Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

Edwin decided to visit the workshop, or the Central Engineering Bay as they called it. He wanted to see its current situation in person.

Although he believes Cloud’s report, seeing it with his own eyes would still give him a better assessment of the state of the project.

As soon as he entered the building, Edwin headed to the Humanoid Robotics Division.

Inside this special division, he saw several fabricators working and molding alloy frames. Technicians in grease-stained uniforms calibrated various internal parts while some other engineers were assisting or directing the assembly of limbs and plating.

At the center of it all stood ten skeletal humanoid figures—Warden Units... They had a mid-size figure and they all had metal-gray exteriors that were still exposed in places, revealing the intricate gears, hydraulics, and synthetic muscle fibers beneath.

A senior engineer, Jace, who had the Gearspeak Talent, spotted Edwin and wiped his hands on his apron before approaching.

”Sir Edwin. Here to inspect the merchandise?” He asked.

The two had already gotten close over the past few months. As a matter of fact, Jace would sometimes see Edwin in the tavern. It was an unexpected place to see the Butler but that was also the reason why they had gotten closer.

This time, Edwin observed the nearest human drones. ”Are they operational?”

Jace grinned. ”Oh, they’re more than operational.”

He then activated the core of the nearest Warden unit.

Soon, the dormant Warden activated…

”Unit W-07, online. Awaiting directives.” Its voice was smooth, almost human—if not for the faint mechanical resonance beneath.

Edwin was impressed. ”Combat capabilities?”

Jace then tapped his tablet.

”Standard loadout includes retractable wrist blades, integrated rifles, and reactive armor plating. Each unit can process battlefield data in real-time, courtesy of Cloud’s tactical subroutines.”

He then gestured to a testing range at the far end of the workshop, where another Warden moved through a simulated engagement.

They all had to go through this simulation before they could be released.

Just like that, Edwin saw how the Warden Units were able to extend their blades and realized how fast they could be…

In just a few moments, he saw the dummy zombie’s head roll.

”That’s fast…” Edwin commented as he knew that it was faster than the elves.

Then, a rifle was deployed….

Thud. Thud.. Thud… Just like that, three more targets vaporized in quick succession.

Edwin nodded as he knew that these Warden Units had balanced close combat and ranged combat abilities.

”They’re efficient.”

”And that’s just Phase One,” Jace said. ”Phase Two will incorporate limited flight and heavy artillery mounts according to Commander Shane’s orders.”

After the demonstration was over, Edwin stepped closer to the inactive units and brushed his fingers against its armored shoulders.

”How many Warden Units are available?” He asked.

”Thirty deployed. Fifty in production.” Jace hesitated. ”Assuming no supply delays, we will be able to deploy a total of 150 units before the Zombie Wave.”

Edwin was impressed with the production speed and nodded.

”There will be no delays. I will request another Dragon Elixir for you all. Just double the shifts and I’ll also triple rations for the night crew.”

Jace crossed his arms and nodded. ”Dragon Elixir? You mean… That’s Dragon’s Veil Elixir? That will surely help us. But… Are you not worried about their supply? I heard that Elixir requires dragon blood.”

Edwin adjusted his cuffs as he was prepared to leave. ”It’s fine. Sir Shane already made arrangements and I’m handling their supply right now. Instead of giving them to our guards, I’ll be giving them to you right now. It’s better to have more Warden Units.

Jace smirked and nodded at this. ”Fair enough.”

He knew as well that the Fourth Zombie Wave would be brutal. There were definitely casualties in the process, and he’d rather see their Warden Units sacrifice themselves than the Survivors who had lives...

***

As Butler Edwin stepped out of the Humanoid Robotics Division, he decided to go deeper within the Central Engineering Bay.

This place was larger and had reinforced floors of New Genesis Shelter’s industrial sector.

Soon, he approached a set of towering blast doors with a huge sign restricting others from entering.

MECH FRAME DIVISION – AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

It was written in bold letters, and entering it required authorization from Cloud.

A scanner was then activated, and Cloud confirmed that Edwin had authority.

It only took a moment before the doors opened, revealing a huge hangar.

Inside this place, there was a thick scent of welding torches, hydraulic fluid, and ionized metal.

It was also noisy to the point that it was deafening. There was the sound of power drills, rivet guns, and the occasional thunderous clash of alloy meeting alloy.

Edwin smiled as soon as he saw this.

