Chapter 720: This time… it was personal

Ethan couldn’t help feeling a little regretful—he’d missed out on the epic war between humans and zombies all those years ago.

As for stealing back the Dreadnought-class Starcruiser? Yeah, that was pretty much a pipe dream. The thing was massive—there was no way his spatial storage ring could hold something that size.

And even if he somehow managed to get it, he couldn’t fly the damn thing on his own anyway.

Then PhD dropped another bombshell.

“Besides the human tech, I also dug up some info on something called ‘the spatial key.'”

Ethan perked up immediately. The spatial key—that was the Star Map tablet he’d been carrying around. The thing was shrouded in mystery. He barely knew anything about it, let alone what it was actually for.

“What kind of info?” he asked.

“There are tons of legends about it,” PhD replied. “But to sum it up, the spatial key doesn’t just let you travel through space—it’s also a literal key.”

“A key…” Ethan muttered under his breath.

So the Star Map tablet could unlock something. But what exactly? That part was still a mystery. No amount of intel could give him a straight answer.

The thing was just too enigmatic. If he wanted the truth, he’d have to uncover it piece by piece, step by step.

…

Since setting up the lab, PhD had managed to gather a ton of useful intel.

He’d even intercepted signals from other zombie nests, giving them insight into what was going on in other regions of Necroterra.

With the lab being this important, Ethan figured it was time to relocate it—move it right to the center of Southvale. That way, the other zombie nests under the control of the various Zombie Kings could form a protective ring around it.

Meanwhile, Bulldozer, Laura, Big Ears, and the rest of the crew had already gone to take over Gravestone’s old nest.

Once they got away from the Exile Zone, the environment noticeably improved. There were even patches of grass here and there, and the occasional bug crawling around.

The remaining zombie forces in Gravestone’s nest were easily wiped out by Bulldozer and Laura’s team.

As for managing the livestock farms? That was all handed off to Big Ears.

The place was huge—over twenty separate livestock zones scattered throughout the nest.

Big Ears and the rest of the Overlord Squad, along with their underlings, went around inspecting everything. They looked pretty damn pleased.

“Alright,” Big Ears said with a grin. “Now we’re finally playing in the big leagues.”

Shrimpy, however, looked a little conflicted. “Big Ears, when the boss fought Gravestone, we didn’t even get to join in. Are we really just the logistics team now? Is that what the Overlord Squad’s become?”

“Who says we didn’t fight?” Big Ears shot back, raising a hand and pointing toward the pig farm ahead. “This… this is our battlefield now.”

“…”

After Gravestone was taken out, the cleanup went smoothly. For a while, nothing major happened.

His death was like a stone tossed into the ocean—barely made a ripple in Necroterra.

Apparently, not many zombies had paid attention to him in the first place.

Only a few nests in the southern region of Southvale had heard the news: Gravestone had gone to challenge Umbradrake… and got obliterated.

So, on the surface, it looked like Umbradrake had become the new Overlord of Southvale.

The other Zombie Kings weren’t thrilled. Umbradrake had always been a loud, arrogant bastard—constantly extorting livestock from everyone. If he was in charge now, what kind of hell were they in for?

But then… something unexpected happened.

After taking over, Umbradrake suddenly went quiet. No more swaggering around, no more showing off. He kept to himself, barely left his lair.

And just like that, Southvale settled into an eerie calm.

…

Over the past few days, Ethan had been laying low too. He’d just hunted down an SSS-grade crystal core and was in the middle of absorbing its energy.

This particular core had belonged to Gravestone and was focused on enhancing physical strength. As a result, Ethan’s body had become even more powerful—tougher, faster, stronger.

It also hinted at a possible future evolution path. Maybe… he could unlock a new ability tied to his physical form.

If that happened, then his mental power, physical prowess, and Absolute Domain would all reach their peak.

“…”

Compared to the eerie calm that had settled over Necroterra, the world of human civilization was anything but quiet. Beneath the surface, something massive was brewing—a plan so bold, it could shake the foundations of everything.

The aftermath of Ethan’s visit still hadn’t died down.

In the Inner City, riots sparked by people from the Outer Zone had raged for days before finally being crushed. But inside the Hawke family’s palatial estate, the real storm was just beginning.

A reinforced alloy cage rattled violently, the sound of metal clanging echoing through the grand hall. From inside came low, guttural growls—zombie snarls that sent chills down the spine.

Inside that cage was Trent Hawke.

He was crammed up against the bars, clawing desperately through the gaps, his face twisted into a bloodthirsty snarl. His eyes were wild, his mouth dripping with hunger. He wasn’t human anymore.

Outside the cage stood his family—his father, mother, and a crowd of stunned relatives.

Several women had their hands over their mouths, tears streaming down their faces. They couldn’t bear to look at what had become of him.

Howard Hawke stood silently, eyes locked on his son. His face was pale, his eyes bloodshot—he hadn’t slept in days.

Beside him, his wife sobbed uncontrollably.

“Why… why did this happen?” she cried. “Our Trent was perfectly fine! How could he turn into a zombie? You’ve spent your whole life protecting the Inner City, and you couldn’t even protect your own son! Waaaah!”

Howard didn’t say a word. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. The hatred he felt for Ethan had already reached a boiling point.

His wife wasn’t done. “You spend all your time in that lab, building mechs, weapons, all that high-tech crap… So tell me—can any of it turn our son back into a human?”

Howard finally spoke, his voice low and strained. “Not yet. But I’ve already submitted a proposal to the Alliance. I’m calling on all the major families to pool their resources and find a cure for Trent.”

His wife looked at him, still trembling. “And you think they’ll agree? Why would they help us?”

“They will,” Howard said firmly. “Because it’s not just us. Other families… they’ve had people turn too.”

Her expression froze. She didn’t know what to say to that.

Just then, a servant approached the cage and tossed in a slab of fresh beef, still dripping with blood.

Trent caught the scent instantly. He lunged at the meat, tearing into it like a wild animal, devouring it in seconds. But even after he’d finished, he wasn’t satisfied. He kept slamming against the cage, snarling, desperate to get out—to sink his teeth into human flesh.

Howard’s eye twitched at the sight.

They had plenty of meat to feed him, but they couldn’t keep doing it. The more he ate, the more… aware he seemed to become. He was evolving. Gaining intelligence.

Howard glanced at the clock, then turned to his wife.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll find a way to cure him. But before that… I need to make someone pay.”

His wife’s eyes widened. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m heading to the Grand Council. What happened in the Inner City was too serious to ignore. Even if I didn’t go after the Zombie King who caused all this, the other families wouldn’t let it slide. We’re going to discuss a plan to hunt him down.”

His wife’s face went pale. She’d heard the rumors—this Zombie King wasn’t just powerful. He was something else entirely. A Voidborn Undying.

“You’re going after the Voidborn Undying?”

Howard nodded. “Yeah. But don’t worry. This isn’t my first time dealing with monsters.”

With that, he turned and walked out, not looking back.

The rest of the family watched him go, their hearts heavy. The man who had spent his life defending the Inner City was once again heading into battle—this time, against a nightmare.

And this time… it was personal.

…