Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1279 1279: The Whole World Was Watching

With a descent onto the fractured earth just outside the breached gate, the flying mounts landed. Ethan and his companions dismounted, hitting the debris-strewn ground in formation.

An immediate throng emerged, weapons raised, forming a crude perimeter around them.

Their leader vocalized a command in Yamato.

Ethan casually queried Skinny Pete, "What did he just say?"

"He's asking who we are," Pete relayed.

Ethan offered a shrug. "Tell him we're here to make his morning unpleasant. And that he needs to hand over the cores."

Pete simply met Ethan's gaze.

"...I can comprehend their language," he stated flatly. "That doesn't mean I can speak it."

Before Ethan could retort, the leader snapped another order—then, unexpectedly, shifted to another tongue. "You hail from the Atlas Federation, correct?" he inquired in flawless Federation Standard.

Ethan's eyebrow arched. "Oh, so you *do* speak Federation Standard. Then what was that initial outburst all about?"

The adversary's complexion darkened to an unhealthy shade of green, as if he had ingested something foul. Suppressing his fury, he spoke through gritted teeth. "People of the Atlas Federation… how exactly did you arrive here?!"

"That's none of your damn business," Ethan declared, his tone hardening. "This is a robbery. Surrender every crystal core within this compound."

The man's expression turned glacial. "You are courting death." He raised his hand. "Eliminate them!"

The instant the command was issued, abilities ignited across the area—wind blades, fireballs, streaks of dazzling light, and dense volleys hurtled directly towards Ethan and his squad.

A thin smile played on Ethan's lips. "No need for formalities," he instructed. "Eliminate whomever you desire."

"With pleasure!"

"You guys handle the fighting," Henry announced with a grin. "I'll record it."

He then mounted Nugget, maneuvered to a clear vantage point, and activated his miniature camera.

Atlas Federation, Atlas City—Compound Headquarters.

"General Kane, the camera is operational."

"Excellent. Initiate the live feed. Immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

In a separate briefing chamber, a colossal screen flickered to life.

Maxwell and a cadre of high-ranking compound officials leaned forward, their faces etched with intense anticipation.

The image resolved into clarity.

Displayed on the screen, the entrance of a Yamato compound was already engulfed in chaos.

"So swiftly?" someone exclaimed. "They're already engaged in combat?!"

Astonishment gripped everyone present.

It had barely been an hour since the Fallen Star Squad departed, and they were already clashing?

The feed depicted a vast multitude—tens of thousands—surrounding a few figures at its center. Abilities rained down from the sky like a tempest, erupting and flashing in every direction.

And the individuals under siege? They remained composed, almost nonchalant.

With casual sweeps, they unleashed a few area-of-effect skills, and significant portions of the crowd simply… ceased to exist.

"Extraordinarily potent," one individual murmured. "That is indeed the Fallen Star Squad."

"Undoubtedly, those are Yamato Empire forces," Maxwell asserted, his eyes alight, a surge of adrenaline coloring his voice. "Link the screens and satellite phones of every compound. Disseminate the feed universally."

Observing the unfolding battle, even he felt a prickling heat in his blood.

"Yes, sir."

Before long, every major compound received the directive from Atlas City. One by one, their massive screens powered on.

The moment the image appeared, individuals everywhere seemed to freeze. Then, their eyes widened in disbelief.

Atlas City had informed them this was a real-time transmission of the Fallen Star Squad operating within the Yamato Empire.

Most had anticipated being shown the current state of Yamato—ruins, zombies, the typical post-apocalyptic devastation.

This was utterly unexpected.

On the screen, a mere handful of individuals were carving through an enemy compound with brutal efficiency, slaughtering so many that the defenders began to falter—screaming, scattering, weeping as if their world was ending anew.

Across the Federation, viewers began to quiver with exhilaration.

No one deemed it cruel. Not here.

Hostility towards the Yamato Empire was more than political; it was deeply ingrained in the very being of every Atlas Federation survivor.

Prior to the world's collapse, certain boundaries existed—lines that no one could transgress.

Now? Those lines were obliterated. And some reckonings were long overdue.