This place was where the true giants were born.

It was Shane’s secret project, and there weren’t a lot of people who knew about this at all. Only the core members of the Shelter and some members of the Eclipse Revenant Clan knew about this.

After all, Shane didn’t want this information to spread and wanted the Mech Frames to be his ace.

The hangar stretched nearly 200 meters long, its ceiling was also high enough to accommodate the towering forms of five-meter-tall mechanized warframes. It was Shane’s answer to the upcoming Zombie Wave.

At the center of this place was Engineer Eliot Mercer.

Of course, Eliot was also being assisted by Cloud. As a matter of fact, he was wearing a pair of augmented-reality goggles pushed up onto his forehead.

At this time, he was commanding a team of technicians swarming over the steel-plated leg of a half-assembled mech.

”I don’t care if the servos are overheating—recalibrate the hydraulic dampeners before we install the thigh plating!”

One of the engineers was surprised as a spark shower erupted from an open panel of the warframe. However, Eliot Mercer didn’t flinch as he watched everything carefully.

Then, it was at this time that he spotted Edwin.

”Ah. The Butler graces us with his presence.” Mercer wiped his hands on a rag that hadn’t been cleaned for a long time.

”Sir Shane didn’t order you to adjust the deadline, right? It’s impossible… The warframes still had too many defects.”

Edwin’s expression remained the same.

”The Zombie Wave comes in fifteen days. It doesn’t have to be fully functional. At most, it will only act as support. I will also hand over more Dragon’s Veil Elixir for everyone.”

Mercer grinned as he also liked that Elixir.

”Oh... If that’s the case, we might be able to do it… We are prioritizing a special series here that will be ready for the Zombie Wave in 15 days with that Elixir’s help…”

He then turned and gestured to the hangar’s main staging area.

”Meet the Aegis Series.”

Butler Edwin then glanced at the various stages of assembly. There were six Mech Frames displayed there.

Then, Eliot gave the tablet to Edwin so he could get more information about the Mech Frames. Eliot wanted to give this information since Edwin was also part of the Strategic Command. If he knew more about the Mech Frames, they would be able to use them properly in combat.

Soon, Edwin read their information.

[ AEGIS-01 ”Juggernaut” ]

[ Role: Frontline Assault

Armaments: Twin-linked rotary cannons, Reinforced kinetic shield, Retractable Pile Driver

Distinct Feature: ”Rampage Mode” – Overclocks hydraulics for a 300% strength boost. Duration: 90 seconds. ]

Edwin then looked at this menacing Juggernaut. It certainly deserved its name because of how it looked.

He also couldn’t help but realize that they really had plenty of metal supply. It seemed that the Iron Mine of the Springriver Manor was having a huge haul recently.

Next, he checked the other unit.

[ AEGIS-02 ”Vanguard” ]

[ Role: Mobile Artillery

Armaments: Shoulder-mounted plasma launcher, Back-mounted missile pods.

Distinct Feature: ”Scorched Earth Protocol” – Can detonate its own munitions in a controlled blast to clear surrounding enemies. ]

Edwin gently nodded at this Mech Frame. He wasn’t sure if Vanguard was appropriate but nonetheless, this Mech Frame could indeed be the first attacker with its long-range capabilities.

Edwin then checked the next units

[ AEGIS-03 ”Phantom” ]

[ Role: Stealth/Recon

Armaments: Active camouflage texture, Wrist-mounted mono-filament wires.

Distinct Feature: ”Ghost Walk” – Near-silent operation, perfect for flanking or sabotage. ]

Edwin raised an eyebrow. ”A stealth mech? Is there even a need for this?”

Mercer shrugged. ”Shane’s idea. Said we might need to ’remove problems quietly.’”

Since it was Shane’s decision, even if doubts that it would be useful, Edwin decided to accept it. Perhaps, Shane was planning something, and he was just not aware of it just yet.

Edwin then turned to the next Mech Frame.

[ AEGIS-04 ”Tower” ]

Role: Fortress Defense

Armaments: Deployable energy barrier, Auto-tracking sentry guns

Distinct Feature: ”Barricade Stance” – Locks into the ground, becoming an immovable object. ]

This unit seemed really useful for defending shelters, as the name suggests. Edwin also liked the idea that it could actually produce Barriers.

However, just as he expected, the amount of steel to create this thing would probably surpass fifty Warden Units!

It was simply too bulky!