The pitch-black night had passed, and the sun rose once again. Thanks to the rainstorm last night, Shrimpy and his crew were left looking like drowned rats.
After trekking through the night, exhausted but determined, they finally reached their destination.
"Shrimpy, is that Los Angeles up ahead?" one of the zombie underlings asked.
Shrimpy's gaze swept over the horizon. In the distance stood a towering city. Though it bore the scars of ruin and decay, its skyline of skyscrapers still stood proud.
"Looks like it. Let's go check it out."
They moved cautiously toward the city's edge. While the place was a ss, it was still in better shape than Santa Monica.
The streets were littered with low-level zombies, their faces rotting and their movents aimless as they wandered about.
Even when they noticed Shrimpy and his crew, they didn't attack.
"I wonder what the boss's territory looks like. How many powerful zombie kings are there?" one of the underlings asked curiously.
Shrimpy didn't hesitate. "It's gotta be impressive."
But just as the words left his mouth, a figure appeared in the distance. A zombie was sprawled on the ground, ear pressed to the pavent, butt sticking up in the air, legs kicking as it sped toward them.
"What the heck is that?" The underlings stared, wide-eyed with curiosity.
Shrimpy froze, his expression puzzled, as he silently observed.
As the zombie got closer, it lifted its head, revealing oversized ears and sharp, suspicious eyes. It stared at them with a mix of wariness and intrigue.
Only then did Shrimpy and his crew realize—it was a zombie, just like them.
The big-eared zombie scrutinized them for a mont before speaking. "Who are you guys? What are you doing here?"
"We're here to see the boss. Are you… the zombie king guarding the outskirts?" Shrimpy asked politely.
At this, Big Ears' eyes widened with pride. "You've got a good eye, buddy. That's right, I'm the boss's number one lieutenant. Everything on the outskirts is under my control!"
"Oh… so what about the city center?" Shrimpy asked.
"The center? Eh, that's not important…" Big Ears waved dismissively, clearly dodging the question.
One of the underlings leaned in closer to Shrimpy and whispered, "Shrimpy, I don't think this guy's that strong. He seems about the sa level as you."
Shrimpy nodded thoughtfully. "If he's like , then he's gotta be pretty strong. No wonder he's the boss's top lieutenant."
Hearing this, Big Ears bead with pride. He felt an instant connection. "Bro, I like your style. You're here to see the boss, right? Follow ."
"Alright," Shrimpy agreed, surprised at how smoothly things were going.
The group followed Big Ears deeper into the city. The underlings, unable to contain their excitent, whispered among themselves, eager to see what the boss's territory was like.
"How big is the boss's territory?" one of them asked.
"Big? It's massive!" Big Ears boasted, gesturing dramatically toward the horizon. "You see that big river over there?"
"Yeah, we see it. What about it?" Shrimpy and the others asked, curious.
Big Ears puffed out his chest, clearly gearing up to tell a story. "Back in the day, the boss and I went on a rampage, took down the Bone-Claw Zombie King on the other side of that river, and doubled the size of our territory. That's how we beca the rulers of Los Angeles."
Shrimpy's eyes lit up, unwilling to be outdone. "No way! Back in Santa Monica, I tead up with my boss to take down Dreadkelp and Bonefin, two zombie kings. We were unstoppable!"
"Good man!" Big Ears clapped a hand on Shrimpy's shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration.
Shrimpy returned the gesture, their gazes locking in mutual respect.
For a mont… it felt like they'd found a kindred spirit in each other.
Big Ears sighed, his tone filled with emotion. "You showing up here is perfect timing. With the two of us working together, the boss could conquer the whole world, no problem."
"Yeah, I think you're onto sothing," Shrimpy agreed wholeheartedly.
The two zombies chatted away like old friends as they made their way into the city. The deeper they went, the more zombies they encountered. But these weren't your average shambling corpses—these were elite zombies, highly evolved and battle-hardened. So even looked like specialized warriors.
Each one of them was clearly stronger than both Big Ears and Shrimpy.
"Ahem!" Big Ears cleared his throat, looking a bit awkward. "Bro Shrimpy, don't let their strength fool you. None of this really matters."
"Right, right. I didn't see anything," Shrimpy said quickly, nodding in agreent.
But inside, he couldn't help but marvel. These zombies were terrifyingly strong—agile, powerful, and radiating an aura of bloodlust.
