Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

[ Hermes: I saw your listing. Price is decent. But you should’ve used Trade instead of a direct sale. That way, people without cores can still barter. ]

[ Shane: Trade tax is too high. I’d rather keep it simple. If someone messages me directly, I’ll consider private trades. ]

[ Jun: I only have one Exceptional-grade dagger and a few barrier fragments. Can I trade those for a Spirit Stone? ]

[ Shane: Message me. I’ll check your items. If they’re usable, I’ll send one over. ]

[ Leo: I just bought thirty of them... Our barrier is running out of energy, but this should stabilize it. Shane, you’re officially my favorite person today. Your Spirit Stones are all high quality! ]

[ Jamina: Same here. Bought ten of them... I hope this will last long. ]

Natalie watched the chat shift again. Shane’s announcement had triggered a wave of purchases and private messages. Shelters that were on the brink were now scrambling to secure just a few more minutes of defense.

[ Travis: We just had a brute-type explode after death. Anyone else seeing that? It took out half our front line. Do not let those fatty Zombies die near your soldiers. They explode like hell... Lesson learned, so be careful. ]

[ Joy: Yes. Detonation trait. It’s spreading. If you’re using melee squads, pull them back after the kill. There are more and more of them. Most of them came from Infested Type Zombies but there are also some from others. ]

[ Serra: Legit. We lost two Knights to post-mortem bursts. If you don’t have ranged finishers, you’re going to bleed. ]

[ Caius: Use suppression fields. If you don’t have them, isolate the corpse and wait. Don’t rush the loot. ]

Natalie’s eyes lit up after seeing the names appearing on the chat.

Travis, the leader of the Drakeheart Vanguard... There was Serra, the leader of the Wraith Walkers Clan that was Rank 6, and Caius, the Rank 4 Survivor, though his Shadowbinders Clan was Rank 19...

[ Kris: Suppression fields? We barely have working barriers. ]

[ Travis: Then don’t loot so quickly... Let the ones who needed to explode, explode... Just survive first. You can’t trade if you’re dead. ]

[ Jamina: We just had a crawler wave. No, Lords, but they’re faster than usual. Our traps barely slowed them. They’re not crippled but more like Spider Zombies or something. ]

[ Jun: Same here. They’re adapting. I swear our traps barely caught anyone. This had never happened before. Even pitfalls are being avoided! These guys are getting smart for real! ]

[ Elric: That’s not adaptation. That’s targeting. They’re learning our layouts. ]

[ Joy: If you haven’t changed your formation since the first wave, you’re already compromised. Rotate your defense strategy or something. ]

[ Tasha: We collapsed our tunnel earlier. Still sealed in. No Earth-types yet, but we’re hearing movement above. Pray for us. ]

[ Serra: If you hear movement under you, it’s already too late. Prep fallback points. Don’t wait for confirmation. ]

[ Rami: We just bought Spirit Stones from Shane. Got twenty. Enough for one more cycle. If anyone’s hoarding, please reconsider. We’re not asking for charity. Just a chance. ]

[ Kris: Saw a new seller... Cinder Vault. Prices are high, but they’re not scamming... ]

[ Joy: That’s one of ours... If you need Stones, grab them fast. We put them at a higher price since the quality of the Spirit Stones we have is better. ]

[ Kris: Still debatable. Shane or Shadow Strider might have better ones. ]

The Chat continued as always, since everyone could now find a way to open their chat to at least find some comfort or advice from others.

Soon, the topic shifted to the possible way to defend against the Earth-Type Zombies, and it was answered by multiple people...

***

In the meantime, a shadow passed over the Eclipse Domain and it was swiftly reported to Shane...

There was something above them and it was high... too high. The turrets didn’t rotate. The ballista crews didn’t fire. Even the long-range cannons remained silent.

The zombie was flying alone, circling like a scout hawk, its wings stretched wide, and its body was lean and armored with bone plates.

If not for Cloud, no one would notice it at all.

Shane frowned as he got the complete report from Cloud.

It wasn’t attacking. Not yet. But it was scanning. And if it detected the Floating Fortress, even in stealth mode, numerous flying Zombies might suddenly attack the fortress...

He couldn’t allow that.

Although the next wave of zombies was already rushing towards them, Shane needed to deal with the lone winged Zombies.

He tapped his system interface and checked the flight skill he obtained after getting the Sky’s Strongest Title...

The Flight Skill was only one minute.

That meant no drawn-out battle. No evasive maneuvers. No waiting for backup.

He had to strike fast and either kill it or cripple its wings, so he immediately got into a position and left the command center...

Soon, Shane felt ready and triggered his bio-armor’s full output.

The suit hissed as its internal reactor surged...

[ Bio-Armor: Overdrive Mode Activated ]

Soon, Shane launched upward in a burst of compressed air, the armor’s propulsion nodes flaring as he broke through the upper cloud layer.

The Armor’s assist and the Flight Skill worked together!

The zombie turned mid-air, as it was sensing the sudden presence.

Shane didn’t hesitate as soon as he got closer...

First, he triggered his Adrenaline Surge... Thanks to that, his reflexes sharpened, blood flow accelerated, and he felt more focused...

Then, he triggered Armored Dash, propelling him forward like a missile.

The zombie shrieked and banked hard, trying to climb higher and avoid Shane!

’What? It’s not aiming to kill or eat me? What kind of Zombie is this?’ Shane was confused, as it was not a Zombie Behavior at all.

Nonetheless, he continued to close in...

He activated Quick Draw, unsheathing his blade in a blur, followed by Double Thrust!

He had two rapid stabs aimed at the joint of its left wing!

”I need you to go down!” Shane shouted as he didn’t want to use up all the 60 seconds of his Flight Skill!