Apocalypse: King of Zombies

Chapter 29 - 29: What’s so dangerous about the first floor?

At this point, only five Awakeners remained in the group. Three of them had already formed crystal cores, making them formidable opponents, while the other two were still at the Neurocore stage. Though they hadn't reached their peak, their physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

Even so, for Ethan, taking them head-on wouldn't be much of a challenge.

Down on the first floor, Marcus and the towering Kevin had just arrived in the lobby. A few survivors immediately rushed over to them, their faces filled with anxiety and unease.

"Marcus, we've

"Think you can run? Die, you bastard!" Billy roared, charging after him. His muscles bulged grotesquely, swelling to the size of boulders as his uniform stretched to its limit. With a thunderous roar, he threw a punch, putting every ounce of his strength into the blow. He was determined to crush Ethan completely.

Ethan stood his ground, a flicker of interest flashing in his eyes. He'd been meaning to test his physical limits. The last time he'd fought someone—Alex—he'd killed him with a single punch. This time, he decided to hold back, using only half his strength.

Ethan raised his fist, meeting Billy's attack head-on.

"Boom!"

The moment their fists collided, a deafening explosion echoed through the mall. The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave rippling outward like a hurricane, shaking the third-floor railing violently. The metal groaned under the strain, screeching with a sharp, grating sound.

"Crack!"

A sickening snap followed. Billy's eyes widened as a searing pain shot through his arm. He looked down in horror to see his entire arm shattered, the bone pulverized into fragments. It hung limply at his side, twisted into an unnatural angle.

"What the hell… How is he this strong?!"

Billy gritted his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his face like rain. Staggering backward, he clutched his mangled arm with his remaining hand, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

It finally dawned on him—this man's strength was far beyond anything they had anticipated. He wasn't anything like the scientists had described: "A zombie with Absolute Domain but a frail body."

That punch… Billy had thrown everything he had into it. It was a blow powerful enough to crush an armored vehicle into scrap metal. Yet Ethan had brushed it off effortlessly, countering with enough force to obliterate his arm.

A wave of despair crashed over Billy, drowning him in its suffocating depths. It was like staring into the maw of an unstoppable predator.

"Damn it! Which idiot scientist created this freak? If I get another life, I swear I'll hunt them down and kill them myself!"

That was Billy's final coherent thought.

But he didn't even have time to dwell on it. As he staggered in pain, Ethan moved. His figure blurred, a streak of black lightning slicing through the air as he closed the distance to Billy's two teammates.

"Slash!"

Two arcs of crimson light flashed in the darkness. The sound of flesh being pierced echoed, sharp and chilling. The two Awakeners, still stuck in the Neurocore stage, didn't even have time to react. Ethan's strikes were precise, clean, and merciless—both of their throats were pierced in an instant.

Their bodies froze, collapsing to the ground like puppets with their strings cut. Their lifeless eyes remained wide open, frozen in an expression of pure terror.

The entire encounter lasted mere seconds. In that brief span of time, Billy and his teammates were utterly annihilated.

...

Meanwhile, on the first floor…

Marcus was speaking with a group of survivors, trying to calm their nerves.

But then, a muffled thud echoed from the third floor. The sound was followed by the violent rattling of the railings above, accompanied by the sharp screech of twisting metal.

"Something's wrong!" Marcus's expression darkened instantly. He snapped his head upward, trying to spot Billy and the others.

But all he saw was darkness. The third floor was pitch black, shrouded in an eerie silence.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, a sinking feeling settling in his chest.

The tall man standing beside him, Kevin, also sensed that something was off. His voice was urgent. "Marcus, Billy and the others must've been attacked! We need to get up there now!"

"Wait!" Marcus raised a hand, stopping him. His brows furrowed, his expression a mix of hesitation and caution.

A thought raced through his mind—They might've completely underestimated the monster's strength.

Billy was the second strongest in their group, a powerhouse Awakener with immense physical strength. There was no way he could've been taken down so easily. And with two teammates by his side, even if they couldn't win, they should've been able to hold their ground for a while.

But after that loud crash, there had been nothing. No sounds of fighting, no cries for help. Just silence. It was as if the three of them had vanished from existence.

"This isn't right…" Marcus's pupils contracted slightly, a deep sense of unease creeping over him. His instincts screamed that something was watching them, lurking in the shadows like a predator waiting to strike.

"Marcus! What are you waiting for? Are you seriously not going to help Billy?!" Kevin's voice was filled with frustration and disbelief.

Marcus took a deep breath, his tone low and steady. "It's already… too late."

"What?!" Kevin froze, his face a mix of shock and anger. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

But Marcus's gut told him the truth. The fight on the third floor was over—and it had ended swiftly and brutally. If they rushed up now, they'd only meet the same fate.

Around them, the survivors began to sense the shift in atmosphere. They exchanged uneasy glances, fear creeping into their expressions.

"What's going on? Why is it so quiet up there?" one of the survivors whispered nervously.

"I don't know… but I've got a really bad feeling about this," another muttered.

The mall was plunged into darkness, the power long since cut. The only light came from the survivors' flashlights, their beams flickering as they swept across the shadows. The oppressive blackness seemed to press in from all sides, hiding dangers that felt all too close.

Suddenly, one of the survivors—a burly man—felt something cold and wet drip onto the back of his neck.

"Huh? What the hell?" He instinctively reached up, touching the spot. His fingers came away sticky and damp, with a faint metallic smell clinging to them.

Frowning, he raised his flashlight to examine his hand. The moment the beam illuminated his palm, his face turned ghostly pale.

"B-blood… It's blood!"

...