The internet was buzzing with all sorts of chatter.
At this time, inside Quantum Leap Innovations, the boss Gavin was seriously ticked off, cursing under his breath.
"Silas and his crew are such losers! Wiped out by a Zombie, couldn't even one or two of them have survived..."
But he knew, near the building, there was a powerful Zombie Overlord, probably no match even for the strongest Awakener in the company.
Looks like...
Zombies are the real deal, only a bigger Zombie Overlord could take down Ghost Corpses!
"We gotta keep pushing the Zombie development program, maybe even get some controllable Ghost Corpses..."
Gavin was pondering this.
He knew full well that dealing with Zombies was like 'playing with fire', but for that kind of power, he was willing to take the risk.
"Or... if there's a chance, maybe we could team up with the Zombie Overlord, just need to feed them some flesh and blood, gotta tell the rescue squad to hurry up and search for survivors..."
...
Zane was still chilling at home, clueless about the plans of Quantum Leap Innovations.
And frankly, he didn't care.
Nowadays, everyone knew that the building area housed a powerful Zombie Overlord, super dangerous, and had marked it as a no-go zone.
So lately, no one dared to bother Zane, back in the day you might see a helicopter now and then, now not even planes flew over.
This area had become a sanctuary for Zombies.
Zane was living the easy life, plenty of food and drink, absorbing energy daily, evolving, and when bored, he'd watch some TV or play video games.
This horror apocalypse was like a vacation, no worries at all.
'Shelter Headline News: Our scientists have modified 'soil', small amounts can be eaten without bursting, can be used to stave off hunger temporarily.'
'Water purification system fully repaired, please drink with confidence, no more large-scale parasite or virus infections.'
'Bad News: Our team out scavenging for supplies was ambushed by unknown forces, if anyone has information, please contact us immediately...'
...
The TV was blaring the latest from the official shelter.
You could tell they were seriously strapped for supplies.
They were literally down to eating dirt, and the water situation was a hot mess.
But the real kicker?
They finally find some supplies, and some shady crew swoops in and hijacks it...
Talk about a rough day...
Zane felt bad for them for like a second, then spun around and dove back into his video games.
...
Meanwhile, on the edge of Zane's turf, a group was holed up in a building.
This place used to be a KTV, a three-story joint, now with doors and windows all sealed up except for a few cracks to peep through.
"Shh... Zombie alert, keep it down."
A dude was sprawled by the window, peeking out.
Behind him, two others were trying not to even breathe too loud.
Outside on the street,
a massive figure was swaggering by, trailed by a bunch of Zombies—it was Jake on patrol.
Too bad Jake's senses were dull, didn't spot the humans in the building.
With his posse, he slowly moved on.
"Phew—"
The folks inside exhaled a huge sigh of relief, feeling a bit safer.
"Lucky for us this muscle-head Zombie ain't the brightest..."
Back in one of the private rooms, a few were lounging on couches, thankful for the KTV's soundproofing keeping the outside Zombies clueless.
"We're safe here, no way the shelter folks can find us," a bald dude boasted.
"Yeah, boss is smart. Even if they knew, doubt they'd dare come here. This is Zombie Overlord territory!"
This crew, they were the ones who raided the shelter's supplies, known as 'Black Scorpion.'
Before the Apocalypse, Black Scorpion was already a thing, lurking on the dark web, kinda like a cult, all about extreme freedom, doing whatever they wanted without any rules.
But society's order kept them in check, never really made big waves.
Until the Apocalypse hit.
That was their moment.
Those with awakening abilities banded together, raiding for supplies, taking lives, the works.
"Heh heh, the Apocalypse is our time to shine!" the bald guy said, eyes gleaming.
In the middle of the KTV room, three folks were kneeling, tied up, gags in their mouths, only managing muffled noises.
These three were from the shelter, supposed to be transporting supplies, but ended up getting nabbed by Black Scorpion.
"Boss, what do we do with these three?" a skinny guy asked.
The bald leader pondered a bit.
"Let's keep 'em for now... Alive, they're our bargaining chips. If they kick the bucket, we can harvest their Brain Nexus, and their flesh? Well,that's dinner..."
...
On the flip side of Zane's turf, another crew was making their way, led by a girl with big eyes, bangs, and long, straight black hair. She was a real looker but always seemed a bit fed up with the world.
Meet Olivia, the official shelter's Awakener 001!
Olivia was no fan of this world, having grown up in an orphanage and later locked up in a psych ward. When she finally got out... bam, world's in full Apocalypse mode!
Liking this world after that kind of backstory? Yeah, right...
The only sweet memories she had were the few warm moments back at the orphanage.
Right next to Olivia was her partner, Landon, the guy with the 'wise' eyes.
Gurgle!
Landon clutched his stomach, his intense hunger making him miserable. If it weren't for his Awakener's robust constitution, he'd probably have passed out from hunger by now.
"When are we gonna find some supplies? I haven't eaten in like ten days since we got out."
"Uh... Landon, we've only been out for three days."
Trailing behind them were four Brain Nexus stage Awakeners, mainly there to assist the duo and haul supplies.
Landon scratched his head, his eyes going cross-eyed.
"Only three days? Man, I'm so hungry I can't even count right anymore..."
"Like you ever could..."
Olivia retorted without even looking back.
The street ahead was desolate, with wrecked vehicles piled up and rusted, some overgrown with moss.
The surrounding buildings were just as dilapidated, with broken glass occasionally echoing with Zombie groans.
One of the Brain Nexus Awakeners chimed in.
"Up ahead is where the Quantum Leap Innovations squad got wiped out. Heard there's a freaky powerful Zombie Overlord around!"
"Oh, Richard, the guys who hijacked our supplies, they're hiding in that area?"
Landon asked.
Richard nodded.
"Based on the direction they took when they bailed, there's a good chance they're up ahead."
"Then let's go check it out."
Landon, bless his heart, wasn't scared at all.
Richard nodded again, cautioning,
"Just remember, we're mainly here for supplies. Let's not stir up any Zombies around here..."
...