Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

There were indeed quite a lot of issues after Cloud disappeared due to the attack of the Zombie Lord.

Nonetheless, they weren’t completely helpless as they had already learned a lot from Cloud. Soon, Clyde and Keno worked together to repair various weapons, barrier cores, shields, and other pieces of equipment to help the people on the front line.

They had a lot of things to do in this workshop, but thankfully, they were all skilled enough to handle all the tasks so far…

After some time, within Mech Bay 03 where Recovery Operations were happening, various engineers gathered.

At this time, inside a hangar, the Juggernaut Mech and Vanguard Mech that fought against the Zombie Lords had finally been returned.

The two of them were lowered onto diagnostic frameworks.

They weren’t sure when these two must be sent out again, so everyone was working together to fix it…

At this time, sparks flew as engineers in radiation-resistant gear tore into the armors of the Frames.

”Juggernaut’s left piston arm is burnt out! Replace it with the spare from the Prototype Units!” shouted by Chief Mechanic Rhona. After all the work she’d done over the past few days, her voice was already hoarse, especially now with so much smoke and heat in her surroundings.

Thankfully, a crew of Super Soldiers—taller, faster, stronger than any ordinary human—rushed to assist…

They easily hauled pieces of plated armor like they weighed nothing.

They were the perfect laborers that Shane had gifted them. They do not even need to use the Exo-Suit, which also saved them a lot of money.

Nearby, a pair of Hybrid Technicians worked on AEGIS-02 Vanguard…

These two were completely unbothered by the situation they were in…

As a matter of fact, they were even softly humming a tune as they repaired the various parts of the Mech Frame.

Well, even if they weren’t at Arial’s level, they were still Hybrid Humans who had enhanced intelligence and affinity to machines. Because of that, they liked working with the Mech Frames. Unfortunately, they couldn’t manage people well, so there was no way for them to become leaders instead.

Rhona then looked up at the board, which displayed the current situation of the Shelter. This information was from Arial, to keep them updated as well.

[ Remaining Zombie Wave Duration: 10 Hours

Shelter Zone Stability: 63%

Wall Integrity: South Wall – 91%, North Wall – 42%, East Wall – 80%, West Wall – 8%

Remaining Food Units: 3,900 Servings ]

’”We’re holding… barely… But we’re not going to starve at the very least…’ Rhona mused…

***

In the meantime, inside the Canteen Block, the kitchen was also busy on its own—clanging pans, hissing steam, shouting cooks, and the scent of energy-rich food filled the air.

The head of the kitchen, Marco, a Tier-1 Chef who once ran a small dining establishment in his city, now wore a Master-Grade Apron and wielded Epic-Grade Cleavers.

He had trained with Alexa from the Springriver Manor and he believed that his skills as a chef had already reached their peak, especially with the apron and cleavers that he received as a gift from Butler Edwin.

He worked fast, slicing through meat with perfect accuracy…

His assistant, a young girl named Tali who was barely nine years old, moved behind him, checking the timer and fetching ingredients for him…

”This batch of Fortified Stew is for the medic bay… Add the Everbloom Carrots and the Emberfin Trout Extract…” Marco called.

The food wasn’t ordinary.

Each dish was crafted using ingredients purchased from the System’s Store or provided by Shane himself…

Aside from Shane’s Silver Fish, Misty Koi, Emberfin Trout, and others that he had grown in his pocket dimension, the kitchen also obtained many other ingredients through the system store of many Survivors.

After all, Shane would sponsor their purchase to be donated to their kitchen.

There were ingredients like Liver Extract that restored stamina and boosted recovery by 20% for three hours. Then, Miracle Instant Noodles that enhance night vision temporarily were also quite popular, and they probably had two hundred of these in their stocks.

There were also the Spirit-Grain Loaves that reduce Spirit Point consumption when using Skills or Talents.

The most important of all was the Ashen Root Broth, which calms all kinds of anxiety and reduces mental fatigue.

