Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

A week after Lawrence and Shania had arrived, six hundred more survivors passed through the portal into Blue Haven Shelter.

The place quickly became more lively with so many people with various talents and skills arriving to the new shelter...

Streets that had once been quiet were now filled with voices, footsteps, and the sounds of construction.

Many of these people were even craftsmen or merchants who could sell various services and items to ensure that everyone would meet their needs...

Aside from them, children were also brought! Their presence and laughter brought joy to everyone as they explored the villa grounds, while their parents hauled timber and stone to the new housing sites.

But after the addition of six hundred people, the transfer was halted. The main villa and the newly built townhouses could no longer accommodate more people.

Even with survivors who possessed Earth and Metal talents shaping walls and reinforcing beams, and even with Super Soldiers and Mute Builders working tirelessly, the sheer number was too much.

Still, a population of more than seven hundred was already a strong foundation for Blue Haven Shelter.

It greatly eased the strain on Springriver Manor, which had been struggling to feed and house the thousands crammed within its walls.

One morning, Lawrence and Shania lined up to receive their rations.

The distribution was orderly, overseen by Warden Units and volunteers.

”Two sets...” Shania said as she handed over their tokens.

The worker nodded, passing them a tray with bread rolls, a portion of rice, a small cut of dried fish, and pickled vegetables. There was even a cup of warm broth with chunks of meat included.

”Not bad,” Lawrence muttered as they carried the food back to their unit. ”Better than the thin porridge we had at the manor.”

Inside their quarters, they set the tray on the small table by the balcony. Indeed, they opened the balcony door to let the sea breeze in.

Shania smiled as she bit into the bread. ”It’s filling. I could eat this every morning.”

The bread they had wasn’t the bread dropped by Zombies after all. They had bakers making filling bread every morning...

Lawrence grinned while tearing into the dried fish.

”Mhmm... I guess we can get a lot of fish here... Though I’m curious if there are Sea-Type Zombies active around our shelter. Ahh... Right, speaking of which, they’re sending me to the dockyard.”

Shania paused as she heard this. ”Dockyard? Already?”

”Yeah,” Lawrence replied. ”They want to start building piers and storage sheds. If this place is going to be a port city, the dockyard has to come first.”

”Be careful... I heard that Sea-Creature Zombies exist. Though we have walls now, the dockyard is different.”

”Of course... Don’t worry about us. I’m working with tens of Super Soldiers. They can rip off those Zombies with their bare hands.”

Shania chuckled at that and continued eating.

After finishing breakfast, Lawrence quickly put on his uniform and kissed Shania. ”I’ll see you tonight. Don’t work too hard in the kitchen.”

Shania laughed softly. ”My shift doesn’t start for another three hours. I’ll tidy up here first. Go on, builder man.”

***

At the dockyard site, Lawrence joined a group of workers and Super Soldiers.

The coastline stretched wide, and as he got closer, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks grew louder.

The plan for today was to carve out a section of the shore, reinforce it, and lay the foundations for piers that could handle fishing boats and, eventually, larger vessels.

The foreman, the same scarred man from before, gave them various instructions. ”Alright, listen up! We’re clearing this section. We have a couple of Earth‑talent users who will stabilize the ground. We’ll coordinate with them... Bricklayers and carpenters, you’ll start on the storage sheds. Super Soldiers will move those boulders. Let’s make this place usable!”

Lawrence grabbed his tools and joined the bricklayers as he looked at the two Earth-Talent wielders...

If he wasn’t mistaken, these two Survivors weren’t from any of their shelters at all. They were actually hired from a Neutral Shelter and members of the Great Mercenary Clan.

They were basically Workforce For Hire...

’I hope I have that kind of talent too...’ He mused.

Still, Lawrence was thankful for their presence since they made things a lot easier.

By midday, the first outlines of the dockyard were visible. Wooden scaffolding rose, and the beginnings of a pier stretched into the water. Workers hammered planks into place, while others dug trenches for drainage...

Everything was proceeding fast with so many workers around.

During a short break, Lawrence sat on a crate, sipping water. It was a tiring job, but they will be receiving their weekly payment later, so he was actually quite excited.

He planned to buy something for his partner once he got home...

’She’s been eyeing some new clothes, and she also mentioned that Mini Safety Token... It was being sold for only 10 Zombie Cores... It should be fine.’ Lawrence thought to himself.

By evening, the dockyard had taken shape. The first pier was sturdy enough to walk on, and the storage shed foundations were set.

As his shift ended, Lawrence stood back as he looked at their quick progress. It was an amazing sight...

Soon, workers were packing up tools, and a few children had wandered close to the shore to watch the waves.

Then the water shifted...

At first, it looked like a ripple, a swell from the tide, and nothing to be wary about...

But the waves grew higher, and it was happening unnaturally. Lawrence frowned as he stepped closer to the edge of the pier.

”Foreman... do you see that?” he called.

The scarred man squinted. ”Tide’s wrong... Yes, this is too fast.”

Before anyone could react, a massive shape broke the surface. A scaled figure appeared from the water, its body was a mix between fish and corpse.

Its eyes were those of a fish, and when its mouth opened, it revealed shark-like teeth!

”Sea Creature Zombie!” someone screamed.