Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

At this time, the skies were starting to clear, but snow wasn't melting…

Although it had been an hour already after the Zombie Wave, the scent of ash and dust still hung in the air, but amidst it was also the smell of wood, oil, metal, and faintly… something brewed.

Shane stood at the elevated overlook near the manor's main gate.

He was currently observing the situation of the Springriver Manor, his very first shelter after entering this world. He used his high Perception and Cloud's Scanning Ability to monitor the surroundings. Still, he knew that he needed to meet the rest of the managers, leaders, or assigned individuals to boost their morale.

Indeed, it was time to inspect what remained.

***

The first place he visited was the Grand Smithy, a reinforced half-underground forge at the rear side of the manor's training grounds. Inside, the temperature was a furnace-like blaze. Shane saw sparks flying as hammers pounded in rhythm against red-hot steel.

"Sir!"

A stocky man covered in dirt and muscle turned, greeted with a hammer still in hand.

Blacksmith Leo was the first Blacksmith that Shane had recruited… He had been a crucial figure ever since because of all the weapons, traps, and many defensive items he made to fight against the zombies.

At this time, he already stood as the head of Shane's blacksmith division. He'd personally forged dozens of blades, plate armor, and even mounted turrets for the walls.

"How's the situation?"

"We've lost a few of the forge tools, but the furnaces are intact," Leo grunted. "We've already begun reforging the broken weapon sets. I'll need more Cold Iron and a new batch of oil, but we'll hold the line."

Shane nodded. "Request the materials from Mr. Wadsworth. He can coordinate it with the Eclipse Domain. No, never mind… Let me handle it. I'll send someone to get all the things you need. As for the Cold Iron, I'll do something about it."

Shane said as he recalled that he also needed quite a lot of Cold Iron.

Anyway, the two chatted for some more time before Shane finally left to visit the other places.

Bang!

A thunderous crash rang out across the courtyard, followed by the dull groan of breaking wood and metal.

Shane stepped out of the smithy to see the situation.

The aftermath of the Zombie Wave could still be seen in the outer wall of the Springriver Manor.

There were some blackened barricades standing half-destroyed, torn sandbags had spilled their contents across the inner yard, and shattered planks could be seen from the remnants of defensive towers. The last twenty-four hours had been a siege with almost no rest.

Across the grounds, dozens of survivors—soldiers, civilians, and former mercenaries—were already hard at work.

The entire manor had become busy with their rebuilding efforts.

A team of carpenters, although looking exhausted, was determined to finish their job as they worked tirelessly to reinforce the barricades.

Still, smoke drifted from a collapsed food depot that had taken the brunt of a Tyrant Zombie's charge. Elsewhere, hunters and scouts dug out crude trenches to funnel the undead if another attack came.

'Right… We have to redo all those traps we made.' Shane mused.

Shane's gaze swept over the scene until he spotted Gene, the young blonde knight who led the local defense battalion.

Gene was at the front lines of activities, directing ten men as they heaved upright a warped section of steel plating meant to replace a shattered outer wall panel.

"Lift with your legs, not your backs, faster! We have a lot of work to do!" Gene shouted, his voice was already hoarse after all this time but it was still filled with energy...

"Anchor it now, or we'll be rebuilding this damn thing again when the next horde shows up!"

The makeshift wall groaned into place. Sparks flew as a blacksmith team nearby began welding the supports.

Gene moved from group to group as he knew that some of their barriers had to be fixed and couldn't be used right now.

They have to stay vigilant until their walls are fixed. Because of that, Gene continued offering instructions, checking wounds, and dragging discarded weapons back into the armory cart himself when no one else had the energy to do so.

He didn't rest at all…

Shane couldn't help but approach the man quietly…

As he did, several nearby workers stopped what they were doing and gave him smile. They were tired, but they appreciated Shane's presence. Of course, Shane acknowledged them with a silent nod.

Gene finally noticed him while tying a length of cord to a scaffolding rig.

"My lord!" he called.

