[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-apocalypse-king-of-zombies":3,"chapter-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-694":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},696712,930,"Chapter 694: I don’t know how to count","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-694",694,"\u003Cp>Chapter 694: I don’t know how to count\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was obvious—Trent was flat broke, and he could barely hide how desperate he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Led by two of Trent’s lackeys, Ethan stepped into the building. The place practically oozed luxury—no surprise there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lighting was dim, the air thick with the smell of alcohol and a heavy, almost sleazy atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right then, Trent was lounging in a private room, arms draped around two women, with a few other young men seated across from him. Each of them came from powerful families, their status on par with the Hawke family—pillars of human civilization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they weren’t gambling. Not yet. They were just drinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the booze had clearly gotten to Trent. His eyes were glassy, his words slurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My… my cousin’s bringing me some cash,” he mumbled, raising his glass. “Once we’re done drinking, we’ll start a new round. I’m telling you, this time I’m gonna clean you all out…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t your dad tell you to head back early?” one of the guys teased, grinning. “You sure you’ve got time to mess around?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent waved him off, breath reeking of alcohol. “Screw that! He wants me in the lab every damn day. I’m sick of it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“C’mon, it’s for the good of the family,” the guy said, trying to sound supportive, though his smile was a little awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent scoffed. “I think our whole direction is screwed. Always messing with weird tech. We should be doing what your family does—heading off-world, grabbing whatever resources we can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Man, it’s not that easy,” the guy replied with a sigh. “It’s dangerous as hell. My uncle Lorn? He was strong enough to hit SSS rank, and he’s been missing for ages.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the two lackeys returned. “Trent, Dorian’s here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Bring him in! Come on in!” Trent perked up and waved eagerly toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan, disguised as Dorian, stepped into the room, his eyes quickly scanning the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d heard everything from outside—every word—and now had a decent read on these guys and their families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent jumped up. “Hey, bro! You brought the gold bars, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nope,” Ethan said casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?” Trent’s smile froze. “Wait, what do you mean? Dorian, didn’t you say you’d lend me the money? How could you show up empty-handed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relax,” Ethan said, still in character as Dorian. “I’ll lend it to you, no problem. But lately, I’ve been really curious about Guard Mechs. And with the academy’s assessment coming up, I figured I’d go check one out… maybe get a little hands-on experience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent’s face tightened. He got the message loud and clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others in the room looked like they’d expected this. They all knew Dorian—he wasn’t the type to just hand over money without a reason. No wonder he’d been so eager today—he wanted something. That made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan kept going. “What’s the deal? I just wanna see the mech. That’s not asking too much, is it, Trent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bullshit!” Trent snapped, clearly annoyed. “Dorian, I’m not bragging, but I’ve got full access to the mechs. Hell, I’ll let you pilot one if you want!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way, that serious?” one of the guys chimed in, seizing the opportunity. “Then count me in too. I wanna see it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that someone had spoken up, the others jumped in as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he’s going, I’m going.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, don’t leave me out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s all go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Screw the drinks—let’s check it out now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was suddenly on board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, they each had their own agenda. Even though they were all part of the human alliance, there was still plenty of competition between families. Getting a peek at the Hawke family’s tech? That was a golden opportunity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… well…” Trent hesitated, clearly caught off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guy next to him smirked. “Hey, if it’s too much trouble, forget it. Let’s just keep drinking. No need for another round of bets either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No trouble at all!” Trent blurted out. “The whole Hawke family’s gonna be mine one day. What’s the big deal about showing you around? I’ve got the authority. Let’s go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan stood quietly to the side, watching the scene unfold. He hadn’t expected this many people to jump in and help push things along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, they all had their own motives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was clear—Trent was the only one here who was actually straightforward. Probably got played by these so-called “bros” all the time. No wonder he kept losing money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guess I’ll help you sort out your social circle later, Ethan thought to himself. Consider it a thank-you gift for letting me walk off with the Guard Mech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s eyes swept over the group—every one of them was a direct heir from one of the major families. If someone were to wipe them all out right now, the entire human civilization would be thrown into chaos…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They left the club shortly after, heading toward the Hawke family’s lab. With so many people in the group, Ethan blended in easily, drawing no attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what caught him off guard was where Trent was actually leading them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were heading straight for Pinnacle Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lab was located beneath it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah… that explains it, Ethan thought, the pieces clicking into place. He’d scouted this area before and noticed several psychic barriers and hidden zones. Now it all made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trent stopped in front of a sealed underground passage and placed his hand on a panel beside the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue light swept across his palm, scanning for identification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clunk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heavy alloy doors slid open with a deep mechanical groan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond them stretched a long corridor, brightly lit on both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan moved with the group, feeling the distance to his target shrink with every step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he got his hands on the Guard Mech…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s when the bloodbath would begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, on the other side of the Exile Zone, things weren’t exactly peaceful on the zombie-infested continent of Necroterra either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Ethan left, Umbradrake had kept his word, continuing to pose as The Voidborn Undying, shaking down every major corpse nest for livestock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zombie Kings were absolutely fed up with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after relentless effort, Umbradrake had finally scraped together ten thousand pigs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan had previously handed off the pig-rearing duties to Big Ears, even giving him the grand title of Pigmaster General.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Big Ears hadn’t disappointed—he’d kept everything running like clockwork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So naturally, Umbradrake went to him for the handoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s ten thousand pigs. We’re good now, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are we?” Big Ears replied absentmindedly, not even looking up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…” Umbradrake froze, a bad feeling creeping in. Judging by Big Ears’ tone, something was off. Still, he was sure the count was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I swear, it’s all there. You can check if you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know how to count,” Big Ears said matter-of-factly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…” Umbradrake’s face twitched. He was getting the distinct impression this was all on purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Ears, come on, don’t mess with me. It’s getting harder and harder to get pigs. The Zombie Kings are losing it. If I push them any further, they’re gonna come after me for real.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh…” Big Ears’ eyes flicked up, a mischievous glint in them. Then he suddenly had a thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if they found out you’re not actually The Voidborn Undying? Wouldn’t that be… way worse for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Umbradrake’s face went pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>",1230,"2026-06-02T09:29:25.995Z",1,"novelbin.me","9f63265dcee66371ce94b8cb78905614270194f77602e9604cee565ee6ea70e9","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-695","apocalypse-king-of-zombies-chapter-693",1329,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fapocalypse-king-of-zombies-cover.jpg"]