Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

”Still quite small, huh...” Shane muttered as he realized that the outpost only covers about 210 sqm.

Nonetheless, since it was only an outpost, it shouldn’t really be that big. He just had to improve its walls, build a livable house for a dozen or two people, add some defensive structures like watchtowers, turrets, or even barriers, and then this outpost would be just fine.

Anyway, Shane decided to move through the battlefield, stepping over shattered weapons and broken bodies.

He began looting the rest of the corpses, though his expectations were low.

The System notifications confirmed his suspicion. None of them had reached 8,000 Reputation Points.

Then, aside from the regular drops, he got rare and epic items... These items weren’t in good condition as well, since their durability had been compromised during the battle.

As for the skills, most of them were just quite basic ones, with a few special skills that he already had and even if not, they weren’t that great.

Still, for those skills he had, it only increased his Skill Mastery...

They were the Fishing Skill, Mining Skill, Woodcutting Skill, Cooking Skill, Hunting Skill, Basic Crafting Skill, Farming Skill, and many others.

As for the special ones, one of them was actually an Ice Manipulation Skill and it was even Level 4!

Shane didn’t mind having those Survival Skills, but this Ice Manipulation was very special.

[ Ice Manipulation Skill Lv4: Allows the Survivor to generate and control ice within a limited radius. Can freeze water, create ice barriers, and preserve food. Costs 40 Spirit Points per use. ]

Shane’s eyes lit up. ”Now this... this is useful.”

He recalled how one of the defenders had been using this skill during the battle... It seemed that he was also using it for freezing fish to preserve them.

That explained the warehouse he had seen earlier.

Curious, Shane made his way to the storage building.

Inside, the air was cold as he had expected. Rows of crates were stacked neatly, each filled with frozen fish.

The ice glistened faintly, still holding its form even after the caster’s death. Shane touched one of the crates and felt the chill seep into his fingers.

”Nice... So that’s how they kept their supplies fresh,” he muttered. ”This skill will be perfect for food preservation.”

He stored the frozen fish in his inventory, knowing they would be invaluable for Blue Haven and his other shelters.

Satisfied, Shane stepped back outside. The ruined outpost was his now... and it needed a lot of repairs and he needed to build some buildings too...

He reached into his inventory and pulled out ten Rare Recruitment Stones.

Unlike normal stones, these had a faint glow, pulsing with energy. Rare stones had a chance of summoning Survivors with useful skills. They could be for cooking, fishing, baking, hunting, rather than simple laborers who needed training.

Shane activated them...

”Let’s see... Please give me any able-bodied men.”

Immediately, the mysterious gray fog gathered above the shelter, swirling ominously. Soon, the stones dissolved into specks of light.

A cold wind swept across the outpost...

Then, one by one, figures began to appear outside the shelter. Ten Survivors materialized, their bodies still glowed faintly as the summoning completed.

After a few moments, they looked around in confusion, eyes wide as they realized where they were.

”Are you the Foreign Survivor?”

”I am... You can call me Shane.” Shane said as he stood before them. ”Welcome... This small shelter is mine... You’ve been recruited to serve here. If you have skills, you can find a way to use them. If not, you’ll learn.”

The Survivors exchanged nervous glances, but none dared to speak against him.

”Yes, Leader Shane...”

Well, they were worried since they could tell that this outpost had nothing... They knew how difficult it would be to build from scratch... There wasn’t even a decent wall to protect them from the Zombies!

It was as if their new home had just been ravaged by the Zombies.

Still, they had been chosen to help Shane, the Foreign Survivor... If this man could help them obtain their basic needs, then it doesn’t matter.

In the meantime, Shane knew what was on their minds based on their expression.

They were probably worried about their future now... However, they had no idea that he had four real shelters with populations of about three to four thousand each... or it could even be said that he had five shelters, if he included his Floating Fortress.

”Don’t worry about your future...” Shane said... ”You will have a lot of resources to use very soon.”

The ten were still confused, but they could only trust Shane’s plan.

***

After a brief round of introductions, Shane quickly assessed the ten recruits.

Their skill sets, were just as he suspected. Most of them only had basic survival skills... Useful, but far too ordinary for what he needed.

Of course, he wasn’t disappointed. He just needed healthy men after all.

He reached into his inventory and withdrew ten vials filled with a faintly glowing liquid... They were the Super Soldier Serum.

The recruits stared at the vials with confusion and fear.

They hadn’t even eaten yet, and they were about to consume some nasty-looking drink!

”This will change you,” Shane said firmly. ”You’ll no longer be ordinary Survivors. You’ll become perfect soldiers... stronger, faster, tougher. Drink it if you want to change... However, you can refuse and remain ordinary. I will not force you.”

The ten hesitated, but this opportunity wasn’t that easy to pass up. One by one, they accepted the vials and consumed the serum.

Immediately, the transformation began. Their bodies trembled as the serum coursed through their veins. Muscles tightened, bones strengthened, and their stamina surged...

As the transformation continued, the recruits collapsed to their knees, sweat pouring down their faces as their bodies adjusted.

Shane stood nearby, watching calmly. He had seen this process before.

”You can do it, guys... Once you are transformed, you will all become Super Soldiers capable of crushing zombies with your bare hands!