Using a zombie's heightened senses, Ethan could hear human activity inside the fortress. A faint, metallic smell of blood also hung in the air, hinting at something horrific having taken place.
The three Minions sensed the prey. Their faces lit up with excitement as they sprinted toward the bunker-like structure.
Indeed, there were quite a few survivors inside—more than a dozen people.
The group consisted of several Construction Workers, some street Thugs, and the site's Developer, Robert Quinn!
This was the very man who had bought Ethan's farm and loaned him the colossal amount of money—the ultimate chump.
When the apocalypse broke out, Robert Quinn was inspecting the site with his crew. After encountering zombies, he immediately organized the men to pour a concrete bunker. This stroke of luck saved them, and they had survived until now.
Robert Quinn remained the leader of this fortress, commanding the Construction Workers along with his trusted right-hand man, Rick, and a few Thugs.
"Mr. Quinn, none of the guys we sent out have returned," Rick muttered, frowning.
Robert Quinn was deeply troubled. While the bunker was secure, supplies were limited. They had no food and were starving.
"If worst comes to worst, we'll have to eat some of the meat to hold us over. I just hope… we don't catch Prion Disease."
"Boss, I don't think that's likely," said a bespectacled woman next to him, Robert Quinn's educated secretary.
"Prion Disease only occurs after a person dies. So, as long as we eat them while they are alive, we shouldn't have any problem…"
"Mr. Quinn, why don't I take a few guys and go look for some food myself?" Rick proposed.
Robert Quinn shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous outside."
"Don't worry, Mr. Quinn. Back in my street-fighting days, I could clear three blocks with a Machete without even blinking. Those zombies are weaker than the living."
"If you don't blink, won't your eyes get dry?" Robert Quinn asked.
"..." Rick was speechless. He talked about street fighting, and his boss asked about dry eyes?
Just then, they heard the roar of an engine outside the bunker. A vehicle had entered the construction yard.
Rick's eyes narrowed. " Mr. Quinn, that might be Beard and the others coming back."
"Let's go, quickly!"
Robert Quinn brightened, rushing toward the bunker's steel door, hoping they had brought food.
The Steel Plate door was extremely solid. The fist-sized ventilation holes were not just for air; they were also for observing the outside.
Robert Quinn and Rick peered through the holes.
The sight made their blood run cold: it wasn't Beard. It was a group of terrifying zombies.
"Hehehehehe~~~"
The Athlete's eerie, smiling face was pressed against the ventilation hole, separated from them by only the thin metal of the door. The sight was deeply unsettling.
The Athlete was clearly eager to 'take care' of them. She clawed at the steel door; her sharp nails scraping against the metal produced a nerve-wracking Zii Zii sound.
"Holy Sh*t!"
Robert Quinn and Rick stumbled backward a few steps, nearly falling.
"What the hell… there are zombies out there!"
"Relax, Mr. Quinn, they can't get in," Rick assured him.
"Right."
Robert Quinn nodded. Though the zombie was bizarre, the fortress was too strong for it to breach.
"BANG!~~ BANG!~~~ BANG!"
A moment later, fierce hammering sounds erupted. Tank had engaged. With every heavy punch, the entire structure shook violently.
All the survivors in the bunker were startled and rushed to the door to see what was happening.
"ROAR—" Tank let out a furious bellow.
His strength was immense, but he couldn't even break into the Walk-in Freezer before, let alone this specially constructed fortress. After a few futile punches, he gave up.
He stood dutifully behind Ethan, waiting for the Alpha to step forward and use his 'little stick' to open the Steel Plate door.
"Did that zombie mutate? How is it so strong?" Robert Quinn was unnerved. He had never seen anything like it. Stranger and stranger things kept happening since the apocalypse began.
Rick waved a dismissive hand.
"Don't worry. Even a T-Rex couldn't get through here, unless a zombie learned how to drive an Excavator and dug us out."
"Right."
Robert Quinn nodded, regaining his confidence.
"I'm going to take another look at what that zombie looks like." He returned to the ventilation hole, craning his neck to look outside.
This time, he saw a young man standing there. Surrounding him were three bizarre zombies.
"Is that… Ethan?"
