Zombie Domination-Chapter 33- Coup

Randoff stepped forward, his eyes scanning the battlefield littered with twitching zombie corpses. He looked straight at Julian and his group, a rare smile breaking through his usually stern expression. "Excellent work, Julian. Your team handled those mutated zombies with impressive skill."

Julian dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Your team performed admirably as well. Their coordination was solid."

Veronica puffed out her chest with a smirk, her pride unmistakable. Clarissa, by contrast, only smiled softly, her eyes twinkling with quiet satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Cris glared daggers at them from a few steps away, his fists clenched at his sides. ’Damn him’, he seethed inwardly. ’I’ll kill him when the time is right...’

Randoff turned to the group as a whole. "Collect the mutated zombies’ crystals. We’ll rest here briefly before we continue."

The team spread out across the blood-soaked street, retrieving the shimmering crystals from the chests of the mutated zombies. The crystals pulsed faintly, a testament to the monstrous power they had contained.

While the team worked, Clarissa approached Luke curiously. "You said it takes six skill users to take down one mutated zombie... but I just saw our group manage it. Why?"

Before Luke could answer, Vivi cut in with a teasing laugh. "Don’t trust Luke too much, he likes to exaggerate things to make himself look good."

Luke scratched the back of his head, laughing awkwardly. "Hey, I was just being careful! Better to overestimate than underestimate, right?"

Clarissa giggled, shaking her head in amusement.

Then Julian asked in a serious tone, "Did you encounter any other mutated zombies besides that?"

Luke shook his head slowly, his face still tense. "No... we only found the same mutated one as yesterday. Nothing else."

Vivi added cautiously, "Luke and I... whenever we go on expeditions, we always avoid mutated zombies. In our group, only Luke and I have the skills to fight. The others can’t be relied on if we have to face a mutated."

Then Veronica spoke with an arrogant tone, "Doesn’t that mean we’re the strongest? We defeated the mutated zombie quickly."

Julian admitted with a nod, "Yes, we are strong."

Once everyone had gathered the crystals, they took a few moments to catch their breath and check each other for wounds. Then, Randoff rose to his feet, his armor clinking softly. "Alright, everyone. Let’s move out. We need to reach the last known location of the missing group."

The expedition team fell into formation once more, their boots crunching over broken glass and debris as they pressed deeper into the lifeless cityscape.

---------×---------

Meanwhile, back at the shelter, Brandon lounged comfortably in his office, a twisted smile spreading across his face as he stared out the window at the quiet compound. His eyes gleamed with manic excitement. ’Finally... the day I’ve been waiting for has arrived’.

He leaned forward, fingers steepled under his chin, imagining the power that would soon be his.’This shelter... no, this entire city... will belong to me. I will be the king of this new world’.

A knock interrupted his dark reverie. One of his loyal subordinates entered, bowing his head low. "Mr. Brandon, the preparations you requested are complete. Everything is ready."

Brandon rose from his chair, his expression dark and hungry as he strolled past the subordinate. "Wonderful," he said, his voice a low purr of satisfaction. He turned his gaze toward the evening sky beyond the window, the first stars starting to pierce the darkening clouds. "Tonight, we begin. By dawn, this shelter will be mine."

He let out a chilling laugh that echoed through the empty hallways, the sound filled with malicious triumph. "Prepare the men. Tell them... the coup starts tonight."

---------×---------

Late into the night, Gabriel sat hunched over his desk, stacks of reports and plans scattered across the surface. His eyes were heavy, and his hand trembled slightly as he reached for his pen. Am I... just getting old? he wondered, feeling a strange weakness spreading through his body.

Just then, Darius entered the office, concern clear on his face. "Mr. Gabriel, you should rest. It’s late, and you’ve been working nonstop."

Gabriel forced a tired smile. "I will, Darius... but I need to finish this first."

Before they could continue, a chorus of chilling wolf howls rose outside, echoing through the shelter grounds. Darius stiffened. "That’s... strange. Wolves? And so many..."

Their attention snapped to the doorway as slow, deliberate footsteps echoed in the hall. Brandon emerged from the shadows, a cruel grin twisting his face. He stepped forward with unsettling calm. "Tonight," he declared darkly, "is the night I become king."

Darius immediately stepped in front of Gabriel, raising his arms as a translucent barrier of [Shield Force] flickered into existence. "Mr. Gabriel, get behind me!" he barked.

But Gabriel, eyes cool and sharp, assessed the situation silently.

