bookbashuk Chapter 1186: Project Mist and the Reinforcement
Chapter 1186: Project Mist and the Reinforcement
As the group of Survivors stood before the ruined walls, Shane’s gaze lingered on the faded paint.
The words were barely legible, but the fragments told a story he already knew too well.
"World Government Research Facility - Project Mist."
The name alone sent a chill down his spine.
"I know this pattern..." Shane muttered.
Indeed, he had seen this pattern before. Every time he uncovered one of these hidden laboratories, it tied back to the same overarching agenda... the World Government’s obsession with weaponizing the Apocalypse.
Shane’s mind raced, recalling the other projects he had discovered in the past...
The first thing he discovered was Project Genesis. It was basically the Viral Soldier Program.
It was their earliest attempt to twist the Zombie Virus into a tool for creating super soldiers. The idea was to harness infection as a weapon, turning ordinary men into enhanced fighters. It failed catastrophically, producing more unstable mutations instead of controllable warriors.
Shane could guess that it was the one that furthered the mutations of Zombies, creating mid-tier and high-tier zombies altogether.
Then, there was Project Prometheus, the Cybernetic Integration.
He remembered the chilling details of this... Based on the record, it uses Neural Weave to grant near‑precognitive reflexes, Onyx Bone Lacing to make skeletons withstand tank rounds, and the Phoenix Organ System to regenerate fatal wounds in minutes. It was a blueprint for soldiers who were more machine than man.
It was also the reason why some parts of the continent had cybernetic zombies. Still, it helped many human shelters since they were able to obtain various mechanical limbs or replacements for missing body parts. Ivory Gear Shelter was one of these places that greatly benefited from this Project.
Then, there was the Project Eclipse, Controlled Viral Mutation...
The World Government had basically tried to weaponize the Z‑Virus itself, not for humans, but for zombies. The Reaper Strain they created targeted DNA to make certain undead controllable.
The Valkyrie Protocol halted decay, creating immortal, obedient zombies. And there was also what they called Necroforge, aimed to reanimate corpses as programmable combat units...
This could have been the technology or the ability that made the Zombie Lords and Zombie Kings control other Zombies... Of course, if there were humans capable of doing this, they were basically similar to Necromancers.
After that was the Project Icarus or Genetic Ascension.
It was perhaps the most ambitious of them all. The Adonis Code rewrote DNA to eliminate disease and aging.
The Titanblood boosted muscle density to impossible levels. And the Icarus Gene allowed photosynthetic energy absorption, removing the need for food or water. It was transhuman evolution... humanity remade into something beyond human.
Shane had found the Icarus Facility and turned it into his shelter. However, there were a lot of chambers there that couldn’t be opened recklessly just yet.
At the moment, it was being slowly protected and uncovered by his Eclipse Revenant Clan, New Haven Clan, and lastly, the Drakeheard Vanguard’s Clan.
"It’s a Mist this time, huh... I wonder what it does?" Shane muttered as he wasn’t sure about this project.
He thought that all four projects were already enough for the World Government.
Obviously, that wasn’t enough, and they had more projects that were most likely related to the Zombies.
"Let’s look around... Just don’t be careless. There could be a zombie hiding here." Shane reminded.
Now, standing before the ruins of Project Mist, Shane felt that he needed to uncover its secrets as well.
Each project had been a step in the same direction... control, domination, and survival at any cost. The World Government had gambled with viruses, machines, and genes, reshaping life itself to fit their vision of power.
But this facility... this "Mist"... was different.
The name alone suggested a connection to the gray fog that had just saved them.
"Mist... Gray Fog... This is interesting."
Was this laboratory the origin of that phenomenon? Or had the World Government tried to harness it, just as they had with the virus and the undead?
Shane couldn’t help but feel curious...
"Genesis, Prometheus, Eclipse, Icarus... and now Mist. Every one of these projects was meant to bend the Apocalypse to their desire. But this one... this one feels special."
The survivors exchanged uneasy glances.
The painted words on the wall were also a warning... They were basically a reminder that the enemy wasn’t only the monsters outside. It was also the legacy of human ambition, buried in ruins, waiting to be uncovered.
And as the roar from the island’s depths echoed again, Shane knew they were about to learn more about this "Project Mist".
***
In the meantime, Fiona was still inside her chamber within the Blue Haven Shelter...
Her eyes were closed as she monitored the surroundings using her rats...
