Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1237: Stand Up Straight — You’re Fallen Star

After journeying for just over three hours, Ethan and Garrick made their way back from Atlas City to Fallen Star City.

As Fallen Star City grew ever more developed before his eyes, a subtle wave of contentment washed over Ethan's heart.

Sure, the compound of Fallen Star City couldn't rival Atlas City's in grandeur—yet he'd erected this haven himself. It felt far more personal. Truly like home.

Even without matching Atlas City's vast scale or numbers, Fallen Star City's power refused to yield to any rival. Just those twenty thousand Tier 9 Enhanced were enough to strike fear into nearly every threat that dared approach.

That said, Atlas City's base would surely surge in might following the conference.

They'd assisted in synthesizing crystal cores for compounds across the region. No chance they broke even without massive gains. Even if General Maxwell Kane proved as altruistic as rumored, he wouldn't offer it entirely gratis. The process devoured manpower and supplies at an insane rate.

Should they net just one crystal core per synthesis amid that volume... Atlas City was bound to haul in a fortune.

Regardless of their haul, though, Atlas City could at best muster a few hundred Tier 9 Enhanced. Against Fallen Star City's twenty thousand Tier 9s, it paled in comparison.

Furthermore, Fallen Star City's warriors weren't idling. They hunted zombies relentlessly. Special methods allowed them to elevate their Tiers beyond limits. Each day, mysterious energy absorption propelled them higher. Tier 10s emerging already? That wouldn't shock a soul.

Peregrine Falcon Flint soared high above Fallen Star City...

Wall guards first mistook it for a mutant beast assault. Recognition dawned upon spotting Flint—plus Ethan and companions aboard—and weapons dropped instantly. Shouts of joy exploded forth:

"Welcome back, Commander!"

"Welcome back!"

Cheers rippled across the entire compound.

Ethan steered Flint directly to the Commander’s Residence smack in the compound's heart.

Soon after touchdown, Miles dashed up.

"Captain, you’re back!"

His eyes widened as he scanned them. "Huh? Why only you two? Where's the rest?"

"They’re still in Atlas City," Ethan replied, grinning. "I grabbed a few items to bring back. Heading out again soon."

"Oh. Sure." Miles let out a sigh. "You, mighty Commander, act like a absentee leader. I hardly glimpse you a handful of times yearly."

Ethan chuckled. "Loose ends to tie up still. Once finished, I'll return for a proper rest. With you managing, no worries here." He clapped Miles' shoulder. "Oh, yeah—I snagged something awesome for you this trip."

He ushered Miles to the backyard, then withdrew a laser cannon from his spatial storage ring.

Miles' gaze ignited the instant he beheld the sleek, advanced firearm, circling it eagerly like a child with a fresh plaything.

Minutes later, he gazed up in awe. "This beast... powers up with crystal core energy?"

"Yeah," Ethan confirmed. "Atlas City forged this laser cannon. It guzzles dozens of Tier 9 crystal cores plus over a hundred Tier 8 ones. Word is, its blast can endanger a Stage C powerhouse."

"That crazy?" Miles' excitement skyrocketed. "Mount this at the gates, and it'll deter any fool eyeing trouble."

"Mm." Ethan nodded. "Plus this one. Pretty solid. Check if you can replicate production. Perfect for arming low-Tier Enhanced."

With those words, Ethan produced a laser gun and passed it along.

Miles hefted it, flipping it around. "Follows the same core tech as the cannon, yeah?"

"Yeah. But maxes out threatening Tier 10 Enhanced. Geared for lower Tiers mainly. Tinker with it—maybe pack extra crystal cores to amp the output."

"..." Miles gawked as if Ethan had gone mad.

"Threaten Tier 10 and that's 'just'?" Miles deadpanned. "How many Tier 10 Enhanced roam the world these days, even?"

He shook his head. "Weapon development's our weak spot against Atlas City. Better to let them innovate, then you snag samples for us to duplicate."

"Fair." Ethan agreed with a nod. "Still, kick off by trying to craft these."

Ethan scanned the area, brow furrowing faintly. "Oh, earlier on entry, seemed no high-Tier Enhanced lingered inside. All out hunting?"

"Yeah," Miles replied. "They’re fully deployed now. Those twenty thousand Enhanced keep sweeping through zombies daily, collecting crystal cores and supplies. In the last few days, they’ve advanced straight to Stonebridge City."