Brandon chuckled lowly. "That’s useless, Darius," he taunted. "You’re already finished. You both are. The poison has been spreading in your bodies for hours now."

Darius’s eyes widened in horror. "Since... when...?"

Gabriel, however, remained composed. His gaze fixed firmly on Brandon. "Is this truly your choice, Brandon?"

A twisted light glinted in Brandon’s eyes. "Yes, it is," he hissed. "I’m tired of living under your shadow. I will never serve anyone again. This world has changed, and I will be the one to rule it."

Darius’s voice rose, trembling with anger. "Have you forgotten everything Mr. Gabriel has done for you? Where is your gratitude?!"

Brandon’s expression hardened with contempt. "Gratitude? Don’t make me laugh. In this new world, only the strong deserve to lead."

With a roar, Brandon activated his skill, [Werewolf]. His body rippled and cracked, muscles bulging grotesquely as fur sprouted and his face twisted into a savage wolf-like snout. His claws gleamed in the moonlight streaming through the window.

The transformed Brandon snarled, his voice now a guttural growl. "And tonight, under the full moon... luck is on my side."

---------×---------

Emma and Aya were resting in their room when the chilling sound of a wolf’s howl suddenly cut through the silence of the night, echoing through the shelter. They exchanged tense looks.

"What was that...?" Aya whispered.

Emma’s face hardened. "I’ll wake my mother. Let’s check it out."

Together, they moved quickly, shaking Eliza awake. But before they could speak, a thunderous crash sounded from outside their room. The door shuddered under a powerful impact.

Emma’s eyes narrowed. "Aya, get ready."

Aya drew her bow with practiced ease, her eyes sharpening with her [Eagle Eye] skill. Emma stepped forward, flames dancing in her hands as she activated her [Pyrokinesis], and positioned her mother behind them.

The door burst open with a final, splintering crack. Three towering werewolves stepped into view, their eyes gleaming and claws bared. One of them let out a low growl. "We’ve come to capture you and deliver you to our king."

Emma’s lips curled into a smirk. "You know, it’s considered rude to drop by uninvited in the middle of the night."

Without hesitation, she launched a blast of searing flames toward the werewolves. Aya loosed a rapid series of arrows, each one guided by pinpoint accuracy. The first werewolf staggered under the combined assault, but let out a deafening howl, a call for reinforcements.

Aya’s eyes widened. "Emma, it’s trying to summon more!"

Before the howl could grow louder, Aya’s arrow pierced its throat, silencing it. Emma’s flames flared bright, and with a forceful gesture, she concentrated the blaze into a focused fireball that incinerated the creature.

The remaining two lunged at them with fangs bared, but Aya shot one directly through the eye, dropping it instantly. Emma swept her arms forward, sending a surge of flames that engulfed the last werewolf and reduced it to a charred husk.

The room caught fire from Emma’s flames, forcing them to retreat into the hallway. Smoke curled around them as they emerged to chaos: screams rang out as terrified civilians fled in every direction. Werewolves rampaged through the shelter, dragging people away.

Nearby, residents fought back with modified weapons, rifles spitting plasma rounds, blades enhanced with energy cores. Amid the confusion, Ms. Rei appeared, her long hair whipping behind her as she carried a massive modified machine gun. Her eyes locked onto Eliza, Emma, and Aya.

"Emma! Aya! Stay with me" Ms. Rei shouted.

Ms. Rei stepped forward, her eyes sharp. "We’re heading to Gabriel. We need to assess the situation there."

Emma, Aya, and Eliza exchanged determined looks. "We’re with you," Emma said firmly. Aya and Eliza nodded in agreement.

Without wasting another second, they all moved swiftly, boots pounding against the cold concrete floor as they left the shelter.

Ms. Rei turned to her subordinates, her voice crisp and commanding. "Evacuate the civilians immediately. Get them to the safe zone." freeweɓnøvel~com

"Yes, ma’am!" her team responded in unison, their faces set with resolve as they scattered to carry out her orders.

She swung her machine gun around and unleashed a hail of gunfire, bullets tearing through two werewolves mid-leap. Blood sprayed as the beasts fell twitching.

"This is Brandon’s doing," Ms. Rei snarled over the roar of her gun. "He’s staging a coup!"

Suddenly, a deafening crash came from deeper within the shelter, the direction of Gabriel and Darius’s office. The ground trembled with the force of the impact, and Ms. Rei’s expression darkened with worry. "Mr. Gabriel...!"

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