My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 649

"Shhh..."

Just as Sparrow was about to unleash an angry roar and fight back, a firm hand suddenly covered his lips, signaling him to stay silent. His head snapped to the side in reflex—so fast it nearly felt like he might dislocate his own neck.

A jolt of realization struck him when he felt a grip on his collar. This wasn’t just something—someone had caught him.

His eyes widened as he met the person’s gaze, his mouth parting to speak again, but the stranger swiftly gestured for silence. Then, using a series of hand signals—ones only known to the Winters’ men—he gave Sparrow a silent command: Climb the tree beside us.

Sparrow hesitated for only a moment before following the man’s gaze upward. That’s when he saw them—several figures perched among the branches like silent sentinels, their forms blending into the shadows. They sat poised like watchful predators, waiting.

There were also some unfamiliar faces mixed in with his people. Yes, the one who had grabbed him by the collar and dragged him through the bushes was a member of his missing Group 6—they were all here, safe and sound.

’Or at least, for now, they were safe.’

Unfortunately, just like Sparrow, they were disoriented, their senses dulled, and their bodies sluggish. None of them were in any condition to fight—not when a mutated tiger was prowling nearby, its sharp gaze sweeping the area in search of its prey.

Worse still, they were all experiencing some kind of status abnormality that was messing with their mental states, making it impossible for them to engage in a direct confrontation. Their only option was to stay hidden among the trees.

But when they spotted Sparrow sprinting toward them, unaware that the mutated tiger was only a few meters behind them, they knew they had to act. If they didn’t, he would run straight into the beast’s waiting jaws.

As luck would have it, Sparrow tripped and fell. Before he could unleash a tirade of curses over his misfortune, someone from Group 6 had already swooped in, grabbing him by the collar and silently dragging him behind the bushes—far from the mutated tiger’s line of sight and into a safe blind spot.

At that moment, the mutated insect that had just passed Sparrow caught sight of the mutated tiger instead. Unable to find Sparrow and still seething with unfulfilled rage, the insect redirected its aggression toward the beast. A furious roar echoed through the forest as the mutated tiger, now under attack, lashed out in response.

Group 6, still covered in mud, remained unrecognizable, their scent masked by the thick layer of grime. Sparrow, however, was a different story. Having spent so much time inside the cave with the mutated insect, his scent was noticeably stronger.

With the mutated tiger and insect locked in battle, the group knew they couldn’t linger for long. The tiger’s powerful sense of smell would eventually pick up on Sparrow’s presence—if it hadn’t already.

For now, it was too preoccupied with its fight to focus on him, but they all understood that their window to escape was quickly closing. Read latest stories on freewebnovel

Instead of climbing up, they quickly changed their plan. Sparrow signaled for everyone to climb down and escape while he stayed at the rear to keep watch. Though still somewhat disoriented, he was in better shape than the others and could at least put up a fight if necessary.