Their glowing, predatory eyes hinted at intelligence far beyond the norm.
Just being stared at by them was enough to send a chill down his spine.
The group of zombie underlings trailing behind Shrimpy was equally stunned by what they were seeing.
As they glanced around nervously, their eyes landed on a dark alley nearby. There, crouched in the shadows, was a massive bio-mutant creature, its glowing eyes fixed on them with an eerie intensity. The thing looked like it had crawled straight out of a nightmare.
"Hissss…"
The sight made every zombie in the group flinch, instinctively shrinking back in fear.
"Shrimpy, I don't think you're gonna make it as a zombie king here…" one of the underlings muttered, his voice trembling.
Shrimpy shot him a sharp side-eye. "If you don't have anything useful to say, just shut up. No one's gonna mistake you for a mute."
But as they continued walking, the atmosphere grew even more tense. Ahead of them, stronger and more terrifying zombie kings began to appear.
One of them stood with her back to them—a slender figure, her body sared with blood. Her long, razor-sharp claws glinted faintly in the dim light. Suddenly, she turned her head to look at them, revealing a face that was both grotesque and horrifying.
Her eyes burned with bloodlust as she locked onto Big Ears. "You again? And now you're bringing in outsiders?"
"Uh…" Big Ears froze, his usual bravado evaporating under her piercing gaze.
The group collectively stiffened, their unease palpable. Even Shrimpy felt a chill run down his spine. Sothing about this situation felt very, very wrong. He leaned toward Big Ears, his voice low and urgent. "Big Ears… is this one of those tis where it's important?"
"…" Big Ears' face twitched, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He knew Laura had hated him from the mont they first t, but he had no choice but to push through. Forcing a grin, he stamred, "N-no, it's fine. She's just ssing around. We're actually on great terms. Watch, I'll handle this."
"Oh." Shrimpy didn't look convinced but decided to watch how it played out.
Big Ears shuffled forward, his expression instantly shifting to one of exaggerated friendliness. "Queen Laura! It's so great to see you. This ti, I've got sothing important. My bro here ca all the way from Santa Monica with critical intel for the boss."
Laura's sharp eyes flicked over to Shrimpy and his crew, taking in their drenched and disheveled appearance. After a mont, she stepped aside with a casual wave of her claw. "Fine. Go ahead."
Though she clearly didn't think much of Big Ears, she couldn't deny that he'd occasionally been useful. Plus, judging by how pathetic Shrimpy and his group looked, they didn't seem like much of a threat.
"Heh heh heh, thank you, Queen Laura!" Big Ears said, bowing and scraping with a grin plastered across his face. But the second he turned back to Shrimpy and the others, the grin vanished, replaced by a smug look. "See that? Handled."
"Impressive," Shrimpy and his crew muttered, though they couldn't help but feel that this so-called "zombie king of the outskirts" was a bit… underwhelming.
After passing through several more "checkpoints," they finally reached the heart of the territory. Towering above them was a massive skyscraper, its shadow stretching across the ruined cityscape. Around it, flocks of crows circled ominously, their mournful cries echoing through the air.
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Shrimpy and his crew stared up in awe, their undead eyes wide. "This is where the boss lives? This place is incredible!"
"Of course it is. I co here all the ti," Big Ears said, puffing out his chest as if he owned the place.
But before anyone could respond, a tall figure began to erge from the shadows of the street ahead. His movents were slow and deliberate, his presence commanding.
Ethan.
Sensing Shrimpy's familiar aura, Ethan had co down to investigate. His piercing gaze swept over the group as he spoke, his voice calm but firm. "What are you doing here?"
"Boss!" Shrimpy's voice cracked with excitent as he rushed forward. "I ca to warn you! There were humans in Santa Monica looking for Azure Scaled. They're definitely up to no good and probably planning to harm you! I thought you should know."
Ethan's expression darkened slightly as he considered the information. Humans seeking out Azure Scaled? That was worth keeping an eye on. Those humans were nothing if not cunning.
His gaze shifted back to Shrimpy and his crew. They were soaked, covered in dirt, and looked utterly exhausted. Despite their pitiful state, they had made the journey to warn him. "You've done well. "
Shrimpy's eyes widened in shock.
Did… did the boss just praise him?
His undead heart swelled with pride, and for a mont, he felt like he could take on the world.
But then, unexpectedly, a strange emotion welled up inside him—an overwhelming urge to cry.
...
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