Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

Tundra crouched beside the skeleton.

He was being careful not to disturb the brittle bones. The corpse had collapsed near the stream, half-shaded by a patch of blue-veined herbs. Judging by the posture, the man had died sitting upright, pen still in hand, notebook resting against his thigh...

There were no signs of zombification... He couldn’t find any claw marks, bite marks on the bones, or any signs related to the virus at all. Just a quiet death, untouched by mutation.

Tundra then picked up the notebook.

The leather cover was cracked but intact. Inside, the pages were yellowed but still legible.

”I hope there’s some huge secret here or something.”

The handwriting was readable but the quality had already degraded, so he just had to get into the right shade to read them easily...

Tundra flipped through the first few entries, scanning for anything useful.

The writer had been a doctor.

Dr. Rahman Voss.

That name didn’t ring a bell... Still, as Tundra continued to read, he realized that the man was related to the Genesis Cure they had found before.

Shane had mentioned it once, back when they first acquired the prototype for the Genesis Cure. It was a rare serum that could reverse early-stage zombification, though replication had proven nearly impossible without Anna’s help. The original sample had come from a ruined lab, and Anna had spent months trying to stabilize it.

Tundra kept reading.

Most of the entries were technical... They were notes on viral behavior, immune responses, failed trials.

And there were a lot of terms he couldn’t understand at all... But halfway through the notebook, the tone shifted. The doctor had started writing about a subject named Sofia.

Tundra’s eyes squinted. He recognized the name for sure...

Sofia... She was the mysterious Patient Zero.

She was the anomaly, the girl who had been infected but never turned. Her blood carried something that resisted the virus... It was the basis of all cure...

It was some kind of anti-zombie gene, or perhaps a dormant immunity. Tundra had seen fragments of her story in other abandoned labs.

Even Shane tried to investigate it through some redacted files, scattered reports, and other files they could find in various research labs.

Unfortunately, there were no photos or any confirmed death about her...

According to Dr. Voss, Sofia had been transferred to Facility 9-A, located somewhere near the Eden Island...

Unfortunately, the doctor had lost contact with the facility decades ago, but he believed she was still alive... or at least preserved.

The final entry was short.

”If anyone finds this... Sofia is the key. Not to curing the world, but to understanding it. I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t save anyone. But maybe you can.”

Tundra closed the notebook slowly.

He didn’t know if Facility 9-A still existed. He didn’t know if Sofia was alive, hidden, or long dead. But this was the most direct lead they’d found in years.

He’d report it to Shane immediately. They’d need to find information about the Eden Island...

’Wait... Maybe Shane’s already aware of it? Is that the reason he asked us to find a settlement area on the coastline?’ Tundra couldn’t help but think of this.

But first, he had something to do.

He gathered stones from the streambed and cleared a patch of earth beside the herbs. He didn’t have a shovel, but he didn’t need one. He laid the bones gently in a shallow depression, covered them with soil, and arranged the stones into a simple grave.

There was no ceremony or other dramatics... It was just a respect to the doctor who had given them valuable information.

He wrapped the notebook in cloth and placed it inside a sealed container... He planned to give it to Shane later on.

Then, using his dagger, he carved a single word into the stone...

RAHMAN VOSS

It was the name of a man who had tried to save the world and died quietly in the process.

Tundra stood, adjusted his gear, and started walking away... As for the weird herb nearby, he just took note of it and had it inspected by the experts later on.

He looked once more at the grave, then turned toward the coastline while sending messages to Vale.

***

Within the Eclipse Domain, Shane stepped out of Anna’s room... He rolled his shoulders once, then stretched his arms behind his back, working out the tension.

At this time, his shirt was half-buttoned, and his hair was slightly tousled.

The air inside the room was still warm and fragrant. There were even soft traces of lavender and something sweeter lingering in the room.

At this time, Anna was asleep, curled beneath the covers with her breathing steady...

Shane then glanced back once before pulling the door shut behind him.

After walking outside, Shane walked around the streets.

It was already dark, but the Eclipse Domain was, as always, safe...

As Shane passed through the fountain with his monument, he soon checked the messages from his Chat Channel. He already read some of them, but he was a bit too busy a while ago, so he had to check them again.

[ Tundra: Shane! We already settled and used the Shelter Crystal core in the Coastal Villa. It’s now officially a shelter. The crystal’s energy started at 70%, and the territory covers a full 5km radius. ]

[ Tundra: We’ve got 10 Ballista, 2 Automated Turrets, and 3 Barrier Generators already deployed. The terrain is solid. Good coastline. Fruit trees, herbs, and hardwood clusters. Eldric and the others are mapping the rest. ]

[ Tundra: I found a skeleton near a stream. No signs of zombification. The man died naturally. He was holding a notebook. ]

[ Tundra: His name was Dr. Rahman Voss. I didn’t recognize it at first, but he’s connected to the Genesis Cure. Shane... he wrote about Sofia. ]

This was the message that made Shane really curious about this place and he wanted to quickly install a gate on that Shelter.

[ Tundra: According to the notebook, she was transferred to Facility 9-A near Eden Island. Voss believed she was still alive... or at least preserved. ]

[ Tundra: I sealed the notebook and will send it to you once we’re linked. ]

Shane sat at the edge of the fountain while processing the information.

Facility 9-A... Eden Island... Sofia...

”I guess it’s time to explore the seas...”