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"Mayday! Mayday! We're going down! High command, we're going down!" one of the pilots shouted in panic as his plane was dragged uncontrollably toward the ground, as though gripped by an invisible force.

Boom!

The first plane crashed into the desert. One by one, all the bombers involved in the mission were pulled from the sky, each plummeting into the vast expanse of sand.

Most of the pilots went down with their planes, meeting a swift end. Those quick enough to grab a parachute jumped in an attempt to save themselves. Unfortunately, many landed in the midst of the massive zombie horde below.

Only a fortunate few were carried by the wind away from the swarm. But perhaps they weren't so lucky, as now they had to survive the unforgiving desert while evading millions of zombies.

At Ottoman Levant's high command, the fate of their men sent a chill down everyone's spine. The black skeletal hand of the lone figure with the golden mask made them realize that this was not a human being. Yet, they had no idea what it was or what the structure represented—there were no records of anything like it in history.

"What was that thing?" the general muttered, looking around at his officers as if seeking an answer that no one had. "What in the hell was that thing!?" he roared, losing his composure as he scanned the room, but no one could respond.

"Calm down, General," the president said firmly. "Gather what we know and assess the situation." He then turned to the communications officer.

"Tell the police and all relevant services to prepare for a large-scale population evacuation. Also, inform the foreign ministry to request permission for temporary immigration," the president calmly ordered.

"Mr. President... do you… know what that thing is?" the general asked.

The president shook his head. "No, I don't know exactly what it is... but I have a guess."

"What is it? What's your guess?" the general pressed, along with everyone else in the room.

"We all know the tale of the mummy, right? The ancient monster, the undead that rises in our time... I suspect it's something along those lines," the president said.

"But mummies are fiction!" one of the officers objected.

"Are they truly fiction? Or are they based on some truth, hidden under the guise of myth by someone who wanted us to think that way?" The president paused, then continued.

"Gentlemen, we've seen the technological marvels of New Atlantis: billions of drones clearing out soldiers from a city in hours, and an entire island that moves, undisturbed by weather and waves. According to them, they even have satellites that control the weather," the president smiled. "I don't know what you think, but all of that seems no different from magic to me.

Who's to say a mummy isn't some ancient secret waiting for the right time to revive? Just because we don't understand it doesn't mean it can't exist," he concluded.

The people in the room swallowed nervously, feeling as if they couldn't breathe properly.

"Sir! There's movement at the ziggurat," the monitoring officer reported, drawing everyone's attention.

"Put it on the big screen," the president ordered.

With a swift motion, the monitoring officer displayed the scene on the command room's large screen.

The image showed the golden-masked figure at the top of the ziggurat, waving its hand as green energy radiated from the crystal atop the structure, flowing toward the zombie horde below. Strangely, the zombies seemed to rejoice in the glow, despite being mindless creatures.

As time passed, the energy intensified. Some of the zombies' bodies began to burst open into gory explosions, while others continued to endure. It appeared as if the zombies were absorbing the green energy, though those unable to handle the surge were violently exploding.

At the same time, a few of the zombies began to roar as their skin blackened and cracked open. Like snakes shedding their skin, a new, pale layer was revealed beneath the cracked exterior. The zombies with broken skin continued to shed it, and as more time passed, their fully transformed bodies emerged.

These new zombies tore off their remaining clothes, revealing metallic-like skin. Their heads now resembled skulls, with dry skin stretched tight over the bone. Every part of their bodies gleamed with a metallic sheen, as though they had been upgraded into higher, more powerful beings.

"They... they're evolving!" one of the officers stammered in disbelief.

Seeing this alarming development, the president acted swiftly.

"General! Work with the local authorities to aid in the evacuation. Contact the foreign ministry—we need to expedite the process of securing permission for refugees as quickly as possible. Send this footage to the UN! And forward it to any country you believe is powerful enough to help us. Promise them whatever they want for their assistance—we'll negotiate the terms later!

We need to save as many civilians as we can!" The president issued a rapid series of commands, and the room sprang into action.

"May God help us," the president muttered, offering a quiet prayer.

— Meanwhile —

On Sultan Maliq's private jet, the plane was nearing New Atlantis and in the process of contacting ground control for landing permission.

At that moment, the sultan received urgent news from his homeland. It was a video of the ritual being performed by the golden-masked entity. The ritual seemed to channel green energy from the ziggurat's crystal, triggering the zombies to evolve into stronger versions of themselves.

With this alarming information, the sultan could barely breathe comfortably. He urged his pilot to land in New Atlantis as quickly as possible. He needed to meet with Daniel Emberweave urgently.

After some time, the sultan's jet landed, and he, along with his entourage, was welcomed by representatives arranged by the New Atlantis government. They were escorted to the accommodations prepared for them.

The place was a high-rise building, featuring a luxurious and futuristic design. After the sultan and his people had settled in, he turned to one of the individuals who had greeted them.

"Excuse me... may I know when I can meet with Mr. Emberweave?" the sultan asked.

"I'm not sure, Your Majesty. I only know that Mr. Emberweave has been quite busy lately because we're preparing to launch a new space program," the valet replied.

"Oh… I see…" The sultan nodded in understanding. They had already missed an earlier opportunity to seek help from New Atlantis because they were hesitant to act. Given that they had arrived unannounced, he couldn't complain if there were delays in meeting with the leader.

The sultan wasn't sure if Daniel Emberweave had received the news about the zombie evolution yet, but he believed that Daniel probably knew. After all, this was New Atlantis—the nation with the most advanced technology on Earth. It would be impossible for them not to know.

At this point, getting agitated was useless. They had already brought their families here, to the safest place on Earth—a country in the middle of the sea—should the virus spread. His only fear now was the collapse of the world economy. If that happened, his wealth would amount to nothing but numbers. He could only pray that Daniel would meet him before that occurred.

He knew he had to do everything in his power to arrange a meeting with Daniel.

The next morning, the sultan was woken by the lodge butler with news that could only be rivaled by the day he found out his wife was pregnant with his son. Daniel was waiting for him at the VTOL, which was parked on the helipad atop the building where he was staying.

With a smile, the sultan quickly freshened up, dressed in a suit, and ensured he looked presentable. Along with Shahid, his confidante, he followed the butler to the rooftop, where the VTOL waited with its engines running.

As they boarded the VTOL, the door slowly closed, and an officer led them to the command room where Daniel awaited.

During the walk, both the sultan and Shahid marveled at the aircraft's interior. It was sleek, futuristic, and filled with innovations that left them in awe.

When they arrived at the command room, they saw multiple screens and holograms displaying a detailed map of the Ottoman Levant. In addition to Daniel Emberweave, whom the sultan recognized from the news, there were several others present. Among them were Cao Cao, the Minister of Defense, and two imposing men who appeared to be bodyguards.

The first was a muscular man with a long beard and sunglasses, exuding an intimidating aura. The second man looked like an old nobleman, but his red eyes betrayed a hidden bloodlust and madness as he stood silently behind Daniel.

"Hello, Mr. Emberweave," the sultan greeted, extending his hand.

"Likewise, Your Majesty," Daniel responded with a smile, shaking the sultan's hand before gesturing to a seat for him to take.

After the sultan sat down, Daniel nodded toward Cao Cao, who began to introduce himself.

"Hello, I'm Cao Cao, Minister of Defense for New Atlantis," Cao Cao said as he extended his hand, which the sultan shook in return. He then continued, "I must apologize for the behavior of Mr. Gua. I have already given him a stern warning."