The courtyard echoed with agonized screams as mbers of the Black Hand Legion dropped like wheat under a scythe. It was a massacre, a brutal replay of yesterday's carnage.
Ethan trailed behind, his job as grim as ever—collecting the bodies.
His mission was simple: infiltrate the compound, wait for the supervisor to show up, and take him out.
The rest of the grunts? Mia would handle them.
After all, what better way to work up an appetite than a little exercise?
About ten minutes later, silence fell over the courtyard.
Every last one of the Black Hand Legion mbers—hundreds of them—was dead.
Mia led a team into the buildings to sweep for survivors and gather supplies.
They were good at this.
Hell, they loved this part.
Because wherever there were stockpiles, there were goodies. And this compound had its own little "specialty" waiting to be discovered.
Behind one of the taller buildings, a fenced-off patch of grass held a surprise.
Soft clucking sounds drifted from inside.
A dozen or so chickens—roosters and hens—scratched at the dirt. Near the coop, several fresh eggs nestled in the straw.
Ethan let out an appreciative whistle. "Damn, these are so well-raised birds."
Mia shot him a look. "Aren't they just chickens? What's the big deal?"
"These are free-range," Ethan explained, crouching by the fence. "They've been raised properly, not like the ones at Genesis Biotech—those poor things get pumped full of feed and slaughtered in twenty days."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Didn't know you were a poultry expert."
Ethan grinned. "Used to run a farm, actually."
Sean, standing nearby, was far less interested in the conversation. His sharp eyes scanned the area, searching for soone.
"Where's Uncle Chris?" he muttered impatiently. "Isn't he the real expert when it cos to chickens? Get over here, man!"
"On my way, on my way!" Chris strolled over, rolling up his sleeves before stepping into the enclosure. With practiced ease, he grabbed a chicken.
"Alright, ti to show you amateurs how it's done," he announced, smirking. "First, you gotta caress the chest—gently—then give her little butt a nice squeeze…"
A brief, awkward silence followed.
Everyone exchanged glances.
Was he… still talking about cooking?
Still, no one questioned him. They got to work—lighting a fire, boiling water, plucking feathers.
Chris, anwhile, kept up his bizarre comntary.
"You gotta use the unborn child's essence," he murmured, "and drizzle it over the mother's remains…"
Nearby survivors visibly tensed.
What the hell was he talking about?
Then they saw him crack an egg over a bowl of chopped chicken.
"…Dramatic much?" soone muttered.
anwhile, Mia, Ethan, and the others sat off to the side, discussing their next move.
They had already wiped out two compounds.
Not only had they secured a massive haul of supplies, but they'd also gathered valuable intel on the Black Hand Legion's hierarchy.
They now understood the chain of command.
Guys like Victor and Greg? Mid-level supervisors. There were about thirty of them scattered across Blackhand City.
Above them?
The real power players—the Five Warlords of the Black Hand Legion.
Each of them was a force to be reckoned with, boasting S-tier combat abilities. They weren't just high-ranking—they were the top brass of Blackhand City.
And above them?
Rumors spoke of a supre leader.
A shadowy figure.
No one had ever seen him.
So even believed he didn't exist—that the Black Hand Legion had fabricated the legend just to keep their enemies in check.
"I've heard about this so-called supre leader too," Leah said. "No one knows where he is or what identity he might be hiding under."
"I'm guessing he doesn't exist," said the young man whose testicles had been kicked to oblivion, analyzing the situation through a pained grimace. "Probably just a myth the Black Hand Legion made up to scare people."
The four of them were from a nearby city's refuge and had a decent understanding of Blackhand City.
"Yeah, that's possible," another girl added. "But if he does exist, he's probably hiding in a refuge… or inside Genesis Biotech."
A shiver ran through the group.
"Shit… that'd be terrifying."
If he was in a refuge, that ant he could be living right next to them.
Ethan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "What if their supre leader… is actually a Zombie King?"
The group froze.
The thought had never crossed their minds before.
But now that he said it…
It made sense.
Considering what the Black Hand Legion had been doing—kidnapping survivors, leaving no one alive—it wasn't out of the question that they were feeding people to a Zombie King.
The realization sent a chill down their spines.
"If they are feeding a Zombie King," soone muttered, "then… its power must be insane by now."
"Probably around S level," Ethan estimated.
In the early days of the apocalypse, the Black Hand Legion had been nothing more than a scattered gang, weak and disorganized. It was only recently that they had grown into a real force.
"S ?" Leah and the others exchanged stunned looks.
That was a level of power they couldn't even fathom.
Mia, however, wasn't too concerned. After all, the strongest Zombie King was sitting right next to her.
"Let's focus on our next move," she said. "We've killed a lot of Black Hand Legion mbers. They've probably noticed by now."
"Yeah, no way they haven't realized sothing's off," Ethan agreed.
In just two days, they had wiped out two entire compounds—over two thousand people.
That kind of disappearance didn't go unnoticed.
If the compounds had been completely isolated, maybe they could've kept it under wraps for a while.
But last night, Ethan had gone out for a little… midnight snack.
The underground fight club was full of transient people, and it was one of the busiest places in Blackhand City.
It ran 24/7.
And now, the bookie running the bets—Harvey—was gone.
No way people wouldn't notice.
"But it's fine," Ethan continued. "They won't imdiately assu those people were killed. And even if they start investigating, it'll take them a while to trace it back to us."
"True," Mia nodded. If she didn't know what Ethan was capable of, even she would've thought this whole thing was impossible…
At that very mont, the higher-ups of the Black Hand Legion had noticed sothing was wrong.
And it was all because of Harvey.
"Where the hell did that bastard go?" a middle-aged man muttered, frowning. "He was supposed to handle the Genesis Biotech deal. We're still waiting on him to bring in the crystal cores."
This man was none other than Damon Voss—one of the Five Warlords of the Black Hand Legion.
One of Blackhand City's top brass.
A subordinate standing nearby shook his head. "No idea. The fight club was still locked up this morning. When soone finally broke in… the place was completely empty."
"Goddamn it!" Damon cursed. "This is so weird shit."
His second-in-command hesitated before speaking. "Genesis Biotech is pushing for an early trade. They don't want to wait too long and risk sothing going wrong."
Damon exhaled sharply. "Fine."
Looked like he'd have to personally gather so crystal cores to keep the deal on track.
Of course, he wasn't about to do it alone.
He'd need the other four Warlords to pitch in.
"The crystal cores aren't a problem," he said. "The trade with Genesis Biotech is the priority. As for Harvey… we'll deal with that when we get back."
He turned to his subordinate.
"I'll go collect the crystal cores. You head to the compound and bring out thirty human survivors."
...
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