Lil' Shroom grew more and more suspicious. Sothing wasn't adding up. The group in front of him? They weren't human at all. No, they were predators just like him—luring in humans to feast on them. Fellow hunters.
"Ugh, what rotten luck." He muttered under his breath. When hunters cross paths, the rule is simple: strike first.
Without hesitation, Lil' Shroom made his move. With a flick of his hand, countless spores burst forth, swirling into the air like a misty dragon, surging toward the group.
Dominic wasn't slow to react. Almost simultaneously, his abdon split open, and a thick, muscular tentacle shot out like a whip.
But as the tentacle collided with the fungal spores, it began to change. The spores latched on, parasitizing the flesh, sprouting grotesque red growths that quickly spread toward Dominic's main body.
"What a creepy ability…" Dominic muttered, his expression darkening. Without a second thought, he severed the infected tentacle, letting it fall to the ground to stop the parasitic spread.
Lil' Shroom raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Huh. Your powers are pretty weird too."
Dominic's face twisted into a snarl. "Oh, don't act all innocent. You started this, didn't you?"
As he spoke, the five creatures behind Dominic dropped their disguises. Their faces contorted into monstrous visages, their bodies crackling and shifting as multiple tentacles sprouted from their torsos. With a guttural roar, they charged forward.
Lil' Shroom's mimic underlings weren't about to back down either. They leapt into action, eting the parasitic monsters head-on.
Chaos erupted in the forest. Roars and snarls filled the air as the two sides clashed. This was the first ti zombies and parasitic creatures had gone to war, and neither side was holding back. Both were ferocious, each determined to annihilate the other.
The parasites were physically stronger, tougher to kill, and far more durable than the mimics. But Lil' Shroom had ho-field advantage. With a sharp, piercing screech, he summoned reinforcents.
All around the forest, the red fungal growths began to writhe and shift. They morphed into humanoid shapes or small animal forms, rising from the ground and erging from the shadows. From every direction, they closed in on Dominic and his crew.
"What the hell is this?" Dominic's eyes darted around, taking in the overwhelming number of enemies. As a parasitic creature, he was used to being the predator, using his bizarre abilities to hunt others. But now, the tables had turned. He was the one being hunted.
Lil' Shroom smirked. This was his turf, and he had the numbers. Even if the parasites were stronger, he could wear them down through sheer attrition.
Dominic's tentacles lashed out wildly, piercing through the fungal creatures one after another. But instead of blood, only white, thread-like mycelium spilled from their wounds. No matter how many he destroyed, more kept coming.
"These things aren't human. They don't bleed, they don't have flesh… You can't kill them." Dominic's frustration grew. He was burning through his energy for nothing, and the realization made him hesitate. Maybe it was ti to retreat.
But before he could act on that thought, a sudden movent in the dense forest caught his eye. From the shadows, a massive tiger burst forth. Its white fur was streaked with black stripes, its red eyes blazing with fury. It was majestic, terrifying, and it was charging straight at him.
"A Bengal tiger? Seriously?" Dominic muttered, narrowing his eyes. He tilted his head slightly, and several tentacles shot out to intercept the beast.
But the tiger was relentless. With a powerful leap, it soared through the air, its claws slashing down with enough force to sever the tentacles in one swipe. It landed with a thud, unyielding and unstoppable.
"Damn it! This thing isn't one of those mimics!" Dominic's eyes widened as he realized the truth. Unlike the fragile fungal creatures, this tiger was solid, real, and terrifyingly strong. Among the countless fakes, there was one genuine predator.
But by the ti Dominic understood what he was dealing with, it was too late.
The tiger's massive shadow lood over him. With a deafening roar, it pounced, pinning him to the ground with its enormous paws.
"ROAR—!"
The tiger, Snowy, let out a thunderous bellow, its killing intent palpable. Without hesitation, it sank its jaws into Dominic's torso, tearing his body in half with a sickening crunch. Green blood sprayed everywhere as Snowy swallowed the chunk of flesh whole.
