Chapter 830: The New Coalition
Shane also got curious about the world chat and swiftly turned to its tab and read their message.
[ Yu Jin (Sector 18): Fortress, cannons, mechs… How much more overpowered can one man get? ]
[ Peter (Sector 6): What if he’s not even human anymore? What if Rank 1’s secretly a cyborg or hybrid? ]
[ Sasha (Sector 10): Conspiracy theorist spotted. ]
[ Khalid (Sector 22): Cyborg or not, he’s still the only reason the rest of us have hope. If he keeps killing powerful enemies, then maybe humanity has a chance. Don’t you all want to end this Zombie Apocalypse? ]
[ Myla (Sector 7): Are you all unaware of what will happen if there is only one powerful being in our world? That would be a disaster. I think we should consider gathering our Clans together. In case Shane became rogue and started targeting us, we will have a chance to fight him. What do you think? ]
[ Devon (Sector 4): Finally, someone said it. I was thinking the same thing. He’s too strong. If he decided to wipe us out, none of us could resist. ]
[ Kora (Sector 19): Don’t be stupid. Without him, many more survivors would’ve already died at the Zombie Lords! Did you all forget how his Clan alone eliminated a dozen or so Zombie Lords when other Clans would have to sacrifice dozens of people to just eliminate one? ]
[ Travis ( Sector 13): I don’t think we should worry about him getting power. I’ve never heard anything bad about it his management. Just visit any of his shelters and you’d know how happy the residents are. ]
[ Elliot (Sector 16): Sure, Travis fanboy, but you can’t deny Devon has a point. We’ve all seen empires fall in history when one man had too much power. ]
[ Zane (Sector 12): Exactly. What if tomorrow he says, “All Sectors must kneel to Eclipse Revenant or burn”? What’s stopping him? ]
[ Rami (Sector 22): His reputation, maybe? He’s been protecting people, not enslaving them. ]
[ Elliot (Sector 16): Reputation only lasts until greed wins. Mark my words. ]
The debate dragged on, and more survivors joined in. At this time, Shane was just reading this without any thoughts of replying.
As a matter of fact, Raze and the others were also reading them. However, none of them bothered to explain, as they knew that they would just be seen as biased. After all, they were members of the Eclipse Revenant Clan under Shane’s lead.
Furthermore, they weren’t worried about Shane as well since they knew the man really well.
If Shane really had the intention of conquering the world, he would’ve done it long ago.
[ Hana (Sector 5): So what? Are you suggesting we form an alliance? Like a coalition of Clans? ]
[ Myla (Sector 7): Yes. Call it… a safeguard. It was done by another Clan Alliance already. I heard Lancelot of the Overlord Clan had done it with a dozen Clans already. We can do it too. If Shane stays good, then fine. But if he goes rogue, we won’t be powerless. ]
[ Myla (Sector 7): We can ask Natalie of the New Haven Clan if she wants to build an Alliance. I think that her clan deserves to be the leader if we’re forming one.
[ Devon (Sector 4): Agreed. Better to prepare now than regret later. ]
The New Haven Clan was indeed powerful, and everyone was aware of that.
After all, everyone was aware that they had an Archbishop in their midst. To be exact, it was a Survivor with a Legendary Archbishop Talent, and he could bless many people to become priests, bishops, exorcists, and others.
Because of this, they had plenty of holy water and could cure even Zombie Infections if it hadn’t spread too much within the person’s body.
If there were a leader, Natalie seemed like a good option.
However, none of them knew about her views on Shane. Still, it would be impossible for Travis to be a leader since he seemed to have a good relationship with Shane.
Unfortunately, Natalie wasn’t online just yet, or perhaps, she read the message and was still thinking about it.
[ Kian (Sector 20): I also like the idea of working together. Especially if we’re targeting the Zombie Lords. Gathering together gives us a chance to actually fight them with only strong Survivors, and casualties might become Zero if that happened. ]
[ Takuya (Sector 11): That’s true… In the end, one fortress is strong, but a dozen united Clans with combined resources might rival it. If we’re together, we won’t have to worry even if Shane decides to become a villain or not. ]
Just like that, as they continued chatting with each other, their suspicion turned into tentative plans. They were all unworried whether Shane read the messages or not. After all, if he stopped them from uniting, it would seem as if he was worried, and it would put more haste in their plans.
