[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-apocalypse-king-of-zombies":3,"chapter-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1042":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Apocalypse: King of Zombies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},697060,930,"Chapter 1042 1042: Welcome to the Inner Circle","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1042",1042,"\u003Cp>To avoid alerting anyone, Ethan and Chris didn't make a move on the guards at the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan activated his [True Sight], picked a blind spot with no one around, and used [Teleportation] to blink across the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris followed right behind, cloaked in invisibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The difference between this area and the last was night and day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The streets were cleaner, the buildings spaced farther apart, and the houses themselves were much larger and better maintained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan scanned the area with [True Sight] and quickly noticed that most of the residents here were young Enhanced—many of them still without abilities, and those who had them were low-tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was clearly where the \"useful\" people lived—those who could still contribute to the Safe Zone. Their living conditions were clearly better. At the very least, they weren't starving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan and Chris didn't linger. They kept moving toward the central zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris stayed invisible the whole way, while Ethan moved cautiously, teleporting whenever he needed to avoid patrols.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their ragged appearance might've passed in the outer slums, but here, they stood out like a sore thumb. If anyone spotted them, they'd definitely get stopped and questioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, with [True Sight] and [Teleportation], Ethan managed to dodge patrol after patrol without being seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, they reached the edge of the central district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And here… things changed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The area was filled with standalone houses, each one fully equipped and clearly luxurious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan activated [True Sight] again and scanned the buildings. Every single resident here was an Enhanced—and not just any Enhanced. The lowest among them were Tier 4.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No doubt about it—these were Mayor Marks's people. Loyal, powerful, and well-fed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their lives were on a whole different level. They had food, drinks, balanced meals, even fresh fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the kicker? They had personal attendants—opposite sex, of course. Which meant they weren't just getting help with chores… they were getting \"serviced\" in every sense of the word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mayor Marks really knows how to keep his people loyal,\" Ethan muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could resist a life like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They tried to move deeper in, but had to stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true center of the Safe Zone was surrounded by yet another wall—this one even more heavily fortified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan scanned the perimeter. No blind spots. No gaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he teleported in, he'd be spotted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the wall stood five massive buildings, each one as luxurious as a high-end mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan used [True Sight] to peer through the buildings, checking them one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he found him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mayor Marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was sitting at a desk in what looked like an office, flipping through documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you only looked at the surface, he seemed like a diligent, responsible leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ethan's [True Sight] revealed more than just the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the desk, a woman in a black uniform was on her knees, servicing him with practiced efficiency—like it was just another part of her daily duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This guy's really living the dream,\" Ethan muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is it?\" Chris whispered. \"You found him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah, I found him. But it's gonna be tricky.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How bad?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You saw the wall. The defenses are no joke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mayor Marks is in the central building. That place is surrounded by dozens of Tier 5 peak Enhanced. His office has two guards posted outside—and both of them are Awakened.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Awakened? What abilities?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One's Light-type. The other's Water-type.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait, Water-type has offensive power?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not sure. But I do know he's your hard counter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think about it. He gets you wet, your invisibility's toast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Holy shit. You're right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Also, Mayor Marks himself is Stage D now. He's not gonna be easy to kill.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's Stage D too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah. Makes sense, though. With all the Enhanced and weapons under his control, killing a Stage D zombie wouldn't be hard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know what his ability is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nature-type. [Entangling Roots].\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh. That's not too bad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not too bad? If he catches you with that, you'll be a sitting duck. The guards will turn you into Swiss cheese in seconds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Fair point.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But it's fine. Even if he's Stage D, if I can get close, I'm confident I can take him out before he even reacts,\" Chris said, full of confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I believe you. But getting close won't be easy. That place is loaded with infrared sensors. I'm not sure your invisibility can fool them. If it can't, you're screwed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Holy shit. That paranoid bastard really doesn't want to die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Call it cautious.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So what now? Wait for him to come out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No good. Who knows when that'll be? Could take hours. Days.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, here's the plan. You stay hidden nearby and wait for an opening. I'll go in first, draw their attention, and take out the sensors while I'm at it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's… risky.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll be fine. I've got [Teleportation]. Worst case, I blink out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright,\" Chris said, nodding. \"Let's do it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the plan was set, Ethan locked onto his target location and instantly teleported inside the inner wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he landed, his machete flew from his hand like a missile, slicing through several nearby infrared sensors in a single sweep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enemy attack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shout rang out immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alarms blared across the compound, and within seconds, Enhanced poured out from every corner, surrounding Ethan in a tight formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far off, the barrels of heavy machine guns swiveled toward him in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the rooftops, sniper rifles locked onto his head with chilling precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Their response time's way better than that Harlan family compound,\" Ethan muttered, almost impressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who are you? How did you get in here?\" a middle-aged man barked, eyes locked on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm here for Mayor Marks. Everyone else—get lost,\" Ethan said coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You dare speak his name so casually? Arrest him!\" the man roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his command, the surrounding Enhanced charged in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn't even glance at them. With a flicker of light, he teleported straight to the front door of Mayor Marks's mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But by now, all the Tier 5 peak Enhanced stationed around the building had already formed a wall in front of the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Step aside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Over my dead body!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They clearly didn't grasp the situation. Without hesitation, they lunged at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine. Don't say I didn't give you a chance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan grabbed a barbell bar from his inventory and swung it like a sledgehammer, smashing through the first wave of attackers. A few Enhanced were instantly crushed, their bodies flung aside like rag dolls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these weren't your average grunts. Tier 5 peak Enhanced could take a hit—and dish it out. Ethan couldn't mow them down like he had with weaker enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were over forty of them here. Taking them all out was going to take some work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang! Bang! Bang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the distance, snipers opened fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of rounds tore through the air toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn't dare take the hits head-on. He teleported again, vanishing just before the bullets reached him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he reappeared, another wave of Enhanced rushed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the blaring alarms had triggered a full-scale lockdown. Enhanced from all over the Safe Zone were flooding into the central compound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, the entire area was swarming with enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>",1200,"2026-06-02T09:29:37.796Z",1,"novelbin.me","e3a6b8af8643ed284d980d2844d447e6209f07b0981c53a60bbaf75521477d0d","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1043","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1041",1329,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fapocalypse-king-of-zombies-cover.jpg"]