My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 800

Chapter 800: Chapter 800 Going Back To HOPE Base

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?!" Aston barked, immediately shifting into a defensive stance the moment he saw Keith.

Still caught off guard, Keith stood frozen, blinking at Aston as his brain slowly processed the sudden confrontation.

"I said, who are you?!" Aston repeated, his tone sharper now. His eyes scanned Keith from head to toe, checking to see if the stranger was carrying anything from inside the villa. He couldn’t possibly remember every face from the base, so seeing someone unfamiliar here could only mean one thing—an intruder, possibly trying to steal resources, especially since the villa was mostly unoccupied at the moment.

Keith instinctively raised both hands in a show of surrender, confusion written all over his face.

Just then, Kisha stepped in, casually draping an arm over Keith’s shoulder. "Relax, Aston. He’s not a thief—this is my brother," she said with a smile.

Realization dawned on Aston, and his expression instantly softened. "Ah, got it! Sorry about that," he said, slipping his dagger back into its sheath, visibly relieved.

"City Lord! You’re finally back?!" Aston exclaimed with clear excitement.

Kisha and the others hadn’t been gone long, but for Aston—who had been working tirelessly—it felt like an eternity. He had been so overwhelmed that he often wished he could clone himself just to keep up. Aside from managing the workshop and overseeing the construction of the new marketplace, he was also supervising the completion of a school for the children, a cemetery, the ongoing warrior recruitment, and countless other tasks.

To make matters more challenging, the Winters and their team had been away as well, leaving Aston to juggle everything on his own. So, when he saw Kisha—and right behind her, Mr. and Mrs. Winters along with the Patriarch—relief washed over him. Finally, the responsibilities he had been shouldering could be handed back to their original teams, and he wouldn’t have to keep running the entire show alone.

Kisha led Aston, the Winters, and her family into the study, guiding them to take their seats so they could properly discuss all the ongoing projects.

"Aston, you’ve done an amazing job while we were away. I know how busy you’ve been—thank you," Kisha said warmly, handing him a glass of chamomile tea to soothe his throat.

She had been closely monitoring the progress of the HOPE Base and fully understood the immense effort Aston had poured into everything. A simple thank-you wasn’t enough—he needed rest soon, or the burden might wear him down.

"There’s no need to thank me, City Lord. I’m just doing what I can," Aston replied humbly, taking the tea with a small nod. Then, almost as an afterthought, he asked, "But are you the only ones returning? What about the others?"