NOVPUB[ Attention all Survivors! ]
[ Prepare yourselves for the most formidable challenge yet, as we announce the arrival of the Fourth Zombie Wave!
In just 15 minutes, another onslaught of Zombies will descend upon every corner of the land. This time, expect that the horde will be stronger, the enemies will be deadlier, and the stakes will be higher than ever.
Survivors, brace yourselves for an intense 48-hour battle, one where your endurance, strength, and teamwork will be tested to the limit. The Fourth Zombie Wave will bring with it not just Low-Tier, Mid-Tier Zombies, and High-Tier Zombies, but also Special Armored Zombies! Depending on the level of your shelter or the strength of your army, you might be visited by a Zombie Lord randomly within the 48-hour limit.
[ Important Notice! ]
[ This wave's difficulty will, once again, scale with the size and strength of your shelter. The larger and more advanced and populated your base, the more dangerous the undead that will come to claim it. Whether you command a vast, fortified city or a smaller outpost, you must be ready to stand your ground. ]
[ Survivors, it is the greatest challenge you have faced to date. May your courage, wisdom, and skill see you through the darkness ahead.
Hold strong, and may the spirits of your fallen comrades guide your hands in this final hour.
[ Good luck, Survivors. The countdown to the Fourth Zombie Wave begins now! ]
***
As soon as the system announcement appeared, everyone had mixed reactions. Some of them felt nervous, while there were also Survivors who were looking forward to this event.
After all, they see this Zombie Wave not only as a threat to their lives but also as an opportunity to improve themselves and obtain rewards or treasures.
Everyone already knew about the hidden quests and various rewards after the Zombie Wave cleared.
This reward would depend on the performance of your own and your Clan or Shelter. Furthermore, they would obtain numerous loot items from the Zombies. Cores, upgrade crystals, food, weapons, pieces of equipment, potions, and many others could be obtained in this event.
Just like those, those confident to conquer this Zombie Wave cheered at the announcement.
This was especially true, within the Springriver Manor…
After some time, Raze uncorked a vial of Double EXP Potion, the swirling purple liquid glowing beautifully…
She raised it high and showed to her team.
"Bottoms up! Let's get rich!"
Her team—Lyra, Kael, Tessa, and Jaxon—downed theirs in unison. The effect was immediate. There was a strange aura of silver energy wrapped around them before dissipating…
Nearby, Lady Seraph and her Royal Knights chose a different path. They drank Rage Potions instead… Soon, felt something from their bodies as their Strength, Agility, and Vitality Points increased.
Seraph then murmured a prayer as she waited for the first wave of Zombies to arrive.
"…for the lost and for the living."
Then, as soon as she opened her eyes, the elf on the watchtower finally announced the presence of Flying Zombies from afar!
In the meantime, the Silver Mine Camp was already prepared.
Diana, despite her youth, stood atop the shelter's watchtower. As the leader assigned by Shane, she knew that she had to show that his decision to appoint her as the commander was right.
She wanted this shelter to not have any casualties in this Zombie Wave at all!
It might not be that easy considering this wave would feature Zombie Lords as well, but she knew that as long as they utilize their huge supply of Spirit Stones, and Mana Crystals, they would have a good result.
"Listen up! Everyone… This Zombie Wave will be very long. It will last a whole day but I assure you, will win this! If a Zombie Lord shows up, we'll feed it its own teeth!"
The soldiers roared as soon as they heard Diana's announcement.
Minerva smiled as her prosthetic arm held her rifle tightly... Tieria, with his machine eye, also prepared his Sniper Rifle.
At this time, their Shelter had a total of five Zombie Grinders. With this grinding machine that could destroy numerous low-tier and mid-tier Zombies, she felt more at ease in the watchtower waiting for their enemies…
'I just hope that the flying Zombies wouldn't be a lot.' He mused.
***
In the meantime, within the New Genesis Shelter, Arial's eyes glowed as he synced with the shelter's core. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"All systems operational," he muttered. "Automated Turrets: online. Plasma Cannons: charged. Barrier Grids: primed."
