My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 68

Once the noodles were cooked to perfection, Kisha swiftly distributed portions to the seven eagerly awaiting men, their mouths watering in anticipation, drool nearly escaping the confines of their lips.

As Kisha handed out the steaming bowls of noodles, the men eagerly accepted them with trembling hands, their excitement palpable as if receiving a priceless gift from a monarch. While Kisha observed this gesture, she didn’t dwell on the small details, understanding that hunger had taken its toll on them.

Despite their exhaustion and hunger, it was remarkable that they still retained the strength to fight as fiercely as they had earlier.

Having likely endured days of hunger in their struggle to survive, the men’s voracious appetite was evident. The room fell silent as Duke and Kisha observed them indulging in their meal, the only sounds filling the air being the slurping and loud gulps as they eagerly consumed their fill.

Interestingly, there were no zombies in sight this time, providing a rare moment of respite for the group. As each person grappled with their own thoughts and emotions, a heavy silence settled over them. For Duke, the weight of this silence was particularly burdensome, as he remained uncertain about the significance of his people’s presence in this place.

He had his own deductions, yet he hesitated to entertain them just yet. With the weight of uncertainty pressing upon him, Duke chose to set aside those thoughts for the time being. Within a matter of minutes, the seven men had devoured their meals with gusto, prompting Kisha to offer them water to help settle their stomachs.

After ensuring the men had finished their meal, Duke wasted no time in addressing the question that had been weighing on his mind. "Were you the group that escorted the Patriarch and my parents?" His voice betrayed no emotion, its tone cold and detached, though his expression remained impassive.

The man at the forefront straightened his posture, his expression taking on a somber tone. "Yes, master."

"How is my family?" Duke inquired.

"They are safe, master," the man replied with evident difficulty, hinting that while they were physically safe, their situation might not be favorable.

Upon hearing this assurance, Duke felt the tension in his muscles ease, and his clenched jaw relaxed. "What exactly occurred?"

"As you instructed, we arrived to escort the Patriarch and Mr. and Mrs. Winters from the Mansion to the designated safe settlement. However, shortly after departing the mansion, we realized we were being followed. We attempted to lose our pursuers by taking a detour through the west district, but they persisted, and we ended up losing valuable time in the process.

By the time the blood rain began, we were still navigating through the west district. We also ensured that all our people, including the Winters, were exposed to the blood rain as instructed. However, we took precautions to make our actions appear less conspicuous."

He sighed heavily as the memories of that chaotic day flooded back. "Even amidst the chaos, our pursuers refused to relent. They pursued us relentlessly, changing tactics until we found ourselves trapped in an ambush. Thankfully, Tristan arrived to aid us, but not without losses. We lost some of our men in the attempt to escape, forcing us to flee to City B to avoid leading them to our base."

"But who would have thought that even after reaching City B’s evacuation center, they would still pursue us relentlessly? Their determination to capture or eliminate the Winters knows no bounds. To prevent the sheltered civilians from getting caught in the crossfire, we sought refuge here in the western district. Yet, they persisted, relentlessly tracking us down.