My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 351

Most of these people were veterans, so Sparrow trusted that after allowing themselves a brief moment to mourn, they would pull themselves together. They didn’t have the luxury to falter or stop, as that would only lead to one outcome—death. And if that happened, it would dishonor Rose’s sacrifice.

Cough! Cough!

"We have a heartbeat!" someone shouted from the group administering first aid. Instantly, everyone perked up, straining to catch a glimpse of Rose.

’It seems there won’t be mourning just yet, but maybe later,’ Sparrow thought. It might sound callous, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. The real battle was still ahead—Rose was still fighting the virus that was overtaking her system and threatening to eat her brain.

Although she remained human for now, she was drifting in and out of consciousness, moving between the brink of death and her current state.

"Do you see it?" Clyde asked, inching closer to Sparrow as he fixed his gaze on Rose’s face. The black veins still marred her neck and cheeks. Meanwhile, Sparrow was preoccupied with the unfolding situation, rearranging their schedule and mission timeframe as he strategized their next steps for continuing the road ahead.

Sparrow raised an eyebrow, humoring Clyde but unsure of where he was headed. He remained still, deep in thought, as Clyde continued. "She was bitten, but instead of going into cardiac arrest, she should have turned by now. It’s been over half an hour since the bite—between the battle in the storage room and the time others spent attending to her. This delay is unusual."

"Usually, when someone is bitten, they turn into a zombie almost instantly due to the rapid spread of the virus through the bloodstream," Clyde explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "But if we look at her now, she appears to be in a sort of half-turned state. It’s almost like the virus has stopped spreading, though that’s unlikely.

I’ve seen enough of this to know that if the virus was active, it wouldn’t be on hold. Wouldn’t it?" Clyde shrugged, acknowledging that everyone surrounding Rose had likely witnessed similar horrors.

It almost seemed like no one had considered this issue before, perhaps because their minds were too rattled by the situation.

"What did you just say?!" Sparrow’s voice rose sharply, his head snapping towards Clyde in shock. Clyde quickly raised both hands defensively, his expression a mix of apprehension and urgency as he gestured for Sparrow to calm down.

"Relax, I’m not trying to curse her or be insensitive. I just noticed something unusual," Clyde said, his tone more measured. "We’ve all seen people get bitten and turn into zombies within moments. It rarely takes more than half an hour. So why is she different?"

"Is this the first time something like this has happened? Could it be because of her immunity? That seems unlikely, but it’s worth considering. I’m just trying to help by pointing out what I see, without any emotional bias. I might come off as detached, but I’m only offering my observations." Clyde paused, focusing his attention back on Rose, who was convulsing again.

"No, wait! You actually raised a valid point," Sparrow said suddenly, drawing Clyde’s attention. Clyde sighed in relief, having feared that Sparrow might misinterpret his concerns as a political maneuver rather than a genuine observation.