He felt confident even if Shane wasn't here. With his control over the wall's defensive weapons, he knew that he would be able to stop the Zombies from breaking through their outer wall.
As for the manual weapons, like the ballistae and most of the flamethrowers, he couldn't control them, but there were already people manning them, and he just needed to watch out and protect them if needed.
Then, behind the outer wall, 50 Warden Units stood motionless. Until they were commanded, they would wait here.
'Whew… I hope everything will be just fine.' He mused.
***
Finally, within the Eclipse Domain, Shane didn't need to give speeches here.
The Wardens were in position. The Gaia's Barrier was already activated. The artillery crews also had their fingers on the triggers.
He simply activated the shelter-wide comms.
"Eclipse Domain. Show them why we're the strongest!"
The clock ticks down, and as soon as the timer reaches zero, the earth starts shaking… The Zombies are here.
The horizon darkened as a black fog appeared…
Soon, the first wave of Zombies appeared.
There were numerous of them, but the fast ones coming at them were the flying Zombies.
"They're here…" Shane muttered as he looked at the sky…
Everyone noticed them as well since the sky darkened…
As soon as the sunlight was blocked, they noticed the Flying Zombies above Eclipse Domain, their tattered wings and terrifying appearance made them a lot scarier than the Vampires.
Soon, they heard the shriek of the Zombies as they aimed to dive down at them.
However, the moment the Flying Zombies entered range, Eclipse's defenses were activated.
Automated Turrets rotated upward… Then, their barrels started glowing red-hot as they unleashed a storm of armor-piercing rounds!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Soon, corpses rained down and black blood started staining the snow.
Aside from the turrets, the archers and marksmen on the walls also took aim… Soon, their arrows and sniper rounds punched through leathery wings and fragile skulls of the flying Zombies.
Of course, for those lucky not to get hit due to their sheer number, there was a Barrier Deflection…
The barrier easily stopped the diving zombies!
Thud!
They slammed into it, and their bodies disintegrated in bursts of blue energy. Indeed, this barrier wasn't just a form of shield, but it also attacks any incoming enemies.
"100 down!" A spotter, an Elf with incredible eyesight, yelled.
"240 more!" She shouted.
Although the number was probably not important, knowing that they were killing a huge number of Zombies in just a few seconds was bolstering their morale, so Shane assigned this elf to announce any progress.
Nonetheless, the swarm didn't stop…
As they killed another hundred Flying Zombies, the Runner Zombies finally reached the range of the shelter.
200 meters out.
Their scrawny forms were moving across the snow slower than usual, but they were still coming…
'Alright… Let's see how the traps would work.' Shane mused.
Obviously, the snow had dampened many of the mechanical traps like the pit holes, snares, and others… However, some of them were still triggered.
These traps were Explosive Mines that were buried beneath the frost…
They detonated in springs of fire and with shrapnel, shredding the front line of Runners.
Aside from that, they had also arranged Flamethrower Tripwires. Because of the snow, only a few had ignited, creating walls of fire that forced the zombies to reroute.
Then, there was a pitiful amount of pit holes and snares that were triggered. Snow had clogged most of the mechanisms or hidden the triggers, but Shane didn't mind it…
After all, the traps still thinned the horde.
[ 50% efficiency. ]Cloud reported. [ Proceeding to the turret engagement. ]
"Alright…"
With the traps exhausted, the outer turrets locked onto the remaining Runner Zombies.
Several Gatling Turrets with high-velocity rounds started clearing them up.
There were also Plasma Cannons, where each shot left craters of molten earth and charred flesh of the Zombies…
"Good…" Shane muttered.
As much as possible, he wanted to fully utilize their mounted weapons.
After all, this Zombie Wave would last for 24 hours! This would be the longest Zombie Wave so far. They had never experienced this before since the first three Zombie Waves only lasted for 12 hours!
Thankfully, Shane had prepared everyone for a 72-hour Zombie Wave.
'Still, we have to do some rotations properly.' Shane mused.
It would be a whole day of fighting Zombies! Because of that, they had to preserve their energy and do some rotations with the defenses.
Well, even the turrets needed rest or they would overheat.
