Regressed with Omnipotent AI on Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 149: Final Moments

Scott's eyes widened. "What?" He had expected to be given nominal control, but Zack was handing him actual military power—a rarity in the apocalypse. Even more surprising, the soldiers Zack offered were those who had fought and bled alongside Scott, cementing their loyalty to him.

"Sir Zack, I'll oversee the base, but I can't accept control of the troops, especially not these men," Scott protested, his tone firm but respectful. He knew better than to overreach and invite suspicion.

Zack chuckled, a rare, cold smile gracing his lips. "I understand your concerns, but don't worry. I have measures in place to ensure loyalty." He turned slightly and gestured, his voice commanding. "Let's proceed."

Moments later, the manufacturing bugs rushed in, each carrying syringes loaded with microchips. These devices, no larger than a grain of rice, were designed to integrate seamlessly into the bloodstream, traveling to the brain where they could perform their full suite of functions. Each chip had tracking capabilities, behavior monitoring, and most importantly—a self-destruct mechanism to ensure absolute control. "Behavioral analysis, positioning, and self-destruction," Zack said, holding up one of the syringes and handing it to Scott.

Without hesitation, Scott took the syringe, injected it directly into his neck, and stood resolutely. The pressure-activated needle delivered the microchip in an instant. There wasn't a moment of doubt in his movements. Zack observed him, a slight smirk playing at his lips. Scott's decisiveness didn't come from coercion alone. The sheer technological and military prowess Zack displayed, combined with his pragmatic approach to leadership, had already won Scott's allegiance. To him, Zack's rule promised something rare in the apocalypse: stability, progress, and strength.

Scott knelt on one knee, his voice unwavering. "Master, I am yours to command."

Zack acknowledged the gesture with a nod. "Good. Take these to your soldiers. Once they're chipped, I'll grant you secondary control over their functions."

"Understood!" Scott stood without hesitation and began distributing the syringes to his troops. As this unfolded, a deep, rough voice cut through the tense atmosphere. Zack! What are you going to do with me?"

Zack turned to see Andre, supported by two burly soldiers, finally regaining consciousness. Despite his weakened state, Andre's voice carried his usual defiance. "How would you prefer I handle this?" Zack asked, his tone calm and unreadable.

"My mission is to kill you and take your weapons and technology," Andre said bluntly. "This time, we fought a common enemy, but next time, there won't be such an alliance. If you let me live, I'll fulfill my mission, even if it costs my life."

Andre's words left Zack momentarily silent, but it wasn't confusion or hesitation—only mild irritation. He admired the Siberian tiger's stubbornness, but this unyielding honesty bordered on suicidal. "You're forcing me to kill you," Zack finally said, his voice laced with exasperation.

"That's the point," Andre replied with a grim determination. "My men are dead. I want to join them." The two bear soldiers standing behind Andre stiffened. Although they didn't understand the conversation fully, their intuition told them what was happening.

"Sir!" one of them, a wiry man named Nikolai, interjected. "We will stand with you, no matter what!" Andre turned to his men, speaking to them in their native tongue. "Wish, Pavel, you have families to return to. Go home. This is my decision."

"We refuse!" Nikolai said firmly, his voice shaking but resolute. "We are warriors. Fearless warriors. We will not abandon our commander!"

Andre sighed deeply. He admired their loyalty but knew they wouldn't leave him. Turning back to Zack, he spoke again. "You'll have to kill three of us to end this." His body began to transform, colorful stripes spreading across his skin as his muscles expanded. The fur grew back, replacing his human features with the primal ferocity of a five-meter-long tiger.

"Roar!" Andre's thunderous growl echoed across the battlefield as his claws dug into the blood-soaked earth.

Zack exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. "If this is what you've chosen..." With a sharp, metallic click, the plates of the Apex suit began to shift. Armor pieces reconfigured, and weapons systems activated. Zack wasn't rushing into the fight; this was a demonstration, a calculated and precise show of dominance.

"What are you doing...?" Andre growled, his tiger claws poised in midair, hesitation flickering in his predatory eyes. Without his armor, Zack looked like any ordinary man. Andre couldn't understand how Zack considered this a "fair fight."

Zack's voice was calm, almost dismissive. "I don't like hand-to-hand combat. If I can solve a problem with my armor, I do. But this time, I'll make an exception."

With those words, Zack raised his foot and stomped it into the ground. The earth trembled under the force, and a shallow crater with spiderweb-like cracks spread out beneath him. The shockwave silenced Andre's doubts. Even without armor, Zack was no ordinary human. "Roar!" Andre's hesitation evaporated. He roared, launching himself forward with his claws aimed at Zack's head. Holding back now would be an insult to the fairness Zack had offered.

The tiger's claws tore through the air like blades, accompanied by a gust of wind. Zack stood his ground and met the strike with a clenched fist. The collision was monumental—a human fist against the massive paw of a five-meter-long tiger.

Boom! The sound reverberated across the battlefield. Andre immediately felt a force he could barely comprehend. His claws met Zack's fist, and the result was catastrophic—but not for Zack. The sound of bones shattering echoed, followed by a pained roar from Andre as the bones in his paw were crushed. But Andre didn't stop. With a roar, he swung his tail—a lethal weapon, even with part of it severed. The whip-like force cracked through the air, aiming for Zack.

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Zack raised his forearms just in time to block. The impact sent him skidding backward, his feet digging a trench in the blood-soaked earth. He came to a halt just before colliding with Scott, planting his hand into the ground to steady himself.

The blow hadn't injured him—Zack's body bore no bruises or marks—but his light frame had been thrown purely by the force. "To be honest, Andre," Zack said, shaking the dirt off his arm, "you're better at being a tiger than most real ones I've killed."

Zack smirked, then crouched low. "But that's all you've got!" With explosive force, Zack launched himself forward like a cannonball, the ground behind him cratering from the sheer power of his takeoff. He collided with Andre mid-stride, the impact so intense it staggered the tiger and nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Commander Andre! We'll back you up!" Two of Andre's remaining soldiers, Nikolai and Pavel, rushed into the fray, their exoskeletons amplifying their strength to nearly superhuman levels.

"You're true warriors," Zack said in perfect Russian, his tone sincere. "But I won't hold back." In a blur of motion, Zack closed the gap between them. His speed was inhuman, his fists like sledgehammers. One blow each, and both soldiers were sent flying. Their exoskeletons crumpled inward under the force, their central nervous systems instantly severed. They fell lifelessly to the ground, spared the pain of drawn-out deaths.

"Roar!" Andre bellowed as he charged Zack again, his voice a mix of rage and relief, knowing this was the end. Zack heard no hatred in the roar, only a desperate desire for closure.