Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle - Chapter 927

Chapter 927: Search

Two days passed quickly after the Overlord Clan’s invasion…

The Silver Mine Camp, once the central hub of Spirit Stone extraction, had become silent…

The toxic mist had long dissipated, but the damage was irreversible. The Spirit Vein was buried, the mine was rendered unusable, and the camp itself had become a liability.

Shane made the decision early, there would be no rebuilding. The site would be marked as a dead zone and left behind.

In those two days, they held funerals for the fallen. The ceremony was brief, but it was also solemn. Survivors gathered in the courtyard, heads bowed as names were read aloud.

It was a simple funeral to honor the dead…

Gladiators stood in formation, Super Soldiers saluted, and the Warden Units recorded the proceedings for archival.

Shane didn’t speak as he let Diana handle this matter. He simply stood at the front. He was silent as the final rites were performed.

Of course, at this point, he was already coordinating with Travis and Natalie about the Overlord Clan since there was no way he would let them be after their show of hostility against them.

For now, he needed to know the location of their shelters, their population, their army, the forces they have, and many other details since he didn’t want to be surprised by their defense…

At the same time, within all his shelters, repairs had become swift. The Warden Units could work almost 24 hours a day after all. Furthermore, Shane had mute builders, and he also hired some experts in construction in the Ivory Gear Shelter to hasten their repair…

Just like that, with the help of the engineering teams, they restored damaged walls, reinforced gates, and recalibrated defense systems.

Only the Silver Mine Camp remained untouched, as its main purpose was gone.

With the site abandoned, Shane ordered a full evacuation.

The closest viable shelter was Springriver Manor, a territory under Raze’s management. It had the infrastructure to absorb the influx of people and, more importantly, it had the resources to sustain them.

The relocation was executed in three phases.

First, the Floating Fortress was deployed. It carried approximately 400 residents, mostly civilians, medics, and logistics personnel. The fortress traveled slowly, but it was one of the safest transportation.

Second, the Gate Stone was activated.

It could only process thirty people per day, so it took two days before sixty were transported…

Needless to say, the ones transported through this method were mostly high-priority personnel, including wounded officers, key engineers, and other defense operators.

Lastly, the remaining thousand or so people were primarily combat units and support staff, were moved via ground convoy. Every armored vehicle, transport truck, and other vehicles were mobilized. The roads were cleared, the route secured, and the convoy moved slowly… Moving so many people at once had to be slow after all…

After five days, the Springriver Manor was filled with activity.

The shelter had the most arable land among Shane’s territories.

It had a clean, flowing river cutting through the eastern part of the shelter, and the surrounding forest provided ample wood. Aside from that, an iron mining site operated near the southern forest, and it was already producing raw ore for weapons and construction.

But Shane knew it wasn’t enough. They couldn’t rely on existing shelters alone.

The loss of the Spirit Stone Mine had created a gap in their resource network. Spirit Stones weren’t just currency, they powered numerous items and skills. Some enhanced gear also needed such stones, and it could help many survivors. Without them, long-term survival would be compromised.

So Shane gathered his officers and issued a new directive.

“Assign scouting teams. I want full terrain sweeps within a hundred-kilometer radius. Prioritize locations near large bodies of water… Maybe near an ocean, a lake, anything with aquatic access. We need two new shelters, and we need them fast.”

He planned to occupy two more shelters, each selected for strategic value.

One would be focused on aquatic resources, fishing, water purification, and potential hydro-based energy. The other would be chosen based on material production, ideally something that could supplement their current shortages.

Among his existing territories, the Springriver Manor was now the agricultural heart, with iron production and water access.

Then, New Genesis Shelter remained the industrial core, housing the Mech Frame and Warden Unit factories, and had access to a quarry for stone and construction-grade minerals.

Eclipse Domain offered a Gold Mine and modest farmland, useful for trade and backup food supply.

Then, there was also the Blood Talon Shelter, located on a cliffside. It held a Gold Mine and a deep Spirit Vein that had barely started its extraction, thanks to the various resources that Diana had given…

He actually planned to send Mew and many other mining experts to stay there for a while and teach the miners of the Blood Talon Shelter while they still had no other work…

Still, he let Diana decide on that matter.

“I can help them for now…” Diana announced.

As expected, she personally visited the Blood Talon Shelter, using the portal system to arrive ahead of schedule. The Blood Talon Shelter’s population was modest but its strategic value was undeniable.

The Spirit Vein, discovered beneath the third shaft of the Gold Mine… They had only just begun its extraction phase, so it was unstable…

Still, Diana had brought her own tools to assist them.

She descended into the mine herself, accompanied by a few miners.

***

At this time, Shane reviewed the map they had created.

They had land. They had metal. They had gold.

What they lacked was marine access, salt, fish, and hydro energy. They couldn’t just rely on the Marketplace for all of these after all…

He needed a coastal shelter… or one beside a massive lake, and he was going to find it.

“Start the search…” he said. “We’re not waiting for the next attack to decide where we live.”

Soon, the team of scouts moved as the next phase of expansion began.