Chapter 172 - 172: Something wasn’t adding up...

Words : 1658 Updated : Oct 15th, 2025

Griff's heart was racing with urgency. Without Ethan showing up, his team didn't dare enter the corpse nest, and the entire plan was at a standstill. If this dragged on any longer, failure was inevitable. And the zombies in front of him were unusually aggressive—he couldn't hold out much longer. Just as Laura and Sprout lunged at him again, Griff activated his ability. The space around him warped, and his body instantly blinked backward, retreating 200 feet in a flash. It was just a feint anyway—no need to go all out against them. But as his eyes scanned the area, he spotted four towering figures emerging from the city. Their faces were twisted and feral, their entire bodies radiating a violent, bloodthirsty aura. Four bio-mutants were barreling straight toward him. "Are you kidding me?!" Griff cursed under his breath. The zombies in Santa Monica were already being pushed back, even the hulking Brutal Iguana Zombie King was barely holding on. Its massive body was covered in bloody gashes as it retreated to the rear. "We should just bail! This plan of yours is a total bust!" the Iguana King growled. "Hold on!" Griff's eyes suddenly locked onto something in the distance. His gaze fixed on a tall, slender figure walking toward them from the forest. Dressed in pristine white, his expression was calm, almost indifferent, as he surveyed the scene with cold detachment. "Who said it's a bust? He's here. Hold the line!" Griff barked. "Oh?" The Brutal Iguana Zombie King's savage eyes narrowed as it looked toward the figure. A mix of excitement and dread flickered across its face. Excitement that he had actually shown up. Dread… because he had actually shown up. The key player had finally arrived. Griff quickly grabbed his radio. "The Zombie King of Los Angeles just showed up on my end! Get into his territory now and wreak havoc! Kill as many as you can!" "Roger that!" "Understood, Captain! Stay safe." "Finally, our chance." "..." One by one, his team members responded, their voices carrying a sense of anticipation, as if they'd been waiting for this moment for ages. After giving his orders, Griff kept his eyes locked on Ethan, his nerves stretched taut. He looked like a man bracing for the fight of his life. Today, he was finally face-to-face with the most powerful Zombie King of legend. The space around Griff distorted again as he blinked backward several hundred feet, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Ethan. The Brutal Iguana Zombie King and its zombie horde also began pulling back, clearly avoiding a full-on confrontation. They fought while retreating, almost as if they were stalling for time. But their eyes stayed glued to Ethan, who, in stark contrast, didn't seem the least bit rushed. He walked toward them at a leisurely pace, calm and unbothered, as if he had all the time in the world. Griff couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, taking your sweet time, huh? Acting all cool? Just wait till we've cleaned out your whole base." ... Meanwhile, on the other side, Griff's three team members had received his orders. With a modified human in tow, they launched themselves into Ethan's territory. Time was critical during this "base raid" phase, and the tension was palpable. "Move it! Captain Griff is holding off the Zombie King to buy us time. We've gotta make this count!" Grizzly rumbled in his deep, gravelly voice. "Got it!" The other two nodded. They weren't sure if there were other Zombie Kings guarding this area, but the streets were definitely crawling with zombies. These zombies, however, looked sluggish and dim-witted. Their levels weren't high, and as soon as they caught the scent of humans, they let out guttural roars and charged. [Scanning… D-class zombies detected. Activating Ice Spikes.] The modified human's eyes glowed green as moisture in the air condensed around him. Several sharp ice spikes materialized, hovering in the air before shooting forward like bullets. Each spike pierced a zombie's skull with pinpoint accuracy. The low-level zombies didn't stand a chance against them. The group pressed forward at full speed. ... Elsewhere, on a street up ahead, two zombies—Big Ears and Shrimpy—were huddled together, deep in discussion about "world affairs." "Big Ears, I heard there's a big fight breaking out over by Mount Wilson. Shouldn't we head over and join the battle?" Shrimpy asked, his voice full of curiosity. "You've got it all wrong!" Big Ears replied, puffing out his chest. "Guys like us? We're the big shots. We stay in the back, strategizing and calling the shots." Shrimpy's eyes lit up with admiration. "Wow, Big Ears, you're so wise. That makes total sense." "Of course it does." Big Ears nodded, clearly pleased with himself. "Shrimpy, the fact that you can understand me shows how