My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 78

As Kisha guided the team through the center of the western district, they encountered sporadic resistance from zombies lurking in the alleys or hidden within buildings. Each member of the team engaged in battle, swiftly killing the zombie threats. However, amidst the chaos, Kisha and her team remained vigilant, ensuring to search for crystal cores within the zombie heads after each skirmish.

Even the newbies were instructed to inspect the zombies’ heads for crystalline formations embedded in their brains before proceeding. Initially, they found the task unusually revolting. Despite having encountered and experienced numerous gruesome sights, the mushy texture of the brain and the nauseating stench of the zombie’s decaying flesh was on another level entirely.

It took them some time to acclimate to the task.

Thus far, they had acquired an additional 3 crystal cores, bringing the overall total to 9, including the ones in Kisha’s inventory. Searching for crystal cores after each battle became their routine, serving as both a rest and a crucial task. Afterward, they would resume their journey, repeating the process at each encounter.

Exhaustion settled in as they pressed on. Despite Sparrow’s success in luring away most of the zombie horde, a significant number still obstructed their path, disrupting what should have been a relatively smooth journey. Even with Kisha carefully selecting the safest route, they found themselves facing more than two dozen zombies at every turn.

The situation was dire enough with most of the zombie horde lured away. If they hadn’t succeeded in that endeavor, their predicament would have been exponentially worse. Time was a luxury they couldn’t afford, with little respite between encounters as fresh waves of zombies seemed to flood in incessantly. To manage the relentless pressure, Duke and Kisha split the group into two teams.

Each team alternated between leading at the vanguard and resting at the rear, alleviating the constant strain and ensuring they could continue without succumbing to exhaustion.

The vanguard bore the brunt of the assault, absorbing roughly 75% of the pressure as they faced the onslaught head-on. Meanwhile, those at the rear handled the remaining 25%, affording them brief moments of respite amid the ongoing journey.

The relentless cycle persisted unabated. Among them, Vulture stood as the sole awakened ability user, stationed at the center to offer aid whenever necessary. Clutching the vial of black liquid given by Kisha, he had previously tested its effects when his spiritual energy level dwindled to a mere 10%.

Upon consuming the elixir, his spiritual energy level surged to 100%, rejuvenating not only his energy but also replenishing his stamina.

Kisha verified the potion’s efficacy through her ’Eye of Truth’, affirming its effectiveness. However, the cost was steep—1000 points per small vial. Uncertain of its long-term effects, especially given Vulture’s current Level 0 status, she harbored concerns about its usefulness as they advanced in levels.

Additionally, there lingered worries about potential side effects or even the risk of addiction.

So she only gave Vulture and Sparrow few vials and warned them to only use it whenever necessary but to never be too reliant on it.

After their relentless efforts for half a day running around while piercing through the zombie-infested streets, Kisha and the rest have finally reached the center of the western district. They thought that they would finally have some rest but the situation was not what they thought it would.

Zombies were freely roaming about the central area, leaving Kisha puzzled as to how the seven men managed to navigate their way out of this perilous zone to gather supplies on the outskirts.

"What’s happening?! There shouldn’t be this much of zombies around here!!!" The one leading the seven-man codename: Bald Eagle, exclaimed, his eyes scanning the surroundings in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Duke’s expression turned grave, his voice dropping a few degrees colder.

"M-master... When we left 2 days ago to search for supplies as we told you, the central part wasn’t this concentrated with zombies! There must have been something that happened!"

"Shit! Let’s go!" Kisha almost shouted through gritted teeth. "The drones have noticed a cluster of zombies around that building!"

"No!!! That’s where we left the others!" Without waiting, Bald Eagle sprinted through the streets in panic, gripped by fear.