Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1175: If We Have to Choose…
Upon departing from the Military Command Center, Ethan and Mia headed directly to the mansion.
Within, Chris and the rest were engaged in a card game, as Emily prepared the morning meal.
During times without battles, the daily existence of the Fallen Star Squad remained remarkably relaxed.
“Captain, you're back. Did you obtain the satellite phone?”
As soon as they spotted Ethan, the group quickly abandoned their cards and approached.
“Yes,” Ethan replied, retrieving the satellite phone. “However, there's just a single one.”
“...Really? Only one?”
“Listen, securing even one is pretty impressive,” a team member noted. “Atlas City controls these items strictly. Without General Cross's remaining influence, ordinary folks wouldn't access one.”
“Agreed,” another added. “We'll transport it to Miles. Out here, we can still use phones from other compounds to reach them.”
Ethan gave a nod.
Suddenly, the team's gazes brightened, enthusiasm entering their tones. “Captain... does this mean we can return to Fallen Star City now?”
“You all eager to head back so soon?” Ethan chuckled.
“To be honest? A bit, yes.”
“Not quite yet,” Ethan stated. “Not before we address them.” He gestured toward the backyard and whispered. “Those white-furred apes represent a potential disaster waiting to happen. Taking them back, and if they one day awaken irritable and launch an assault... Fallen Star City would suffer the devastation.”
In reality, the power of those white-furred apes had surpassed Ethan's complete mastery. They required cautious management.
The others nodded in agreement, fully grasping his concerns.
“Darn... I regret not being able to tame Stage C mutant beasts yet,” Skinny Pete grumbled, evidently frustrated. “If I could, this issue wouldn't trouble us so much.”
“No worries,” Ethan reassured. “With greater power, you'll achieve it.”
Skinny Pete inhaled deeply. “Captain, what's our next move?”
“We return to the Void Realm.”
“...To the Void Realm?” The group gawked at him as if he'd sprouted an extra head.
“Indeed.” Ethan's voice remained steady, as though he'd calculated it repeatedly. “The zombies there are weaker than our current level. Their crystal cores no longer aid our advancement.”
“Yet depending solely on drawing in mysterious energy from stargazing nightly...” He shook his head. “Truthfully, our progress might lag behind theirs.”
He peered toward the rear once more. “Those white-furred apes possess a potent bloodline. I observed their intake last night. They absorbed more mysterious energy than our team, even at full concentration.”
“Thus, competing via mysterious energy intake would likely fail us. Crystal cores remain our sole viable path.”
He turned to the squad. “The Void Realm still holds numerous Tier 10 mutant beasts. I suspect Tier 11 ones exist as well.”
“This is ideal,” Ethan pressed on. “We'll deploy those apes in the Void Realm to hunt plenty. Meanwhile, we'll gather a reserve of high-tier crystal cores and elevate Fallen Star City's collective power. I sense an impending conflict among the compounds soon.”
“Conflict between compounds?” a member exclaimed. “In this apocalypse, humans still crave infighting?”
“No alternative,” Ethan responded bluntly. “Human greed knows no bounds. Atlas City seeks dominance once more, but many survivors have savored autonomy—ruling as lords. Forcing them into submission? Utterly unfeasible.”
He exhaled briefly, without mirth. “Once unleashed, human instincts resist restraint. It's the same for us. If anyone attempted to subjugate us anew, we'd resist fiercely.”
“Should Atlas City pursue that path, bloodshed will abound,” Ethan warned. “Fallen Star City cannot remain uninvolved.”
The group fell silent momentarily, then assented.
“Clear. Power decides everything,” a squad member affirmed. “If we're mighty enough, Atlas City won't challenge Fallen Star City.”
“Precisely.” Ethan smacked his hands together. “First, have breakfast. Post-meal, we enter the Void Realm again.”
“Alright!”
“Sure,” Sean interjected, pausing. “Ethan... regarding our parents...”
“Don't stress.” Ethan's tone gentled slightly. “I already requested General Cross to investigate. They'll search. Upon discovery, we'll retrieve them and escort directly to Fallen Star City.”
