Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

Shane couldn’t help but smile faintly at Asad’s final message.

[ Asad: Yes. Remember your promise. You have to give us your blessing if the elf falls in love with me. ]

He stared at the chat window for a moment, then replied.

[ Shane: You’re really serious about Serenya, huh? ]

Serenya was one of the five Legendary Elf recruits Shane had obtained after using a Legendary Elf Recruitment Stone. She was certainly graceful, composed, and undeniably beautiful. Her affinity with nature was unmatched, and her skills, Nature’s Renewal, Purification, Nature’s Guardian, and others, allowed her to manipulate flora and ambient mana in ways even seasoned druids couldn’t replicate.

But Shane had his doubts about their possible relationship.

Serenya was a nature-bound elf. She spent her free time tending to the mana gardens, speaking to elemental spirits, and purifying corrupted zones.

Asad, on the other hand, was a Necromancer. His summons were skeletal, shadow-bound, and often reeked of death energy. Even if Asad looked good and had a charming appearance, Shane wasn’t sure Serenya would ever reciprocate.

Still, he had decided not to interfere.

[ Shane: Good luck then. If she chooses you, I’ll give my blessing. Just don’t mess it up. ]

[ Asad: I won’t. I already gave her a bouquet of soulbound lilies. She didn’t reject it. That’s progress, right? ]

Shane chuckled.

[ Shane: That’s progress. Or pity. Either way, keep trying. ]

He closed the chat and checked his other messages.

One stood out among them and he swiftly checked it out.

It was from Raze, stationed at Springriver Manor.

[ Raze: Shane. The nearest Zombie Nest is down thanks to Alora’s Knights. They wanted to work even if the Red Night Event had just finished. They cleared the entire nest, hoping to get the normal loot. But there’s something you need to see. ]

Shane was curious as he continued reading.

[ Raze: The Nest wasn’t normal. After they wiped out the last wave and the Zombie Boss, they found a chamber deeper underground. It wasn’t listed in the old maps. I already checked it. ]

[ Raze: There’s a green mist spreading from the walls. They’re thick and dense. It’s not natural. Our scanners picked up a high concentration of viral particles... It’s off the charts. ]

Shane frowned.

[ Shane: Mutation zone? ]

[ Raze: That’s what we think. The mist is saturated with the virus. It’s not airborne in the usual way... it’s clinging to surfaces, seeping into the soil. We found traces in the roots of nearby trees. Everything’s strange. There’s nothing like this before when we cleared his Nest. ]

[ Shane: Did anyone get exposed? ]

[ Raze: One scout got too close. His suit registered a spike in neural inflammation and cellular decay. We pulled him out fast. He’s stable, but we’re not taking chances. ]

[ Shane: Good call. ]

[ Raze: We sealed the chamber with some mobile barriers and set up a perimeter. No one goes in without full hazmat and a suppression team. But Shane... this mist might be one of the sources. Not just a mutation trigger. A generator of a virus or something. As you know, we have to end this apocalypse not just by killing the Zombies but by stopping the virus from spreading or eliminating it. ]

Shane nodded.

If the virus was evolving underground or if it had pockets like this scattered across the region, it meant the apocalypse wasn’t just persistent.

It was definitely growing. No wonder they kept getting stronger and having more and more mutations.

[ Shane: I’ll check it out myself once the siege here is handled. Keep the site locked down. No samples or experiments. We need to be careful. We’ll probably need Anna’s help on this... and the elves. They have high resistance to this. ]

[ Raze: Understood. But you should know... the mist is spreading. Slowly. It’s already reached the outer tunnels. If it breaches the surface, I’m not sure if I should just bury the whole thing with an earthquake or something. ]

Shane closed the message window and exhaled.

Silver Mine Camp was about to be attacked by a powerful army with three Legendary Talent holders.

Springriver Manor had just uncovered a viral mist chamber that could be fueling zombie mutations.

There were a lot of things happening, and it hadn’t been that long since the Red Night Event ended.

***

After some time, Asad finally returned to the camp and stood before Shane, Diana, and the gathered officers... Although he didn’t directly fight against the enemies, he looked exhausted.

”I held them for as long as I could,” he said. ”But they weren’t just strong... they were organized.”

Shane nodded. ”We got the names from Travis. Lesley, Orlando, Kara, and their impressive talents. But what did you see?”

Asad exhaled.

”Lesley’s petrification power had gotten a lot stronger. She probably completed her Ascension Quest or received that Talent Upgrade... My Skeleton King froze at around 10 meters from her. It then turned to stone before it could even swing. I tried to pull it back, but it shattered. Her petrification isn’t just fast... it’s absolute. It’s more dangerous than before. However, I’m not sure if the effect is the same with Survivors.”

Diana frowned. ”What about Orlando?”

”He could summon multiple types of golems. I don’t know what other kind of golem it was, but he had fire, ice, and steel golems. It walked through my Grave Mist like it was air. My Abyssal Knight tried to fight against it, but it got crushed. I didn’t even last five fits.”

”And Kara?” Shane asked.

Asad hesitated.

”Right... I didn’t even know she was there. Two of my Lich Kings collapsed without warning. Thankfully, my Doom Knight was close and protected me.”

”I lost half my summons in under ten minutes. Bone Fortress, Grave Mist, even my Mummy Lord... none of them lasted. And that wasn’t all.”

He pointed to the tactical map.

”There were squads behind them. I couldn’t identify their gear, but I saw six figures in bulky suits... They tore through my Bone Wall like it was paper. Another group had flamethrowers. They’re not spewing normal fire. They turned my undead into ash before they could even reach the front line.”

Diana frowned at this... Strong flamethrowers could be a problem on their current set of walls.

Asad nodded and continued. ”And there were others... There were operators setting up barriers during the fight. These mobile barrier generators were also strong. Not even my Wraith Queen could pass through.

After that, Asad detailed to them about the Siege Weapons that they have. The mortar system would definitely be a huge problem.

Soon, Shane and the others were able to develop a plan to deal with this problem.

”Great... Max, you will be our front this time. This will be perfect.” Shane said as he looked at the Human Juggernaut.