“These damn things are absolutely disgusting.”

As he got out of the car, Andrew Shaw’s eyes filled with disgust at the sight of rats and cockroaches scurrying around his legs.

“You’re not wrong. These things are absolutely repulsive.”

Stella Sterling sneered. Then, with a wave of her hand, a flash of electricity shot from her palm. Within a hundred-meter radius around her, all the insects and animals collapsed as if electrocuted, falling to the ground without a sound.

Seeing this, a trace of satisfaction finally appeared in Stella Sterling’s eyes.

She hated these things. Hated them with a passion.

After seeing this, Andrew Shaw subconsciously swallowed. ‘This woman is really getting more and more powerful.’

‘Good thing I’m not her enemy.’

The two of them, dressed in protective suits, walked down the street. Wherever Stella Sterling passed, all the vermin—whether flying in the air or scurrying on the ground—dropped dead.

“So, where are you taking me?”

Andrew Shaw looked at Stella Sterling in confusion.

After casually dispatching another batch of annoying pests, Stella Sterling answered offhandedly, “I’m taking you to see an old friend of mine. He’s been reborn too, which is why I brought you along.”

“There are others besides the two of us in this world who’ve been reborn?” Andrew Shaw exclaimed in surprise.

He didn’t think Stella Sterling had any reason to lie to him, so what she said had to be true. He grew excited. ‘Other reborn people? I’m really curious about them.’

“Where is he? Is he your friend? Maybe I can chat with him. I wonder what year he was reborn from. If he was reborn from a time after me, I could even ask him if the apocalypse had ended by then!”

“Friend? I suppose we were, once.”

Stella Sterling’s tone was strange. Then, she looked in a certain direction and grew excited. “As for where he is, I think I see him now!”

Hearing this, Andrew Shaw froze for a moment before following Stella Sterling’s gaze.

The next moment, his eyes widened, and he whispered the name aloud: “Caleb Xavier!!!”

‘If I’m not mistaken, that’s Caleb Xavier, right?’

In his past life, in the 25th year of the apocalypse, Caleb Xavier was one of the three great titans of their time.

He had seen him before and remembered his face vividly. They had even had a brief encounter.

Even though the man was a titan, one of the greats, he was approachable and had a gentle demeanor. Andrew Shaw still remembered his appearance clearly.

And now, wasn’t that gentle, handsome young man in the distance just a younger version of Caleb Xavier?

‘So this woman brought me here to see Caleb Xavier?’

‘Wait, I remember she just said the person we were going to see was also reborn. Could it be that Caleb Xavier was reborn too?’

‘How is that possible!!!’

‘A titan like him… who could possibly have killed him?’

‘Or… did the disasters later on get so bad that even he died in the apocalypse?’

In that instant, all sorts of doubts flooded Andrew Shaw’s mind, but more than anything, he felt a thrill of excitement.

He had heard Stella Sterling mention Caleb Xavier before. So they really were friends. He never thought he’d be lucky enough to meet a younger version of the great titan ahead of time.

Just as he was thinking this, Stella Sterling had already pulled out a gun and was charging toward the trapped Caleb Xavier.

Andrew Shaw quickly followed behind her.

Not far away, Caleb Xavier was surrounded by a swarm of insectoid birds.

The creatures were bird-like but not quite birds. They were densely packed, each the size of a fist, and their sharp beaks had astonishing biting power. A single bite could tear off a chunk of flesh.

The swarm of insectoid birds had surrounded Caleb Xavier’s men and was attacking them. His subordinates on the perimeter were firing at the creatures.

Weaving among them were some people with strange movements and numb expressions.

They seemed to feel no pain. Even when bitten by the creatures, their movements didn’t slow in the slightest; they just emotionlessly cleared away the pests before them.

And Silas Eckhart stood inside their protective circle, his brows furrowing as he watched the scene before him.

‘Something’s not right today,’ he thought. ‘It’s like these damn things were spooked. They’ve all swarmed in from every direction, surrounding me right after I stepped out.’

Their sheer numbers were enough to make his heart clench with fear.

Of the men he had brought, apart from the Human Body Warriors who were still clearing away the creatures, the others had already been engulfed by the insectoid birds, devoured in an instant until only a pile of white bones remained.

His face was ashen as he, too, joined the fight.

“Damn you, Gordon Ford! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have to face these wretched things all over again!”

His entire body was encased in a soft hide impervious to blades and bullets. He cursed under his breath as he killed the insectoid birds in front of him.

Just then, a series of gunshots rang out from outside the swarm.

It seemed someone was trying to break through from the outside.

Caleb Xavier’s eyes lit up. He commanded the Human Body Warriors to link up with the people outside and quickly clear out the current batch of creatures, soon carving a path through them.

“Friend, are you all right? Let’s move!”

A cool female voice reached his ears. Caleb Xavier felt the voice was somewhat familiar, but the situation didn’t allow him time to think. He followed the woman and fled.

The Human Body Warriors he had brought with him covered their retreat from the rear.

After an unknown amount of time, they finally shook off the swarm of insectoid birds. The small group leaned against a dilapidated building, gasping for breath.

Stella Sterling looked over at Caleb Xavier. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. Miss, thank you for saving me. I…”

Halfway through his sentence, Caleb Xavier’s voice stopped abruptly. He finally got a clear look at the person who had saved him.

It was a tall woman with short hair. She was wearing the latest model of form-fitting protective suit, leaving only her eyes and mouth exposed. She was now looking at him with a smile.

But when he clearly saw her face, Caleb Xavier froze. He stared at the person before him—so familiar, yet so strange—and remained silent for a long time.

“What’s wrong?” Stella Sterling asked, looking at him in confusion. “Is there something on me?”

Her gaze was pure and clear, as if she didn’t know him at all.

Caleb Xavier stared blankly for a long while, studying her, before finally shaking his head. “It’s nothing. You just seem a little familiar.”

As he spoke, the look in Caleb Xavier’s eyes changed as he gazed at Stella Sterling.

He sized up Stella Sterling again, then glanced at Andrew Shaw beside her. But he didn’t spare Andrew a second look, his gaze fixed instead on Stella, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions and a faint excitement.

‘I can’t believe I’m seeing an old friend again after being reborn.’

‘Thinking back… I met her around this time in my past life, too.’

‘But she’s been dead for more than a decade. I’d almost forgotten all about her. To think she’d suddenly appear before me right now…’

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