My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 431

Duke understood that whatever mutation these rats had undergone, it had amplified their ability to breed and grow in numbers at an astonishing rate.

In less than half a month, the situation had shifted from a manageable nuisance to an uncontrollable horde.

But right now, Duke couldn’t afford to focus on the mutated rats’ alarming reproduction rate.

What demanded his immediate attention was survival—how to escape the relentless pursuit of the mutant rat’s horde closing in on them.

If he and his team couldn’t outmaneuver the swarm on their heels, there would be no future plans to consider.

The rats were faster than they appeared, and if even one of them fell behind, they’d be dead within seconds.

These creatures weren’t just predators; they were ravenous.

A single slip-up, and the rats would devour their prey so quickly that there wouldn’t be enough left to bury.

Duke knew that every second counted, and unless they could escape, they’d become nothing more than a meal for these monsters.

Survival now was the only path to ensuring he’d get a chance to eradicate these pests once and for all.

But first, they had to live through the next few minutes.

"Run faster!" Duke urged the warriors ahead of him, his voice sharp with urgency.

The group strained to comply, their faces flushed red, veins bulging in their necks as they pushed their bodies to the limit.

They were already giving everything they had, but Duke, in his haste, seemed to forget one crucial detail: these warriors were still at level 0, far behind him in strength and endurance, much more agility.

There was a massive gap in their stats.

While Duke was pacing himself, aware that he could push harder if needed, he had been holding back to protect the rear, ensuring no one was left behind.

To him, this was a controlled effort. But for the warriors, every step was agony—they were running at their absolute limit, lungs burning and muscles screaming for relief.

Duke’s call to run faster hit them like a punch to the gut, a stinging reminder of their limitations.

They knew they couldn’t keep up with him, but they also knew that falling behind wasn’t an option.

The mutated rats were closing in, and if they slowed down for even a moment, their fate would be sealed.

Even then, no one uttered a word of complaint.

Instead, they gritted their teeth and pushed themselves harder, climbing the stairs with relentless determination, never daring to look back.

When they finally reached the fifth floor, they paused only long enough for Duke to catch up before hastily erecting an earth wall at the stairwell.

But they all knew it was a temporary solution at best—the wall wouldn’t hold for long before the mutated rats tore through it.

Duke scanned the rooftop, assessing their next move.

His eyes locked onto the opposite building across the alley.

There was only a few meters of distance separating the two rooftops, and without missing a beat, he sprinted to the edge.

The warriors exchanged uneasy glances, understanding immediately what Duke was thinking.

But while Duke stood there with a calm, calculating expression, the others paled at the realization.

It wasn’t that far, just a few meters, but for them, it might as well have been a chasm.

They knew they couldn’t make that jump.

The only solution was to build a bridge.

But that posed another problem—the earth bridge they could create, even if they all pooled their strength, would be thin and fragile, only able to hold a few individuals at a time.

And to make it strong enough to support them all would take time, time they didn’t have.