Read Novel Full Chapter 1204 Sprint
Chapter 1204: Chapter 1204 Sprint
"Are we all ready?" Sebastian asked, his tone sharp and businesslike as his eyes swept over the other two.
"Yes," Bella replied without hesitation.
Her grip tightened slightly, her posture already prepared for sudden movement.
Ross, on the other hand, merely nodded, looking far too relaxed for what lay ahead.
"Don't get left behind," Sebastian said, directing the warning squarely at Ross.
"Just lead the way and I'll be there," Ross answered with an easy smile, as if they were about to take a casual walk rather than sprint through a death zone.
A single breath passed—and then they were gone.
Their figures burst forward in a blur, flashing through the dense forest at terrifying speed.
Trees became streaks of green and brown, branches snapping as shockwaves followed in their wake.
They dodged roots, leaped ravines, and skimmed over uneven ground without ever breaking stride.
Anything that might have slowed them was either evaded or left far behind in the blink of an eye.
The wind screamed past them, tugging at clothes and hair as the forest itself seemed to recoil from their passage.
Barely five minutes later, the trees thinned, and they shot out of the forest into open land.
Ahead of them sprawled a massive horde of zombies, hundreds—perhaps thousands—of decaying bodies shuffling aimlessly under the harsh daylight.
Their movements were slow and clumsy, but their sheer numbers made the scene oppressive.
Low groans filled the air, and the stench of rot drifted toward them in waves.
Some of the zombies twitched as if sensing movement, but none were fast enough to react.
Without exchanging words, the trio veered off course.
They slipped around the edges of the horde, weaving through abandoned paths and broken terrain, deliberately taking the long way to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Speed alone wasn't enough here—care and precision mattered just as much.
As they moved, Sebastian glanced over his shoulder.
Part of him hoped—unreasonably—that Ross would finally show signs of strain, lagging behind or at least focusing seriously on keeping up.
What he saw instead made his jaw tighten.
Ross was practically lounging in midair, his body reclined as if resting on an invisible bed.
With every step, he blinked in and out of existence, reappearing effortlessly beside them, never falling behind, never needing to catch up.
To make it even worse, he was calmly eating an apple, taking slow, deliberate bites, his expression relaxed and almost bored.
The contrast was infuriating.
While Sebastian and Bella stayed sharp and alert, muscles tense and senses stretched to their limits, Ross looked like a king enjoying a leisurely ride.
The ease with which he matched their speed—without even trying—made Sebastian's frown deepen.
That man… Sebastian thought grimly. He wasn't just strong. He was showing off.
An hour later, they finally arrived at a secluded base of operations, carefully hidden away from the main roads and surrounded by layers of natural and man-made cover.
From the outside, it looked abandoned—just another forgotten structure in a dead world—but those who knew the signs could tell it was alive.
Guards spotted them almost immediately, recognition flashing across their faces before any alarms could even sound.
They were let in without the slightest hassle.
Within minutes, news of their arrival spread through the base like a shockwave.
"Red and Shadow are back!"
"What the fuck?! They're alive? I thought they already became zombie food!"
"No way… they actually made it back!"
"Hahaha! I knew it! I told you they wouldn't die that easily!"
Voices overlapped, disbelief turning into laughter and cheers as people rushed out from rooms, hallways, and lookout posts.
Some froze where they stood, staring as if afraid this was just another cruel illusion.
Others ran forward without hesitation.
Before long, the entrance area was packed with people, arms wrapping around familiar shoulders, hands gripping tightly as if letting go might make them disappear again.
A few laughed loudly, unable to contain their relief. Others wiped at their eyes, tears streaming down weathered faces they no longer bothered to hide.
In a world like this, survival hardened everyone—but reunions like this still broke through that armor.
More than a week apart might not have meant much before the apocalypse, but now it felt like forever.
Every day carried death, and every absence came with the unspoken fear that it would be permanent.
"I'm glad you two are back!" a big, broad-built man said as he stepped forward.
His voice shook, and tears rolled openly down his cheeks as he pulled them into a crushing hug.
He didn't care who saw him cry.
No one blamed him.
A full year into the apocalypse, they had all been pushed to their limits.
They had buried friends, burned bodies, and said rushed goodbyes to family members they couldn't save.
Every mission thinned their ranks a little more. Every loss made the base quieter, heavier, more haunted.
That was why their return meant everything.
For a brief time, the base felt warmer, louder, and alive again. Laughter echoed through the corridors, and shoulders that had been weighed down by grief straightened just a little.
In this ruined world, victories were rare—but seeing them walk back in alive was one worth celebrating.
A few minutes later, the crowd finally noticed that Bella and Sebastian hadn't returned alone.
"Hey… who's he?" one of the soldiers asked, nodding toward the unfamiliar figure.
"He's—" Sebastian began, then paused, as if searching for the right words. "He's a friend. He's the one who rescued us," he finished firmly.
"His name is Ross," Bella added.
Murmurs rippled through the group as curious eyes turned toward him, sizing him up from head to toe.
"Why's he dressed like he just crawled out from under the earth?" someone asked bluntly.
Bella shrugged lightly. "That's just the way he is."
A couple of men chuckled at that, the tension easing.
Before long, Ross found himself being pulled into the group, receiving rough but friendly slaps on the back and earnest handshakes.
Voices overlapped as people thanked him again and again for saving Bella and Sebastian, their gratitude genuine and unrestrained.
Ross might have been a stranger, but in that moment, he was already being treated like one of their own.