Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday - Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Hollow Promises

“What kind of optimal conditions?” Grace asked as she moved to carefully collect the remaining root fragments from all three pots, noting that each one still carried a faint glow corresponding to the plant it came from.

The Sapphire Bloom’s roots were sparkling with a soft blue light, while the Eclipse Vine’s remnants were emitting a silvery aura. She placed the fragments into separate containers marked with their respective plant names.

“The original plants absorbed the Shadow Rain and mutated. What we have here are the mutated remnants of those plants, I’m sure regrowing them is going to take some extra efforts because they aren’t the actual seeds that should have been used for growing more such plants.” 2025 tried to explain the tiny issue they might face.

The meaning was loud and clear – even though they had succeeded in saving the fragments of the roots which could be used to regrow the plants, there was still no confirmation that the result would turn out successful or not.

Still, Grace didn’t let the uncertainty dampen her thoughts. Even if they eventually failed to regrow the plants, this could be called a worthy loss as they found out a lot about these plants.

All she needed to do was to give her all in searching for more of these plants.

“What about the soil?” She asked 2025, pointing to the pots. “It looks like it still has some of the plants’ energy. Should we reuse it?”

2025 whirred thoughtfully. “The soil retains residual Shadow Rain and the unique energy signatures of the plants. Reusing it might enhance the growth of any new seeds or cuttings planted in it, but it could also alter their properties further. We would be entering uncharted territory.”

Grace nodded her head in understanding before shifting the three pots safely inside the shed built in one of the corners of the backyard.

“I need to leave for now to discuss these matters with the team. I will return later. Let’s work on regrowing these plants then.” She told 2025 and received a nod of agreement in return.

And with that, she stepped out of the Infinite Realm.

* * *

The meeting started right after lunch break and continued for over two hours before the team came up with new plans and schedules.

Feeling mentally exhausted after the long meeting, Grace decided to take a break for the rest of the day.

Returning to her unit, she headed into the kitchen and prepared a cup of herbal tea for herself.

She also stretched her muscles before switching on her favorite playlist of soft instrumental music.

She settled down on the couch in the living room with her tablet and the freshly brewed herbal tea. Even though the power supply had been down and the Starship Country was facing a zombie breakout, the news channels were still doing their job of providing new updates.

[Unexplained blood rain triggered zombie-like symptoms in affected populations, spreading panic across the Country…]

[Authorities promise rescue efforts and containment measures as zombie outbreaks intensifies…]

In the previous timeline, the government and the wealthy families used the special forces to keep the zombies away from their residents, and at the same time, they also continued to hoard as many supplies and resources as they could.

It wasn’t until the monster beasts appeared and attacked those protected buildings of these people, did they felt the real fear and started scrambling to keep themselves safe.

Hence, in this timeline, those people had once again found their safe zone for the time being, and had already left the common people to fend for themselves.

While the government was trying to pretend that it still cared about its people by sending out small and unprepared rescue missions, stationing military to kill the zombies, and spreading good words about themselves through the media, it was all for a show.

Till this moment, no one had realized that the world had come to an end, and things would never be going back to how they used to be before the rain disaster. Once the government would realize this undeniable truth, those officials and politicians would be the first one to end their pretence and abandon the same people they were promising to protect at the moment.

There were also news about the ongoing crisis in other countries –

[Dual Earthquakes Shake Countries X and H, Leaving Thousands Homeless. Back-to-back tremors disrupt infrastructure and communication in both countries, with rescue operations underway…]

[A supervolcano explosion sends shockwaves felt for hundreds of miles, disrupting nearby cities and air travel…]

[A severe cyclone inundates cities in Countries A and D, leaving citizens stranded as rescue efforts struggle to keep pace…]

[Citizens criticize inadequate responses to natural disasters as nations scramble to contain widespread chaos…]

[Experts fear aftershocks and secondary eruptions, advising evacuation of nearby regions…]

Grace sipped her tea while her thoughts drifted as the soft notes of the music wrapped around her like a comforting blanket. The news on her tablet continued to drone on about more disasters, rescue efforts, and government initiatives, but she knew better.

She had seen this play out before in her previous timeline. The promises were hollow, and the so-called “rescue missions” were just a facade to buy more time for the elites to secure their positions.

Her mind shifted back to the team meeting from earlier. They had made significant progress in planning their next steps, but the weight of responsibility hung heavy on her shoulders.

Unlike the government, Grace couldn’t afford to abandon the people she cared about. Each decision she made could mean the difference between life and death for her and the people who had decided to trust her at the end of the world.

She set her cup down and glanced at the clock. The evening was creeping in, and she still had time to prepare for the next day.

She was about to close the tablet when her eye caught a particular news headline at the very bottom of the page.

[Similar to the black rain in Starship Country, Country K also experienced the same rain this morning…]