advanced your evolution is." "How advanced are we talking?" "About as advanced as a hundred-story skyscraper." Big Ears was full of it, and he knew it. Deep down, he was well aware he wasn't cut out for combat. He wasn't even as strong as one of the elite fighters. If he went to the front lines, he'd just end up dead. And if the boss lost such a "valuable asset" like him, wouldn't that be a huge waste? At that moment, Big Ears' ears twitched. He suddenly picked up on a strange sound—a weird electronic noise, definitely not something a living creature would make. It was hard to make sense of, but he caught fragments of it. Something about scanning… B-class… target locked… "Huh? What the heck is that?" Big Ears muttered, confused. He turned toward the source of the sound and spotted a figure standing atop a tall building. It was a modified human, perched on the rooftop, overlooking the entire area. Its eyes glowed an intense green, flickering wildly as it scanned the surroundings. [Scanning… Target detected… B-class Zombie King… Target locked.] "Holy crap!" Big Ears froze, his face draining of color. He immediately realized what was happening—he'd seen one of these things before. "Shrimpy, run! Now!" he shouted in panic. "Huh? I thought we were supposed to be strategizing?" Shrimpy asked, still clueless about the situation. Big Ears didn't waste time explaining. "Humans! Humans are here!" "Humans?" Shrimpy turned to look and, sure enough, spotted three figures sprinting down a distant street, heading straight for them. Their movements were eerily familiar, like he'd seen them somewhere before. He thought hard for a moment. Then it hit him—they were the same humans who had shown up that dark night in Santa Monica, hunting down the Azure Scaled Zombie King. "Aw, hell no!" Shrimpy's realization hit like a lightning bolt. Without another word, he spun around and bolted, his legs pumping so fast they left afterimages in his wake. Big Ears had already started running and was about 30 feet ahead, but suddenly he felt a gust of wind as Shrimpy's blurred figure zipped past him, disappearing down the street in seconds. "...What the…???" Big Ears was stunned, his jaw practically hitting the ground. When it came to running, there was no way he could match Shrimpy's speed. "No wonder… He is a master at chasing lobsters…" Big Ears muttered to himself, both impressed and exasperated. ... Meanwhile, over by the riverbank, Griff and his group were still retreating under heavy pressure. They were being pushed back relentlessly, but Griff couldn't help feeling a flicker of satisfaction. His team had successfully infiltrated the corpse nest and even managed to isolate a lone Zombie King. "Kill them! Kill as many as you can!" Griff thought to himself, his plan unfolding exactly as he'd hoped. If this worked, it would deal a serious blow to their enemies. But what thrilled him even more was the sight of the Zombie King leader in front of him. Ethan still wasn't rushing. He strolled leisurely through the forest, exuding an air of absolute confidence, as if everything was under control. "Hah! You really think you've already won? That arrogance is gonna cost you!" Griff sneered, feeling smug. But just as he was basking in his own triumph, Ethan suddenly picked up speed, charging straight toward the Aqua Zombies. "Move! Keep retreating!" Griff yelled, his voice cracking with urgency. He didn't even need to say it twice. The Brutal Iguana Zombie King immediately barked orders, and the zombies scattered, fleeing as fast as they could. But no matter how fast they ran, they couldn't outrun Ethan. As Ethan closed the distance, he didn't unleash the expected Domain of the Dead. Instead, a cloud of spores erupted from his body, spreading like a thick white mist and enveloping several Aqua Zombies. Within moments, grotesque red tumors began sprouting all over the zombies' bodies. As the spores spread, Ethan's form began to shift. His body morphed rapidly, shrinking and reshaping until he no longer looked like himself. In a matter of seconds, he had transformed into a young girl with a mushroom growing out of her head. "Ehehehe, look at you all freaking out! Relax, I'm not the boss. I'm Lil' Shroom," she said with a mischievous giggle. Griff and the Brutal Iguana Zombie King had been bracing themselves for a full-on assault, their nerves stretched to the breaking point. Seeing Ethan—or rather, Lil' Shroom—reveal herself, they both let out a small sigh of relief. But then, as the realization sank in, their expressions quickly shifted to confusion. "Wait a second… Lil' Shroom?" Griff muttered, his brow furrowing. "...Lil' Shroom?" the Iguana King echoed, equally baffled. Something wasn't adding up... 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Chapter 172 - 172: Something wasn’t adding up...

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