The next morning, Ethan led the group straight to a sprawling residential complex.

Maybe it was the passage of time, or maybe the world was just getting worse, but Tier 5 zombies were becoming more common. In this one complex alone, they found four of them.

Problem was, all four were holed up on the upper floors, while the lower levels were crawling with thousands of regular zombies. The moment Ethan and the others got close, the horde surged toward them like a tidal wave of rot and teeth.

Ethan shot the group a look. Without a word, they fell into formation, forming a loose circle and pretending to struggle under the assault.

Tier 5s were sneaky bastards. If they sensed you were too strong, they'd stay hidden, let the cannon fodder do the work. So the team played it up—grunting, staggering, making it look like they were barely holding on.

Sure enough, it worked.

After a few minutes, one of the Tier 5s upstairs must've gotten impatient. Its underlings weren't getting the job done, so it crept down, slipping into the crowd like a shark in a school of fish, inching closer to the group.

Honestly, if Ethan didn't have his [True Sight] ability, they never would've spotted it. The thing was a master of camouflage—quiet, patient, and dirty-smart.

Just as it was about to strike, a rock came out of nowhere and cracked through the air toward its skull.

The Tier 5 reacted fast, jerking sideways just in time to dodge.

Unfortunately for it, that was exactly where Ethan's barbell bar was already swinging.

Crack.

One clean hit. Skull shattered. Dead before it hit the ground.

Ethan didn't waste a second—he reached down and yanked the crystal core from its brain.

"Next," he said.

They carved a bloody path through the horde, heading straight for the next Tier 5.

At this point, all of them were Tier 5 themselves. A few thousand zombies? Barely a warm-up.

Over the next two hours, they cleared the entire complex, taking down all four Tier 5s. Once the last one dropped, they left the housing blocks behind and moved on to the next zone.

Ethan kept all five crystal cores for himself. After absorbing them, his power surged to the peak of Tier 5.

To max out Tier 5, you needed nine same-tier cores. These five pushed him over the edge.

Now? He was sitting on over 6,000 pounds of raw strength.

For context: a standard sedan weighs about 1.5 tons. Ethan could lift one like it was a folding chair.

And it wasn't just strength. His speed and durability had climbed too. At this point, standard SMGs and assault rifles wouldn't even scratch him.

Granted, the military still had heavier firepower, and Ethan wasn't about to get cocky. But if things kept going this way, it wouldn't be long before even modern firearms became useless against him.

Seven miles away, in another residential district, a rescue unit of over 3,000 people was wrapping up their mission.

Just as they were preparing to withdraw, the nightmare began.

From every direction, tens of thousands of zombies poured in, surrounding the entire complex in a matter of minutes.

Then, as if on cue, the horde began tearing down the walls between buildings, smashing through barriers, and charging the rescue team in a relentless wave of death.

"They're here," Colonel Reyes said grimly, eyes locked on the horizon.

This time, he'd come in person. He wanted to meet the Tier 6 zombie face-to-face.

Beside him, Mia stood in full military gear, her expression tightening.

"Prepare for combat!" Reyes barked.

In an instant, over three thousand soldiers snapped into formation, unleashing a storm of gunfire at the oncoming horde.

Under the sheer weight of firepower, zombies dropped in waves—limbs flying, torsos shredded. But they didn't stop. Mindless and relentless, they kept charging, trampling their own dead to get closer.

Then, without warning, eight Tier 5 zombies leapt from the rooftops, diving straight into the crowd.

Normally ambush predators, these Tier 5s had clearly been ordered to fight head-on. Under the command of a Tier 6, even the sneakiest monsters turned into berserkers.

Fortunately, the soldiers had trained for this. A squad of Tier 4 elites surged forward to intercept, clashing with the Tier 5s in brutal close-quarters combat. The rest of the troops maintained the perimeter, keeping the horde at bay with disciplined volleys.

They were ready this time. The numbers were overwhelming, yes—but not enough to break the line.

More and more zombies fell, but the tide didn't turn.

Then it happened.

A blur of black dropped from a nearby building and hit the ground running—straight into the heart of the formation.

Bullets hit it. Did nothing.

In the blink of an eye, it was among them, tearing through soldiers like paper. Tier 3s, Tier 4s—it didn't matter. Nothing could stop it.

Where it passed, bodies were left in pieces. Anyone it touched was crushed, torn, or shattered.

"Tier 6 zombie," Reyes muttered, face pale as he watched the massacre unfold.

It was stronger than he'd feared. Much stronger.

He glanced at Mia.

She gave a tight nod. No words needed.

The creature was coming for them.

As it closed in, soldiers near Reyes threw themselves at it, trying to slow it down. Brave, desperate, and doomed.

Even at Tier 4 peak, they were no match. But their sacrifice bought a few precious seconds.

Mia's eyes flared with light. The air around them dropped in temperature so fast it felt like the world had stopped breathing.

In a flash, a thick layer of ice encased the zombie, freezing it mid-charge.

And in that same instant, a sniper shot rang out from a rooftop nearby.

BOOM.

The Barrett round slammed into the zombie's skull, punching a hole clean through.

But its head didn't explode. It just reeled back, a gaping wound where its forehead used to be.

"RRAAAGH!" it roared, eyes locking onto Mia with murderous fury.

Then it turned and bolted.

"Don't let it escape!" Reyes shouted.

Soldiers surged after it, but even wounded, the Tier 6 was a nightmare to catch.

Over a hundred men died trying.

And still, it got away.

Reyes exhaled slowly, the weight of failure settling on his shoulders.

They'd missed their chance. Next time, it would be ready. Next time, it might not give them one.

This wasn't just a Tier 6 zombie anymore.

This was a Zombie King.

Mia swayed slightly, watching the creature vanish into the distance. Her heart sank.

That freeze had taken everything she had—every ounce of energy, every drop of focus. And it had only held the thing for a second.

She couldn't stop it. Not alone.

And that look it gave her before fleeing… it chilled her more than her own ice ever could.

Until that thing's dead, I'm not stepping outside unless I have to, she thought grimly.

As the Stage-D Zombie King disappeared, the rest of the horde began to retreat.

The battle was over.

They left behind a field of corpses—over ten thousand zombies, two Tier 5s among them.

But the cost was steep.

Over three hundred soldiers dead. Most of them torn apart by the Zombie King. The rest, killed by the Tier 5s.

And now, no one in the unit had any illusions left.

The age of guns might be ending.

...

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