Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Back to the Apocalypse – The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Back to the apocalypse!

Even lying in her own soft pajamas on her small bed, Gu Ning still felt a bit uneasy and restless, but there was a sense of undeniable reality.

Soon, Gu Mama also changed into her pajamas and got into bed, saying to the puzzled Gu Ning, “Mom will sleep with you.”

After a while, Gu Mama turned her head to look at Gu Ning and asked, “What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”

Gu Ning shook her head, her eyes wide open as she stared at the ceiling: “I’m afraid to sleep. I’m scared I’ll wake up.”

Gu Mama almost cried again but managed to hold it back. She hugged Gu Ning, gently patting her back, and softly comforted her: “Sleep, Mom will still be here when you wake up.”

The bed was too comfortable, her mother’s embrace too warm, and Gu Ning, who had been scared and worried for over three months, was truly at her limit. She eventually closed her eyes and slowly drifted into sleep.

By nightfall, Gu Ning was still sound asleep, showing no signs of waking up.

Gu Papa asked, “Should we wake the child up to eat before she sleeps?”

Gu Mama said with a pained heart, “Let her sleep. This child has suffered so much outside. When she wakes up, if she wants to talk, we’ll listen. If she doesn’t, we won’t ask, okay?”

Gu Papa nodded; he thought the same.

Gu Ning slept straight through until noon the next day, only waking up to the aroma of food.

“Ning Ning, you’re awake! Was it Dad’s cooking that woke you up?” Gu Papa said.

“No, it was the smell that woke me up,” Gu Ning smiled.

After a good sleep, her spirits were much better, and her complexion didn’t look as bad.

Seeing their daughter seemingly back to normal and even cracking jokes, the couple exchanged a happy glance.

The family of three gathered around the dining table, happily eating together. The couple couldn’t take their eyes off their long-lost daughter, as if afraid she might disappear again in the blink of an eye.

After the meal, Gu Mama asked, “Ning Ning, do you want Mom to take you out for a walk this afternoon?”

Gu Ning nodded and then shook her head, saying, “I want to hear you tell me about what happened in the past three months. I seem to have forgotten a lot.”

She had gone missing three months ago, supposedly on a trip, and then all contact was lost, as if she had vanished into thin air. Her parents had reported her missing, posted flyers everywhere, and even put ads in the newspaper. They had asked everyone from elementary school to college who knew Gu Ning, but there was no news. Many people on Weibo had also reposted her missing notice. Despite the overwhelming spread of information, there was no feedback. It was as if she had evaporated from the world. When they received the call from the police station today, the couple rushed over immediately, and when they finally saw Gu Ning, they could hardly believe it.

And the date of her disappearance was the day she remembered the apocalypse breaking out.

At first, she thought this was a dream, but every sense told her this was the real world.

Then she wondered if the apocalypse was the dream. But that dream was too real—the stiffly walking zombies, the rotting and grotesque faces were so vivid. Even now, with her eyes closed, she could clearly recall every event and detail after the apocalypse. She even still carried the scent and bloodstains from that time. And then there was that Police Method, someone she met on her escape route after the apocalypse. Before that, she definitely didn’t know him, and his reaction at the time showed he didn’t know her either. But all the scars on her body had disappeared.

She had clearly been bitten by a zombie but showed no signs of turning.

If none of that was real, the only explanation was that she had schizophrenia or hysteria.

Countless questions swirled in Gu Ning’s mind, but she couldn’t sort them out.

Gu Mama added, “By the way, Ning Ning, I’ve called your uncles, aunts, and all your close friends and classmates. They wanted to come see you, but I told them to wait for your decision. What do you think?”

Gu Ning said, “Mom, I don’t want to see anyone right now. Can you tell them not to come over?”

Gu Mama quickly agreed, “Of course, Mom will listen to you. I’ll tell them not to come. You rest well for a few days.”

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, there was a knock at the door.

Gu Mama instructed Gu Papa, “Old Gu, go see who’s here.”

Gu Papa got up to check.

Then a voice floated in from outside, “Uncle, Auntie, I heard Ning Ning is back. I came to see her.”

Hearing this all-too-familiar voice, Gu Ning’s mind buzzed, and she felt a bit dazed.

“Jiazhi, Ning Ning isn’t feeling well right now…” Gu Papa was about to refuse when Gu Ning said, “Dad, let him in.”

Gu Papa let him in.

The man who entered was a young man in a light blue shirt, refined, polite, and handsome—exactly the type Gu Ning used to like, used to.

Gu Mama stood up, her face full of surprise, “Jiazhi, what brings you here?”

“I heard someone saw Ning Ning was back, so I came to see her,” Lu Jiazhi said, placing a fruit basket on the table. Seeing Gu Ning, his concern turned into a gentle smile, “Ning Ning, it’s been a long time. Are you okay?” He tactfully avoided mentioning her disappearance.

