Apocalypse: King of Zombies-Chapter 364: You should be thanking me

Ethan struck with the force of a thunderclap, crushing the Zombie Horde and instantly flipping the tide of battle, leaving everyone in awe.

And curious.

"Who the hell is that guy?"

"Think he's from the shelter? Maybe they sent backup?"

"No idea…"

"But the shelter doesn't have anyone that strong, right?"

"Should I go ask him?"

"..."

The crowd buzzed with speculation. If the shelter had someone like that, they wouldn't have needed to relocate to Mount Elbert in the first place.

Among them, a young woman, clearly exhausted, stepped forward. She gave a polite nod before speaking.

"Hi…"

"Oh, hey there."

Ethan turned to her with a warm smile, and in that moment, it was like winter thawing into spring. The tension in the air seemed to melt away.

The girl stared at his handsome face, momentarily dazed. A blush crept up her cheeks as she instinctively looked down, unable to meet his eyes.

She had meant to ask him something—but the words just wouldn't come out.

But behind her, Travis frowned deeply. Something felt off. Even though he was drained—his energy spent, his mind frayed—his instincts were still sharp.

That wild, chaotic energy just now… and the terrifying Domain of the Dead… there was no way a human could wield that kind of power. And Ethan—he didn't give off any signs of life.

"Lena, get away from him. He might be a Zombie King!"

"What?" The girl's blush froze on her face, her expression twisting into one of shock.

Zombie King???

She looked up at Ethan again—he was still smiling at her.

But now, that smile sent a chill down her spine. Panic surged through her, and she stumbled back a few steps, heart pounding.

The others, who had barely begun to feel relief after surviving the attack, tensed up all over again. They dropped into defensive stances, ready for a fight, eyes locked on Ethan like he was the final boss.

Only Brian seemed unfazed, shrugging like it was out of his hands.

"Well, he did save us. If he wanted us dead, we'd already be corpses. He must have some other reason."

"You sure about that…?" The others weren't convinced.

Still, Brian had a point. If Ethan really was a Zombie King and wanted them dead, he wouldn't have bothered saving them in the first place.

Ethan glanced around at them and said calmly, "Relax. I'm not going to kill you."

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"Uh…" The group exchanged uneasy looks. Brian might've been right, but that didn't exactly put them at ease.

"Well… thanks for saving us," someone finally said.

"No problem. Where are you guys from?" Ethan asked, casually probing.

"We're from Tecate," Travis replied.

Ethan had heard of it—a small, out-of-the-way town that barely registered even before the world went to hell. Mostly factories, not many people. No real threat of a powerful Zombie King emerging from there.

Their shelter had been relatively safe so far, but with the Zombie Kings in nearby cities growing stronger, the pressure had become too much. Eventually, they decided to leave.

"We're just scouting ahead," Brian added.

"Brian, shut it already," a younger guy hissed, cutting him off. He was worried—if this Zombie King wasn't interested in them, maybe he was eyeing the larger group behind them. If they led him back and got the whole shelter wiped out, that blood would be on their hands.

Ethan, meanwhile, was thinking.

So they're scouts…

That actually lined up perfectly with his own goals.

"Well then," he said with a grin, "I'll be your escort."

"...???"

Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.

A Zombie King… offering to protect them?

Was that even a thing?

They started to wonder if maybe they'd already died, and this was just some weird hallucination before the end...

But Travis quickly stepped forward and thanked him, "Thank you—really, thank you so much. But we should get moving. If we stay here too long, we might attract an even bigger horde!"

"Let's go," Ethan nodded.

Everyone breathed a little easier at that. Supporting each other, they began to head east, toward Mount Elbert.

But then Ethan suddenly spoke up, "Hold on. You're going the wrong way."

"Huh? Then… which way should we go?" Travis asked, confused. Northeast was the direction of Mount Elbert—it made sense to head away from danger.

Ethan raised his hand and pointed—straight toward San Diego.

"You should go that way."

"...What?"

Everyone froze. Their expressions twisted like someone had just grabbed them by the throat. Eyes wide, breath caught.

In that moment, they understood.

He didn't save them out of kindness.

There was no such thing as a good-hearted Zombie King.

They were just pawns in a bigger game.

This wasn't about rescue—it was about sacrifice. A war between Zombie Kings, and they were being thrown in as cannon fodder.

Their hearts sank like stones.

Travis gave a bitter smile. Of course. There was no way this Zombie King would just let them walk away.

"You want us to scout for you, don't you?"

"Exactly," Ethan said flatly.

The group's faces turned grim. Everyone knew how dangerous the San Diego corpse nest was. They'd already been attacked just skirting the outskirts—going deeper in was basically suicide.

Ethan saw the hesitation in their eyes.

"You don't need to worry too much. If things get really bad, I'll step in. And if anyone survives to the end, they'll earn the right to go to Mount Elbert Shelter. If not… well, then you'll stay here. Forever."

"..." No one said a word. It was clear—they didn't have a choice.

Ethan continued, "I've heard Mount Elbert Shelter is pretty great. Steep cliffs, only accessible by cable car. Even elite zombies can't climb up. It's like the last pure land for humans."

Brian rubbed his nose and muttered, "What the hell is this? Since when do Zombie Kings start selling us hope?"

The others were just as conflicted.

It sounded like there was a sliver of hope… but could they really survive a trip into San Diego?

And what if Ethan changed his mind?

Still, it was better than dying here and now.

"Alright. We'll scout."

"And we'll do our best to help you reach your goal."

"Yeah. If we can live a little longer, we'll take it."

"..."

After a long, silent struggle, they finally gave in.

Ethan gave a small nod, satisfied. "Good. Let's move."

"Mm." The group responded in unison, eyes turning toward the direction of San Diego. Their lips were dry, and they swallowed hard, like they were about to walk into a lion's den.

But they still forced themselves forward, step by step.

Ethan followed silently behind them.

It was the dead of night. Thick clouds smothered the moon, plunging everything into darkness. The forest ahead loomed like the gaping maw of some ancient beast.

A cold wind howled through the trees, their shadows dancing like demons from hell, beckoning them in.

"That Bighead Zombie King from earlier… I think it ran into the forest," Lena said, her voice trembling.

The big guy with the brute strength scratched his head. "Well, what can we do? We still gotta go in."

"What's there to be scared of? Worst case, we die," Brian said bluntly.

"I am scared…" Lena whimpered, her voice cracking.

Ethan glanced at them and said coolly, "If you couldn't even handle Bighead, you should've died back there. The fact that you're still breathing means you've already lived longer than you should've. So maybe… you should be thanking me."

...