My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse

Melody's sudden change was still questionable—was it genuine growth, or just clever self-preservation? Maybe she was simply biding her time, trying to grow stronger before starting her schemes all over again.

But Kisha didn't care.

She averted her gaze from Melody, who was now actively helping Ethan. Earlier, she had felt Melody's fearful eyes on her, and when she turned to look, she saw the girl staring at her—flustered and afraid.

Kisha scoffed. So now Melody finally realized the truth—that she'd been nothing more than an ant trying to challenge an elephant. It was laughable. And now that she had witnessed Kisha's real power, she was probably starting to reflect on all those foolish provocations in the past.

As Kisha turned her attention back to the battlefield, she took a moment to assess their progress. Glancing around, she realized they had already covered a significant distance from their starting point—nearly a quarter of the way to their destination. But what truly caught her eye was the data flashing beside her screen:

[Zombies Eliminated]

[Normal Zombies: 100 / 1,570

Normal Evolved Zombies: 595 / 876

Evolved Zombies: 123 / 356

High-Level Evolved Zombies: 16 / 189

Potential Zombie King: 0 / 1]

Seeing the updated kill count, Kisha glanced up at the towering iron doors ahead and let out a low chuckle.

Perhaps the potential Zombie King thought it was being clever—hiding its strongest pawns inside the building, ready to trap them in a coordinated ambush. It probably believed surrounding itself with a horde would guarantee victory.

But Kisha wasn't so easily shaken.

She checked the map on her screen, eyes narrowing at the glowing red clusters. Oddly enough, the area just beyond the doors no longer displayed individual red dots to indicate enemy positions.

Instead, a large white circle sat in the center, completely encircled by a sea of solid red. It was so densely packed with enemies that the dots had merged together, forming one massive, indistinguishable red mass.

"That's not a defense," Kisha murmured with a smirk. "That's a death trap… for us."

To make matters worse, the factory wasn't just a ground-level trap—it had a second and third floor, and based on the map, those levels were teeming with zombies too.

But what truly made Kisha's heart skip a beat was the ominous sight far ahead: a single, massive black dot at the far end of the factory building.

Her breath caught in her throat. If red indicated danger and enemies... then what did black mean?

"Death. It means death, Host..."

008's voice broke the silence, low and foreboding, sending a chill down Kisha's spine. She swallowed hard and took a slow, deep breath.

"Host, just so you know, I had no idea this was part of the mission. Please don't get mad at me."

That follow-up made Kisha snort. A flicker of frustration surged through her—but she couldn't help the twitch of a smile. Typical 008, already trying to wash its hands clean of whatever insane mission the Constellation had cooked up this time.

"Everyone, get ready!" Kisha's voice cut through the tension, steady and commanding. "It's going to get more dangerous inside. I need you to split into four groups and stick together—no straying, no distractions. There are stronger zombies waiting, but don't let fear take control. The moment you panic, you'll expose yourself to even more threats."

"Understood, Young Madam!" the team responded in unison, their voices laced with determination.