"Alright then," Big Ears sighed, finally giving in and continuing his search for humans.
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade…
anwhile, over at Genesis Biotech, the atmosphere was grim. Nathan, the person in charge, sat in his office with a face that looked like he'd just swallowed a lemon.
Donovan had barely gotten off the plane before being taken out by zombies. To make matters worse, one of the newly deployed second-generation cyborgs had also been killed last night.
And now, to top it all off, the company had called for a North Arican regional leadership eting to present progress reports.
How was he supposed to report this ss?
He could already imagine the other branch leaders laughing at him behind his back.
Glancing at the clock, he realized the eting was about to start. With no other choice, Nathan braced himself, grabbed the VR headset on his desk, and put it on.
Genesis Biotech held its etings in a virtual reality space.
As the device powered on, his vision went dark. When it cleared, he found himself seated in a sleek, futuristic virtual conference room.
Around the table, glowing outlines of human figures began to materialize, gradually solidifying into the forms of the other branch leaders—so n, so won.
Enjoy exclusive content from empire
At the head of the table sat a sharply dressed middle-aged man. This was Richard Williams, the North Arican Regional Director of Genesis Biotech.
"Is everyone here?" Richard asked, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Let's not waste ti. We're all busy, so let's get straight to it. Each branch leader, give your progress report. Sophia, you go first."
"Of course. Our San Bernardino branch is progressing smoothly. All the high-level zombie lords in the city have been eliminated, and we've achieved complete control over the area," Sophia reported confidently.
She was stunning—flawless skin, delicate features, and an air of authority that scread "boss lady." She had the kind of presence that could silence a room.
The other leaders couldn't help but chi in with admiration.
"Wow, Sophia, that's impressive. You've already got the situation under control?"
"How does she do it?"
"Her skills are on another level!"
Nathan glanced around nervously, staying silent as he instinctively lowered his head a little.
Richard nodded approvingly. "Excellent work. Next."
"Uh, Richard, over in Chicago..." another leader began, launching into their report.
The updates were a mixed bag—so branches had made progress, others had suffered setbacks. It was all fairly standard.
But Nathan? He just kept sinking lower in his seat. The closer it got to his turn, the more it felt like being in school when the teacher was about to check your howork—and you hadn't done it.
Finally, Richard's gaze landed on him.
"Nathan, how are things in Los Angeles?"
"Uh, well... things are, uh, moving along. We've got various plans in progress," Nathan stamred, trying to dodge the question.
"Oh?" Richard raised an eyebrow. "And how's the Zombie Lord cultivation program coming along?"
"Uh... well, about that... the Zombie Lord in Los Angeles is, uh, definitely strong. But... it's not exactly one of ours."
"Excuse ??" Richard's eyes widened in disbelief.
It took him a mont to process what Nathan had just said.
Across the table, Sophia's lips curled into a sly smirk. "Mr. Nathan, you're being too modest. Surely the Zombie Lord's strength is at least partially thanks to your efforts?"
"That... that was an accident," Nathan muttered, forcing himself to keep a straight face. Inside, though, he was fuming. This damn woman. Always looking for a chance to throw under the bus.
He and Sophia had never gotten along. They were classic workplace rivals, constantly at odds.
Richard's expression darkened. "Nathan, what's going on?"
"Richard, that Zombie Lord is ridiculously strong—practically unstoppable! There's nothing I can do!" Nathan whined, his voice full of frustration.
"What about the X Virus and Y Virus we sent you?" Richard pressed. Those were special resources he'd personally requested from headquarters.
At the ntion of the viruses, Nathan's headache worsened.
He hadn't even seen what those viruses looked like...
"Got hijacked by zombies during transport," Nathan said, his tone helpless.
"What?"
Richard's eyes widened in disbelief, as if Nathan had just told him the moon was made of cheese.
"Wasn't the Y Virus being delivered by Donovan?"
"He didn't even make it past the airport. Got taken out the mont he landed," Nathan explained, shrugging.
"..."
Richard was speechless. The entire virtual eting room fell into an awkward silence for three full seconds.
Nathan sighed internally. What could he do? It wasn't like he could fight fate.
One of the other branch leaders broke the silence, his tone skeptical. "Nathan, losing both viruses like that... you're not secretly working with the Zombie Lord, are you? Betraying the company?"
"How could you even think that? I'm loyal to the company!" Nathan protested, his voice rising in panic.
Sophia, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up. "I believe Nathan. He's not lying."
"Huh?" Everyone turned to look at her, their curiosity piqued. Everyone knew Sophia and Nathan didn't get along. Why was she suddenly defending him?
But before anyone could overthink it, Sophia continued, "He's just... completely incompetent."
"..."
Nathan's face darkened.
Of course.
A snake will always be a snake.
"This really isn't my fault!" Nathan argued, his frustration bubbling over. "That Zombie Lord is ridiculously strong. He's got so kind of bizarre abilities. His power is at least A-level, maybe higher. We're just not equipped to handle sothing like that!"
Sophia let out a cold laugh. "Oh? And what if I sent four A-level Awakeners, plus an A grade tri-ability cyborg? How would your Zombie Lord handle that?"
Her tone was sharp, almost mocking. It was no secret that Sophia's branch had been wildly successful in hunting Zombie Lords. Her team was well-equipped, her Awakeners were powerful, and her resources were abundant. She had the luxury of being cocky.
Nathan rolled his eyes. "I think it's best if we don't send anyone. Seriously, don't provoke that Zombie Lord. Let's wait until the company grows stronger, then take him out when the timing's right."
Richard, misinterpreting Nathan's reluctance, tried to diate. "Nathan, that's not the right attitude. We're all working for the sa company here. We need to collaborate and support each other. This isn't the ti to let pride get in the way."
Sophia's lips curled into a sly smile. "Don't worry, Richard. If Nathan can't handle it, I'll take care of it. If he can't kill the Zombie Lord, I will."
"Alright then," Richard said, nodding. "It's decided. If there's nothing else, this eting is adjourned."
At the edge of Ethan's territory, the sound of rushing water filled the air as a river flowed steadily by.
Big Ears was still searching for humans. He crouched low, pressing his oversized ear to the ground as he walked along the riverbank. The sound of the water made it hard to pinpoint anything, but he kept trying.
Trailing behind him were three other Zombie Lords: Bulldozer, Laura, and another unnad figure.
Laura glanced around, her expression bored. "Still no luck? Looks like he's useless. Why don't we just kill him and be done with it?"
"Useless? Nah, look at him! He's doing a great job cleaning the ground for us!" Bulldozer said with a goofy grin.
"..."
Big Ears froze, his face twitching in frustration. Seriously? I'm out here busting my ass trying to find humans, and you're treating like a mop?
But just as he was about to snap, his ears twitched. He caught a faint sound—human voices, barely audible over the rushing water.
Big Ears imdiately straightened up, his eyes scanning the river.
"There are humans on the other side!" he exclaid, pointing across the water.
...
User Comments
0 comments from readers