Even without wielding the blades themselves, the sheer act of witnessing such devastation was enough to ignite a burning passion within the populace.

"So that's the Fallen Star Squad… Incredible, they are undeniably powerful."

As the initial shock subsided, the attention of all viewers naturally gravitated—away from the Yamato compound, and towards the select few figures occupying the eye of the storm.

Many had previously harbored doubts about the power ranking list. They might have skimmed it, dismissed it, or held some skepticism.

But witnessing a small group decimating tens of thousands as if it were a routine occurrence?

Silence fell upon the doubters.

Seriously—who else on the planet possessed such capabilities?

Forget mere "minor" compounds. With only these few individuals, the Fallen Star Squad could likely annihilate any major compound if they so chose.

So yeah. That intel hadn't been lying.

Threat level: ★★★★★★★★★★.

Meanwhile, on the ground…

Ethan and his team had no idea they were being broadcast live across the entire Federation.

All they knew was they'd come here for payback—and they wanted a clean, satisfying massacre.

Inside the Yamato compound, the leadership had already gone pale.

They couldn't wrap their heads around it. How could a group be this strong?

"Think of something!" the compound leader, Kenta Sato, snapped, panic bleeding into his voice. "If they keep killing like this, it doesn't matter how many people we have—they'll slaughter us all!"

"Kenta… they're way above us, " someone said, shaking their head hard. Faces were white with fear. "We can't fight them."

"Why are these Atlas Federation invaders so strong? The apocalypse started the same day for everyone – what the hell is going on with their power?!"

"Who cares!" another person hissed. "This isn't the time. Figure out what we do now."

"The only option is to run while they haven't reached us yet, " someone said, voice cracking. "If we stay, we die."

"Run where?" someone shot back. "You see those giant birds in the sky? They rode those here. You think we can outrun flying mounts?"

"…"

"Then what do you suggest?"

Silence snapped, then someone swallowed and forced out, "We negotiate. They said they want crystal cores, right? Then give them the cores."

"And what if they take the cores and still don't let us go?"

"Either way, we try." The speaker's eyes darted nervously. "Atlas Federation people are supposed to be 'honorable,' aren't they? We'll find out if they actually keep their word. And if that doesn't work…" He hesitated, then leaned forward like he was sharing a brilliant secret. "We send them a few beautiful women. They're not that old. Men like that will definitely be interested."

"Hey—yeah." Another guy perked up. "Don't we have a few porn stars in the compound? Send them. Might work better than we think."

"Okay, " someone said quickly. "Fine. So… who's going to negotiate?"

The room went dead quiet.

Because "negotiator" was just another way of saying first person to die.

"Kenta, " someone tried, "maybe—"

Kenta's gaze slid to a young man near the side. "Daigo. Since that idea came from you… you go."

"Wha— I—"

"Done, " Kenta cut in. "That's the decision."

Daigo Yamamoto's face collapsed. He looked like he wanted to slap himself twice for opening his mouth in the first place.

But there was no backing out now.

He forced his legs to move and headed toward the battlefield.

When he was still about a thousand feet away, Daigo pulled out a big megaphone and, in fluent Federation Standard, shouted:

"To our friends from the Atlas Federation—please pause for a moment and hear me out! We understand why you've come. Our people were ignorant and offended you."

"You want crystal cores—we can give them to you. There's no need for bad blood over something so small, right?"

His amplified voice rolled across the chaos.

And, unbelievably, the fighting really did pause.

Daigo's eyes lit up. It's working.

He hurried to press the advantage.

"You've traveled a long way. Why not come inside and rest? " he called. "We've prepared the best food and wine, and we can even have famous Yamato porn stars welcome you properly. What do you say?"

"Boss, " Big Mike said immediately, eyes shining like a kid at Christmas, "porn stars. Hope they've got someone I recognize. How about we take a break and then keep fighting?"

"Thump."

Chris smacked the back of Big Mike's head hard.

"I swear, you need to watch less porn, " he snapped. "Is this really the time?"

"Yeah, " Skinny Pete piled on, righteous as hell. "People like you are the worst."

Then he cupped his hands and yelled at Daigo in the distance:

"Bring 'em out first! Let's see!"

"…!"