[ Rosalind (Sector 14): We could start small. Pick a neutral location to meet. Share information. Pool resources. Not an anti-Shane alliance… We would like some sort of villains. Let’s just unite for the sake of getting stronger together and create a balance of power. ]
[ Travis (Sector 13): Neutral? Where? Everywhere’s crawling with zombies or claimed by someone already. ]
[ Rosalind (Sector 14): Oh? You want to join us too? Anyway, it’s not that difficult. We can just use some hidden channels. Just like how merchants survive… I’m sure you’re all aware how the wandering merchants are traveling safely. ]
[ Leon (Sector 2): I don’t hate this idea. If Shane’s friendly, we’re allies. If he’s not, we’re… insurance. ]
[ Omar (Sector 6): Call it the Survivor Pact. ]
[ Myla (Sector 7): Survivor Pact… I like it. ]
The chat heated up as paranoia spread. Then, as expected, there were new Survivors who had voiced out their concerns.
[ Rico (Sector 18): What if he sees this? Won’t he take it as betrayal? ]
[ Elliot (Sector 16): Then he proves us right. If he really wants peace, he won’t care. ]
[ Sasha (Sector 10): You’re crazy. If Lord Shane wanted us dead, we’d be dead already. Don’t poke the dragon. ]
[ Devon (Sector 4): Dragons are majestic… until they burn your house. ]
[ Khalid (Sector 22): Stop arguing. Survivor Pact or not, unity is better than isolation. At least this way, we don’t get picked off one by one. ]
[ Hana (Sector 5): Then let’s do it. Anyone willing to discuss details, send me a private message. ]
***
‘Did I really scare them too much?’ Shane thought as he realized that he seemed to have traumatized so many Survivors after showing his Floating Fortress.
Shane scrolled through all of it silently and shook his head.
He didn’t type a word.
Instead, he leaned back in his command chair, amused. “So they’re already thinking of a coalition, huh…?” he muttered.
He didn’t mind.
If the Survivors united, they’d only grow stronger against the Zombie Lords. That worked in his favor too.
Whether they built their so-called Survivor Pact out of fear or hope… it didn’t matter.
In the end, Shane knew the truth.
Even if all of them banded together, none of their alliances could rival his Floating Fortress, Warden Units, Mech Frames, and other secret weapons.
***
In the meantime, Lancelot of the Overlord Clan leaned back on his throne-like chair as he read the flood of messages across both the World Chat and Regional Chat.
Every line praising Shane made his blood boil, but every cautious word, every fearful message about Shane’s Floating Fortress brought him satisfaction.
A smile spread across his face.
“Finally,” he muttered…
“They see it too. The Rank 1 monster… He’s no hero. He’s a tyrant in the making. And they’re preparing to resist him.”
For Lancelot, this was perfect.
After all, he had already formed an alliance with a dozen Clans under his banner, all in secret preparation to overthrow Shane. Now, with so many unaffiliated Clans finally recognizing the threat, the timing could not be better.
“Good… good… You’ll all build the stage for me,” he whispered.
He then sent quick orders to his lieutenants.
The Stormcall Assembly and the Celestial Circle Clan, the Rank 9 and Rank 10 Clans on the Leaderboard, were already his hidden weapons.
Both were seemingly independent, but in reality, their Clan Leaders owed their lives, and their Talents, to Lancelot. They would move exactly as he commanded.
Just like that, he sent a message to both Zane and Galatea, the leader of the Stormcall Assembly and Celestial Circle Clans…
[ Lancelot: Send your envoys into this new ‘coalition.’ Hide your ties to me. We must gain their trust. Spread doubts in the coalition, but never about me. Push the idea that Shane cannot be trusted. Slowly, guide them to the path where only I can lead them. ]
As he gave these orders, Lancelot glanced at the Leaderboard once more…
1. Eclipse Revenant – Level 20
2. Overlord Clan – Level 19
3. Drakeheart Vanguard – Level 19
4. New Haven Clan – Level 18
5. Phoenix Phalanx – Level 18
6. Wraith Walkers – Level 17
7. Ironclad Collective – Level 17
8. Blue Moon Clan – Level 17
9. Stormcall Assembly – Level 16
10. Celestial Circle – Level 16
11. Nightfall Nexus – Level 15
12. Frostborn Union – Level 15
13. Ember Order – Level 14
14. Serene Garden – Level 14
15. Dawnspire Order – Level 13
16. Verdant Vanguard – Level 13
17. Crimson Wake – Level 12
18. Black Iron Pact – Level 12
19. Shadowbinders – Level 10
20. Silver Sentinel Alliance – Level 10