CHAPTER 748: IS THAT... A CYBERNETIC ARM?

Mist’s power had grown significantly.

Though his ability was simple—just generating thick black fog—it had one major advantage: massive area coverage.

The inky mist surged upward, quickly spreading across the sky like a storm front, blotting out half the heavens in a matter of minutes.

Big Ears watched with satisfaction. "Nice. Anyone who sees that is gonna get curious. They’ll come check it out on their own."

"Ohh, yeah, that makes sense!" Bulldozer’s eyes lit up, like he’d just had a revelation. Damn, Big Ears really is smart.

And with that, the group settled in to wait patiently, their trap set.

...

Meanwhile, across a vast stretch of open wilderness, Laura moved like a phantom—her figure flickering in and out of sight, each reappearance dozens of meters from the last.

Her speed was insane, allowing her to cover huge swaths of land in no time.

One moment she was deep in a canyon, the next she was perched atop a massive boulder, and then—blink—she was standing on a mountain peak.

The wind howled around her, whipping her hair as blood still dripped from her claws. She’d just finished tearing through a human recon team.

She lifted her gaze, scanning the horizon. Her enhanced vision let her see for miles.

Something told her more humans were coming.

And sure enough, a glint of light flashed in the distance—fast-moving, cutting through the sky.

A human aircraft.

They must’ve picked up the distress signal from the squad she’d just wiped out.

"Falcon, do you copy? Falcon, respond! Are you okay?" a middle-aged man’s voice crackled through the comms inside the aircraft, tight with urgency.

But the only reply was silence.

The other three members of the recon team exchanged uneasy glances.

"Don’t tell me... they’re already dead?"

"That fast? No way..."

"He was an SS-level Awakener..."

"..."

Their faces were pale, eyes wide with disbelief. Whatever had taken out Falcon’s team had to be something terrifying.

As they neared the last known coordinates, a tall woman in the group suddenly pointed ahead.

"Look! On top of that mountain—Zombie King!"

"What?!"

They all turned to look.

The cockpit screen zoomed in, enhancing the image.

There, standing tall on the peak, was a slender figure. Her face was twisted into a chilling smile, and her glowing, predatory eyes were locked directly onto them.

"Shit..."

All four of them sucked in a sharp breath.

Even through the reinforced glass, they could feel it—that suffocating, bone-deep sense of danger.

"Should we... still go in?" asked the youngest of the group, a girl barely seventeen, her voice trembling.

The middle-aged man, clearly the leader, didn’t hesitate. "Of course we go. What’re you scared of? That zombie can’t fly. As long as we stay airborne, we’re fine. We just need to get a closer look—maybe we’ll find a lead on that white-shirted Zombie King."

"...Okay," the girl nodded, though her voice was still unsure.

Their mission was clear: locate Ethan’s zombie nest.

The Dreadnought-class Starcruiser they had in orbit was powerful enough to level entire regions—but only if they had a target. Without knowing where the Zombie Kings were hiding, all that firepower meant nothing.

Flying around Necroterra blindly would just burn through energy reserves.

They needed intel first.

"If we could capture a sentient zombie, maybe we could get some answers about that white-shirted one..." the leader thought to himself.

But the one standing on that mountain?

Yeah, no way.

The aircraft’s scanners had already confirmed it—Laura was SS+ level.

"This one... she’s almost evolved into a Voidborn Undying," the teenage girl said, eyes filled with dread. "Captain, maybe we shouldn’t get too close..."

The middle-aged man, however, frowned in thought. "A Zombie King this powerful showing up on the edge of Southvale? That’s suspicious. Something’s off. We need to check it out."

"But—"

"Relax. Even if she’s SS+ level, she can’t fly. We’re in an aircraft—we’re safe."

Before the girl could argue further, the captain had already tilted the controls, steering the aircraft directly toward Laura’s position.

Down below, Laura stood motionless atop the mountain peak, her glowing eyes locked onto the incoming prey. She could feel it—they were taking the bait.

The aircraft slowed as it approached, hovering roughly 2,000 feet above her. Clearly, they were observing her, scanning her.

"Confirmed—SS+ level Zombie King. Looks like a speed-type. Log it," the captain ordered, eyes fixed on the screen.

Their recon team wasn’t just here to locate Ethan—they were also tasked with mapping out the strength and movement patterns of other Zombie Kings. The more they knew, the better prepared they’d be when the real fight started.

Know your enemy, and you’ll always have the upper hand.

"Logged. SS+ speed-type Zombie King spotted at Southvale’s edge," the girl reported, fingers flying across the console.

"Good," the captain nodded, glancing down at the screen again. Laura was still standing there, staring straight at them, unblinking.

"What’re you lookin’ at?" he muttered. "Wanna see what I’ve got for you?"

He lowered the aircraft slightly, bringing it into range for a precision strike with the Crystal Core Blaster.

The rest of the team shifted uncomfortably.

"Captain... maybe we shouldn’t provoke her?"

"It’s fine. I’m just messing with her," he said with a smirk, pressing a red button on the console.

From beneath the wings, two black gun barrels extended, locking onto Laura’s position.

"Heh... Let’s see how fast you really are, speed-type," the captain chuckled, finger hovering over the trigger.

Crystal core energy began to charge, glowing with a dangerous hum.

But then—

Something unexpected happened.

Laura slowly raised her clawed hand, aiming it directly at the aircraft. The surface of her arm shimmered, liquid metal peeling away to reveal a sleek, silver mechanical limb.

"Wait... what the hell is that?" one of the crew blurted out.

"Is that... a cybernetic arm?"

"Where the hell did she get that?!"

Before they could process it, a blinding white light flared in Laura’s palm—pure, concentrated energy gathering with terrifying intensity.

Then—

BOOM!

A searing blast of energy erupted from her hand, a palm cannon shot straight into the sky.

"SHIT!"

The crew barely had time to react before the beam slammed into the aircraft.

BOOOOM!

The explosion rocked the sky, fire and shrapnel bursting outward in a massive shockwave.

"Frostguard!"

The captain shouted, slamming his hand down. A surge of icy energy burst from his body, forming a massive sphere of ice around the four of them just in time to shield them from the blast.

The aircraft, however, was obliterated—torn apart midair, flaming debris raining down in blackened chunks.

CRASH!

The ice sphere, with the four of them inside, plummeted to the ground and slammed into the dirt with a heavy thud.

The captain emerged unscathed, thanks to his quick reaction and solid power level. The other three weren’t so lucky—they were dazed, rattled, and landed hard on their asses.

"Ughhh..."

"Damn it, my tailbone..."

"Why does everything hurt?!"

They groaned and winced, clutching their backsides, but for Awakeners, it wasn’t anything serious—just a rough landing.

But then, the realization hit them all at once.

The aircraft was gone. They were on the ground.

And that meant...

"Hehehehehehe..."

A low, bone-chilling laugh echoed through the air, carried on the wind like a whisper from the grave.

...