Sean's tension eased. “Alright. Appreciate it.”
“Why thank me?” Ethan questioned. Then his face grew grave. “But as I mentioned earlier—brace yourself. The apocalypse has raged for ages. Expect any possibility.”
Sean and the team nodded firmly. “We get it.”
Ethan eyed Big Mike. “Big Mike, contact with your hometown remains elusive. Yet I've instructed Ironhaven City to inquire locally. They're nearby your origins. Any news, they'll inform us.”
“Yes,” Big Mike murmured deeply. “Understood.”
Following breakfast, Ethan guided the team—and the handful of white-furred apes—toward the Void Realm.
En route, compound residents observed solely from afar.
Primarily due to the unsettling stares from those white-furred apes toward the populace... eerie. As if evaluating targets. No one dared approach.
Soon, Ethan and his companions departed the compound.
At the central Military Command Center, General Cross and his staff got the update promptly.
“They've ventured out again, General Cross. Shall we dispatch scouts—”
“No.” General Cross interrupted curtly, eyes fixed downward. “If death calls you, leave the compound out of it.”
“Er...” The officer faltered, then persisted. “I'm merely... intrigued. Where did those mutant beasts originate? I'm certain no such caliber exists nearby. I queried other compounds—their top is Tier 10. Now Tier 12 appears? General Cross, aren't you wondering?”
“I possess a solid hunch on their source.”
General Cross's composed revelation stunned the room.
“You do?” Michael and others' eyes bulged. “General Cross—you're aware?”
“Affirmative.” Cross inclined his head. “Yesterday, I conferred with a longtime contact in Atlas City. They discovered a warped dimension. Entering leads to... a separate realm.”
He halted, allowing comprehension.
“Recent days saw Atlas City dispatch numerous Enhanced to probe it.”
“My contact described it as an autonomous world, culture utterly alien to Earth's.”
Cross's stare turned remote. “My theory: those Titan Apes, including the white-furred variants, emerged from such a domain. For those mutant beasts aren't native to Earth.”
“Such a place exists?” a voice burst. “Why undetected all these years? Pre-apocalypse tech should've revealed it readily.”
“Likely surfaced post-apocalypse,” Cross explained. “Or... the apocalypse links intimately to these dimensions.”
“If accurate, humanity's plight worsens dramatically,” Colonel Mitchell remarked, brow furrowed.
Michael appeared puzzled. “How so?”
Mitchell replied evenly. “Consider those white-furred apes formidable?”
“Formidable,” Michael affirmed instantly.
“Should hordes of such beings flood from those dimensional worlds someday,” Mitchell continued, “can we maintain defenses?”
“...”
“Moreover,” Mitchell added, “evidence suggests multiple such worlds. Implying even deadlier threats lurk—fiercer mutant beasts... or sentient races.”
A chill settled over the chamber.
“Pondering aids nothing now,” General Cross declared, sighing weightily. “Our sole recourse: accelerate strength gains. Only then, against greater calamities, can we mount resistance.”
“Comprehended.”
“Additionally,” Cross emphasized, gaze piercing. “We must foster alliances with the powerful.”
“General Cross... referring to the Fallen Star Squad?”
“Correct.” Cross affirmed without pause. “Their might rivals threats even in Atlas City. Our ties remain solid currently. Preserve them. Provocation? I won't hesitate to retaliate harshly.”
A director gulped. “General Cross, frankly—if Atlas City clashes with the Fallen Star Squad... our allegiance?”
“Avoid alignment at all costs,” General Cross advised. Then his eyes steeled, response unyielding. “But if forced to decide... I'll side with the Fallen Star Squad.”
Director Vaughn and peers gaped, then gradually concurred.
“Understood.”
“Excellent.” General Cross leaned in. “Yesterday's clash enhanced our compound's capabilities significantly. Now—Colonel Mitchell. Lead troops to hasten Clearford City's cleansing. Eliminate every zombie swiftly. Collect additional crystal cores. Essential for confronting Atlas City.”
“Yes, sir.”