E999 looked around the tunnels. For the first time in his life, he saw a place that felt truly peaceful. The silence wasn't heavy—it was calm, almost sacred. The air was cool, and the dim light from above cast soft shadows on the old stone walls. Everything here seemed untouched by war, blood, or death. No werewolves. No screaming crowds. No arena.
Just silence.
He strolled slowly, deeper into the winding path, letting himself relax. His footsteps echoed softly, mixing with the occasional sound of water dripping in the distance. It felt… different. He didn't know if he liked it, but at least it wasn't the usual chaos.
Then he heard it.
A footstep. Slow. Uneven.
E999 stopped. His senses sharpened. The sound echoed again—step… scrape… step… scrape…
Someone—or something—was coming.
He turned around fast, fists clenched and body ready. What he saw made his heart skip.
A humanoid figure staggered toward him from the shadows. At first glance, it looked like a person. But then he saw the truth.
Its skin was grey, sagging, and rotting. Open wounds revealed bone and muscle. One of its arms hung loosely by a few tendons. Its jaw dangled crookedly, twitching with each step. The stench of rot and death hit him like a wall.
"What the hell…" he muttered, stepping back.
It took another step toward him, its lifeless eyes locked onto him like a predator tracking prey.
Then it clicked.
His brain flashed back to his old mobile games. The late-night matches with his squad. The undead siege events on Call of Duty Mobile.
"No way… that's a damn zombie."
He blinked, almost laughing. "What the hell is going on here?"
But there was no time to think. The zombie lunged with a horrible gurgling sound. E999 moved without hesitation. His training, instincts, and gaming experience all merged in one swift motion.
He ducked low, twisted his body, and drove a powerful punch straight into the zombie's skull. The impact cracked bone instantly, the creature's head jerking backward. It collapsed to the floor.
Dead.
No—disintegrated.
The body didn't slump or bleed. It broke apart into dark, swirling particles and vanished into thin air, as if it had never existed.
"What the…" he whispered, staring in disbelief.
Where the body had been, something glittered on the ground. A small crystal, glowing faintly with an eerie blue light.
Cautiously, E999 reached down and picked it up. The moment he touched it, a strange pulse ran through his body, like static through his veins. His Aether Sight activated on its own. A soft voice echoed in his mind.
°~[ A Neurocore has been detected.]~°
°~[Consume for more benefits.]~°
°~[+50 EXP for killing an Evolving Zombie.]~°
He blinked again.
"What the fuck is a Neurocore?"
A rush of information followed, like a system update downloading straight into his brain.
°~[ A Neurocore is a rare formation that appears in zombies on the verge of evolution. These zombies, unlike normal ones, are sentient enough to develop new powers.
Once a Neurocore is fully matured, it transforms into a Crystal Core, signaling the second phase of evolution.
Zombies with Crystal Cores become more intelligent, faster, and significantly more powerful. They are no longer mindless—they lead others.
This is when they begin the final phase of evolution: the transformation into a Zombie King.]~°
E999 stood in stunned silence, still holding the crystal.
So that thing he just killed? It was about to evolve. It wasn't just some slow, dumb walker. If he had hesitated… if he hadn't struck fast…
That thing could've become a King.
His fingers tightened around the Neurocore.
"That's… new," he muttered, still trying to piece everything together. "None of that was in any game I've played."
He glanced at the tunnel ahead, suddenly more alert.
If there was one evolving zombie… there could be more.
And if a Zombie King really existed down here, waiting to evolve… he'd need more than just punches to survive.
Still, he felt something. A little spark of excitement, buried under the confusion and dread.
He'd never fought zombies in real life before. But now? Now he had EXP. Loot. A glowing core. Level-ups?
This was turning into a twisted RPG. One where dying wasn't just a restart.
He looked back at the path behind him, then forward into the darkness.
"Alright," he muttered, slipping the Neurocore into a pouch. "Guess its game on.
