Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

The moment Shane stepped outside, he immediately noticed the massive crowd gathered near the plaza of the shelter.

With his Heightened Senses, he could hear their awe or admiration of the monument and the effects that it gave them.

Well, with those effects, Shane could understand why they were so excited. The effects were indeed quite useful, especially for those going outside to hunt Zombies.

And then, as he got near, they saw him.

”Look! Lord Shane’s here!” someone shouted.

Immediately, the atmosphere was filled with excitement as the crowd turned toward him. The residents and visitors alike had expressions filled with respect, admiration, and gratitude.

Some even cheered at him…

Raze, who had been waiting for Shane to arrive, spoke up. ”Hah! There he is—the man of the hour! Took your time waking up, huh? I didn’t think you had such a huge Spirit Stone with you! This thing is probably worth tens of thousands of Zombie Cores.”

The crowd laughed as they didn’t really mind if Shane would spend that much for luxury since this luxury had incredible effects that all benefited them.

Shane just rolled his eyes and nodded. ”I didn’t commission but I don’t dislike it… Well done, Diana…”

Hearing this, Diana chuckled and gestured to Victor.

”It’s Victor’s work… This is our gift before your raid.” Diana said softly and Shane heard this even if they were quite far away from each other.

Shane nodded as he guessed as much. Although it seemed a bit too extravagant to use Spirit Stones, he knew that the Spirit Vein they discovered was huge and could probably supply their operations for life.

Suddenly, a man with a deep voice appeared.

”It’s a damn fine monument! This is incredible!” Bart exclaimed as soon as he arrived...

”Makes me feel invincible just looking at it!” He added.

A few others nodded in agreement, and some of the newer residents—who had only recently joined Eclipse Domain—approached the monument as well.

”Thank you, Commander,” one of them, a young woman, spoke with sincere gratitude. Shane recalled that she was working in the kitchen together with Marla…

”Without this shelter, we’d be struggling to survive. You gave us a future.”

Several more people approached him and said similar things.

Shane exhaled slowly as he felt proud and also amused by the situation. He never sought worship or admiration, but seeing how much hope and strength this monument had given the people… it wasn’t such a bad feeling.

”Alright, alright, you guys can stop making me blush.” He said rubbing the back of his head.

As he made his way through the crowd, he finally had a better look at the monument.

At this time, Diana was already beside her, admiring the work.

”So? What do you think?” she asked.

Shane nodded as he looked at the Spirit Stone sculpture, then back at her. ”You really went all out on this… It’s amazing.”

Diana shrugged. ”Figured you deserved something grand before heading into battle.”

”And you didn’t tell me about it because…?”

”Because it’s a surprise, obviously.” She smirked. ”Besides, I wanted to see that dumb look on your face when you realized what we built.”

Shane chuckled, shaking his head. ”Well, consider me impressed. It’s… something really good for the shelter as well.”

”Just promise me you’ll come back in one piece. I have a bad feeling about that shelter. This place wouldn’t be the same without you.”

He grinned. ”Are you raising a death flag right there? Don’t worry. I’m too stubborn to die.” Shane said as he recalled his False Revival Talent. Even if he dies, he would actually have a second chance, so he was really confident about this raid. Furthermore, he had prepared so much for this raid.

With that, he gave her a quick nod and turned away, heading toward his next destination—

The Armory.

***

Soon, Shane walked into the heavily secured section of Eclipse Domain, where all military-grade vehicles were stored and maintained.

Just by entering this place, you could already smell the scent of gun oil, metal, and engine grease. Mechanics moved between the towering machines, checking fuel levels, reinforcing armor plating, and ensuring that everything was combat-ready.

Well, Shane already had a total of eight mechanics even after recruiting numerous people. They were simply too rare. There were only four of them originally so he had to resort to using Skill Infusion Talent to imbue them with some skills they needed though he couldn’t do it by a lot.

After greeting them for a bit, Shane looked at the vehicles that had been prepared for their raid.