The region was tense since every clan around this sector was bracing for the inevitable clash with the Dragon Army.
Her talent, the Rat Princess, allowed her to control swarms of rodents...
At this point, she had already saved countless lives, because of her early warnings to the allied shelters, but she knew that alone it wouldn’t be enough.
Thankfully, Shane’s tokens had arrived through the Clan Storage.
Crates filled with Oceansteel Protection Tokens, Arcane Emblems, Phantom Hound Tokens, and the devastating Soulblade Tokens were now in her possession.
She immediately distributed them among her forces.
With dozens of these items, the Super Soldiers and allied fighters had a far better chance of resisting the Dragon Army’s advance.
The threat was still distant, but Fiona understood the enemy’s strategy.
If the Dragon Army destroyed the smaller shelters along the road, Blue Haven would be next. She couldn’t afford to wait.
With that in mind, she assembled an elite strike unit...
She first requested 30 Super Soldiers. They were already wearing the Tyrant Set, protecting their bodies, and also Master-Grade Silver Swords. Now, with the stronger Tokens in their hands, they felt more confident.
Then, she also asked for 10 Monks. They were Aura Users capable of channeling spiritual energy into powerful strikes. Their Aura was just too good, and they could work well against the mana users.
After all, Fiona asked Knight Gene, bring his knights... With that, she was able to gather 20 Knights. They were disciplined warriors clad in heavy armor. With the promise to provide them with high-level gear and better food, she was able to convince the powerful young knight from the Springriver Manor.
And finally, Shane actually sent two of his most powerful recruits... Sylas, the Legendary Elf and Assassination Expert, and Elandor, the Archmage...
"I want to see Merlin in the Stronghold, but I guess, this will do..." Elandor muttered.
Previously, he didn’t think much of a human mage.
After all, they have finite lives, and their knowledge of spells shouldn’t be that comparable to Elves.
However, as he kept getting updated about Merlin’s achievement and the vast amount of mana that kept increasing day by day, he felt that he really needed to meet the guy before he died of old age...
’I just hope that you stay strong until I finish this mission...’ Elandor mused.
In any case, this force led by Elandor was sent to reinforce Turtle Shelter, a stronghold owned by the Crimson Wake Clan, ranked 17th among the mainland clans and allied to Travis’s Drakeheard Vanguard Clan.
The alliance ensured cooperation, and Elandor’s presence guaranteed that his team would be welcomed.
When they arrived, Turtle Shelter was already bracing for war.
Scouts reported the Dragon Army’s vanguard approaching... There were wyverns circling the skies, fire salamanders crawling across the plains, dragonkin warriors marching in formation, manticores prowling the edges, nagas slithering through the marshes, and above them all, the Elven commanders directing the assault from behind...
"Thank you, Sir Elandor! I heard from Sir Travis that Sir Shane would send support. I didn’t expect to have this many... Thank you! Thank you!" Morris, the leader of this branch shelter, expressed his gratitude again and again.
After all, they had ways of dealing with the Zombies since they knew their weakness. They also have Zombie Lures and various anti-zombie materials.
Even the Elves were no match against them with their Holy Relics.
However, the Dragon Army was different. They had tough scales, Mana Users, and were tricky to deal with...
"Just don’t get in the way and follow my lead." Elandor said with confidence.
"I will, Sir Elandor!"
The defenders of Turtle Shelter were weary, but seeing this long-eared being gave them hope!
With Fiona’s reinforcements, their morale surged.
Soon, Sylas vanished into the shadows.
He was an Assasination Expert after all. His battle would be different...
At this point, he could no longer rely on Fiona’s rats as they were being detected by the Elven Commanders...
Because of that, he took the work himself and began scouting for weaknesses in the enemy’s formation.
***
Just a few hours later, the clash between the Dragon Army and the allied forces was about to begin.
But then, something unexpected happened. As soon as the Dragon Army came into view, a massive black hole tore open in the sky.
From within the void, a winged figure emerged.
"A demon!" Elandor shouted, recognizing it instantly. Its aura was radiating pure malice...
The horned humanoid creature was, without a doubt, a demon.
Fiona, who had been observing through one of her rats, saw it too. But before she could react, her connection was severed.
It took her nearly thirty minutes to send another wave of rats toward Turtle Shelter. Yet when her scouts finally arrived... the shelter was gone.
Where once stood walls and defenders, there was nothing but ruins and silence.
Turtle Shelter had been erased as if it had been swallowed by the black hole!