After going about his daily business as the de facto ruler of Gravestone, a small survivor community of roughly 50 people or so. Zane and the girls retired for the night. Not much happened on this day, nor did Zane particularly warn the others of the warning he had received in his sleep on the previous night.
I mean, how could he possibly explain this? A voice which had been responsible for warning him of danger, one which manifested itself as a woman whose features he could never see, and who spoke to him in a kind and gentle tone as if they were particularly close, despite never meeting her before his near death incident?
It was utter insanity, and nobody with a sense of logic or reason would listen to this warning that Zane received in his sleep. No, he had to make the preparations on his own. But as it currently stood, the only way Zane could obtain a recipe was either through achievements, or through the store.
But since Zane did not see any achievements currently listed, that would give him a recipe that he could remotely use to bolster his defenses and increase the capabilities of his troops, he was forced to farm gold.
Roughly 21,000 of the 58,000 or so undead that existed in the Caron area were eliminated. And while Eliza was lacking in elite forces, like Tier II Undead or above. She was not lacking at all in Walkers.
Zane could reasonably kill 1,000, maybe 2,000 Walkers a night. Especially now that he had a full set of equipment. But... Eliza's eyes were watching him, and he could tell when she was fixing her sights upon him. Perhaps because his dexterity and wisdom were both quite high, with the former being on the superhuman level.
Regardless, Zane knew he was one ill-fated moment away from having his life snuffed by the Tier I Horde King, and because of this, he did not wish to provoke the mighty undead's ire any further. Instead, he would take his chances in the ruins of old Reno.
Zane of course did not know who the Horde King was in charge of those lands, but he knew that whoever he was, he must at the very least be a Tier II Horde King, because he had stumbled across, Stalkers, Abominations, and even Juggernauts very early on during his days in his hometown.
Not only that, but the horde which this mysterious Horde King controlled was significantly larger than the one Eliza controlled, easily in the hundreds of thousands of undead. Thus, Zane suspected it would be easier to hide from such a powerful being's gaze, considering the territory he controlled was significantly more vast than that which was Eliza's domain.
With this in mind, Zane took an unarmored pickup truck, one that had and off-road setup, and an eternal emergency gas tank in the trunk, and drove it to the ruins of New Reno while his party slept peacefully without any knowledge of the man's daring plan.
---
Eliza took a deep breath and sighed heavily. She was obviously collecting her thoughts as she addressed her concerns to Bartholomew in a factual and calculated a manner which she could.
Yet she was still trembling with fear as she did so. After all, there was always a possibility he did not believe her, and instead chose to punish her severely for daring to propose such a wild scenario.
"The black-haired boy, the one you told me to keep an eye on... His power grows with each passing day. He's faster than the Stalkers now, and his powers mimic our own in many ways. Even I have a hard time detecting his presence when he chooses to remain stealth.
He cut off their heads before they could even react. And the girls by his side, they are unusual as well. Easily more powerful than any living beings you and I have ever come across. Hell, I doubt any of our brothers and sisters have witnessed such astonishing strength from the living.
They are evolving brother... And I know that mother's scent lingers on this man, but... If we leave him be he won't just be a problem for me... Before long this entire rotten settlement will be something that you will have to worry about as well... I think we need to stop being so cautious and attack when they are still weak!"
Bart clearly did not like this proposal, as his eyes flashed with anger. Eliza did not even feel the claw that dug into her face for a second time on this night. Her coagulated blood splashed onto the floor again as she lowered her head in submission. All the while, Bartholomew yelled at her at the top of his lungs.
"That is for me to decide, not you! So long as this boy smells like mother, we are not to interfere! You know as well as I do that mother has her favorites. Albeit they are usually significantly more powerful than the likes of us...
But if this living boy is actually favored by mother, you and I will be wishing for our second death, because what she will do to us will be far worse, and will last an eternity!
If you make a move on that settlement, then that is your decision. But I will have no part in it! And if the others were to find out about this, you will take the entirety of the blame. Do you understand?"
Eliza sighed heavily and nodded her head. She would still need some time to watch Zane and see if attacking him and his settlement were truly the best course of action. But for now, Bartholomew's words rang throughout her mind, forcing her to submit for the time being.
"I understand brother..."