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 heâs not even human anymore? What if Rank 1âs secretly a cyborg or hybrid? ]
[ Sasha (Sector 10): Conspiracy theorist spotted. ]
[ Khalid (Sector 22): Cyborg or not, heâs still the only reason the rest of us have hope. If he keeps killing powerful enemies, then maybe humanity has a chance. Donât 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. Heâs too strong. If he decided to wipe us out, none of us could resist. ]
[ Kora (Sector 19): Donât be stupid. Without him, many more survivors wouldâve 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 donât think we should worry about him getting power. Iâve never heard anything bad about it his management. Just visit any of his shelters and youâd know how happy the residents are. ]
[ Elliot (Sector 16): Sure, Travis fanboy, but you canât deny Devon has a point. Weâve all seen empires fall in history when one man had too much power. ]
[ Zane (Sector 12): Exactly. What if tomorrow he says, âAll Sectors must kneel to Eclipse Revenant or burnâ? Whatâs stopping him? ]
[ Rami (Sector 22): His reputation, maybe? Heâs 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 Shaneâs lead.
Furthermore, they werenât worried about Shane as well since they knew the man really well.
If Shane really had the intention of conquering the world, he wouldâve 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 wonât 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 weâre 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 hadnât spread too much within the personâs 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 wasnât 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 weâre 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): Thatâs true⊠In the end, one fortress is strong, but a dozen united Clans with combined resources might rival it. If weâre together, we wonât 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. Letâs just unite for the sake of getting stronger together and create a balance of power. ]
[ Travis (Sector 13): Neutral? Where? Everywhereâs crawling with zombies or claimed by someone already. ]
[ Rosalind (Sector 14): Oh? You want to join us too? Anyway, itâs not that difficult. We can just use some hidden channels. Just like how merchants survive⊠Iâm sure youâre all aware how the wandering merchants are traveling safely. ]
[ Leon (Sector 2): I donât hate this idea. If Shaneâs friendly, weâre allies. If heâs not, weâre⊠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? Wonât he take it as betrayal? ]
[ Elliot (Sector 16): Then he proves us right. If he really wants peace, he wonât care. ]
[ Sasha (Sector 10): Youâre crazy. If Lord Shane wanted us dead, weâd be dead already. Donât 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 donât get picked off one by one. ]
[ Hana (Sector 5): Then letâs do it. Anyone willing to discuss details, send me a private message. ]
***
âDid I really scare them too much?â 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 didnât type a word.
Instead, he leaned back in his command chair, amused. âSo theyâre already thinking of a coalition, huhâŠ?â he muttered.
He didnât mind.
If the Survivors united, theyâd 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 didnât 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 Shaneâs Floating Fortress brought him satisfaction.
A smile spread across his face.
âFinally,â he mutteredâŠ
âThey see it too. The Rank 1 monster⊠Heâs no hero. Heâs a tyrant in the making. And theyâre preparing to resist him.â
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.
âGood⊠good⊠Youâll all build the stage for me,â 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 ClansâŠ
[ Lancelot: Send your envoys into this new âcoalition.â 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 moreâŠ
1. Eclipse Revenant â Level 20
2. Overlord Clan â Level 19
3. Drakeheart Vanguard â Level 19
4. New Haven Clan â Level 18
5. Phoenix Phalanx â Level 18
6. Wraith Walkers â Level 17
7. Ironclad Collective â Level 17
8. Blue Moon Clan â Level 17
9. Stormcall Assembly â Level 16
10. Celestial Circle â Level 16
11. Nightfall Nexus â Level 15
12. Frostborn Union â Level 15
13. Ember Order â Level 14
14. Serene Garden â Level 14
15. Dawnspire Order â Level 13
16. Verdant Vanguard â Level 13
17. Crimson Wake â Level 12
18. Black Iron Pact â Level 12
19. Shadowbinders â Level 10
20. Silver Sentinel Alliance â Level 10