Chapter 6
1071words
The avatar showed a skull with a cigar clenched between its teeth. Username: Cain.
A gang leader, a ruthless warlord who'd survived against all odds.
And the tribute with the strongest supernatural ability still standing.
"Cain, how would your people like a hot meal?"
Message sent.
Three seconds later, he replied.
"What's your angle?"
I smiled to myself. "I can provide supplies—food, medicine, everything you need. But I want one thing in return."
"What thing?" His tone dripped with suspicion.
"The Zombie King's head," I typed deliberately.
Cain went silent for a long moment.
Minutes later, he sent a voice message, his voice rough as gravel.
"What kind of sick joke is this? That thing can't be killed!"
"Says who?"
I pulled up a video and sent it over.
In the video, my research team conducted experiments on a captured zombie.
They injected a vial of golden liquid into the zombie.
The zombie let out an unholy shriek as its body began dissolving at an alarming rate. Rotting flesh liquefied before their eyes, leaving nothing but a puddle of inert goo.
"I call it 'Purifier.' It completely dissolves the undead."
His breathing grew heavy on the other end.
"Why should I trust you?" Cain's voice was tense with internal conflict.
"Trust me or don't—the food won't wait forever. I have stockpiles that could feed your people until this game ends."
"All yours if you kill the Zombie King."
"Fine. I'm in."
...
I rang the bell for the final battle.
Dozens of drones formed a dark swarm above the city's central plaza.
I tapped my console, issuing the command.
"Deploy."
Chunks of bloody meat wrapped in foil rained from the sky, landing across the plaza. Each piece was saturated with enough Purifier to dissolve a small zombie horde.
A feast prepared for the Zombie King.
From the shadows of surrounding buildings came hungry growls. The undead, drawn by the scent of fresh meat, shambled forward, converging on the bait.
On my monitors, a silent massacre unfolded.
The zombies tore open the foil packages and stuffed the meat into their decaying maws. Seconds later, their moans turned to shrieks as golden light erupted from within. Their bodies dissolved into bubbling puddles of goo.
The entire plaza became a killing field.
Cain's voice came through, his breathing heavy with exertion.
"You fucking led them all here!"
Before his words faded, a bone-chilling howl tore through the night from a department store at the plaza's edge.
CRASH!
The glass facade exploded outward as a massive dark figure burst through, landing with such force that concrete cracked beneath its feet.
The Zombie King.
It towered over normal zombies, its metallic gray-black skin glistening, ten razor claws catching the moonlight.
And Luna, in her pristine white dress, clung to its massive form—a grotesque beauty-and-beast tableau.
"It's here..." Cain's voice tightened with naked fear.
"Stick to the plan." My voice remained perfectly steady.
At the far end of the plaza, Cain and his forces emerged from the ruins.
Veins bulged on his forehead as he channeled his psychic power—an invisible spear aimed straight at the Zombie King's mind.
"ROAAAR!"
The Zombie King's massive body stiffened, frozen in place for a crucial moment.
It worked.
But only for an instant.
Its crimson eyes flared back to life as primal rage shattered the mental chains. It unleashed an even more ferocious roar, the psychic backlash slamming into Cain.
*THWACK*
Cain coughed blood and staggered backward, nearly falling.
"Useless."
I muttered with contempt, switching control to my second drone squadron.
These drones carried high-pressure sprayers loaded with concentrated Purifier.
"Looks like I'll have to finish this myself."
The Zombie King locked onto the wounded Cain, muscles tensing for a lethal pounce.
Behind it, Luna's lips curled into a cruel smile, eager to watch Cain's dismemberment.
In the next instant, golden liquid rained down in a deadly web, engulfing both the Zombie King and Luna.
"NO!"
Luna's smile froze, replaced by naked terror.
The Zombie King sensed the danger but instead of fleeing, it turned and shielded Luna with its massive body.
*HISSSS—CRACK*
The sound of dissolving flesh set my teeth on edge.
*SIZZLE*
The moment the Purifier touched the Zombie King, it began to smoke and bubble.
White smoke rose from its disintegrating flesh as layers melted away, revealing blackened bone beneath.
Even those iron-hard bones couldn't resist, crumbling to dust under the golden liquid's assault.
It tried to roar but could only produce wet, gurgling sounds as its throat dissolved.
To the very end, it remained curled protectively around Luna, using its dying body to shield her completely.
Finally, the once-invincible Zombie King became nothing but a bubbling pool of viscous slime.
And Luna, her white dress still pristine, sat unharmed.
She huddled in the center of that putrid pool, face blank with shock, body trembling uncontrollably.
Her protector was gone.
"Clean up what's left," I ordered Cain.
Cain wiped blood from his mouth, gave Luna a cold stare, and signaled his men.
"Do it!"
Gunfire erupted as his men dispatched the remaining zombies with mechanical efficiency.
Cain and his forces withdrew without a backward glance.
Their footsteps echoed across the empty plaza before fading into the wind.
They didn't spare Luna another look—as if she were nothing but debris in their path, not the powerful queen she'd been moments before.
Silence fell over the plaza.
Wind stirred the dust but couldn't disperse the sickly-sweet stench of rot and chemicals.
Luna sat alone, abandoned—the vast plaza now a desolate island crafted just for her.
She turned her head stiffly, surveying her new reality.
Empty streets, shattered buildings, and the puddle of slime that was once her greatest protector.
Fear, like a delayed tidal wave, finally crashed over her.
She instinctively tried to activate her ability.
Her A-class "Love Cocoon" required a living being as a medium—zombie or human, anything with a heartbeat could fuel her power.
But now, there was nothing.
A faint pink glow flickered at her fingertips, then died with a soft puff like a candle in the wind.
Nothing remained. No living creatures to enslave.
"No—"
I switched off the monitor, no longer interested in her despair.
*Beep*
Cain's communication request.
"Pleasure doing business," his voice was hoarse but carried the cold edge of a survivor.
"Likewise."
And then there were two—just Cain and me.
