My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 650

The Winters’ men didn’t hesitate to accept the help—they weren’t in a position to act tough. They knew better than to put on a strong front, so with a grateful nod, they followed the older man.

As they moved away from the area, more and more people joined them. Children, elderly women, and older men all left their hiding spots and fell in step with the group. The Winters’ men were baffled—why would they abandon a seemingly safe refuge?

Sensing their confusion, the older woman from earlier spoke up. "There’s strength in numbers. That monster may look terrifyingly strong, but with all of us together, I don’t believe we’ll be wiped out. As long as we protect the children, we’ll be fine."

The crowd murmured in agreement, nodding resolutely. Only the woman who had refused to share her hiding spot earlier, along with a few elderly and younger men, remained perched on the tree branches. Others tried to persuade them to come along, but they stubbornly refused, even scoffing at those who chose to leave.

"We’ll stay here. If you all are so eager to risk your lives for a bunch of irrelevant people, then suit yourselves!" the woman scoffed, rolling her eyes before turning away. _{freewebnoveℓ.com}

The older man, who had naturally taken on the role of leader, sighed but didn’t argue. "Alright. If they don’t want to come, let them be. If we get the chance later, we’ll circle back for them before we leave this place."

With that, the group took off in a different direction. They ran for several kilometers, but the younger children, with their short legs and limited stamina, began stumbling and falling. The adults had no choice but to scoop them up and carry them as they pressed forward.

Eventually, they reached a cluster of large trees surrounded by mud pits and wildflowers. It was an ideal hiding spot—the thick mud would help mask their scent, making it harder for the mutated tiger to track them.

Following the Winters’ men’s lead, the others rolled around in the mud, cutting fresh grass to further conceal themselves. Once they were sufficiently covered, they quickly climbed up the trees, finding safety among the branches.

Once they managed to climb to a high spot in the tree, the Winters’ men finally let their guard down. Their shoulders slumped as the lingering disorientation drained their strength, leaving them leaning heavily against the tree trunks.

One of them mustered the energy to speak, offering a grateful nod. "Thank you so much for helping us. But… why are you all here in the forest?"

The leader of the group, an older man with a weary but determined gaze, replied, "We’re from Port City. We survived the natural calamities—the tsunami, flash floods, and everything that followed—after we fled."

"The big cities aren’t safe anymore, so we decided to head for my village. I figured that in a smaller community, we’d have a better chance. We could work together to clear out the zombies, build a survivor camp, and maybe… just maybe, we could survive by farming."

"But reaching my village means we have to pass through this forest and cross the mountain on the other side," the man sighed, his gaze fixed ahead. "We had no idea that, aside from people turning into zombies, even animals would mutate and become even more terrifying. We ended up trapped here, doing our best to avoid running into any of the stronger creatures."

He let out a weary breath before continuing, "Back in Port City, we were too afraid to venture out and search for food. No matter how many times we fought them, the zombies would always rise again. It felt hopeless."