Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

Fiona didn’t waste any time preparing for the expedition.

After receiving Shane’s message, the Rat Princess immediately gathered her equipment and selected the rats she would bring with her. She had no intention of using normal rats to search every corner of the enormous Floating Island... She had specialized rats at her command to do that.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel excited about the opportunity.

The First Citadel was an ancient facility left behind by the Anima Civilization, and Shane had already warned her that the place was filled with strange machines and hidden passages. For someone like Fiona, who could use her rats to explore areas that humans couldn’t easily reach, this was practically an invitation.

There was also another reason she was willing to help.

Shane had promised her a Mech Frame.

Fiona smiled at the thought as she stepped into the Gate Portal.

”Let’s see what kind of place you’ve found this time.”

A moment later, the world around her blurred.

When Fiona stepped out of the portal, she immediately found herself inside the Mist Shelter.

She looked around with interest.

”So this is where everyone has been staying?”

Although she had visited the shelter before, Fiona still liked the place. It didn’t even feel like they were close to dangerous ruins or the First Citadel... The Mist Shelter felt surprisingly peaceful.

Several people recognized her as she walked through the settlement.

”Miss Fiona!”

”You’re here again?”

Fiona smiled and waved at them.

”Shane asked me to help with something.”

She didn’t bother explaining the details. Instead, she quickly made her way toward the area where Shane had told her to begin the search.

Once she reached the designated location, Fiona took out a special whistle from her storage equipment.

She brought it to her lips and blew.

Squeak!

The sound was not particularly loud, but within moments, the surrounding area began to move.

Rats emerged from everywhere...

Just like that, dozens quickly became hundreds.

Soon, a large portion of the Mist Shelter was surrounded by rats of different sizes and appearances.

Fiona smiled as she realized that the Rats could sense the strange energy surrounding the place.

”Everyone, listen carefully. We’re going into the ruins beneath us.”

The rats immediately became restless.

Some possessed unusually sharp senses, others could burrow through almost any material, while several elite rats had developed special abilities that allowed them to detect energy, sense danger, or even move through shadows.

Fiona closed her eyes.

A strange connection immediately spread through her mind.

One by one, the senses of her rats became connected to her own consciousness.

She could suddenly see through dozens of different pairs of eyes.

One rat saw the metallic structures surrounding the entrance.

Another detected traces of energy hidden beneath the ground.

A third carefully sniffed the air before turning toward a narrow passage.

Fiona’s consciousness shifted between them effortlessly.

”There it is.”

One of the rats had discovered the entrance Shane’s group had used.

Fiona immediately pointed toward it.

”Send the fast ones first.”

The fastest rats moved forward without hesitation.

Some disappeared into cracks barely large enough for a finger to pass through, while others crawled through ventilation shafts and narrow mechanical passages.

Fiona remained outside, standing perfectly still as she controlled them through their shared senses.

She smiled faintly.

”Let’s see what secrets you’ve been hiding.”

The Rat Princess had finally begun her search of the First Citadel.

***

In the meantime, Merlin had spent enough time inside the First Citadel.

After exploring the strange chamber and gaining provisional authority over the disk-shaped vessel, he had eventually discovered a hidden exit buried beneath several layers of collapsed rock.

The passage was far too narrow for the enormous vessel to pass through normally.

Merlin, however, had no intention of leaving his new discovery behind.

”Let’s see if this works.”

The disk-shaped vessel slowly rose from the depths of the First Citadel.

BOOM!

The ground trembled violently as enormous rocks covering the hidden hatch were suddenly blasted apart. Dust and fragments of stone erupted into the air as the vessel forced its way upward.

A moment later, the massive disk-shaped machine emerged from beneath the surface.

Its metallic body hovered silently above the ground, surrounded by several rotating rings that emitted a faint blue glow.

Merlin stood beneath it, controlling the vessel through the strange authority connection that had been established with him.

”Much better.”

He looked around the Floating Island with a satisfied expression.

The ancient vessel was far larger than he had initially realized. Its disk-shaped body was nearly impossible to miss as it hovered above the ruins of the First Citadel.

Of course, Merlin’s actions attracted so much attention at this point.

Just like that, Shane and the others, who had just returned to the Mist Shelter after concluding their investigation of the First Citadel, were surprised by what had just happened.

The moment they stepped outside, a tremendous explosion echoed across the Floating Island.

BOOM!

Everyone immediately turned toward the source of the sound.

Shane’s expression changed.

”What the hell?”

A massive disk-shaped vessel slowly rose into view through the cloud of dust.

For several seconds, everyone was unsure whether they had to fight or not...

Max stared at the strange machine with his mouth slightly open.

”Is that...”

Tundra’s eyes widened as he knew this alien ship he could only see in movies.

”T-that’s Flying Saucer!”

Even Cloud seemed to take several seconds to process what it was detecting.

[ Master, I have detected an unidentified large-scale vessel connected to Merlin. ]

Shane’s eyes widened.

”What? Did he get brainwashed too?!”

He immediately became cautious.

They had spent so much time exploring the ancient facility, yet they had never encountered anything resembling this enormous vessel.

Then Shane noticed someone standing beneath it.

It was his grandfather, Merlin.

Thankfully, his worry didn’t last that long...

The old mage waved toward them from beneath the hovering vessel.

”Shane!”

Shane stared at him as he confirmed that he wasn’t brainwashed.

Then he looked at the massive disk-shaped vessel hovering above Merlin.

”...What did you find?”

Merlin smiled proudly.

”Something rather interesting.”