Chapter 843: The Chosen People
It was as if someone misled the various Clan Leaders or Shelter Owners that Shane was renting his Warden Units or his Mk.IV Turret.
After all, there were more messages asking for his cooperation.
[ Amelia: 10,000 Zombie Cores for one Warden Unit. Please... We just need 10 to help us defend our place. I heard that they have incredible precision. We have a lot of guns but we lack marksmen. Your Warden Units will greatly help us. We are only at Sector 19, and sending them to us shouldn’t take that long. ]
[ Markus: Lord Shane... My shelter will probably collapse if we don’t get any help... The Lord Alliance and other big Clans are too far from my shelter. I’m nearby, so can you please help us? We will pay 20,000 Zombie Cores if you bail us out... There are 300 people in our shelter, ranging from Level 40 to 45. ]
[ Markus: If you help us, we will provide you with 20 Wooden Treasure Chests. ]
Shane stared at the message for a long moment as he could see the desperation in his chat. However, he couldn’t just send them out to unknown territory. After all, they might have a talent mechanic on their side who could hack the Warden Units or other things he didn’t want to happen.
[ Shane: My Warden Units are the backbone of my defenses. They don’t leave my command. If you’d like, you can send an application for your core members or important members to get a seat in my Floating Shelter. ]
As he sent this, he looked at the messages that kept pouring in.
[ Victor: Lord Shane... I heard that just one Warden Unit could turn an entire frontline of Low-Tier Zombies. I’ll throw in fifty Upgrade Crystals to borrow one of them for this Red Night Event. ]
[ Yvone: Rank 1 Survivor Shane. Please lend us your Mecha! You can watch it over a remote link! I swear I’ll bring it back after the Red Night. ]
By the end of the hour, Shane wanted to muse his inbox.
Survivors could beg, barter, or offer mountains of Cores, but some things weren’t for sale or sent. His Warden Units were considered the core of his defense.
His turrets were critical since he barely had enough for his four Shelters.
Perhaps, he could get the 12 Mute Slaves to make more Mk.IV or maybe Mk.V Turrets but that would still take some time.
They could keep asking, but there was no way he’d sell those things.
Still, Shane smirked.
If nothing else, this proved one thing... His shelters were being watched, envied, and feared. Exactly as he intended.
***
Just six hours after Shane announced that they would select 200 survivors who could board the Floating Fortress, they had already received thousands of applications and were willing to pay more than what they had offered.
The selection process wasn’t done manually by Shane alone, but he had also asked for assistance from Raze and the others.
Still, the one who had helped the most was Cloud.
In just a few hours, they had already selected a total of 26 people. That was quite a lot, but it was only from three groups.
The first was a group of 12 traders roaming Sector 19. They do not have a permanent Shelter because one of them has a talent to create a small chamber underground in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, they knew that it wouldn’t work in the Red Night Event, so they had decided to try their luck...
The group of six from Sector 18, on the other hand, were core members of the Grace Crafting Clan. It was a Rank 189 Clan, and these six people must be protected at all costs.
As for the last group of eight, they were specialists from Sector 20 itself, and they were living in a Neutral Shelter. However, they believed that even if the Neutral Shelter was incredibly powerful, they just couldn’t imagine how it would survive against a Zombie Lord’s attack.
There was one thing in common among all these people. None of them were frontline fighters. Instead, they were thinkers, builders, and creators... They were the very foundation of what made shelters thrive beyond just brute strength.
"We can welcome all these people..." Shane muttered to himself as he looked at their background...
Just like that, he soon informed the selected people so they could start travelling. He informed them that they should not announce that they were selected, just in case it caused some trouble during their transport.
***
In the meantime, the twelve people from Sector 19 had just received the good news!
Their leader was Evan, and he was the one with the talent to burrow and create a chamber underground.
He was a middle-aged man, and he was also known for his second Exceptional Talent as an Inventor... He was joined by blacksmiths, a pair of glassworkers, two machinists, and a tough-looking woman named Ciara, who was a promising alchemist.
When their confirmation messages arrived, disbelief spread among them.
"We’re in...! We’re really going to board Shane’s fortress!" Evan couldn’t help but celebrate after getting the good news.
Ciara also felt relieved after learning about this...
"I thought only big clans would be chosen... I... I don’t even know what to pack first. Should I buy a new dress? I’m sure that the people there looked elegant. We should look respectable as well."
"Haha... No one would bother about that for sure."
"We’re still in the apocalypse..."
Just like that, their group started making preparations...
They still have to travel to Sector 20’s Eclipse Domain after all.
They only have motorbikes with them, and they were all taken from Exceptional Transport Gift Packs.
"It will take us seven or eight hours on our journey, so check all your weapons. We’ll surely encounter some mid-tier or high-tier Zombies along the way." Evan reminded.
The group took this seriously as they swiftly checked their guns, prepared their talismans on their belts, and ensured they had Spirit Stones in their pockets for a quick Spirit Points recovery during an emergency.
"We’re ready!" The group shouted as soon as they finished their preparations.