Apocalypse: King of Zombies Chapter 1282 1282: They Ran… Straight Into a Mass Grave

Amidst the desolate remnants of a Yamato Empire encampment…

Ethan’s gaze fell upon the storage ring adorning his finger, its contents a veritable mountain of crystal cores, practically spilling out, and a satisfied grin spread across his face.

It turned out that plundering yielded far greater rewards than honest labor.

His storage ring was now nearly saturated with cores after decimating a few key compounds.

While the majority were of lower tiers, they possessed the means back home to consolidate them into more potent variants.

Atlas City's fusion technology had advanced to the stage where Tier 11 crystal cores could be synthesized. Given a sufficient quantity of raw cores, they could produce a substantial number of Tier 11 Enhancements.

Yamato likely had yet to develop such fusion capabilities; otherwise, these compounds wouldn't be hoarding such vast quantities of cores. This situation proved quite advantageous for him.

Furthermore, despite Yamato's population being merely a little over one hundred million, its landmass was remarkably compact. The population density there far surpassed that of the Atlas Federation.

In Yamato, smaller compounds struggled to survive. The ones that persisted were predominantly large-scale fortresses, each constructed upon monumental heaps of zombie remains.

This implied a singular, crucial fact:

They possessed an abundance of cores. An immense quantity.

Beyond the cores, Ethan had identified several Awakened individuals who possessed truly valuable abilities. These he did not eliminate; instead, he instructed his team to incapacitate them by breaking their limbs and placing them under confinement.

These were high-tier Awakened, individuals who would not succumb easily.

Upon their return to Fallen Star City, they would be brought along.

A single flying mount could secure two individuals with its talons. Five mounts would translate to ten prisoners. Should this prove insufficient, Skinny Pete possessed the capability to control a few additional avian creatures.

Awakened were not merely spoils of war; they represented an invaluable and irreplaceable resource. The loss of one meant a permanent deficit.

Consequently, Ethan made it a practice to preserve Awakened individuals whenever encountered.

Their return would enable Fallen Star City's secondary combat force to ascend to an all-Awakened status. Any surplus could be distributed as rewards to those who had demonstrated unwavering loyalty and made significant contributions.

Such a prize?

It would undoubtedly secure profound devotion, the kind that inspired individuals to willingly lay down their lives without hesitation.

Awakened individuals existed on a plane entirely removed from the ordinary Enhanced. Achieving this status signified true success—an individual who had genuinely carved out a place for themselves in this world. Who wouldn't aspire to such a state?

Other compounds would consider themselves fortunate to have a mere three or four Awakened individuals.

In contrast, Fallen Star City could boast over a hundred.

The mere thought of it filled Ethan with immense satisfaction.

Over the preceding days, they had wreaked havoc across Yamato—engaging in widespread destruction, slaughter, and plunder. The cumulative death toll had already surpassed one million.

To Yamato, they were perceived as demons.

To the Atlas Federation, they were hailed as heroes.

Ethan remained indifferent to the labels imposed by outsiders. All his actions were merely a reflection of Yamato's past treatment of the Atlas Federation.

No—their past transgressions still fell short of the atrocities they now committed.

At the very least, the Fallen Star Squad engaged solely in killing and looting. They did not conduct experiments on living beings, nor did they perpetrate acts of rape against children or the elderly. They did not partake in the truly depraved acts.

He might be a bandit.

But he would not be a beast.

“Mount up. Proceed to the next compound,” Ethan commanded, settling back onto Flint's body once more.

The rest of the team followed suit, mounting their respective flying creatures.

Ethan's objective in Yamato was straightforward: eradicate every compound, compelling them to confront the zombies directly.

However, upon reaching their next destination, they encountered an unexpected sight.

It was deserted.

“Oh?” Ethan surveyed the empty compound, genuinely taken aback. “They evacuated beforehand?”

Truthfully… he almost admired their audacity.

Orchestrating the evacuation of an entire city in the midst of an apocalypse was no minor undertaking. A misstep in such an endeavor could easily lead to their demise at the hands of the zombie hordes.

They dismounted and proceeded to search the premises nonetheless.

Any items of value had already been removed.

“It appears they departed yesterday,” remarked one individual after examining the discernible traces. “However, this compound was substantial—housing at least four hundred thousand people. They couldn't have ventured too far.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

“Then we pursue.”

