I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl-Chapter 64 – The Last Seconds Before It Closed

Two hours had passed since we entered this cave, yet there was still no sign of an exit aside from the portal that brought us in. The stone labyrinth twisted endlessly, but every branch led only to dead ends or kobold nests.

The remaining kobolds we encountered were few, and they offered little resistance. I eliminated them one by one, mostly because I didn’t want Sofia to witness more cruelty like before.

But just when everything seemed too quiet, I sensed something—a strange premonition. A tremor in the air, a kind of spatial distortion that pricked my senses as an undead.

Instinctively, I reached for Sofia and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Hold on," I whispered.

"W-what—!?"

Without further explanation, I immediately used Void Step, The world spun in an instant as we dashed through shadows and reappeared right in front of the portal.

My eyes widened.

The portal—once calm and stable—was now violently trembling, like a whirlpool ready to dry up. Its edges shrank, and the light flickered rapidly.

"It’s already starting to close..." I muttered with a serious tone.

Without wasting time, I lifted Sofia into a bridal carry.

"H-hey! Sylvia!? I can walk on my own—"

"No time," I cut her off quickly. "If we miss this, we’ll be trapped forever."

Sofia didn’t get the chance to argue. With one long leap, I jumped into the portal with her in my arms. Light enveloped us, and in seconds—we were back.

As my feet touched the ground of the base, the portal behind us shrank drastically, forming a hole no larger than a fist... before vanishing entirely with a soft crackle, like embers fading away.

"Hm... just like before..." I murmured as I stared at the empty sky where the portal had been. "But I still can’t determine exactly when it will close." My eyes narrowed. "Too random."

In my arms, Sofia remained silent—her face now as red as a ripe tomato.

"Y-You can put me down now..." she whispered softly.

I turned and suddenly realized how intimate our position was. Her breath grazed my neck, and her eyes kept darting away.

"Ah." I gently set her down. "Sorry, I was in a hurry."

Not far from us, Altair and Viktor had apparently been standing watch. Seeing us emerge from the now-closed portal, they quickly approached—faces full of curiosity and surprise.

"What happened?" Altair asked with a tense tone. "We almost went in because the portal started shaking."

"Indeed," Viktor added. "We thought it was going to explode."

Still a bit embarrassed, Sofia took a deep breath and replied, "We explored inside the cave... or whatever world that was. There was no other way out, but—" she looked at me.

I continued, "—suddenly I sensed an anomaly. Just like before. The portal was about to close... and it did. We were almost trapped."

Viktor stared at me intently. "You could sense it before the portal closed?"

I nodded. "But not fast enough to predict the exact timing."

Altair sighed. "Then this isn’t just a normal space rift. It’s... connected to another world with different rules."

After explaining everything that had happened inside the portal, Sofia suddenly tugged at my arm with a small smile.

"Come on, let’s pick up your order," she said gently.

We walked through the base, which had gradually calmed after the kobold and portal incident. At the military tailor’s workshop, Sofia handed over the elegant black coat and the clean white dress I had ordered earlier.

Then we headed to the metal workshop on the western side of the base, where my heavy hammer and pair of gauntlets had been forged. The weapons looked solid.

Once we had collected everything, we returned to Sofia’s room. The sun was slanting westward, marking the afternoon’s end. I stood at the door, gazing at Sofia who stood quietly.

"Looks like I should head back now," I said softly.

Sofia looked at me. Her expression immediately changed—her eyes slightly downcast, as if she didn’t want our parting to come so soon. The smile on her lips faded.

I just smiled gently, raised a hand, and patted her head lightly. "Don’t worry. I’ll visit again."

Sofia closed her eyes briefly, then gave a small nod. "I’ll be waiting..."

Without waiting any longer, I used Void Step and vanished into a black mist. When I reappeared, I was already in front of my dark villa—silent and empty, lit only by the moonlight peeking through the clouds.

I summoned Tyrant and the rest of my elite troops. They emerged one by one from the shadows, standing calmly, awaiting orders.

"I brought you gifts," I said.

I handed out:

– A thick black coat and gauntlets to Tyrant, who immediately put them on. The coat gave his hulking form a more aristocratic horror vibe.

– A heavy metal hammer to Tank, who lifted it with one hand and nodded in satisfaction.

– A clean white dress with black lace accents to Witch, who gently stroked the fabric before wearing it, adding to her mysterious aura.

Then I brought out the crystals taken from the orcs:

Each elite zombie received 10 red crystals and 1 blue crystal.

Tyrant received 20 red crystals, fitting for his role as the field commander.

I looked at them one by one. "Use these to evolve. You’ll need more power for what’s coming."

They bowed respectfully before returning to their stations—all except Tyrant.

"Any other zombies showing potential?" I asked.

Tyrant nodded. "Three. Still Rank 1, but stable and obedient. Their combat abilities are promising."

I thought for a moment, then pulled out 9 additional red crystals and handed them to him. "Give each of them three crystals. Monitor the results."

Tyrant accepted the order calmly, then went to carry it out.

Now I was alone again.

I stepped inside the villa. The sky outside was dark. Only moonlight streamed through the large windows, casting shadows across the cracked marble floor.

"It feels... lonely," I murmured as I touched the cold wall.

I tried sleeping in the master bedroom, but my eyes refused to close. Maybe my body still wasn’t fully used to sleeping again.

Eventually, I got up and cleaned several damaged and dusty parts of the villa. After it was tidy enough, I looked for an old generator in the basement, then repaired it a little before turning it on. Warm light flickered in several rooms, bringing a touch of life to this long-dead place.

Then I summoned a water-element zombie, one of my elemental troops. "Fill the bath. I want a soak tonight."

The zombie nodded stiffly and began filling the large marble bath.

"How ironic... ordering a zombie to draw water for a bath," I chuckled softly.

Once the bath was full, I heated the water using Nether flame under gentle control, creating a light mist that danced above the surface.

After ensuring the temperature was just right, I took off my gown and placed it on the clothing rack. Then slowly, I stepped into the warm water.

Steam filled the room. Moonlight streamed through the wide glass wall, and from the open top corner, the starry night sky was clearly visible.

I leaned against the edge of the pool, closed my eyes, letting the warmth seep into flesh and bone that had long been frozen.

For a moment, the world felt peaceful.