get out of here!"

She picked up the pace, changing direction like she was heading home.

Travis and the others immediately followed her.

Ethan knew this was the final stage of the hallucination. They were almost at the "end of the line."

The group moved with purpose now, like something was pulling them forward. Their steps quickened, their expressions desperate—like they were chasing salvation.

...

About ten minutes later—

They reached the edge of the forest. The air ahead was thick with pollen, almost suffocating. Just beyond the trees… stretched a vast ocean of pink.

Countless delicate flowers bloomed in full, swaying gently like a dream.

But beneath that beautiful surface lay a mountain of corpses and a pit of bones—home to countless vicious monsters.

Still lost in their hallucinations, the humans stared at the flower field with wide, ecstatic eyes, as if they were seeing paradise. Without hesitation, they were about to rush in.

But Ethan raised a hand.

The Domain of the Dead expanded outward, sweeping over the group and cutting off the pollen around them like a curtain of silence.

Because they'd arrived.

This was the destination.

If he let them charge into the flower field now, they'd start tearing each other apart. That would be a waste of manpower. Better to let them help thin out the zombies first—then die.

Ethan calculated calmly.

This was how you got the most out of your disposable assets.

Travis was the first to snap out of it. His eyes slowly refocused, and as expected, confusion hit him like a truck.

"Where… are we?"

Next to him, Lena shook her head, blinking as clarity returned. But when her gaze landed on Ethan, her face twisted in shock.

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"You… you're alive again?!"

"Hm? What did you see just now?" Ethan asked, genuinely curious.

Lena's expression flickered. She quickly caught herself, shrank her neck like a turtle, and shook her head furiously.

"N-Nothing! I didn't see anything!"

"It was all a hallucination. We were caught in a Zombie King's illusion," Travis said, piecing it together faster than the others.

"Right," Ethan nodded. "This is the work of the Daisy Zombie King—one of the Four War Generals of San Diego. She uses pollen to trap people in hallucinations."

He smiled faintly. "And just now, you guys killed one of your own."

"What?!" Travis and the others froze, eyes wide. They quickly looked around.

There had been six of them.

Now there were only five.

"Who did it?" Lena asked, her voice low, eyes narrowing.

But then she noticed something.

Everyone else was staring straight at her.

She instinctively looked down—and saw her kukri, still slick with blood.

"...Shit." Lena's face twisted with regret.

Travis quickly stepped in. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. The real problem now is—where's the Daisy Zombie King?"

"She's in the flower field," Ethan said, eyes fixed ahead. He muttered under his breath, "Let's hope you guys are actually useful this time…"

Now that they'd found the Zombie Cultivation Ground, it was time to see what kind of "harvest" it had to offer.

With a flick of his wrist, Ethan summoned a Tachi. A fire-element crystal core pulsed at its hilt, and flames roared to life along the blade.

The dark forest lit up in an instant, bathed in searing firelight.

He swung the Tachi in a wide arc—flames exploded outward like a dragon unleashed. Trees, underbrush, and the flower field ahead all ignited in a blazing inferno.

Fueled by the howling night wind, the fire spread like madness—

devouring everything in its path.

...