"Stop it, you fool!"
Gale Zhang quickly tried to restrain his subordinate, as firing was useless and only wasted bullets.
Furthermore, he had noticed that Ethan had vanished, as if he had evaporated into thin air. A strong sense of dread washed over him. The bizarre feeling was overwhelming.
"Where did he go?"
Yet, in the very next second, the tall figure reappeared. But this time, Ethan was actually inside the room!
"I rely on!"
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. They rubbed their eyes, suspecting they were seeing things.
"What the... How did he get in?"
"What the hell is going on? DAMN! This is ghostly!"
"He's not a zombie, he's... he's a ghost!"
...
Everyone's hair stood on end, like startled cats.
In their intense fear, someone subconsciously raised a gun, ready to pull the trigger.
But Ethan had already activated his Corpse Domain. A huge, crushing pressure descended, making everyone freeze instantly as if they were carrying a mountain.
Gale Zhang, as an Evolved Human, was more acutely aware. He felt as though an endless sea of blood was boiling up behind Ethan, surrounding them all.
WHOOSH—
Under the massive pressure, flames automatically ignited in his hands.
As an Evolved Human who had condensed a Crystal Core, his physique far surpassed that of an ordinary person. He could still barely move within the Corpse Domain.
"Die!"
He gritted his teeth, pouring all his strength into a punch wrapped in fire, aiming straight for Ethan.
Ethan's gaze sharpened.
This was his first time fighting an Evolved Human, and he lacked experience...
Furthermore, he didn't have a clear understanding of his own strength. How strong he truly was—even he didn't know.
"I should test it out," Ethan mused.
Although it was a test, the opponent was an Evolved Human who had condensed a Crystal Core; he absolutely couldn't underestimate him. So, Ethan also threw a punch with full force.
BANG!
A dull thud sounded.
At the point where the two fists met, the fire on Gale Zhang's hand extinguished. His entire arm shattered instantly, becoming as fragile as Foam Board.
His body recoiled from the massive force, as if hit by a train, flying backward to slam violently against the Alloy Wall.
'CRUNCH!'
The impact was worse than a fall from Thirty Stories; he was instantly pulverized.
"Hmm?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"He died just like that?"
It seemed that an Evolved Human who had condensed a Crystal Core wasn't so impressive after all...
Gale Zhang's subordinates were all dumbfounded.
Moments ago, they were praying for Gale Zhang to save them. But they never imagined that in the space of a single punch, he would be dead!
"The enemy is too powerful..."
"He's not a ghost; he's the Devil!"
"The real apocalypse is here."
...
The guards were filled with despair.
Pinned down by the Corpse Domain, they couldn't move. Some of the weaker-willed ones had already passed out.
Ethan stepped forward and dug a Crystal Core out of Gale Zhang's shattered skull.
Unlike a Brain Pellet, the Crystal Core was transparent, about the size of a Pigeon Egg, and emitted a much richer fragrance.
The energy contained within it was also far superior to a Brain Pellet.
"Consider this Finger Food..."
Ethan popped the Crystal Core into his mouth. It melted instantly and was incredibly sweet, sending a warm current through his limbs and bones.
The pure energy was quickly absorbed, nourishing his physique.
Ethan was quite satisfied.
The energy from this one Crystal Core was equivalent to at least ten Brain Pellets.
He pulled out a tissue and meticulously wiped his hand.
Then he turned to walk out.
He conveniently opened the Safe Room door.
"Minions, dinner time."
"ROAR—"
The horde of zombies immediately roared in excitement, rushing into the Safe Room to tear the guards apart. Screams of hysteria erupted, shattering the silence.
But soon after... the quiet returned.
The hunt ended just like that. The Prison, only recently occupied by Tech Corp, had fallen again.
Zombies roamed the desolate grounds. Now and then, black Crows would land, cawing as they fought over the rotting zombie flesh.
Ethan led his Horde back to his base.
As was his routine, Ethan took a bath and changed into clean clothes.
Perhaps due to consuming the Crystal Core, he didn't feel hungry. He took out a goblet, poured some blood, and sipped it leisurely.
He looked less like a fearsome Zombie King and more like the Boy Next Door.
"Boss, where did you go just now?" Sophia, who was mopping the floor nearby, asked conversationally. After all, Ethan was the only person she could talk to; she was often bored.
Ethan replied without turning around, "Nothing much. Went out for some Finger Food."
"Uh..."
Sophia froze.
In the middle of the apocalypse, where would he find Finger Food? Given her sharp mind, she knew exactly what he meant.
Forget it... Best not to talk anymore.
They didn't share a common language...
After every hunt, Ethan would Lurk in his base for a few days.
It didn't matter to him if the outside world was chaotic and dangerous.
Ethan continued to absorb energy and evolve daily.
Since the apocalypse began, his supply of flesh and blood had been constant.
As a result, Ethan's concept of his own strength was somewhat vague. He had intended to test it on Gale Zhang, but the man was too weak and died in one punch.
Was there no stronger opponent?
However, the news of Ethan killing Gale Zhang and causing the Prison to fall again caused a massive stir online.
Both the Official Shelter and Tech Corp paid close attention to the incident.
When the 'Prison Fall Incident' was posted on the Tech Corp website, many comments quickly followed below.
"This Tech Corp is useless! Didn't they just announce 'Operation: King Hunt'? Looks like it failed!"
"Gale Zhang was an Evolved Human who condensed a Crystal Core! He'd be top ten in our Official Shelter, right?"
"Yeah! He was killed before he could even get rescue. That's terrifying!"
"OMG... Has a Zombie King really evolved to be that powerful?"
"So scary! I hope this Zombie King doesn't attack our Shelter!"
...
People were hotly debating the issue. Even in the apocalypse with limited network access, the post garnered Three Thousand Comments because survivors could only receive signals from the Official Shelter Website and the Tech Corp Website.
Tech Corp was clearly displeased by the outcome.
They quickly issued a new statement:
'Regarding the 'Prison Fall Incident,' our company will not let this go. We have found clues regarding the Zombie King that killed Gale Zhang and will soon determine the location of its Lair.'
'We will dispatch an Evolved Human Squad and the ultimate killing machine—The Tracker—to fully clear out the zombies at its base. Operation: King Hunt continues...'