Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

After Shane absorbed all the memories and obtained numerous skills and items from the system, he finally continued his journey to sector 20, in hopes of finding clues to end the Apocalypse.

The journey to Sector 20 was arduous and stretched over ten days.

The group—Shane, Lysandra, Vernon, Nia, and Kale—traveled through various landscapes… As for the slaves he bought in the Waiting Zone, they were all sent back to the Silver Mine Camp, escorted by the five Elves.

Well, Shane planned to build another Shelter in Sector 20, and with the Gate Stones, he would be able to connect them later on. It wasn't a huge problem at all. Lastly, it was a lot easier to move with only a few people for now. In any case, Shane felt that he was already unbeatable.

As a matter of fact, he believed that he could already solo a Lord-Tier Zombie.

Anyway, during their journey, they passed plains that had been scorched black by unknown fires. They entered forests filled with Zombies and even mutated poisonous plants.

As they got closer, they also crossed long stretches of barren wasteland where the silence was almost suffocating.

As they traveled, the nights were spent in carefully chosen shelters—abandoned farmhouses, dilapidated train stations, or even makeshift campsites fortified with barriers.

Most of the shelters they used had been made by previous people who had certainly camped in the same area for a few days…

Nonetheless, every member of the group contributed, from Lysandra's keen scouting abilities to Vernon's engineering skills that kept their equipment in top shape.

Nia's expertise in herbal remedies was invaluable, especially when the long trek began to take a toll on their bodies.

Although Shane had no issues whatsoever, it was different for the others so Nia was truly helpful. After all, Shane wouldn't intervene unless it was truly necessary.

He wanted them to gain experience and get stronger.

Kale, the gladiator, was always the one watching during their rest periods, ensuring no threat crept up on them.

Shane would only guide them for a bit and give some instructions for them to follow... Anyway, they already have incredible weapons after he provided them with higher-grade ones.

They shouldn't be in trouble unless they face multiple High-Tier Zombies at once.

On the tenth day, they finally reached the outskirts of Sector 20.

The weather here was quite different.

The air was thick with humidity, and the scent of decay mixed with fresh earth was overwhelming. Before they stretched what had once been a bustling city, now a ruined one that was slowly being overtaken by nature.

Buildings that were previously towering leaned at awkward angles, their concrete walls were cracked and crumbling. Some were almost entirely covered in moss and vines, with nature's slow reclamation.

Streets were broken and uneven, with saplings growing through the cracks. Abandoned cars lay scattered, their frames were rusted and interiors were already filled with dirt and leaves.

What Shane found interesting thought, was the existence of wildlife that scurried through the remnants—a raccoon darting into a broken window, birds nesting in the crevices of a collapsed parking structure.

These small animals hadn't turned into Zombies. It was quite interesting that they were able to escape from the zombies, virus, or being hunted at all.

'Strange… Are they not being targeted?' Shane mused as he could feel the presence of a few zombies around here. They weren't high level but they should be capable of eating those wildlife… It seemed that they were really uninterested in these animals.

'Maybe they have small brains and were unappetizing for them?' Shane mused and chuckled at this thought.

"Nature's really taken over," Vernon said, running a hand over the vine-covered hood of a car.

"It's like the city is being swallowed," Nia murmured as she looked at the city.

On the other hand, Lysandra felt that this was such an amazing sight.

"It's beautiful in a tragic way," Lysandra added.

Shane remained silent, as he used his heightened Perception to find Zombies. Furthermore, A.I. Cloud seemed to have gotten stronger and was now able to detect a few more kilometers away.

He already detected that there were various Zombies around but he only warned them.

"Be careful, the beauty hides danger."

With that said, the group moved cautiously through the streets with their weapons drawn…

Since Shane was already extremely strong, he planned to let Lysandra and the others gain battle experience and get their levels higher.

He allowed them to deal with the Tyrant Zombies they soon encountered.

Of course, they also encountered ordinary ones but they were no match for their combined strength.

Shane just dispatched most of the low-tier Zombies accompanied by the Tyrant Zombies. While he allowed the others to work together to kill the Tyrant Zombies. Vernon and Lysandra used ranged weapons to clear threats before they got close with their melee weapons.

Nia's protective spells created thorn barriers when a sudden low-tier horde tried to overwhelm them, and Kale's brute strength made quick work of the undead with his massive warhammer.

Thud…

"Good work…" Shane said as he saw how they easily dismantled four Tyrant Zombies. Shane could still remember the time when he was very concerned about these Zombies.

Anyway, despite the occasional skirmishes, the group maintained a steady pace, exploring the eerie cityscape.

They passed what had once been a shopping mall, its glass façade was already shattered, leaving a gaping wound in the structure. Inside, mannequins stood amidst debris, their lifeless forms giving the space a very unsettling feel.

"Somehow… I don't want to camp here." Lysandra muttered as she didn't like the vibe here at all. He also felt that if they camped here, they might get surrounded while they were asleep and it would be too difficult for them to move.

"Don't worry… We're just looking around." Shane said as he used his Perception to inspect the surroundings. He was actually trying to lead them to an area that he suspected to be a Zombie Den.

However, he didn't want his team to be overwhelmed so they passed through areas with a lesser number of Zombies.

If they just moved without concealing their movements, they would surely be swarmed and his team might get overwhelmed by the number of Zombies hidden in the shadows.

'Are they some kind of Shadow Zombies?' Shane thought as he realized that there were Zombies who only liked to move during the night.

Vampire Zombies?

Shane chuckled at the thought. Continue your story on empire

Anyway, as they ventured deeper into the city, the air grew heavier, it was filled with an unnatural tension. The first sign of something amiss was the sudden absence of ordinary zombies.

The streets became eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves or moans of unseen creatures.

"I don't like this," Lysandra said with a low voice.

Vernon nodded, his grip tightening on his gun. "Stay close. Something's coming."

They didn't have to wait long. Some groans tore through the silence, and a creature emerged from the shadows of a nearby alley.

This was their first time meeting these Zombies and they didn't even appear in the Zombie Challenge Event.

However, Shane knew about them through the information he obtained from the various Clan Leaders.

It was a Hooker Zombie—a zombie with elongated arms ending in razor-sharp hooks of bone.

Its once-human form was bloated and hunched, and its skin was stretched over protruding muscles. Nonetheless, the creature moved with incredible speed…

Their hooks were quick as they passed through the air bang!

"Watch the hooks!" Shane shouted, dodging its initial attack. One of the skills he learned in the Fairy Realm was Mana Bullet.

Of course, on this continent, instead of Mana, what he would gather was Spirit Energy. Anyway, with the Mana Bullet skill, he could easily eliminate these Zombies but he decided not to do so for now.

Kale stepped forward, his warhammer crashed into the creature's side with enough force to shatter its ribs.

Vernon fired a couple of shots, aiming for its joints to hinder its movements, while Lysandra struck from a distance with her enchanted arrows. Lysandra was more adept using her sword but since there weren't a lot of enemies this time, she decided to just use her archery skill since she also wanted to level it up.

Her Archery was only level 5 after all. It was still far from being mastered.

The Hooker Zombie was formidable, but teamwork prevailed. As the creature fell, its head was severed by Kale's weapon…

However, several Hooker Zombies appeared after killing this one, and this time they were accompanied by another type of Zombie.

They made a sound that chilled them to the bone—a high-pitched wail.

From behind these Hooker Zombies, they saw several crawling! Infant Zombies!

Seeing these crawling zombies was quite disturbing... They were childlike creatures with bloated bodies and jagged teeth.

Despite their small size, they were unnervingly fast and moved in erratic patterns, making them difficult to target!