My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 554

His eyes snapped to attention, and without thinking, he began slapping his own face, as though trying to shake off the fog clouding his mind.

Slap!

Slap!

"C-Captain Vulture, what are you doing?!" one of the newcomers asked, his voice laced with concern.

He didn’t understand what had caused Vulture’s sudden outburst, but no one moved to stop him.

The rest of Vulture’s team stood frozen, wearing expressions of guilt, their eyes avoiding the captain’s intense behavior.

After a few forceful slaps, Vulture’s face turned red and swollen, the sharp impact leaving his skin stinging since he didn’t held back.

But the harsh reality of his actions jolted him awake, pulling him out of the dark spiral of guilt and self-reproach.

The weight of what had happened to Sparrow suddenly crashed down on him, and he knew he had to focus—there was no time for regrets now.

With a hoarse voice, Vulture finally spoke. "Sparrow encountered a threat while scouting earlier, trying to locate the rest of the team, but we haven’t heard from him since..." His voice cracked slightly, the worry and guilt clear as day.

It was obvious that he feared something terrible had happened to Sparrow, and that fear had caused him to lose control for a moment.

But as Vulture stood there, the weight of responsibility hit him. He was now the leader of this group, and showing any more signs of weakness could fracture their unity.

If the core of their leadership faltered, it would only lead to chaos and disarray among them.

Since Sparrow had entrusted the others to his care, Vulture knew he couldn’t afford to let them down now.

With a heavy heart, he took a deep breath, inhaling the weight of his responsibility.

As he exhaled, he released the tension and his worry, clearing his mind and steeling himself for what lay ahead.

"Sparrow will come back," Vulture muttered, though his words sounded more like a plea to himself than a declaration of certainty, to make himself believe that Sparrow will really come back.

The quiet conviction in his voice only made the others’ eyes redden, but no one spoke. They simply followed in silence.

Vulture tightened his grip on the radio resting at his side, as if the weight of it could anchor his thoughts.

He took a steadying breath and began making his way toward the wreckage of the animal farm.

They were standing at the entrance now, where once there had been an arc—a photo spot for tourists.

Beyond it had been a registration building, where visitors would pay their entrance fee.

Now, all that remained was ruin. The piles of debris were so scattered that it was impossible to discern what had once stood there.

The animal farm stretched across a vast expanse, with piles of debris littering the area and the foundations of what used to be buildings barely recognizable.

Vulture and the rest of the team moved cautiously through the wreckage, surveying the extent of the devastation left by the Geostorm.

The once-flat terrain was now a chaotic mess, the result of countless tornadoes tearing through the area.

Debris was scattered far and wide, with some building fragments even reaching half a kilometer from the farm—a detail that had been confirmed by Group 4.

"Don’t move!" The sudden command cut through the air, halting Vulture’s team in their tracks.