They remounted their flying steeds and set off in pursuit of the fleeing populace.

A mass exodus of half a million individuals left behind rather obvious signs. The path was clear—trampled earth, abandoned carts, scattered provisions; the predictable chaos of a large-scale evacuation.

Perhaps they sought refuge in a larger, more fortified compound, hoping for protection.

Perhaps they intended to conceal themselves in a remote, hidden location.

Regardless of their intentions, it made no difference to Ethan. They were all destined to be targets.

And with their aerial advantage, even if the evacuation had commenced the previous day, escape was impossible.

Yamato's territory was already quite limited, and with oceans surrounding it on all sides, there were no viable avenues for escape—unless they managed to slip into the Void Realm.

Honestly, Ethan almost wished they had. If the trail led them to an entrance to the Void Realm, that would be a two-birds-one-stone situation.

Their flight continued. Along their path, they passed a few more compounds.

All of them were empty.

It appeared people were evacuating in coordinated groups, like a chain reaction.

Which… yeah. Faced with the Fallen Star Squad, what other option was there besides fleeing?

After flying for over half an hour, they finally spotted their destination.

At the base of a colossal mountain, a multitude of people sprawled like a dark, dense carpet—packed so tightly it seemed to engulf the entire slope's foundation.

To estimate conservatively?

More than five hundred thousand individuals.

Big Mike narrowed his eyes. "Uh… are these people out of their minds? Why did they all gather here? There's no cover whatsoever."

"Who can say," someone replied. "Perhaps they've finally understood that outrunning us is impossible."

Sean tilted his head. "That mountain… isn't that Mount Fuji? I recall Yamato revering it as a sacred peak. Maybe they fled here seeking divine blessings. As if the mountain itself could shield them."

"…Seriously?" Big Mike questioned. "That sounds precisely the kind of foolishness that would actually happen."

Garrick stared for a moment before exclaiming, "Wait—is this thing… erupting?"

"Huh?" Big Mike’s brow furrowed. "What's erupting?"

"Fuji," Garrick stated, sounding almost insulted that no one else had noticed. "It's an active volcano. I heard it hasn't erupted in about three hundred years. It appears to be doing so now—and it's no minor event."

"…"

Chris shot him a sharp glance. "You better be referring to a volcanic eruption."

Garrick blinked. "What else would I be—never mind."

Ethan didn't even bother to react. His gaze remained fixed on the throng below. "Regardless of whether it's erupting or not. If they selected a convenient spot for their own mass demise…"

His tone grew desolate.

"Then we shall oblige them."

"Yes!"

The act of killing had long since become second nature to them.

And eliminating the people of Yamato?

That task was even simpler.

Ethan raised his hand. "Commence the slaughter."

They plunged downwards.

Below, the masses congregated at Fuji's base caught sight of the approaching squadron, and sheer terror cascaded through the packed bodies.

"Didn't the Prime Minister assure us that if we came here, they would dispatch reinforcements?" someone yelled, their voice trembling. "So why is no one here?!"

"I don't know!" another shrieked in response. "They instructed us to wait—that they possessed a method to deal with them!"

"Well, what in blazes is this?! They're already upon us! Where are the reinforcements?!"

"…!"

The realization dawned on a few faces, their expressions contorting.

"Scoundrels… we've been forsaken!"

"Then fight!" someone bellowed, injecting courage into their voice. "We possess overwhelming numbers! What is there to fear?!"

"Annihilate them!"

Not a single soul passively awaited their doom. A tempest of abilities surged upwards—flames, lightning, gusts of wind, all hurled towards the descending attackers.

Big Mike scoffed. "Like mere insects attempting to halt a cataclysm."

He swept his arm.

A deluge of fire rained from the heavens, impacting the crowd below with devastating force.

Those engulfed by the flames didn't even have the chance to cry out. They were instantly reduced to cinders.

Skinny Pete was not about to be outdone. With a flick of his wrist, a colossal tornado materialized amidst the throng, vortexing individuals by the score—then tearing them apart into a macabre confetti of gore.

Garrick moved in unison.

Meteorites descended in a brutal downpour, carving craters into the earth. Anyone unfortunate enough to be beneath one was crushed into a paste of flesh.

These three individuals were the Fallen Star Squad's most lethal agents for crowd control. In a confrontation of this nature, their value skyrocketed—proving more devastating than anyone else on the team.