Gu Ning forced a smile, “I’m fine, thank you for your concern.”

Her polite yet distant reply.

Lu Jiazhi was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his composure, understanding she had just returned home, “You don’t look too well. I won’t disturb your rest. Call me if you need anything.”

Always so gentle and polite, impossible to fault.

Gu Ning made no move to see him off, just smiled and said, “Thank you, I won’t see you out then.”

Lu Jiazhi said, “Rest well.”

Gu Papa, however, walked Lu Jiazhi to the door.

Once the door closed, Gu Mama couldn’t hold back, “Ning Ning, why were you so cold to Jiazhi? Before…”

“Mom,” Gu Ning interrupted, “I’m a bit tired. Call me for dinner later.”

Gu Mama immediately forgot about Lu Jiazhi and quickly said, “Of course, of course, you go rest. I’ll call you later.”

As soon as the door closed, Gu Mama whispered to Gu Papa, “Old Gu, don’t you think Ning Ning is acting a bit strange? Before, when Jiazhi came over, her eyes would light up, and she’d be grinning from ear to ear. But today, she was so cold…”

Gu Papa said, “She just got home. Her mind is probably still muddled. Give her some time to adjust.”

“I still think her feelings towards Jiazhi are off,” Gu Mama trusted her intuition.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Gu Ning let out a cold laugh.

On the road of escape during the apocalypse, she had witnessed Lu Jiazhi naked and rolling around with Jiang Yu. Since then, she had lost all interest in him. Moreover, after the apocalypse, because he calmly directed everyone, he had great authority among the group, and the driver followed his lead. If he had any lingering feelings for her, he wouldn’t have let the car abandon her. In fact, it might have been his doing…

“No… no! Don’t go! Dad! Mom!” Gu Ning’s eyes were tightly shut as she suddenly screamed in terror.

Gu Mama, who had been asleep, was startled awake by Gu Ning’s screams. She quickly turned on the light and saw Gu Ning, eyes closed, face twisted in pain, drenched in cold sweat, and was also frightened, “Ning Ning! Ning Ning! Wake up!”

Gu Papa, hearing the commotion from the next room, rushed over in a panic, “What’s wrong? What happened?!”

Gu Ning slowly woke up, her face still showing traces of fear. She looked dazedly at the worried faces of her parents before slowly coming to her senses, realizing she had had a nightmare. Seeing her parents standing there safe and sound, Gu Ning blinked, and tears streamed down her face.

Gu Mama’s heart ached, “What’s wrong? What nightmare scared you so much?”

“I’m fine, just a bad dream,” Gu Ning wiped her tears and forced a smile to reassure them. Her gaze couldn’t help but fall on her father’s knee. During the apocalypse, her father had injured his knee, and without extra medicine, it had worsened. Fearing he would burden her and her mother, he had even attempted suicide… Gu Ning felt her eyes sting and quickly closed them, “Mom, Dad, I’m so tired. Mom, you don’t have to sleep with me anymore. The bed is too small; we both won’t sleep well.”

Gu Papa also said, “That’s right, dear. The bed is too small, and you’re squeezing in. Ning Ning won’t sleep comfortably.”

Gu Mama felt a bit aggrieved, “I just missed Ning Ning so much.” Reluctantly, she got out of bed, turned off the light for Gu Ning, and as she followed Gu Papa out, she muttered, “In a few days, let’s go to the furniture store and buy Ning Ning a bigger bed…”

Once the door closed, Gu Ning opened her eyes again.

She had dreamed that in the apocalypse, without her protection, her parents were quickly abandoned by everyone, ending up just like her. This wasn’t just a nightmare.

Without her, this nightmare would become reality. Gu Ning covered her face, unable to imagine how her aging parents could survive in such a cruel apocalypse… Her mind filled with images of her parents’ kind faces.

Suddenly! At that moment, a blinding golden light flashed—

Gu Ning abruptly let go of her hands, staring in disbelief at the scene before her.

Everything was a blinding white—

She swallowed hard and stood up from the ground.

How… how could this be… She had returned to this bizarre place. She was back in the white room she had arrived in after being bitten by a zombie in the apocalypse. Even the Watermelon Knife was still lying quietly on the ground.

She anxiously looked around and quickly found the black door.

She ran to the door, took a deep breath, and pressed the handle. A familiar golden light swept past—

The familiar stench of rotting zombies hit her, and Gu Ning’s eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before her.

Before her were the scattered corpses of zombies, emitting the stench Gu Ning had long grown immune to. Most of these zombies had been killed by her… She had actually returned to the apocalypse!

Every hair on Gu Ning’s body stood on end, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. What was going on… She remembered clearly, she had been lying in bed, her eyes wide open, when a golden light flashed, and she was transported to that white room. Then, pushing open that door, she had arrived here…

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