[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-apocalypse-king-of-zombies":3,"chapter-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-619":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},696837,930,"Chapter 619: Punishment","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-619",619,"\u003Cp>Chapter 619: Punishment\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Ethan out of the house, Nina was living the dream—barely any work to do and full access to his PlayStation 5. Life couldn’t get any sweeter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was deep into the game, fingers flying across the controller, her skills sharp and precise. The action was intense, and for a moment, she was completely lost in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, you’re killing it,” a voice suddenly murmured right next to her ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, this is just basic stuff for me…” Nina replied without thinking, already gearing up to brag a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then it hit her—something was off. Her hands froze mid-game, and she slowly turned her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing beside her, seemingly out of nowhere, was a tall figure in a crisp white shirt, his profile strikingly handsome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t stop on my account,” Ethan said casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina shot up like a spring, fumbling to shut off the game. She scrambled to hide the half-eaten bag of chips and the can of soda she’d been nursing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“B-boss?! When did you get back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… I, uh…” Nina’s face was a mess of panic and guilt. “I finished all my work first, I swear. Then I just played a little to unwind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine,” Ethan said, clearly unbothered. His eyes swept the room. Everything looked clean and tidy, just like he’d left it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, almost everything. Nina herself looked a little… rounder than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve evolved,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Evolved into what?” Nina blinked, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A couch potato,” Ethan replied, then turned and headed toward the bathroom without another word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nina stood there, stunned. She looked down at her soft, pudgy belly and muttered to herself, “Maybe it’s time to go on a diet…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his shower, Ethan changed into a fresh white shirt and sank into the plush couch, taking in the familiar comfort of home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>God, it felt good to be back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All he’d ever wanted was to live quietly, undisturbed by the chaos of the outside world. That simple dream had driven him to conquer the entire North American continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, finally, he could relax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He poured himself a glass of “juice,” took a slow sip, then pulled out an S-tier crystal core—an ultra-rare gem of pure energy—and popped it into his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it dissolved, a warm surge of power spread through his body, soothing every nerve and muscle. It was like soaking in a hot spring made of pure vitality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, nothing beats a top-grade crystal core…” Ethan murmured to himself. Too bad they were so rare—there were only a handful left in the entire world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And each one had its own unique sensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding ding ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His phone buzzed with a new message. He glanced at the screen—it was from Mia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’s the new katana?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Works great,” he replied without much thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A moment later, another message popped up:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How’d the fight go? You didn’t bring back anything weird again, did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nope.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good,” Mia responded. She was just checking in—better safe than sorry. After all, Ethan had a habit of dragging home “souvenirs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like those spiders and Devourer Ants from Angeles National Forest—both extremely dangerous to humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan paused, then typed back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But… The Crimson Count might be on his way. And that alien creature? It won’t be long before it shows up too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mia: “…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the pitch-black night sky, the vast ocean stretched endlessly like a yawning abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive island floated silently on the surface, surrounded by crashing waves that slammed into jagged rocks, sending white spray high into the air with a thunderous roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the edge of the island’s cliffs stood a towering, ancient castle—its silhouette like a slumbering beast, exuding a suffocating sense of power and dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the castle, a man lounged in a pool of blood, soaking as if in a luxurious bath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were half-closed, his expression one of deep satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood in the pool rippled gently, glowing with a sinister crimson sheen under the flickering candlelight. The whole scene radiated an eerie, almost otherworldly beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, the sound of footsteps echoed through the chamber—sharp, deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman emerged from the shadows, her posture respectful, head slightly bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dad,” she said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crimson Count opened his eyes. Calm. Deep. Unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Malcolm is dead?” he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sophia nodded. “Yes. Things went sideways during the battle. First, we were hit hard by Genesis Biotech’s mech army. Then, out of nowhere, a hundred thousand-strong Japanese Zombie Horde showed up. If not for that, we might’ve stood a chance against the so-called strongest Zombie King in America.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crimson Count didn’t seem interested in the details. “Then why are you still alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I…” Sophia faltered, her eyes darting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know. A loser’s words are just excuses,” she said quickly. “I only survived because I read the battlefield well and got lucky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This fight was brutal. Our Zombie Horde was completely outmatched. No matter how well I commanded, there was no turning the tide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dad—You can’t make something out of nothing. But if you still think I deserve punishment, I’ll accept it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crimson Count listened in silence, not interrupting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the schemes in the world meant nothing in the face of overwhelming power. And by Sophia’s account, they’d simply been outgunned. No shame in that—just reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine,” he said at last, his voice low and steady. “Then you’ll be punished.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sophia’s eyes widened. A chill ran down her spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His punishments were infamous—excruciating beyond belief. For vampires, whose regenerative abilities made death nearly impossible, pain was a long, drawn-out affair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“H-how… how do you plan to punish me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want you to redeem yourself,” The Crimson Count said, rising slowly from the blood pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick, glistening rivulets of crimson slid down his sculpted body, tracing strange, mesmerizing patterns across his skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We can’t let that Zombie King in Los Angeles grow any stronger. While there’s still a gap between us, we’ll strike with everything we’ve got and wipe him out completely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sophia’s gaze lingered on his powerful frame, but her mind was racing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood exactly what he meant. After the battle in Canada, that American Zombie King had absorbed a ton of high-grade crystal cores. He was becoming a real threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crimson Count wanted to crush him before he reached his full potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sophia’s heart leapt. This “punishment” was actually a golden opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood, Dad. I won’t let you down this time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Go gather your brothers and sisters. We’re moving out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We?” Sophia blinked, surprised—then it hit her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was coming too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her adoptive father, The Crimson Count himself, was going to take the field.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sophia’s blood surged with excitement. If he was getting involved personally… then maybe, just maybe, this time they’d finally end that so-called strongest Zombie King once and for all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir! I’ll go now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned and rushed off, practically bursting with urgency as she went to alert the rest of The Crimson Count’s adopted children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, The Crimson Count stepped out of the blood pool, slipping into a deep red robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up through the skylight above, staring into the endless black sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a long time… since I fought with my own hands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here’s a redemption code for everyone:\u003C\u002Fp>",1212,"2026-06-02T09:29:24.861Z",1,"novelbin.me","fdadb72e47f1a423eece9f288f92797f7329851df654d0b8117484bc45401fcb","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-620","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-618",1329,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fapocalypse-king-of-zombies-cover.jpg"]