"Good," Ethan responded. "They grow stronger, and we collect the crystal cores."

He paused briefly. "Has anyone among them reached Tier 10 yet?"

"Yes," Miles answered, pride evident in his voice. "They’ve gathered plenty of Tier 9 crystal cores recently. Plus, they found several Tier 10 ones. I concentrated resources on a select few—those with powerful abilities and reliable character. Now we have just over ten Tier 10s. More are lingering at Tier 9 peak. If this pace holds, Tier 10s will emerge one by one soon."

"Nice," Ethan said, truly satisfied. "Seems like they’ll stand strong on their own shortly."

Garrick spoke up at last. "Captain, to be honest, with us here, Fallen Star City has nothing to fear."

"It’s not so straightforward," Ethan replied, his voice growing solemn. "Frontal foes are simple to handle. True threats come from sneaky backstabs."

His gaze shifted to the compound, scanning the streets filled with residents.

"We’ve created many enemies outside. Those who can’t defeat us directly will target our loved ones instead. Our families reside in Fallen Star City. A powerful Fallen Star City lets us operate freely without worry."

He let out a slow breath. "I sense something massive approaching. Just us few won’t suffice. We require a solid team."

Garrick nodded firmly. "Yeah. Understood."

"Oh, and Miles—I have one more great item for you!"

While speaking, Ethan retrieved the runic disk etched with a ritual circle by Henry from his spatial storage ring and passed it over to Miles.

During their time in Atlas City, Ethan had requested Henry craft an additional disk—one specifically for Miles back home.

Thanks to the runic disk, Tier advancements had skyrocketed. Ethan refused to let Miles lag behind.

Possessing one allowed Miles to nurture talents effectively and expand Fallen Star City’s lead further.

As soon as Miles grasped the runic disk’s purpose, he went still—then buzzed with thrill. He gazed at it as if holding the future itself. Ethan continued speaking, yet Miles clearly tuned him out.

In fact, his fixation surpassed even Henry’s.

Ethan shook his head with a sigh. Then he began extracting items one by one—altar fragments and skeletal remains chunks from the Void Realm—piling them directly before Miles.

That snapped Miles’ focus back.

"What’s this...?"

"Rare materials," Ethan explained, "and bones from an unidentified ferocious beast. Things our current tools can’t scratch. We can forge weapons from them for our people."

"Oh?" Miles’ eyes sparkled anew as he bent closer to inspect the haul.

With the runic disk plus these fresh materials, Ethan had essentially unloaded a treasure chest on Miles. For once, the man appeared overwhelmed—like his hands couldn’t handle all the possibilities.

"Alright," Ethan chuckled. "You remain here and geek out. We’re returning to Atlas City."

"Hold on!"

Miles halted them. With a simple hand gesture, a massive heap of crystal cores materialized on the ground—forming a hill-like mound out of thin air.

"Since you’re heading to Atlas City, bring these along," Miles instructed. "Exchange them for higher-Tier crystal cores. These come from the team’s recent zombie sweeps. My pocket space is overflowing."

"This much?" Ethan’s brows rose in surprise.

At least one or two million crystal cores lay there. Mostly Tier 5 and Tier 6, sprinkled with Tier 7—and a fair share of Tier 8s.

Garrick furrowed his brow, puzzled. "You’re including the Tier 7 and Tier 8 cores? Don’t we still have Tier 6 regular Enhanced in the compound?"

"Regular Enhanced don’t fight," Miles clarified. "They advance tiers daily just from absorbing mysterious energy. Prioritize resources for the Fallen Star Guard—strengthen them quickly."

He gestured at the stack. "Synthesize everything into Tier 9 crystal cores. Reserve some for launching the ritual circle. Return later with surplus Tier 9s for distribution."

"Got it." Ethan agreed, storing all the crystal cores into his spatial storage ring.

A grin lit up Ethan's face. "Looks like the investment’s finally paying off," he said. "At least we don’t have to personally farm the cores needed to start the ritual circle anymore."

Miles nodded in agreement. "Stonebridge City has even more zombies. When our people come back, they’ll probably haul in another huge batch. So, Captain... see if you can get your hands on Atlas City’s crystal core synthesis tech. If we have that, we won’t have to keep running back and forth."

"Okay," Ethan replied.

With all arrangements finalized, Ethan and Garrick climbed onto Peregrine Falcon Flint once more and departed from Fallen Star City, flying back toward Atlas City...