He jogged over, face flushed with sweat but there was excitement in his eyes. He probably had decent rewards as well.

"How's your situation?" Shane asked.

"We've started initial fortification repairs on the east and southern sections. Took heavy damage from the Tyrant Horde and that final Flying Zombie Lord…" Gene reported without waiting for breath.

"Six confirmed dead. Fifteen were injured—mostly from exhaustion or collapse, none of them had Stage 3 infection." He added.

"Hmm… That's great. But you also needed rest. Everyone's tired." Shane replied.

"Yes! We're rotating shifts in four-hour blocks, trying to avoid burnout."

Shane's eyes narrowed slightly. "And you? When did you last sleep?"

Gene hesitated, then scratched his head sheepishly. "I, uh… closed one eye for about twenty minutes, sir. Felt like a full nap."

Shane exhaled while shaking his head. Still, with Gene's incredible physique and all the potions he had consumed, he should be fine for now.

In the distance, black smoke still rose from the forest perimeter where oil traps had been ignited.

There were even flocks of crows that were beginning to return.

"Alright… No more training whatsoever. Just focus on the reconstruction of the shelter." Shane said dryly.

Gene grinned, understanding. "Of course not. Our swords were busy enough during the wave. Right now, we're repairing, reorganizing, and... well, grieving."

He gestured subtly toward a row of bloodied sheets laid out in the garden. Makeshift graves were already being dug behind the Manor's orchard wall.

Shane hesitated for a moment but decided not to loot them.

"I've got two engineers assessing the inner gates. We'll reinforce them with iron plating from the broken wagons. Anna's assistants have begun purifying the water again. The rain helped, but... we can't risk contamination after so many bodies fell in the runoff paths."

Shane nodded. The river within the Springriver Manor was important for obvious reasons. That was why there were also Elves staying here to ensure that they could detect any problems or contamination on it.

"Good thinking. What about traps?"

"I've spoken to Eliot. He's planning a pressure-triggered spike pit under the main archway. It should cripple anything too big to burn with our flamethrowers…"

"Hmmm… Is it your problem with this Zombie Wave, those larger and heavier Zombies?"

"That's right, Lord Shane!"

"I understand… Let Eliot decide it then... Prioritize choke points. Although there shouldn't be any Zombies attacking our shelter for some time, it's better to be safe since there could also be problems if some Wild Shelter or Necromancers decided to attack them.

Gene nodded as he also knew about this.

"We will be ready…"

Shane nodded as he looked around again. He watched the people hauling rubble, cleaning blood from walls, and dragging body bags toward the outer field for burning.

"Make sure everyone gets one hot meal today…" Shane said finally. "No rations. Something real."

Gene blinked. "With respect, we might not have the meat to—"

"Boil bones. Use the salted root. Just make something real. Let them remember they're alive."

Shane also knew that most of the meat supply had already been used before the Zombie Wave. They would have to restock on that.

Gene nodded. "Understood, my lord."

As Shane turned to go, Gene called out once more.

"Oh—and about the new recruits… I'll begin evaluating survivors who showed any signs of talent during the defense. Not just swordsmen. We need bow users, scouts, and engineers too."

"Good. Choose carefully."

And with that, Shane moved on. There was no time for rest.

Soon, he visited the manor's main lobby.

Standing at the end of the hall was the impeccably dressed Mr. Wadsworth, Shane's ever-composed butler.

"Master Shane…" he greeted with a graceful bow, "Shall I prepare your quarters?"

"No…" Shane answered. "Just tell me what the situation is right now."

Wadsworth then gave his report…

"Supplies are stable for four weeks. The food stockpile is recovering since the harvest will be four days from now... Civilian quarters in Block B require repairs. And… Master Bart has requested to speak with you. I'm not sure if his warehouse got damaged… "

"Bart… Alright… I'll visit him later..." Shane replied as he listened to Mr. Wadsworth's report.

For now, Shane decided to visit the Engineer's Annex within the manor.

"You're here… I heard that the AEGIS Frames didn't disappoint… You should be giving the project more budget now. Right?"