Apocalypse: Reborn with a Soul Sync Farming Space System-Chapter 168 Just a little longer

Northern Outskirts of the Luxebridge City

It had been almost a week since Ronan and the others escaped from the hotel. The group continued moving until the buildings thinned out, and the city’s outskirts stretched before them along a long, empty road that seemed to lead nowhere.

Ronan stood for a brief moment. His face knitted in pain, the van had run out of petrol and they had to walk under the scorching sun.

His chest rose and fell more noticeably than usual, and his breathing was heavier.

His body screamed in protest; for days, he couldn’t remember when he last ate properly. They had tried scavenging the mall, but the number of infected was so much, that they had to abandon those thoughts.

The road ahead was long, almost endless, cracked in places, and littered with abandoned cars and bikes, and though no one said it out loud, the unease in the air was obvious in the way they walked.

No one knew when an infected might discover them and decide to make them lunch.

Ronan began walking ahead of them, his posture straight despite the strain on his shoulders, his gaze fixed forward as if he already knew where they were going, and that alone made the others uneasy.

They hadn’t forgotten how he tossed Clark out of the van. And although they understood the reason he did it, they couldn’t push away the thought that they might be next.

Ronan swallowed a groan, as the pain from the bite mark on his shoulder worsened with every movement he took.

Sweat clung faintly to his skin, hidden, and though his expression did not change, his fingers pressed lightly against his side, careful, just enough to steady himself without drawing attention.

’Not now...’ he thought, his jaw tightening faintly before relaxing again. ’I can’t let them know I’m bitten by the infected... else they would chop off my head in the next second.’

A young girl walked closer to him after a while, her steps hesitant as if she wasn’t entirely sure she should approach him. Yet curiosity pushed her forward anyway, and she held out a bottle of water toward him with both hands, her eyes flickering between his face and the others as if seeking silent approval.

"Here," she said softly.

Ronan looked at her for a brief moment before taking the bottle, his fingers brushing against hers lightly as he gave a small nod. "Thank you."

He lifted it to his lips and drank the water. It eased the dryness in his throat, but he saved the remaining ones as he didn’t know when next they would be so lucky to find another batch of water.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked again, her voice quieter this time.

Ronan lowered the bottle slightly, offering her a faint smile. "Just tired."

That answer seemed to satisfy her enough, though her gaze lingered for a moment longer before she nodded and stepped away, returning to the others, and Ronan watched her go briefly before shifting his attention forward again, his expression unchanged, even as his fingers tightened slightly around the bottle.

Don walked up to him not long after, his steps heavier with murderous intent. His gaze sharply swept over Ronan before settling on his face.

"You stink." He said with a look of disgust.

"We all do. At least it will help us mask our smell and avoid the infected." Ronan replied weakly.

"You said there’s a safe place ahead," Don said, his tone calm but lacking warmth. "Where exactly is it?"

Ronan’s gaze remained on the road as if measuring the distance in his mind, and then he answered, his voice calm. "We’re almost there."

Don frowned slightly, clearly unsatisfied. "You’ve been saying that."

Ronan finally turned his head, meeting his gaze without hesitation, his expression straight. "Because it’s true."

A brief silence followed, tension settling between them, and one of the men behind them scoffed quietly.

"There better be something there," he muttered. "We don’t have food left, and the water won’t last long."

Don’s gaze did not leave Ronan. "You better not be lying," he said. "Because if this turns out to be nothing..."

He didn’t finish the sentence...He didn’t need to as Ronan understood what he meant.

"I’m not lying," Ronan replied simply.

Don studied him for a moment longer, as if trying to catch something, anything that would prove otherwise, but Ronan’s expression did not give anything away, and eventually, Don looked away.

Ronan exhaled quietly once Don stepped back, his gaze returning forward as his thoughts drifted elsewhere, away from the tension, away from the watchful eyes that followed him.

’Camile.’

Her name surfaced in his mind with a clarity that cut through everything else, and for a brief moment, the tightness in his chest eased, replaced by something warmer, as he remembered her voice, her expression, the way she had looked at him with those docile eyes.

A faint smile curved on his lips.

’She wouldn’t lie to me,’ he thought. ’If I had not refused her invitation we would have been together by now.’

He could still remember the last time he saw her, the way she stood so close to him, the way her fingers brushed against his sleeve, the softness in her gaze that lingered even after she turned away, and the memory of her lips...

He swallowed slightly.

’I’ll see her again,’ he told himself, his steps slowing for just a fraction before steadying. ’I have to.’ That was more than enough hope for him to survive.

The pain in his shoulder flared again, sharper this time, pulling him back abruptly, and his fingers twitched as he resisted the urge to press against it, knowing that even the smallest sign could change the way they looked at him, could turn their suspicion into something far worse.

Fear...And fear meant death.

So he held himself together, forcing his breathing to remain even, his posture unchanged, his expression calm, as if nothing was wrong.

"Hey," one of the women called out from behind. "You said we’re close. How close is ’close’?"

Ronan lifted his gaze slightly, focusing on the distance ahead where the outline of a structure barely came into view, partially hidden by collapsed walls and debris.

"There," he said.

They followed his gaze, their steps slowing slightly as they tried to figure out what kind of structure it was.

Don exhaled through his nose. "If this turns out to be useless..."

"It won’t," Ronan said. His tone was calm, but firm.

He continued walking, his steps steady despite the growing pain in his body, his vision blurring for a brief moment before clearing again as he blinked, forcing himself to stay focused.

’Just a little longer.’

His fingers curled slightly at his side.

’Just hold on a little longer.’

His gaze softened faintly, just for a moment, as his thoughts returned once more.

’Wait for me, Camile.’