Robert Quinn looked surprised; he recognized the face. Seeing him immediately infuriated him. Before the apocalypse, Ethan had sold him the farm and taken out a massive loan. He still owed Robert Quinn money!
"Serves him right! Turned into a zombie, huh? Karma's a bitch!" Robert Quinn muttered under his breath. Yet, he still felt a strange respect; even as a zombie, Ethan was perfectly clean.
Rick said, "Mr. Quinn, we don't have to worry about them. They can't get in anyway. Let them mess around. They'll probably leave soon."
"Okay."
Robert Quinn left the door and sat back down in a chair.
Outside, Ethan stared at the structure. Even with a key, it couldn't be unlocked from the outside. With his current physical strength, he could probably punch right through it.
But… that would get his clothes dirty.
So, Ethan reached into his spatial inventory and pulled something out. It was a massive metal machine with a colossal bucket attached to its steel arm.
It was an Excavator!
He had brought it from his farm, and it was finally time to put it to use.
"RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!"
The colossal machine roared to life. Ethan drove the Excavator toward the bunker.
The reinforced concrete was too thick to easily smash through. He decided to start from the dirt ground and dig a tunnel inside.
"What was that?"
Robert Quinn and the others inside the bunker heard the machine's roar. Their hearts seized up.
What is that sound?
They rushed back to the door and peered through the ventilation holes. They saw a giant steel beast slowly driving toward them.
"What the—"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
An Excavator?
Did that zombie go to Trade School?
The sight defied all logic. Rick was utterly bewildered; he had just joked about an Excavator, and now it was happening! He never imagined a zombie could actually operate one!
The new question was, whose Excavator technique was the strongest?
As Ethan continued to dig, a massive hole quickly formed in front of the door.
The floor inside the bunker began to cave in. Sunlight streamed into the room from beneath the door.
"Quick! Grab your weapons! Get ready to fight them!" Rick shouted, his voice laced with ferocity.
The Thugs and Construction Workers alike grabbed machetes and steel pipes. From one corner, a WHIRR WHIRR sound started—someone had brought out a Chainsaw!
They were numerous, and their morale was momentarily soaring.
"Yeah! Let's fight them!"
Soon, the ground in front of the door was completely dug out.
"ROAR!"
Tank roared and was the first to scramble in. He immediately picked up a piece of Granite and hurled it at the crowd.
The stone struck with crushing force, knocking two men to the ground.
"Hehehehehe~~~"
As the Athlete entered, a Thug seized the moment, swinging his Machete directly at her head.
But the Athlete was lightning-fast. With a swipe of her hand, her sharp claws shredded the Thug's forearm.
"AAH—"
The Thug screamed. The intense pain made him drop the Machete.
The Athlete snatched the Machete from the air.
With a strange smile, she swung the blade toward the Thug's neck.
"Oh, no!"
The Thug was terrified. He had never seen a zombie use a knife before!
The Athlete was professionally trained; the blade cut through the man's neck like tofu, severing it cleanly.
The surrounding people watched, stunned.
"That zombie is using a knife!"
"Damn it, this is insane!"
"What do we do?"
"..."
But there was something even more outrageous.
While they discussed, a crossbow bolt flew across the room, piercing a man's head.
They glanced over.
The PhD zombie was standing there, holding a Crossbow and calmly reloading a second bolt.
"This is F*CKED!"
The men who had planned to fight immediately lost all resolve.
They were completely outmatched.
This wasn't a fight; it was a slaughter!
The survivors threw down their weapons and scattered, scrambling deeper into the fortress.
By the time Ethan stepped inside, the battle was mostly over. The bunker was filled with corpses, bloody and utterly devastating, like a slaughterhouse.
Ethan began to walk inward. The three Minions stopped killing, falling in neatly behind him.
They could still sense the presence of the living inside.
He walked into a room and found an extinguished fire pit on the ground. Next to it was a pile of bare bones bearing human teeth marks.
Those were human teeth, not zombie ones!
It required no thought. Ethan knew exactly what had happened here...
In the corner of the room, he heard faint, weak gasps.
"ROAR!" Tank instinctively let out a furious roar toward the sound.
