My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse-Chapter 984 - 982 The Misunderstanding

"As for our people, everyone has been cooperating and performing their duties well. There have been no signs of dissatisfaction, and our forces here continue to grow steadily. This means that, should you need additional manpower for the HOPE Base on the other side, you can freely draw personnel from the hidden base, Master."

"We also conduct regular supply runs outside the base, not only to replenish resources, but to ensure everyone gains real combat experience against the zombies, preventing complacency from setting in over time."

"However, despite these efforts, we haven’t encountered any other survivors in City A. At this point, we’re unsure whether there are no survivors left, whether they’re hiding in suburban areas, or if they’ve already fled to larger bases elsewhere."

Eagle added this last part with caution. One of the primary reasons for the frequent supply runs was information gathering, mapping their surroundings, and identifying any emerging forces nearby, so they could be fully prepared in case someone set their sights on them and planned an attack.

Yet even after all this time, aside from the people they had encountered at the farm and Dracon’s group on the road, there were no other survivors. It was both reassuring and heartbreaking. Reassuring, because there were no rival forces to stay on guard against, but devastating, because it meant that millions had either turned into zombies or died after being devoured by them, especially in a massive city like City A.

The thought was sobering. Had Kisha not warned them about the coming apocalypse, and had their master not believed what sounded like madness at the time, they would likely be among those mindless corpses now, wandering the streets, biting the living without thought or reason.

"I understand. We don’t need to worry about that for now. Just tighten the security around the hidden base and stay alert, especially against mutated zombies and mutated animals, or plants. Those are likely our greatest threats at the moment. Continue training your awakened abilities. My wife and I will handle the rest," Duke said calmly.

But the moment he said ’my wife’, again, everyone in the conference room caught on. Duke had been dropping those words at every opportunity, low-key flaunting the fact that he was married now. The man who had once been cold, distant, and utterly indifferent to women, like an immovable block of ice, now couldn’t finish a sentence without ’my wife this or my wife that.’

A few people failed to hold back their chuckles, amused at seeing this old dog finally warming up to life.

"Master’s really smug after getting himself a wife... makes me want to find a girlfriend too," someone whispered from the back, quiet as a mosquito, careful not to let Duke hear. He had no desire to be caught talking behind their master’s back.

"Well, you could always choose from the female zombies wandering outside," someone beside him joked, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. Truth be told, he was jealous, too. There simply weren’t many women in the hidden base who caught his eye, unlike the HOPE Base, where human survivors were far more plentiful. Here, the air was thick with testosterone, and it was downright depressing.

Unfortunately for them, Duke’s heightened hearing caught every whispered word. He simply chose to ignore it; after all, he was indeed feeling smug. He no longer belonged to the pack of single dogs standing before him.

Who would’ve thought? The same man they once bet on, wondering whether he swung the other way or if something was wrong with his "third leg," was now the first to get married. Not only that, he’d thoroughly proven to his wife that there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.

So really... how could he not feel smug?

No one could tell what he was thinking. Duke maintained a deadpan expression, his fingers interlaced atop the desk.

"Since you’re already conducting supply runs, make sure to stock up on construction materials, appliances, and other household necessities as well. I’ll send additional personnel to assist, along with a Space-type Awakened Ability user to handle storage, so you can clear several locations and return with a proper haul," Duke added evenly.

As he spoke, he had already sent a message to Tristan, instructing him to dispatch two Space-type Awakened Ability users and two Offensive Awakened Ability users to the Hidden Base to support the operation.

This way, personnel from the HOPE Base could also contribute, especially since City A was far more dangerous than City B. Fortunately, their supply runs were limited to the outskirts, as venturing deeper into the city would drastically reduce their chances of returning alive.

Although the HOPE Base was built in the heart of City B, it was far from reckless. Kisha knew the city’s blueprint by heart and had already provided the team leaders with detailed routes and multiple escape paths in case anything went wrong. Compared to City A, which had nearly ten times the number of zombies, City B was relatively much safer.

Even so, Duke refused to gamble with lives. His people were all elites, the best of the best, but that didn’t make them expendable. Besides, not everyone participating in the supply runs belonged to his core forces.

Some were from Dracon’s group, others from the Winters. With such a mixed team, it was difficult to achieve the same level of tacit coordination and seamless understanding that the Winters’ men had developed over time.

...

[Duke: Tristan, I’m currently at the Hidden Base. Some of the Winters’ men will be conducting a supply run alongside the newly joined personnel. I need you to send two Space-Type Awakened Ability Users and two of our best offensive Awakened Ability users to assist them.]

[Tristan: Understood, Master. Since Sparrow’s and Vulture’s teams are still out on their mission, I suggest increasing the number of warriors to four. I’ll send the best fighters currently available here. While they lack the same level of real combat experience as the teams deployed outside, increasing their numbers would improve safety and give them valuable opportunities to grow stronger.]

[Duke: Keep in mind, they’ll be heading to City A. That means they’ll need to pass through my wife’s Territory Space before reaching the Hidden Base.]

[Tristan: ...Hmm.]

[Tristan: Actually, Master, you could use me as a scapegoat. I can tell them I used my teleportation ability to send them directly to the location. I’ll blindfold them, perform a few short spatial jumps, let them walk briefly while blindfolded inside the Territory Space, then teleport again to mislead them completely.]

[Duke: Not a bad idea. If they never see my wife’s territory, they won’t know they passed through it. However, the spiritual energy surging inside her territory might alert them and blow your cover.]

[Tristan: I’ll perform rapid spatial jumps within the territory. They won’t even realize what’s happening before I push them outside. After that, I’ll guide them out of the forest once we reach City A’s Hidden Base. As for the Space-Type Awakened Ability Users, there’s no need for such an act; they’ve already signed the slave contract with Young Madam.]

[Duke: Alright. I’ll leave this matter to you. Deliver them to Eagle once you arrive at the Hidden Base. I’ll take some of the Winters’ men into the Territory to build an employees’ dormitory and a villa, for my wife, myself, and everyone to stay in during long-term training.]

[Tristan: Understood, Master. Consider it done.]

...

"Alright. Tristan will be coming here later to escort a group joining the supply run. For now, clear the shelves of anything useful you find," Duke added, rising from his chair and straightening his clothes.

Before Duke could leave, Hawk snapped to attention and saluted. "Don’t worry, Master. I’ll get you an entire warehouse of condoms," he said solemnly.

He looked deadly serious, having completely misunderstood Duke’s earlier instruction to "take everything." In Hawk’s mind, Duke was simply too embarrassed to ask directly. After all, the man had just gotten married, and this was still the sweetest phase of newlywed life. It wasn’t far-fetched to assume Duke and Kisha were inseparable every night.

Given the state of the world, however, this was hardly the right time for Kisha to get pregnant. So Hawk naturally concluded that Duke had been subtly hinting at their real priority. After all, condoms hadn’t exactly been on the list back when they were scrambling to prepare supplies for the apocalypse.

Hearing that, Duke, who had just stood up and taken his first step, nearly slipped in shock. He caught himself at the last second, then slowly turned back, lips pressed thin as he shot Hawk a sharp glare.

Yet Hawk only beamed at him, grinning from ear to ear like a dog wagging its tail after being praised, utterly convinced he’d hit the bullseye.

After a moment, after Duke composed himself, he didn’t bother correcting Hawk’s misunderstanding. He had already considered that constantly relying on pills might have side effects on Kisha’s body, and using proper protection was, in truth, the better option, even if it slightly dulled the sensation. It was far preferable to letting her suffer later.