Sloan tunneled through the muddy underground using the earth-shifting technique. Even though he'd found good cover earlier, the altar's destruction still affected him. Now, his energy was a chaotic mess, and every breath sent fresh pain lancing through his torso.But he had no time to worry about his injuries. He raced toward the Nether Crypt at maximum speed. The grand elder had to be warned. They need to relocate their base.Hidden beneath the gnarled roots of a 1,000-year-old banyan tree, the crypt's entrance would stay buried forever unless one knew precisely where to look.Sloan tunneled at full speed, burning through his internal energy reserves as he drove forward. After 15 relentless minutes, he finally reached the Nether Crypt entrance.He flicked three bone talismans from his fingertips. The banyan's root system parted slowly like snakes, revealing a pitch-black passage. As soon as he slipped inside, the soil behind him churned violently and sealed the passage shut.Sloa

Inside a temporary camp in Reedcrest, thousands of civilians huddled together in cramped conditions. Many were wounded, and countless others showed signs of plague infection. When the zombie horde had attacked, there hadn't been time to deal with the outbreak. Saving lives had come first. Though the horde was eventually wiped out, the damage caused by the virus was far from over.However, the plague remained the biggest threat. With the crowd in chaos, it had spread like wildfire. Infections had climbed from hundreds to thousands, even under Grace's containment efforts. Without the medication keeping it under control, the outbreak would have been catastrophic.Even so, Reedcrest was doing remarkably well compared to the other three cities. Those three had already descended into chaos. Even without the threat of the zombie virus, it would take time to restore any kind of order.Dustin rode a trail of golden light back to the temporary camp. He saw Grace kneeling inside the tent,