Ethan walked over and found a naked woman lying on the floor. Both her legs had been sawn off. The wounds were crudely wrapped with torn fabric and tightly bound with rubber tubing to prevent her from bleeding out.
If she died, Prion Disease would set in.
That's why...
The woman was pale and barely breathing, seemingly on the brink of death. Hearing the noise, she slowly opened her eyes.
She saw Ethan and the other zombies. There was no fear in her eyes. Instead, a spark of clarity and relief flashed across her face.
Ethan understood the woman's plea. She was begging him to kill her.
In her eyes, Robert Quinn's crew had been far more monstrous than the zombies before her.
Immediately, Tank stepped up, taking on the role of 'Gentleman' and granting her final wish.
Since the fortress had only one entrance.
Robert Quinn and Rick were cornered in the last remaining room, with nowhere left to run.
"Mr. Quinn, what do we do? The zombies will be here soon!" Rick was panicking.
Robert Quinn remained relatively calm.
"Those zombies use weapons and drive an Excavator—they clearly possess human intelligence. Maybe… we can negotiate with them!"
"Right, right!"
Rick nodded frantically. It made perfect sense. If they could negotiate, they could live. Hope flared up in his heart.
Robert Quinn continued, "Besides, Ethan and I had some dealings before the apocalypse. Maybe he'll spare us."
"That would be amazing!"
Rick was instantly impressed. Only Mr. Quinn would have such valuable contacts. Even in the apocalypse, his network was useful.
Just then, Ethan and his group emerged from the hallway. Their footsteps grew louder, filling the survivors with crushing dread.
Gulp!
Robert Quinn's mouth was dry, and he nervously swallowed. He was extremely tense.
"Wait a minute, Little Brother Ethan, don't kill me! You remember me, right? I'm Robert Quinn!"
He shouted from ten yards away.
Ethan walked over and studied him. Of course, he recognized the face.
"Oh," Ethan simply nodded.
The three Minions behind him did not immediately attack.
Robert Quinn felt a surge of happiness. There's a chance.
He continued to appeal to their past relationship and shared history.
"Little Brother Ethan, do you remember? I bought your farm, and I even loaned you a lot of money..."
"So you're my Creditor…" Ethan mused. A thought quickly formed. "Then, I should definitely kill you."
"PFFT!"
Robert Quinn nearly choked on his own blood. He realized he had said the wrong thing.
Rick was agonizingly frustrated. Why would he bring that up now?
Robert Quinn tried to explain.
But it was already too late.
The three Minions behind Ethan lunged forward, immediately tearing them apart.
There were no longer any survivors left in the entire fortress!
Ethan collected all the useful items and led his three Minions out.
Sophia was still waiting in the Box Truck.
She had heard the continuous, hysterical screams coming from the building. She knew the scene inside was far more terrifying than anything that had happened on campus.
Ethan walked over. His white shirt was still spotless, giving the illusion that nothing had happened at all.
"B-boss, where are we going now?"
"Home," Ethan said succinctly.
The Box Truck slowly started and sped off toward Ethan's residential tower.
With Sophia's arrival, she was assigned the apartment next door to Ethan's.
Every day, she diligently washed his clothes, cleaned the apartment, and did the dishes, maintaining a high level of professionalism. After all, her life depended on her diligence.
Ethan did not mistreat her.
He fed her human food daily—Rice and Flour—and when he was in a good mood, he would even give her frozen Steaks or Fish to diversify her diet.
After a few days, Sophia gradually grew accustomed to the routine.
Compared to the survivors outside, she was safe, well-fed, and sheltered in the tower, which was a fortunate existence.
During this time, Ethan continued to consume vast amounts of meat. As he evolved, the amount of meat he could digest increased. Conservatively, he had eaten One Hundred Tons of beef alone, not counting the Chicken Blood and other meats.
Ethan could clearly feel himself getting stronger every day. To what extent, he wasn't exactly sure...
Ten days later, Ethan underwent another evolution—a qualitative leap. Inside his skull, a Crystal Core began to coalesce.
At the same time, a crimson light flashed in Ethan's eyes.
"My head feels so itchy… an ability is about to awaken…"