With such a peculiar skeleton, it wasn't that difficult to guess…
There could only be Asad.
After all, aside from Zephyrion, one of the slaves he bought in the Waiting Area before, he didn't know any other Necromancers or Survivors, capable of summoning such a strong Skeleton.
Indeed, despite what it looks like, the Skeleton had fought against many Zombies to reach this place. It was obviously from its stature…
Just like that, the atmosphere shifted from tension to curiosity as the skeleton neared.
As expected, the Skeleton didn't attack. It didn't scream, or perhaps, clacked its jaw.
As it got closer to the shelter, it simply walked.
Now, everyone could see it more clearly.
The Skeleton had definitely been in a brutal battle. There were chunks of flesh clinging to its clothes, most likely from the Zombies it killed. It also had a broken sword and cracks in some parts of its bones…
As it reached the gate, it paused and looked up.
Then, with Shane's instruction, the gate was opened and the skeleton entered silently.
Soon, a few guards blocked its path… The guard on duty looked at it curiously before the skeleton knelt.
Its bones creaked gently as it extended a scroll made from a dark metallic fiber.
There wasn't much information from the outside aside from a few words.
Soon, the guard's eyes widened, and relayed the message.
"Lord Shane, sir! This... It's addressed directly to you!"
As soon as the guard finished reading the letter, the Skeleton, who had done its job, crumbled into pieces before finally returning to the Skeleton Realm or wherever it had come from.
Shane immediately moved, and it didn't take him that long to reach the outer gate…
He swiftly obtained the scroll and confirmed that it was indeed addressed to him by Asad.
'Well… The Chat Board is not available… No wonder he used a messenger. Still, he must be in danger. I don't think there's a reason to send me a message aside from that.' Shane thought to himself.
He didn't really mind helping Asad… However, Asad seemed to have a plan of his own, which was why he needed to send a letter instead of just asking Shane to send troops.
Shane then broke the seal and unrolled it.
The parchment unfurled and revealed elegant letters… Shane was sure that this wasn't written by Asad himself. It felt like it was actually written and printed by a computer.
If he were to make a guess, the scroll seemed to have an effect so that it could write whatever words he said…
It was certainly an interesting item.
The letters shimmered faintly as Shane read them under the floodlights of the Eclipse Domain's outer wall.
'I have just finished the destruction of Krogh the Zombie Mountain, one of the Zombie Lords in the region. There were a lot of casualties, but we were victorious.
'Unfortunately, this attracted unwanted attention. I believe two of Krogh's allies wanted to avenge him. They're Vespa the Drowned Monarch and Ken the Skinner. They're both moving against me. It's too weird that a lone Survivor like me will get attacked by two Zombie Lords…
'So I believe they intend to exact revenge. They're not here due to the System's instructions… It must be a bug or something. Probably, they want to eliminate me before I become a larger threat.
'I'm not scared… but I do not underestimate them either.
'We have intercepted their movement and believe they will pass near Greenshade Valley in approximately one hour. The terrain is good for an ambush. I'm planning to meet them there with my Mummy Lord, Skeleton King, and Wraith Queen. Together, we will hold the line—but we need your firepower to tip the scales.
I ask not for a full army, but for a spear—one strong enough to destroy these Zombie Lords.
Come with your best.'
It was the content of the letter.
'Two Zombie Lords while being a lone Survivor… That's tough…'
There was definitely something wrong with that. It was too unfair. Shane folded the letter silently. His expression hardened—not in hesitation, but in resolve.
"Asad's putting his life on the line…" he muttered. "Let's not waste the opportunity."
Soon, the mobilization of his troops began…
Within minutes, the Eclipse Domain started getting busy… Although another Zombie Horde could come any minute now, Shane was still planning to send some troops to assist Asad…
Commanders shouted into comms, and mechanics scrambled to prepare the vehicles that Shane had designated.
It was not a large force, but it was elite—designed to strike with incredible firepower as Asad requested.
Shane personally supervised the team assembly.
Two Titan-Class Armored APCs activated first. Each of them could be called a mobile fortress. There were layers of reinforced plating all over its body, and it was covered in modular armor upgrades.
After their last enhancement cycle, Shane was confident they could endure missile fire or even a Tyrant's charge.
Inside, elite survivors were loading ammunition, attaching anti-zombie gas canisters, and prepping reactive shields.
Following them was the Hellfire Gunner Truck...
It had dual high-velocity turrets mounted on a spinning turret...
On either side, flamethrower nozzles were also ready to incinerate anything foolish enough to approach.
Then came the Stormbreaker Tank-Hunter, Shane's personal favorite.
Unlike traditional tanks, this beast could easily glide over rocky terrain…
Its primary weapon was an energy railgun that could punch a hole through reinforced concrete—or a Zombie Lord's ribcage.
Every time Shane saw it in action, he was reminded of why energy-based artillery was a game-changer in this apocalypse.
Finally, there were also ten Specter Recon Bikes that would be joining the team.
They were perfect for the hit-and-run tactics Shane preferred. Furthermore, with these ten Bikes, they'd be able to protect the armored vehicles as well.
In any case, each one of them carried anti-personnel mines, grappling lines, and deployable cloaking modules… They should be able to do a lot on the battlefields.
Furthermore, the riders that Shane had chosen were some of his most agile fighters…
'This might not be enough… So just in case, I should give them something else.'