At this time, lined up before him were ten vehicles they were about to use to raid the Dreadnight Fortress.

There were a total of four types of vehicles that they had made or modified. Indeed, most of the internal parts were simply found or bought in the System Marketplace after all.

Anyway, the first was the Titan-Class Armored APCs.

Since it is a personnel carrier, it had an extra thick reinforced plating. Shane believed that with the upgrades they made, it would be able to withstand even missile strikes. Indeed, these were mobile fortresses on wheels, capable of transporting most of their troops even against a horde of Zombies.

The next was the Hellfire Gunner Trucks. Just like their names, they were built to be fast and deadly. They were equipped with Automated Turrets that could shoot both energy bullets and incendiary bombs.

Of course, with the fuel they had, Shane made sure that they were also mounted with flamethrowers on the sides ensuring that anything that got too close would be reduced to ashes.

The third one was what they call the Stormbreaker Tank-Hunters. They were equipped with modified energy-based railguns. Well, they were something Shane purchased in the Anima Store for a lot of reputation. What Shane liked about these energy-based bullets was the fact that they had no problems carrying ammunition. Although ammunition could be stored in the System Inventory, it would still take time to bring them out and load them after all.

Seeing this tank, Shane recalled the things he asked the Elves… It was the creation of artifacts that could harness Mana Stones. Unfortunately, that would still take a lot of them.

Anyway, the fourth type of vehicle they made was what they named Specter Recon Bikes.

It was stealthy and built for high-speed reconnaissance, these were perfect for high-mobility operations and Shane was lucky enough to have many recruits who could actually drive such bikes.

Furthermore, with Cloud’s suggestion, each bike was equipped with anti-personnel mines and a deployable cloaking mechanism.

”I guess they’re all good to go…” Shane muttered as he looked at them.

They had two Titan-Class Armored APCs, two Hellfire Gunner Trucks, two Stormbreaker Tank-Hunters, and four Specter Recon Bikes.

Shane then walked past each one as he allowed Cloud to check on them closer.

He might be missing something after all.

Anyway, every vehicle had undergone incredible modifications with the best weapons, armor, and enhancements that Eclipse Domain could provide.

At this time, one of their mechanics arrived. His name was Royce and he was one of the best mechanics with Shane’s Skill Infusion his talent had increased even more.

”Everything’s good to go, Commander,” Royce reported as he got closer. ”We’ve reinforced all the plating, upgraded the firepower, and even installed some of those high-energy shields you secured for us. If anything tries to ambush us, we’ll be ready.”

The high-energy shields were his last additions since he felt that his Aura Sentinel Tokens may not be enough.

Shane smiled and thanked the mechanic. It was amazing how quickly they worked in these matters.

***

After a few more hours, Shane finally gathered everyone who would be joining their raid. They were already aware of the situation in the Dreadnight Fortress as he allowed them to study it, including their plans for at least three days.

”You all know why we’re here…” Shane said as he looked at the confident expression of his companions. ”The Dreadnight Fortress might be the most dangerous Zombie Lord Territory in the continent but we will conquer it with everyone’s help.”

”We will conquer it!” Tundra shouted and it was followed by everyone else.

Shane nodded, satisfied with their reaction.

”Now, before we move out, I want each of you to confirm your gear. Double-check your weapons, potions, talismans, and skill tokens. If you’re missing something, speak now—or you won’t get another chance.” He reminded.

Soon, the armored convoy moved, and loud engines could be heard by everyone in the shelter.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

Soon, everyone else watched as the convoy exited Eclipse Domain’s massive steel gates.

The convoy moved swiftly and dust clouds rose behind them…

***

Not far away, hidden in the nearby trees, a pair of crimson eyes gleamed.

It was from Vampire Scout… The scout observed the convoy’s departure with a smile as he knew what this meant.

The moment the last vehicle disappeared into the horizon, the scout transformed into a bat and entered the deeper part of the forest.