E999 kept walking, but now every step he was taking was measured. Every sound was sharper. The quiet place wasn't calm anymore—it was hiding something.
He glanced behind him again but Nothing. Just the endless stone tunnel, dim and cold.
But still, that feeling in his gut wouldn't go away. That crawling itch at the back of his neck. The sense that something was just out of sight… waiting was gawning at him.
He knew he had no choice but to move deeper into the tunnels. The light dimmed with each step he took, but his precision stayed active, casting a faint awareness around him. It wasn't much, but it was enough to spot movement.
And soon, he felt it.
A second zombie was ahead. But this one was different.
It stood still, facing the wall, twitching in small, unnatural spasms. Its body looked bulkier—thicker muscle over decaying flesh. A large gash ran down its spine, revealing something pulsing underneath.
Another one with a Neurocore?he thought
E999 immediately crouched low, watching it intensely. The creature hadn't noticed him yet.
He quickly decided to check his options.
Fighting head-on worked last time, but this one looked tougher. More evolved.
His eyes scanned the tunnel. He spoted a loose stone, a cracked ceiling beam, debris near the walls. He smilled this is good enough i guess.
He picked up a rock and hurled it toward the far end of the tunnel.
Clack! Clack!
The zombie twitched violently at the sound, then turned toward it with a low growl thinking it was a human due to the scent of one in the air. It started shuffling in that direction.
Perfect,E999 muttered.
E999 sprinted toward it from its behind, keeping a low and silent movement. the creature stepped past a broken beam, and he saw his opportunity and he quickly leapt forward and kicked it in the back with full force.
The zombie flew forward, hitting the wall with a crunch.
It turned immediately, roaring in pain.
This one was faster. Its eyes glowed red.and It charged without hesitation.
E999 seeing this dodged left, barely missing a claw swipe aimed for his throat. And he countered with a spin-kick to the ribs, but the zombie barely flinched.
"Okay, you're tougher."he said
He immediately dropped low and aimed for the legs, sweeping it off balance. As it hit the ground, he brought both fists down on its skull in a double strike.
A burst of black mist exploded as its head shattered.
It was finally dead.
And just like before—it disintegrated. Only this time, it left something else behind.
Two crystals? he muttered.
One glowing blue like before.and the other—dark red, pulsating like a heartbeat.
E999 approached them slowly, picking them up one by one.
°~[ Neurocore obtained.]~°
°~[Blood Core obtained.]~°
°~[+120 EXP – Evolving Berserker Zombie defeated.]~°
"A Blood Core?" he whispered, eyes narrowing.
His Aether Sight activated again. This time, the information came slower. Like whatever force feeding him the knowledge had to dig deeper for the answer.
°~[ Blood Core]~°
°~[A rare variant found in aggressive evolving zombies. Can be consumed to boost physical power permanently or used to craft high-tier enhancements.]~°
°~[Warning: Consuming Blood Cores can lead to corruption over time.]~°
E999 stared at it.So this power came with a cost. he told himself.
He clenched the core in his hand. It was warm—almost alive. He shoved it into his pouch and looked down the tunnel again.
This time more footsteps was heard maybe the roar left by that zombie was an alarm.
Fucking son of a bitch,what am i going to do now
This time, my preception is screaming many.Too many.
He turned his head toward the deeper parts of the tunnel. Something was coming. Not just walkers.
A horde.
And among them… he felt it.
Something bigger.
Something older.
His instincts screamed at him to run.
The King.
He didn't wait nor thought twice.he ran.
His legs pounded against the stone floor, body pushing hard as the tunnel widened. He needed higher ground, a place to fight smarter—not in a straight line like a rat in a trap.
Ahead, the tunnel forked. Two paths.
One to the left, lit by flickering torchlight.
and one to the right—completely dark, but colder, quieter.
He hesitated.
Then chose right.and the darkness swallowed him.
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