[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-apocalypse-king-of-zombies":3,"chapter-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1326":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},697144,930,"Chapter 1324: This Place Is a Gold Mine","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1326",1326,"\u003Cp>The deeper they went, the creepier it got.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest was dark and quiet—too quiet. No mutant beast calls. No rustling. Not even the usual insect noise. Just that dead, smothered silence that made your skin crawl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t gone far when the ground around them suddenly burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vines snapped up in a blur, whipping around ankles and waists and wrists. Before anyone could react, they were yanked off their feet and hoisted into the air like bait on hooks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan barely had time to tense—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something sharp pricked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sting. Quick as a needle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a numb heat spread through his limbs, turning his muscles into jelly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone’s faces changed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They tried to struggle, tried to swing, tried to trigger abilities—only to realize they couldn’t get any force behind it. And worse, they couldn’t even find a clear target to aim at. It was coming from everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Big Mike—fire!\" Ethan snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Mike’s body flared with flames. The vines around him blackened, hissed, and snapped. He dropped, landing hard, then immediately torched the vines binding the others one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hit the ground in a heap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legs buckling. Hands shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than one of them just collapsed straight onto their ass, still half-numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From all directions, countless vines surged toward them again, writhing through the shadows like living ropes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone’s blood ran cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garrick reacted first, slamming up aprotective domethat enclosed the entire group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vines couldn’t break the barrier... but they swarmed it, layering over it until the already-dim forest turned pitch-black inside, like someone had thrown a blanket over their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Mike kept castingRain of Flamesout into the dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fire rained down. Vines shriveled into ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a heartbeat later, more vines pushed in to replace them—endless, relentless, like the forest itself was breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hellisthis?\" someone rasped, eyes wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan grimaced. \"Pretty obvious Big Mike’s bad luck finally hit. This is a mutated plant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sounded annoyed, but the truth was uglier—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing was more troublesome than zombies or mutant beasts. At least those had bodies you could kill. This was... the whole damn forest reaching for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re telling me we’re getting held down by a tree?\" Chris said, half disbelieving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not necessarily one,\" Mia muttered. \"Could be a whole network.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I get it now,\" Big Mike said, voice tight. \"This is why the mutant beasts ran out. If you live in here, you’re basically dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone looked at Ethan. \"Captain—what do we do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s gaze flicked across the pressure points in the dome, the constant waves of vines. \"I’m going out. I’ll find the source and hit it. You guys stay inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Got it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They waited just long enough for everyone’s strength to come back a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Ethan took a breath and blinked out—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cleanTeleportation, straight through the dome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second he appeared outside, the vines reacted like they’d been waiting for him. Tendrils snapped toward him from every direction, sharp and fast, trying to wrap his limbs again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan teleported away from the spot, then followed the direction of the heaviest vine flow—tracking it like a river upstream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t take long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He emerged into a small clearing and finally saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A towering, monstrous tree—trunk thick as a building, canopy swallowing what little light existed. From its body, vines extended outward in all directions like veins, spreading control across the forest floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s mouth curled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So it’s you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out hispoleaxe... then hesitated, frowning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thing was too big. He couldn’t tell where the \"weak point\" would even be—if it had one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine. Then we do it the dumb way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We chop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan tightened his grip and charged, swinging the poleaxe into the trunk with everything he had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade sank in—then stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only about half a meter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan had to brace his boots and wrench hard before he could finally rip it free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...That tough?\" he muttered, genuinely startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what happened next made his eyes widen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gash in the trunk—fresh, ragged—began tomove. Fibers twisted. Bark crawled. The wound slowly knitted shut like living flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ve gotta be kidding me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And right on cue, the vines came again—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tidal wave of them, sweeping toward him, ready to wrap him up and drag him under.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan teleported away in a flash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at the towering tree, he felt an unexpected wave of frustration—like he’d just run into a wall that couldn’t be punched through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a breath, then activated[True Sight]and started combing over it inch by inch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He almost scanned the entire thing before he finally caught it—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near the top of the trunk, buried deep inside, there was a tiny point of light, flickering faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that’s your core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s eyes narrowed.Telekinesissnapped into place, and a dagger shot forward like a bullet, aimed straight at the glowing point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tree reacted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flood of vines surged up and layered themselves in front of the core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dagger punched in, sank partway... and stopped dead, unable to reach the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seriously?