Shang spent the next couple of days just waiting in the camp. He obviously couldn't train in his usual way in the encampment, but he could consume another beast heart at least. It might not be the heart of an Abomination, but Shang didn't need to exclusively only use beast hearts.
By now, Shang's power was at around 97% of a Mid Commander Stage beast, and he felt that he could still grow by quite a bit. In at most three more months, he should be ready to advance to the Late Commander Stage.
Finally, five days after Shang had arrived, something happened.
The normal barbarians didn't feel like anything had changed, but Shang managed to pick up on the subtle cues.
Several of the Mage Towers were deactivated as the Mages left them. They didn't seem to act suspiciously, but they quickly made their way to the northeast of the Zone.
The Mages that managed the camp were reduced from around six to only two as the other Mages entered the Mage Towers.