Apocalypse Rebirth: Crazy from Day One

They exchanged glances, but no one made a sound, continuing to observe the other group.

The seven of them seemed to have just been in a fight. They were all wounded, and their expressions were grim.

They sat on the ground, gasping for breath. Seven or eight figures lay on the ground nearby, looking as if they were already dead.

Among the bodies, a few wore the same camouflage as them, while several others were dressed in white.

The group hadn’t noticed Stella Sterling and her team.

After they had rested under a large tree for a while, a man who looked like their leader suddenly started cursing, "Damn it! We finally caught sight of that old bastard Vincent Lawrence, and we let him get away! Next time I see him, I swear I’ll grab him the second I get the chance."

Hidden in the shadows, Stella Sterling’s eyelid twitched as she overheard their words.

’Vincent Lawrence?’

’Isn’t that Professor Lawrence’s name? So these people have already run into him?’

’So, Professor Lawrence and his group are still alive. For some reason, though, they didn’t want to team up with these guys, which led to a fight. It looks like both sides took losses, and then the professor’s group escaped.’

’Does that mean Professor Lawrence’s party can’t be far from here?’

She smiled. ’This is good news!’

Although the others didn’t know who Vincent Lawrence was, they deduced from the context that he was likely the Professor Lawrence they were looking for.

They exchanged another glance, a thrill of excitement running through them.

They hadn’t seen Professor Lawrence yet, but at least now they had a lead. Their search was no longer blind.

The group had no idea that Stella Sterling and her team had overheard them.

The leader was still ranting, "That old bastard is so ungrateful! We worked our asses off to find them before anyone else. We came to rescue them, and they have the gall to call us ’too brutal’ and refuse to join us. What the hell is that?!"

"If he wasn’t so damn useful, I would’ve put a bullet in his head long ago!"

The more the leader spoke, the more furious his expression became.

They had been secretly thrilled. Out of all the groups searching for the professor, their base was the first to make contact. It felt like a gift from the heavens.

But they never expected the old bastard to be so stubborn. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

If he weren’t so valuable, and if the higher-ups hadn’t repeatedly warned them not to kill him, how could several of their brothers have died?

He had held back against Vincent Lawrence’s group. Even when they refused to join, he had only planned to capture them alive, not kill them.

And that’s exactly why the professor’s people were able to seize an opportunity, take out a few of his brothers, and make their escape.

"Boss, could there be some kind of misunderstanding? We were nothing but respectful to them from the moment we met, but he calls us brutal. How does that make any sense?"

one of the men, nursing an injured arm, asked in confusion.

The man in camouflage they called Boss snorted. "Our superior and this Professor Lawrence had a... falling-out in the past. I can’t believe the old bastard is still holding a grudge after all these years. Our superior was willing to let it go, even swallowing his pride to sincerely invite him to our base. But who knew the old geezer would be so damn unappreciative?"

After a moment of silence, the other men began to rail against Professor Lawrence.

"Next time we find him, let’s just kill everyone with him first. The brass said all that matters is bringing back Professor Lawrence. We can bring the others back if it’s convenient, but it’s no big deal if we can’t."

"Once we deal with everyone around him, let’s see how the old bastard plans to escape on his own."

Listening to them, Stella Sterling and her companions remained perfectly still and silent in the shadows.

"Sterling, what’s the plan?"

Shane Lawrence whispered.

"We follow them," Stella Sterling whispered back, her voice low. "This group knows which way Professor Lawrence escaped. Tailing them is better than searching blindly on our own."

The others received the command and remained motionless. The plan was to follow this group, pinpoint Professor Lawrence’s location, and only then make their move.

The group rested a while longer before setting off again.

Stella Sterling and her team tailed them from a distance, staying far enough back to remain undetected but close enough not to lose their trail.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Aah! Professor—!"

That night, piercing sounds suddenly shattered the silence of the deep, ancient forest. It was a chaotic cacophony of gunfire and screams.

The noise came from not far ahead.

"That scream came from the woman with that bastard! They must be right up ahead! Someone else has found them! Hurry, we can’t let another group get their hands on that old geezer!"

The camouflage-clad leader’s face changed drastically. Without another word and with no regard for the dangers of the night, he charged toward the source of the sounds.

"You guys follow. I’m going on ahead."

Stella Sterling said to Shane Lawrence and the others before sprinting off in the direction of the noise.

She was so fast that in moments she had already overtaken the group in camouflage.

A figure suddenly shot past them from behind, causing the men in camouflage to break out in a cold sweat. Before they could even get a clear look, the person had already vanished into the darkness ahead.

Then they heard more movement from behind.

It was then they understood: they had been followed, and they hadn’t had a clue.

Sarah Sterling quickly reached the source of the noise, only to find a large crowd of people already gathered.

They wore the uniforms of various bases; at a glance, she could see six or seven different factions massed together.

They were all wary of one another. These were the ones who had been shooting, but now, no one dared to make a rash move. Instead, they all stared grimly at the man on the ground.

Somehow, in the chaos, they had shot Professor Lawrence. He was now lying on the ground, wounded by a bullet.

"Professor Lawrence, if you agree to join our base, I’ll have my men treat your wound immediately,"

a man in a black uniform said, his expression icy as he stared down at the fallen professor.

"You think you’re the only ones who can treat him? We brought a doctor, too! Let us handle it—our doctor is better!"

a member of another faction retorted coldly to the man in black.

The atmosphere between the factions was tense. Quite a few of the teams had brought doctors; it wasn’t a question of whether Professor Lawrence could be treated.

The problem was that none of them were willing to stand by and watch another faction save Professor Lawrence, thereby earning his gratitude.