Chapter 807: Mechs
The miners exchanged confused glances at Diana’s request.
Just a Spirit Stone the size of a human head was already something rare… It had been three weeks since they found something like that…
However, Diana seemed to be searching for a boulder-sized one. That would not be easy. But with the Orb she had given to them, they didn’t immediately comment, as it might actually be possible to find one.
Furthermore, it wasn’t the first time she had asked for something strange. After all, they had already found a huge chunk before. That was the largest Spirit Stone before, and it had been sculpted into Shane’s statue, now proudly displayed in the Eclipse Domain.
Still, they had never found another Spirit Stone of that size ever again.
Still, the miners didn’t question her too much. If their Shelter Leader wanted a giant Spirit Stone, then she must have her reasons.
“Well, with the Seismic Survey Orb, we might have a chance…” One miner said thoughtfully, as he could only hope that there was really something like that.
“Still… there’s no guarantee one that size even exists in this mine.”
Another miner just gave a confident grin. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll find it if it’s here. Leave it to us, Leader!”
Diana nodded, satisfied with their response… “Good. Prioritize safety. But if you locate one, mark the site immediately. I’ll handle the rest.”
With that, she left the miners to their work and made her way out of the tunnels.
She still had a few items she obtained in the Auction Hall. She hadn’t taken them out yet, as she wanted to give them personally. They were supplies for various departments like Medical, Food, Weapons, and even Construction Supplies.
However, she had barely reached the surface when the warning bells rang out from the watchtowers.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
‘We’re being attacked?’ Diana frowned, but she wasn’t afraid.
She immediately turned toward the walls. Soon, she heard the sentries were shouting…
“Zombies! A horde is incoming!”
“Something’s off… They’re not the usual kind!”
Diana hurried to the nearest tower and climbed up the steps, her helmet still tucked under her arm. As soon as she reached the top, her eyes widened.
Emerging from the treeline was a swarm of creatures unlike anything she had seen before.
They weren’t the common Zombies they’d found in this area.
‘What are those?’ She mused.
At first glance, they looked like some other mid-tier zombies they had seen before. Their skin was pale and they moved like any other Zombies with a similar build…
However, after a few more observations, they realized that these Zombies weren’t simple.
On their backs were strange, fleshy growths… They were bulging sacs fused with some sort of mechanical-looking attachments. They weren’t machines, but they looked disturbingly similar, like bone and muscle had been forced into the shape of an engine.
“Is that some kind of engine?!” Diana was shocked.
The engine-like attachment wasn’t something she’d expect. Still, she couldn’t be wrong as she saw how it was venting black steam into the air.
Suddenly, one of them crouched low like a four-legged beast… Then it leapt forward with terrifying force, closing half the distance to the walls in an instant!
“What in the world are we dealing with this time…”
Soon, another zombie tilted back its head and released a piercing, rattling screech.
Screech~
The engine-like growth on its back flared, and a cloud of dark smoke spewed out, spreading like a choking fog over the battlefield!
What they were seeing seemed to be a combination of Smoker, Screamer, and even Hunter Zombie with that terrifying jumping power.
Diana knew that this would be a huge problem.
Agile predators that could leap and strike, but also capable of choking their prey in a suffocating smoke, weren’t something easy to deal with.
“…What the hell are these things?” she muttered, gripping the railing.
Already, the camp was stirring to arms.
The gladiators she had just recruited were also strapping on their gear as the miners dropped their tools to rush for the barricades.
Diana had to go all out on this… This wasn’t going to be a normal skirmish.
These new zombies were something else entirely.
***
“Hold your positions!” Diana’s voice rang out across the fortifications.
“Do not engage yet. Let the defensive towers and Warden Units take charge.”
The survivors, including the warriors, miners, and gladiators alike, obeyed. They knew their leader always had a plan.
“Deploy the Wardens.”
Deep within the shelter, heavy gears churned, and metallic footsteps echoed.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
One after another, the Warden Units emerged from their hangars.
They were humanoid machines, and they weren’t bare. They were clad in Tier 3 equipment from head to toe. Since they already learned from the previous Zombie Wave, they were also equipped with shields strapped across their arms, and Master-Grade swords sheathed at their sides.
There weren’t a lot of them since the production cycle was painfully slow, and many were still under repair from earlier battles.
Out of the full capacity Diana had hoped for, only fifty stood ready today.
But fifty Wardens, fully armed, were still an imposing sight.
“Line up…” Diana ordered. “Form the vanguard. Shield wall once the horde reaches the barrier.”
The Wardens obeyed without hesitation…
In the distance, the strange mech-zombies advanced.
Every few steps, one would suddenly leap forward like a Jumper Zombie… They would crash into the ground and leave deep imprints, while others released bursts of suffocating black smoke that slowly formed a black mist around!
But before they could even reach the barrier, the zombies triggered the outer defenses.
CRACK! SNAP!
The traps were triggered!
Pit traps collapsed beneath their feet, sending a dozen into spiked trenches.
Some weighted nets of steel cords started entangling limbs before snapping shut, leaving the Zombies incapable of moving…
There were also rows of sharpened wooden stakes that would burst from the soil as hidden mechanisms, impaling unlucky zombies that stumbled too far forward.
It was simple and classic traps, but it was still working nonetheless…