Capítulo 991: The Queen Awakens
Safe Zone…
Dozens of military transport trucks rumbled through the gates of the Safe Zone, engines growling low under the weight of their cargo.
Colonel Reyes led the convoy himself—nearly three thousand soldiers deployed for this mission. After two grueling days, they’d finally hauled back a massive cache of weapons and ammunition.
Seven miles. That was the distance. Before the world fell apart, it would’ve taken thirty minutes, tops.
But in the apocalypse? It took two full days.
They’d had to detour around the zoo—fourteen extra miles—just to avoid the mutated beasts rumored to be nesting there. And even then, the roads were choked with the undead. They didn’t travel so much as carve a path in blood.
By the ti their ammo ran dry, the soldiers were fighting hand-to-hand. Losses were heavy. Brutal.
But they made it. They reached the armory. And once they were loaded up, the return trip was a different story entirely—one long, relentless sweep of firepower.
Now, standing before the mountain of crates and crates of military-grade weapons, Mayor Marks couldn’t hide his excitent. With this arsenal, they could finally go on the offensive—wipe out the zombies and harvest crystal cores in bulk.
In the conference room…
“Colonel Reyes, you’ve done an incredible job,” Mayor Marks said, eyes gleaming.
Reyes shook his head. “I’m not tired. The weapons are here. That ans it’s ti to start the rescue operations.”
“You sure you don’t want to rest first?”
“No need. It’s been nearly twenty days since the outbreak. There aren’t many civilians left out there. Every hour we wait, more die. We save who we can, while we still can.”
Mayor Marks nodded, sobering. “Alright. The rescue effort is yours.”
“Understood.”
Reyes left the room without another word.
Back at the barracks, he imdiately rallied his troops. Within the hour, convoys of FMTV trucks and Humvees rolled out of the Safe Zone, bristling with weapons and resolve.
They fanned out in all directions, sweeping the surrounding areas.
That day, the sound of gunfire never stopped.
With their ammo stocks replenished, the National Guard reminded the world what military force really looked like. Wherever they went, zombies were annihilated. Block by block, the city was reclaid. Civilians were pulled from hiding—so Enhanced, so just ordinary people who’d managed to survive.
So had holed up with enough supplies to ride out the chaos.
Others… were harder to explain.
In several locations, soldiers stumbled upon scenes that turned their stomachs—people eating other people.
They’d heard rumors. Whispers. But seeing it with their own eyes was sothing else entirely.
Even the most hardened soldiers froze, unsure what to do.
Colonel Reyes made the call: bring them all back. Sort it out later.
“If they ate the dead to survive, that’s one thing,” he said. “But if they killed to eat… that’s sothing else entirely.”
The problem was, there was no way to tell which was which. Not yet.
So they brought them in.
The mass zombie extermination also brought in a windfall of crystal cores. The Safe Zone’s power levels surged almost overnight.
Still, the highest cores they recovered were Tier 4. Tier 5 zombies had grown cautious—slinking in the shadows, waiting to ambush. The mont things turned against them, they vanished like ghosts.
Faster than rabbits. Smarter than anyone liked.
Miles from the battlefield, atop a crumbling high-rise, a female zombie in a black dress stood motionless, her crimson eyes fixed coldly on the distant flashes of gunfire and smoke.
Her face was eerily intact—no rot, no decay. Aside from those blood-red irises, she looked almost human.
Below her, tens of thousands of zombies packed the streets, shoulder to shoulder, surrounding the building like a living moat. They stared up at the rooftop, waiting in perfect silence for their queen’s command.
“Raaahhh…”
Her roar split the air.
The horde answered in unison, a deafening chorus of rage and hunger.
Then, without another sound, the queen turned and descended the building.
…
That night…
Back at their luxury ho, Ethan and the others had just returned from another long day of hunting. He sliced up so canned spam and whipped together a pot of instant mashed potatoes.
Not exactly gourt, but in the apocalypse, shelf-stable food was king. When they raided the supermarket early on, they’d gone for anything that could last—cans, packets, powdered mixes.
Simple as it was, tonight’s dinner would make most survivors weep with envy.
Ethan, Chris, Henry, Sean, Big Mike, and Skinny Pete gathered around the table, digging in with the kind of focus only hunger could bring.
Between bites, Ethan glanced at Garrick. “Hey, you elental Awakened types—can you change the form of your elent however you want?”
Garrick wiped his mouth and nodded thoughtfully. “Can’t speak for others, but I’ve got earth-type ability. I can raise spikes from the ground, build walls, or gather earth into boulders and drop them from above. That’s about it, though.”
“What about shaping it into a weapon? Like a stone club or sothing?”
“I an, I can. But it’s brittle—breaks on impact. Not really worth it.”
“Got it. So you can shift the form, but unless it’s one of your core techniques, there’s no real power behind it.”
“Exactly.”
“Still impressive,” Ethan said.
Chris leaned back with a sigh. “Man, compared to you elental guys, my invisibility feels like a joke. No offense, but it’s useless. Doesn’t even co with a bonus feature.”
“Useless?” Skinny Pete snorted. “Dude, you can vanish. Can’t win a fight? Poof, you’re gone. Want to kill soone? Sneak up and slit their throat. That’s badass.”
Ethan nodded. “Our abilities fall under the ‘special’ category. We haven’t t many other Awakened yet, but I’m guessing ours are rare. Don’t sell yourself short.”
Chris shrugged. “I guess. Just hoping you’re right about Stage D unlocking sothing new. Otherwise, all I’ve got is a front-row seat to won’s showers.”
“…”
Dinner wrapped up, and everyone pitched in to clean the dishes. Ethan, as usual, headed up to the rooftop terrace.
It was part of his nightly routine—scanning the area for any signs of approaching zombies. Lakeview Estates was surrounded by greenery and mostly deserted, but zombies didn’t follow logic. They wandered. And sotis, they wandered close.
Thanks to Ethan’s vigilance, the team slept soundly every night.
Tonight, the streets were quiet. No movent. No threats.
But sothing else caught his eye.
In Ray’s backyard, a new addition: a steel cage.
It was massive, welded together from rebar as thick as a man’s arm. Inside, several Tier 4 zombies paced restlessly.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“So… they’re getting ready to raise a Tier 5.”
He felt a flicker of excitent.
Tier 4 crystal cores didn’t do much for him anymore. But Tier 5? That was worth fighting for.
Ray had been dropping by their place almost every night lately, always with so kind of offering—ammo, dicine, food. Ethan played along, humoring him with small talk.
He didn’t have much choice. In this world, people who still brought you things were rare.
But Ethan could feel it—Ray’s patience was wearing thin. The man was getting ready to make a move.
Which ant a clash with the Harlan family was inevitable.
From what Ray had let slip, the Harlans had ties to the current leadership in the Safe Zone. That likely ant access to serious firepower.
So if things went south, they’d need to move fast. Get out before the bullets started flying.
Sha, really. This luxury ho had been perfect.
…
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