\" Ethan muttered. \"You’re a damn tree. Why are you this annoying?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No more testing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He launched himself straight toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he closed in, vines lashed out again from every direction, trying to wrap him up midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan timed it—waited for the instant their movement lined up—then triggeredAbsolute Stasis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that sliver of stillness, Ethan’s body flickered, appearing right beside the flickering light. He yanked a spear from his spatial storage ring and drove it in with all his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shriek—more felt than heard—raked across his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the light winked out completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the moment it died, the vines around the forest seemed to lose all life at once, sagging down like wet rope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, Chris and the others arrived, emerging from the gloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s it?\" Chris stared up at the massive trunk. \"That thing is what had us getting wrecked?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah,\" Ethan said, still a little grim. \"From now on, stay out of forests unless you have a reason. Mutated plants are worse than mutant beasts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time it had been him. If it were almost anyone else... they probably wouldn’t have had a solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone nodded hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s go,\" Ethan said. \"This place is—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a faint red glimmer near the base of the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan paused, then walked over and pushed aside the weeds and crushed grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath them was a tiny, unfamiliar plant. And on its tip...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cherry-sized fruit, glossy and red, like a drop of blood turned into candy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s that?\" people crowded in immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No clue,\" Ethan said. \"But it’s probably something good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carefully plucked the fruit and activated[True Sight]again, studying it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, even he was surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a strange energy inside it—something dense and layered.[True Sight]couldn’t see through it at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris swallowed, staring at it like it was dessert. \"So... that’s edible, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want to try?\" Ethan held it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris jerked back like it was a grenade. \"Nope. That’s obviously a treasure. You eat it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan shot him a look. \"And if it’s poisonous?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Emily’s here,\" Chris said quickly. \"Even if you get poisoned, she can detox you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan shook his head. \"Whatever’s in this thing is way above our level. If it’s toxic, even Emily might not be able to fix it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t put it away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A treasure like this showing up under a mutated tree? The odds were it mattered. And Ethan had never been the type to back away from profit because ofmaybe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No risk, no reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Circle up,\" Ethan said. \"Watch my back. I’m trying it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Got it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They formed a loose ring around him, scanning the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan looked at the fruit in his palm, took a breath, and tossed it into his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The taste was incredible—sweet, sharp, almost electric.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chewed twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the next heartbeat, his whole body seemed to wake up. Like his brain had been rinsed clean. Like the world had snapped into higher resolution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s eyes widened, excitement surging up so fast it made his pulse jump.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This thing...\" he whispered, almost disbelieving it. \"It raises mymental energy cap!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mental energy was the hardest thing to improve, period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside of the small boost you got when advancing Tiers, there was almost no way to increase it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But mental energy was also the most important resource of all—more important than raw muscle—because every ability cost mental energy to use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for Ethan, it mattered even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because with[True Sight], he could pick abilities freely. His skills were all monstrous... and the stronger they were, the more brutally they drained him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>TakeAbsolute Stasis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with no top-tier enemy resisting him, he could burn through everything he had and only freeze time for a little over two seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone truly terrifying showed up, he might not even get a full second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mental energy pool was too small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this fruit... actually fixed that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To anyone, this was a priceless treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Ethan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was borderline insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If his mental energy became strong enough, then with the skills he already held, he could kill those Void Realm powerhouses even without Dopey helping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>HisAnnihilation Strike—if he had enough mental energy to feed it—could theoretically erupt with ten, even dozens of times its normal power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that was in theory. An attack that violent also demanded a body strong enough to handle it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with his current physique, outputtingten timeshis usual force was absolutely doable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And ten times...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten times was enough to kill aStage Apowerhouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s breathing sped up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared into the darkness of the forest like he was looking at a vault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This place...\" he said softly, voice turning sharp with hunger, \"is a gold mine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, after a beat, he corrected himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah. We’re not leaving.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1660,"2026-06-02T09:29:48.542Z",1,"novelbin.me","d6190601e1af95e648d6b3960be4c2dd41478ac0dbaaeb740cc2b1a315982fff","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1327","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-1325",1329,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fapocalypse-king-of-zombies-cover.jpg"]