"This taste… I've had this before…" Snowy paused, licking its lips thoughtfully. The flavor was familiar. Then it clicked—this was the sa kind of creature his boss had brought back before. A monster-filled snack, just like last ti.
Sa recipe, sa flavor. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
With another bite, Snowy devoured the rest of Dominic, leaving nothing behind. As a tiger infused with the Zombie King Ethan's blood, Snowy was a force of nature. His strength was unmatched, and his instincts as a predator were razor-sharp. Wandering the forest was his favorite pasti, and when he sensed the battle, he had rushed over without hesitation.
With Snowy's arrival, the tide of the battle turned completely. The parasitic creatures, already struggling, now stood no chance. Snowy was too brutal, tearing his prey apart until there was nothing left. No matter how resilient the parasites were, they couldn't withstand his ferocity.
In no ti, the forest fell silent. The parasitic monsters had been wiped out.
Six parasites, once so nacing, were now nothing more than a al for Lil' Shroom and Snowy. Not even their bones remained, as if they had never existed at all.
Lil' Shroom stood still for a mont, deep in thought.
"I should probably report this to the boss…"
...
Ethan was lounging at ho, bored out of his mind, when news of monsters appearing in the nearby forest reached him. He didn't think much of it, though.
With the apocalypse in full swing, weird creatures popping up here and there was par for the course. A little trouble near his territory? Nothing out of the ordinary.
In fact, he could already guess where those human-disguised monsters had co from—the official shelter.
After all, he'd tipped them off about monsters hiding among the survivors. They were probably in the middle of a purge right now, and a few of the creatures must've slipped through the cracks.
Curious, Ethan grabbed his phone and logged into the shelter's official website to check on their progress.
The latest announcent was plastered across the hopage:
"Breaking News! Monsters Confird Inside the Shelter!
After a thorough investigation, we've uncovered over a dozen cases of parasitic monsters among the population. So of these creatures have already escaped. If you notice any strange behavior in your friends or family, please report it imdiately."
Below the announcent was a list of escapees, complete with nas and photos.
Ethan skimd through it lazily.
Yep, he thought, those poor bastards Shroom and Snowy took out earlier were probably on this list.
Judging by the tone of the announcent, the shelter had managed to stabilize the situation. No major disasters seed likely—for now.
But then his eyes caught another notice further down the page:
"Urgent! The shelter is under attack by a significant number of Aqua Zombies and lizard-like monsters. All Awakeners currently on missions are ordered to return imdiately!"
"...Seriously?" Ethan stared at the screen, speechless.
Another attack?
The zombies from Santa Monica had been relentless, chasing the shelter survivors all the way from the food depot to their current location. They just wouldn't let it go.
What kind of grudge was this?
Now the shelter was dealing with monsters inside and zombies outside. Talk about a nightmare scenario.
Still, with nearly ten thousand Awakeners on their side—including Mia, that talented little psycho—they'd probably hold their ground. For now.
As for Ethan? None of this really concerned him. He was perfectly content to stay ho, munch on crystal cores, absorb energy, and watch the chaos unfold like it was his favorite TV drama.
...
Santa Monica.
The ruins of the city were subrged under seawater, waves crashing endlessly against the debris. Occasionally, the tide would churn up streaks of foul, bloody water or the bloated remains of rotting corpses.
Atop a half-flooded skyscraper, Azure Scaled and Zombie Fetus stood side by side.
Zombie Fetus had grown significantly in recent weeks, now resembling a boy of fifteen or sixteen. His pitch-black eyes still swirled with dark mist, flickering like restless shadows.
"I think my powers are finally stable," Zombie Fetus said, his voice cold and determined. "It's ti for revenge."
"Don't do anything stupid," Azure Scaled replied from behind him, his tone calm but firm. "Right now, Los Angeles is crawling with powerful enemies—both humans and the Zombie King."
"So what? You expect to just sit around and rely on those useless… uh, I an, your subordinates?"
...
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