Thanks to these resources, soldiers, patients, doctors, engineers, and many other workers who’d been moving nonstop for hours could eat in the mess hall or even at their working areas…

When they ate, their bodies genuinely recovered. It was something they could obtain from just drinking potions, energy bars, or candies, even if they had special effects from the system.

At this time, Tali was preparing a special tray for the medical staff.

She caught a glimpse of a wounded Warden Unit—a combat robot missing half its chassis, seated motionless at a table.

Quietly, she placed a small piece of bread in front of it.

”Not that you eat,” she murmured. ”But you still saved us. So... thanks.”

***

Within the infirmary closest to the front line, many wounded people were being stabilized.

Aya, the young Shaman, was using her various skills to heal everyone. She put her hands over a soldier’s chest…

His lungs had collapsed under blunt trauma. However, her fingers glowed faintly as she used her ability and triggered the Talisman of Healing.

”Do not speak…” she whispered. ”Just breathe. I’m rebuilding your body...”

A queue stretched out the doors. Pharmacists and other medical staff moved in and out, administering System-Approved Painkillers and Stamina Restoration Serums—each of them was costly, but worth every Zombie Cores or Reputation Points used.

Despite the exhaustion, due to more than 12 hours of working nonstop, none of them stopped.

All of this was being monitored by Arial, and he knew that all these people working behind the scene must be rewarded properly as well.

***

Back in the command center, Arial temporarily disconnected from the main system as it was already straining his mind and body quite a lot.

Thankfully, because of the Zombie Lords they encountered, the system seemed to have decided not to give them powerful hordes for a while.

It was his very rare moment of rest…

Of course, he was still monitoring the situation to ensure that there weren’t any problems.

With the live battlefield feeds, he would know when to act…

At this time, he was notified that the barrier in the western wall had been repaired in time…

”Good…” Arial muttered to himself before shifting his attention to other live feeds.

Here, he saw the rallying of tired soldiers after a warm meal. He also noticed the Juggernaut Mech’s battered frame was already being repaired by multiple technicians...

It was only about 11 in the evening and they still had a long night…

’Lurkers and Hunter Zombies would probably come out this time.’ Arial muttered.

Still, he was confident that no matter how stealthy the Zombies might be, he wouldn’t miss their approach at all.

***

Just as Arial leaned back in his seat, the heavy door to the Command Center hissed open.

He turned slightly, expecting another report from the Warden Units or perhaps a technician needing authorization.

Instead, he was greeted by a softer sound—light footsteps, accompanied by a sweet scent...

”Ahh…”

It was a beautiful woman who had entered and it made him fluster a bit… In just a few moments, he immediately recalled her identity…

”Sir Arial, Shane sent me to check in.” She softly said as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

It was none other than Jillian, the Survivor with a Talent called Famous Bard.

This Epic-Grade Talent wasn’t just for entertainment but also for the battlefield.

Her voice carried power. It could lift the hearts and draw people together.

Even now, her voice seemed to smooth the tension that was on Arial’s mind.

”Jillian. Your timing is impeccable. We’re holding out, but the western wall was almost breached. Repairs are underway now.”

She glanced at the display screens and gently nodded... ”I’ve already visited the infirmaries, the mech bays, even the canteen. Everything’s under control, considering the situation.”

”That’s good to hear… But I can see that fatigue is setting in.” He replied.

Jillian paused for a moment, then smiled at this. ”Then let me do something about that. I think Lord Shane sent me for that reason.”

Arial raised an eyebrow. ”You want to perform?”

”I need no stage… Morale is as vital as armor or ammunition. Let me help...” Jillian said.

Arial swiftly raised his hand and explained... ”Ahh... Of course… Do it. I’m thankful for that… We still have hours left in this Zombie Wave event… They’ll need more than just food and painkillers to make it through the night.”

Then, not long after, Jillian stood in the central plaza of the New Genesis Shelter.

A simple audio enhancement device was hastily connected, and this allowed her voice to travel far, not just through the shelter, but even past the walls where soldiers faced waves of undead at this moment.