BEEP BEEP!
At that moment, Ethan's phone buzzed with a new iMessage notification.
He picked it up; the sender was none other than Brittany.
"Honey! Are you okay? There are zombies everywhere. I'm so scared, and I'm worried about you. Are you still alive?"
"I'm still alive," Ethan replied.
Relieved that he was alive, Brittany immediately continued her plea.
"I'm trapped in the Dorm, and we're running low on food. You have so many supplies at your supermarket, right? Can you bring some and come find me?"
"Sure. Hold tight. I'll come get you in a while."
Ethan's lips curled up. Due to his zombie transformation, the smile was unnatural—sinister and chillingly grotesque.
Brittany was his stored live inventory.
He was certainly going to collect her!
However, it was still too dangerous outside. Although Ethan had consumed a great deal of meat and was far stronger than an average human, he intended to lie low for a few more days, waiting until he was stronger to ensure maximum security for his outing.
Brittany had no idea she was currently chatting with a zombie!
"Sweetheart, you have to come save me. I'm waiting! Love you~~~"
Ethan did not reply again.
Knowing Brittany was in the dorm with three other men, engaging in activities that would never pass review, all while professing her love, struck him as bitterly ironic.
Besides, given the situation, she was only sending him a text.
He figured making a phone call must be inconvenient for her…
Meanwhile, the neighborhood's HOA Group Chat was relentlessly active with pleas for help.
"Neighbors, there's a zombie right in our hallway! It's banging on my door. What do we do?"
"Block the door immediately! Don't let them breach!"
"I don't have much food left. I can't hold out much longer!"
"Hold on, everyone! The zombies aren't that tough! I just killed one with a Sledgehammer! Who here is willing to fight back? We need to band together and go out for supplies…"
"…"
Watching the group chat, Ethan fell into contemplation.
Though he was a zombie, he had no intention of attacking his neighbors. Human flesh wasn't particularly palatable, nor did it contain as much energy as his Ribeye steaks.
Eating beef resulted in faster evolution.
Ethan had a massive stockpile, so there was no need to hunt living people.
However… if anyone foolishly crossed him, Ethan would certainly show them what true cruelty looked like!
Just as humans banded together, zombies could, too.
A powerful Alpha-Zombie could command and unite hordes of the infected, coordinating them to hunt prey.
Therefore, Ethan decided to recruit a few zombie Minions.
Not primarily for hunting.
Mainly just to guard his door and ensure he wasn't disturbed.
He grabbed his keys and stepped out of his apartment. Low growls echoed in the hallway, signaling that zombies were roaming.
Ethan didn't plan to go far; he would pick a few recruits right here in the building. His only real requirement was that they looked relatively clean…
He reached the stairwell. Just one floor down, he spotted a figure around the corner.
Hhhrr hhrr—
A girl muttered, a low sound in her throat.
As a fellow zombie, she did not attack Ethan. In fact, her eyes held a hint of fear.
The girl seemed to sense that Ethan was of a higher rank than she was.
It was the innate pressure of bloodline, like a wolf meeting a Cougar.
Ethan remembered the girl; she was a neighbor who lived downstairs. In life, she had been a state-level Track & Field high jumper.
Due to years of intense training, the girl's legs were long, straight, and powerfully built.
Even as a zombie, she wasn't stiff or slow; her speed was about the same as a fit human's.
And this was before she had consumed any flesh or blood!
"It seems zombies retain certain characteristics and have different aptitudes."
Ethan judged the female zombie's potential to be excellent. If properly trained, she could absolutely become an Agile Alpha type.
The girl wore a white T-shirt and Hot Pants with her ponytail, looking clean and athletic.
"She'll do…"
With a wave of his hand, Ethan tossed out a bag of frozen steak.
The female zombie was instantly drawn to the scent of meat. She dropped to her knees, bit through the packaging, and began swallowing the meat chunks whole.
After finishing the steak, the female zombie seemed unsatisfied.
Her eyes turned toward Ethan. Beyond the fear, there was now a profound desire and respect.
"Follow me… and you will eat meat."
Ethan sent her the signal, a form of telepathic communication.
This was how an Alpha controlled its Minions.
The female zombie seemed to understand. She emitted a low, guttural growl and slowly bowed her head.
Among the infected, this signified Submission!
Just like that, Ethan gained his first Minion.
He took the female zombie and wandered the halls. Soon, he found two more zombies with good potential.
One had been a Personal Trainer—no need to elaborate on his advantages. His bulky, muscular physique was the definition of a Tank Zombie.
The other had no physical advantage whatsoever.
He had been a PhD student.
Ethan recruited him because he felt there was a certain intelligence in his eyes, a flicker of wisdom.
If a zombie's intelligence could be compared to a dog's, this PhD zombie was definitely Border Collie level.
Apart from these three, Ethan didn't bother with the others.
He brought the three zombies back to his door.
Ethan surveyed them. Their aptitudes were good, but at their current combat level, they couldn't defeat armed humans.
"If only you knew how to use weapons…" Ethan thought.
Then, a flash of inspiration hit him. Why shouldn't zombies be able to use weapons?
The problem was, no one had ever trained them…
CLANK! CLATTER!
Ethan tossed three Machetes from his storage space onto the floor.
The sound of the blades hitting the tile immediately grabbed the zombies' attention.
But they just stared blankly, not understanding their purpose.
Ethan immediately issued a command:
Pick up the knives.
This time, the three zombies understood and complied immediately. The former Personal Trainer zombie, in particular, grabbed the blade with his bare hand.
Slish!
The sharp edge sliced his palm, and blood dripped onto the floor.
Due to the zombie's decreased sense of pain, he didn't react, looking smugly at Ethan, signaling that he was the most obedient.
"Idiot!"
Ethan slapped his forehead, utterly exasperated.
"Do you plan to hit people with the flat side of the blade???"
The PhD zombie, however, was exceptionally quick. Following Ethan's mental directive, it carefully gripped the handle, swung the blade tentatively, and quickly grasped the weapon's function.
Ethan felt immense satisfaction.
He then commanded the other two zombies to observe and learn from the PhD zombie.
With a demonstration, the two zombies quickly understood Ethan's meaning and switched to gripping the handle.
This proved the point.
Zombies could be trained.
But the only one qualified to train them had to be a far more powerful Alpha!