My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse-Chapter 985 - 983 Tristan Running A Delivery

As Hawk had assumed, this wasn’t the right time for Duke’s wife to get pregnant. From Duke’s perspective, Kisha was still brimming with plans, ideas for the base, ambitions for her own growth, and paths she wanted to explore. Motherhood could wait.

So after giving Hawk a brief look, Duke merely raised an eyebrow before turning away and walking off.

Seeing that Duke hadn’t gotten angry, Hawk became even more convinced that his conclusion was spot-on. Fired up with renewed determination, he nodded resolutely, silently vowing to carry out his master’s "orders" to the very last detail.

Afterward, Duke led his team back into the Territory Space. As he was about to step into the portal, he saw Tristan emerging, escorting four blindfolded warriors. Tristan held two in each arm, while the remaining two were guided by the two STAUs, who had no other responsibilities at the moment.

"Master, we’ve arrived," Tristan called out as soon as he saw Duke. Duke simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"You’ve done well. You can leave them in Eagle’s care and return to your station. Thank you," Duke said, then shot Tristan a meaningful look, silently reminding him to make sure the warriors and STAUs keep quiet during the supply run. Dracon’s people were still being monitored and couldn’t be fully trusted, so the portal’s existence had to remain a secret.

After catching Duke’s signal, Tristan nodded in acknowledgment. Duke then entered the portal and led his team inside to conduct the soil test necessary. Meanwhile, Tristan immediately guided the six people he had brought out of the forest.

Once they reached the forest’s edge, just short of the open space in front of the building, Tristan halted and gestured for the two STAUs to remove the blindfolds from the warriors they were assisting. He did the same for the two under his own escort.

As soon as the blindfolds came off, Tristan spoke, his voice steady and clear. "I brought you here to assist with the supply run. It’s a chance for you to gain real combat experience instead of being cooped up inside the base all the time. Opportunities like this don’t come easily. Most missions outside the city are dangerous, which is why they’re usually assigned to team leaders and their squads."

He paused, giving the four warriors time to adjust. After being blindfolded for so long and subjected to multiple space jumps, they were still disoriented, their heads light, and their stomachs unsettled. It took them a moment to acclimate to the light and steady themselves before they could fully register his words.

"You understand what I’m saying, right?" Tristan asked.

Their expressions hardened as all six of them nodded, including the two STAUs. They all understood that opportunities like this were rare and not to be wasted.

For the four warriors, the fact that Tristan had personally brought them here, going so far as to use his teleportation ability to take them far beyond the HOPE Base, sent them soaring with excitement.

The chance to gain real experience, personally arranged by an important person in the base like Tristan, left them elated and deeply grateful. In their exhilaration, they failed to realize one crucial detail: they were no longer in City B, nor even anywhere near it. They were now hundreds of miles away.

Thanks to Tristan’s teleportation, there were no familiar landmarks, no sense of distance traveled, nothing that might raise suspicion. The warriors accepted everything at face value, believing exactly what Tristan wanted them to believe.

As for the two STAUs, they knew far more than the others. Yet they offered no explanations. They had long since pledged their loyalty to Kisha, and revealing her secrets, even unintentionally, could put her in grave danger. Human greed was unpredictable; no one could say who might be tempted to betray everything for something as simple as a piece of meat.

Because of that, the STAUs remained silent, choosing to go with the flow.

"We understand, Secretary Tristan. We’ll do our best and prove our capabilities. You won’t regret giving us this opportunity," one of the warriors said, his posture straight and resolute.

"Yes, me too!" the second echoed without hesitation.

Seeing that they truly understood, Tristan continued, his tone calm but firm. "I’m glad you do. I also want you to know that this will be a joint operation between the HOPE Base and another base affiliated with us. However, as you all know, trust must be built carefully."

His gaze swept over them, steady and serious. "We can’t afford to be careless. That’s why you must stay alert and refrain from sharing unnecessary information. Answer only what is required, nothing more. The less said, the better."

Despite the gravity of his words, his expression softened just enough to convey trust rather than suspicion. It was deliberate. Tristan understood people well. By making them feel trusted instead of restrained, he subtly bound them to his expectations.

And once people believed they were trusted, they would do everything in their power not to disappoint.

The two STAUs, who participated in countless missions and were privy to some of the inner workings and secrets Kisha kept, chose to remain silent and simply nodded in agreement. They knew that parts of what Tristan said weren’t entirely true, but neither of them contradicted him.

They understood this was deliberate.

Tristan’s words weren’t meant for them; they were meant for the four warriors. This was the first time those rookies had ever left the HOPE Base, and what Tristan said about this being an opportunity for growth wasn’t a lie. If they remained behind the walls, fighting from the safety of a ten-meter barrier, they would never truly understand battle.

Facing zombies up close was entirely different.

The smell of decay, the weight of fear pressing against one’s chest, the raw instinct to survive, none of that could be learned while standing atop a wall. And because the STAUs understood this better than anyone, they kept their mouths shut and let Tristan play his part.

After all, when they stood atop the walls, their minds knew that, unless a mutated zombie or a massive horde appeared, they were relatively safe inside the Base. That sense of security dulled the edge of fear. Outside the walls, however, there were no guarantees.

Everything was unpredictable.

Every shadow could hide danger, every sound could mean death. In such an environment, they would be forced to stay alert at all times, their senses stretched taut, their survival instincts honed and sharpened like a blade on a whetstone.

If Kisha and Duke could send more warriors on missions like this, they wouldn’t just be completing objectives; they would be forging elites. With more awakened ability users tempered by real combat, the Base’s strength would multiply, and any enemy daring to strike from the outside would think twice.

With warriors like that, the Base would have nothing to fear.

"Alright, please follow me." Tristan smiled politely before turning and leading the way, a faint, composed smile still on his face.

Not long after, they emerged from the forest. In the open clearing beyond, Ethan and Dracon were still in the middle of their training. Eagle, however, was already waiting for them. Hawk had followed Duke back into the territory space to handle a few matters and would be returning later, leaving the task of receiving the four warriors and two STAUs entirely to Eagle.

"Eagle, thank you for waiting," Tristan said, giving him a small nod of acknowledgment.

"Leave this to me." Eagle smiled brightly before continuing, "I heard you have a lot on your plate. You should go ahead. I’ll take care of them here."

He paused briefly, then added thoughtfully, "If the supply run takes longer than expected and they don’t make it back by evening, I’ll let your people stay the night. You can come pick them up tomorrow instead. Otherwise, I’ll give you a call once they return so you won’t have to make a wasted trip."

Eagle spoke with easy confidence. Through the Winters’ men, who frequently traveled back and forth between HOPE Base and the Hidden Base ever since the portal had been opened for controlled access, information flowed smoothly between both sides. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

These casual visits weren’t just for catching up with old friends; they also ensured that, if the situation demanded it, either base could quickly borrow manpower from the other without delay.

"Alright, thank you." Tristan nodded. He didn’t linger and quickly turned to head back the way he came.

As Eagle had said, there was simply too much waiting on his shoulders. He and Aston had just finished delivering the items Kisha sent to her mother-in-law for the production of the new uniforms, and there was still the massive task of registering equipment at the base for the rental system, trucks, vehicles, power tools, and countless other assets that were still sitting in the warehouse.

His hands were full. Beyond logistics, he also had to keep an eye on finances, construction progress, and several other operational matters.