Apocalypse: King of Zombies
Chapter 565 - 565: …Where the hell did all these monsters come from?

The horde of zombies surged into the tunnel without hesitation. The gaping black hole in the mountainside swallowed them whole, like the open maw of some ancient beast, devouring one vicious figure after another.

Big Ears and the others watched the whole thing unfold from their snowy perch.

"They went in?" Mist asked, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah… but where the hell does that tunnel even lead?" Shrimpy muttered, curiosity piqued.

Big Ears' eyes flicked back and forth as he thought it over. "Whatever it is, it's not gonna be anything good. Shrimpy, go find Bulldozer. I'm gonna stick around and listen in—see if I can figure out where they're headed."

"Got it, on it!" Shrimpy nodded quickly and took off through the snow.

The foreign zombies had all disappeared into the tunnel now. The entrance was a mess—muddy footprints trampled into the snow—but the area had gone eerily quiet again.

Once he was sure it was safe, Big Ears crept closer.

He pressed one of his massive ears against the icy rock wall, tuning in with his Hyper Hearing. Every sound—every shuffle, grunt, and scrape—echoed through the stone and into his ears like a sonar feed.

The foreign zombies were making a lot of noise inside the tunnel. Their movements echoed through the mountain, and Big Ears caught every bit of it.

"Big Ears, what's the word?" Mist asked, crouching beside him.

"They're on the move. Let's go—we're following them," Big Ears said, already shifting into motion. He dropped low, dragging his ear along the ground as he moved, tracking the vibrations like a bloodhound on a scent.

The snowfield stretched out around them, endless and white. Big Ears kept his signature tracking pose, inching forward with eerie precision.

Sure enough, he quickly picked up on the direction the underground horde was heading—straight toward the U.S. interior. More specifically, toward the small town where Awan lived.

Big Ears didn't stop.

A short while later, a massive figure appeared on the horizon, flanked by a squad of elite zombies. Bulldozer had arrived, with Shrimpy leading the way.

"Big Ears! Shrimpy said you found foreign zombies. Where are they?" Bulldozer called out.

"Underground," Big Ears replied without even looking up, pointing toward the earth as he continued his slow, deliberate crawl.

"Uh…" Bulldozer blinked, a little thrown. "Damn, they're really going underground now? Sneaky bastards."

As Big Ears approached, Bulldozer and his crew instinctively stepped aside, clearing a path so they wouldn't interrupt his tracking.

Then, without a word, they fell in behind him, curious to see where this tunnel would spit the enemy out.

As the group moved closer to the town, more zombies began to join them—drawn by the movement, the tension in the air. Gatorax and Fear, both Zombie Kings and core members of the Overlord Squad, showed up with their own elite squads, falling into formation behind Bulldozer.

Soon after, Laura, Little Shadow, and Sprout caught wind of the situation and brought their own forces to join the growing procession.

Before long, what had started as a small group had snowballed into a full-blown Zombie Horde—tens of thousands strong. And not just any zombies—these were hardened, high-tier undead, brimming with killing intent and raw power.

Up on a nearby ridge, Rebar—one of Redgaze Zombie King Logan's lieutenants—was standing watch with his squad, keeping an eye out for foreign threats.

Then he looked out across the snowfield… and froze.

A massive horde was moving across the white expanse, thick as a black tide. The air was heavy with the aura of powerful Zombie Kings, and the elite troops behind them radiated menace. Their evolution levels were off the charts—each one a walking weapon.

But the strangest part?

They were all following one zombie.

A single figure at the front, dragging his enormous ears along the ground, legs stiff, body low, moving with laser focus.

"…What the hell?"

"What are they doing?"

"Is that… is that some kind of deformed Zombie King?"

"…What the actual fuck?"

"..."

Rebar and the other zombies murmured among themselves, trying to make sense of what they were seeing. That weird zombie with the giant ears didn't look like a Zombie King… but something about the way the others followed him made them hesitate.

So Rebar stepped forward to ask what was going on.

Once he got the full story, his expression shifted from confusion to grim understanding. Without another word, he and his squad joined the growing Zombie Horde.

Now tens of thousands strong, the undead army surged forward like a tidal wave. They moved through snow-covered mountains, across frozen forests, drawing closer and closer to the small town nestled in the heart of the U.S.

At the front, Big Ears kept his head low, ear pressed to the ground, tracking the underground movement with laser focus. But even he couldn't help feeling a little smug.

He glanced back at the massive horde trailing behind him—elite zombies, battle-hardened kings, and high-tier monsters all following his lead. He couldn't help but think this moment deserved a bold line on his undead résumé:

Led a 50,000-strong elite Zombie Horde. (Yes, all of them were badasses.)

But just as he was basking in that thought, Big Ears suddenly froze.

He stopped dead in his tracks, eyes scanning the terrain. They'd reached a wide, open plain. Jagged rocks jutted out from the snow like broken teeth, but everything was blanketed in white.

Below them, the foreign zombies had stopped moving.

"They're not going any further," Big Ears muttered.

Bulldozer lumbered up beside him. "What's going on?"

"I think… they're about to surface," Big Ears said, eyes narrowing.

"Oh?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the surrounding zombies perked up. Eyes gleamed with anticipation. The horde began to close in around the area, forming a loose perimeter.

…

Down in the tunnel, it was pitch black—but that didn't bother the zombies. Their vision cut through the dark just fine.

The Canadian undead were practically vibrating with excitement.

"We finally made it!"

"Damn, this tunnel's long as hell."

"Wonder where we are now… wherever it is, humans can't be far."

They were itching for blood.

"Keep your heads on straight," Chrome Dome Zombie King warned. "We're in Redgaze's territory now. Don't get cocky."

"Got it, boss!" his underlings replied in unison.

Chrome Dome continued, "Remember the plan—hit the humans fast, then vanish before Redgaze even knows what happened. We're not here for a war. We're here to strike and disappear. No heroics. No dragging it out."

"Smart! That's why you're the boss!" the zombies cheered.

With that, Chrome Dome started digging upward. The tunnel's exit had been buried under snow, and some of it had even drifted down into the passage.

He clawed at the snow in huge handfuls, clearing the way. Bit by bit, light began to filter in. The cold white glow of daylight crept down the tunnel.

Then—crack—he broke through.

Sunlight poured in, blinding after so long underground. Chrome Dome squinted, blinking against the glare. The snow outside sparkled like diamonds.

But something felt… off.

He paused.

All around him, standing in the snow, were figures—zombies. Not just any zombies. These ones were radiating serious power. Their eyes locked onto him like predators spotting prey.

And they weren't his.

"…Wait. What the hell?" Chrome Dome muttered, blinking hard.

Why were there so many zombies here?

And why did they all look like they were from the American side?

"…Maybe I came out wrong. Maybe it's just the light messing with my eyes," he mumbled, trying to convince himself.

So he ducked back into the tunnel… then popped his head out again.

Nope. Still there.

Up above, Bulldozer and the other Zombie Kings were staring straight at him. They watched him dip back down, then reappear like some kind of undead whack-a-mole.

"…What's he doing?" Mist asked, deadpan.

Now Chrome Dome was fully out of the tunnel again—and this time, he locked eyes with Bulldozer.

The two stared at each other.

And then it hit him.

There was no illusion. No hallucination. No trick of the light.

He was surrounded.

The tunnel exit was completely encircled by powerful Zombie Kings. Behind them, tens of thousands of elite zombies stood in formation, eyes glowing with bloodlust.

And the worst part?

These weren't just any zombies. These were top-tier. Their evolution levels were off the charts—way beyond anything his own horde could match.

"…Where the hell did all these monsters come from?"

...