Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 30

Gu Ning stood in the space, her entire body showing signs of numbness. Her eyes, which had long ceased to show any emotion, were now filled with disbelief and shock.

Before her was an incredibly vast green ocean! Logically, a large expanse of green water should be called a lake. But the green water before Gu Ning was boundless; standing on one side, she couldn’t see the other side no matter how hard she tried. This was a sea, a green sea.

As if her arrival had stirred it, the green ocean surged with waves, the sound of the waves roaring as if laughing in joy.

In the distance, there was a dense, expansive forest. Further away, there were mountains, layers upon layers of lush green peaks, the highest one piercing through the clouds and disappearing. From the clouds, a waterfall cascaded down, resembling the Milky Way falling from the heavens. Despite the great distance, Gu Ning could faintly hear the sound of water.

Beneath her feet was soil, a patch of tender green grass. She stood at the edge of the green sea, the sea breeze brought by the waves hitting her face, carrying an incredibly fresh and comfortable scent.

This was probably the most beautiful and magnificent scene Gu Ning had ever seen, but she had no time to appreciate it. At this moment, she only felt a chill creeping up from the soil beneath her feet, rising through her body and reaching the top of her head.

If that space disappeared, how would she return to the real world?

She felt a chill run through her entire body.

The place she was supposed to reach through that door had suddenly shifted from that space to this unknown place.

This sea, the distant mountains, the floating clouds above—all were so unusual, filled with a fantastical aura. Could it be that the door had transported her to another world?!

Gu Ning pursed her lips tightly, forcing herself to pull away from the deep fear and calm down.

She began to analyze her current situation. If she had come here through that door, then this place must also have that door—a black door, conspicuous enough. Gu Ning started trying to find that black door. After searching for over an hour, she still hadn’t found it.

Gu Ning’s hands and feet were cold, and she was on the verge of tears.

Her lips were tightly pressed together, and though she tried to maintain a calm expression, a sense of anxiety still showed through… Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.

If she was in another world now, maybe just by thinking about it, she could return to that space?

Gu Ning took a deep breath, then slowly closed her eyes. In her mind, she pictured the space and the black door. When she opened her eyes, she was stunned.

On the previously empty grassland now stood a door.

But this door wasn’t the black one.

It was a door with a very rich green color.

The familiar Tai Chi clock was still embedded on it, the golden hands resting at the initial middle position.

Gu Ning looked at this seemingly repainted door with uncertainty, unsure if it was the same door she had opened before. If not, what kind of world lay behind it?

No matter what, she had to confirm first…

“Gulp—” Gu Ning swallowed hard, reached out, moved the golden needle to one side, and then pressed her hand on the door handle.

A golden light flashed.

Gu Ning slowly opened her eyes, looking at the familiar surroundings. Her tense nerves relaxed instantly, and she slumped onto the bed, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

However, as she appeared in this world, the golden needle in that space quickly turned a full circle and stopped at the position Gu Ning had moved it to, as if it had never moved.

Gu Ning patted her chest, still shaken, and glanced at the wall clock. It was already past eight in the evening. She gently grasped the bedroom door handle, and as she turned it, the lock popped out with a click. Hearing this sound, Gu Ning finally felt at ease—it meant her parents hadn’t noticed her disappearance.

She opened the door and walked out.

The sound also alerted Gu Mama, who was watching TV.

“Where’s Dad?” Gu Ning asked. At this time, her father should have been steadfastly watching the news broadcast on TV.

“Your dad called the school to cancel his leave. He’s preparing to go back to school tomorrow. He’s in the study preparing his lessons,” Gu Mama said as she got up and headed to the kitchen, bringing out the food that had been kept warm. “You were so focused on studying, I called you once but didn’t get a response,” Gu Mama added.

Gu Ning secretly felt relieved that Gu Mama had only called once before giving up.

The rest of the meal passed in a daze, her mind preoccupied with the changes in that space.

After eating, she returned to her bedroom and locked the door.

Gu Ning felt a bit nervous. After taking a deep breath, she focused her thoughts and returned to that space.

However, she arrived at the place with the sea and mountains again, not the white-walled space.

Gu Ning now vaguely felt that the changes in the space might be related to the green orb she had swallowed and her fainting spell.

But she couldn’t determine whether these changes were good or bad, so she decided to ignore them, just like the changes in her body before.

Moving the golden needle to the other side, Gu Ning opened the door. The air carried the unique stench of the apocalypse. Seeing herself in the dark grove, Gu Ning finally felt at ease.

Just as she was about to leave, a rustling sound came from the other side, followed by faint voices. Then, two sets of footsteps, soft as they brushed through the grass, approached her.

The darkness of the grove didn’t affect Gu Ning’s vision, so she clearly saw a ragged boy, about fourteen or fifteen, leading a little girl of about seven or eight towards her. The boy was hiding some biscuits he had just dug up from the soil in his clothes. Clearly, he hadn’t noticed her. But the little girl had. Her smile paused for a moment.

Gu Ning clearly felt that the little girl had seen her—not just a vague sense of someone being there, but a clear, direct sighting.

The little girl stopped, her large, dark eyes looking at Gu Ning with caution. She tugged at the oblivious boy and whispered, “Brother, there’s someone.”

Hearing this, the boy froze for a moment, then quickly drew a small knife from his waist and pulled the little girl behind him, his eyes alert as he faced Gu Ning’s vague figure.

Even Gu Ning couldn’t help but marvel at the boy’s quick reaction.

The silent standoff ended with Gu Ning turning and leaving.

The boy wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, “Is he gone?”

The little girl watched Gu Ning’s retreating figure and softly said, “She’s gone.”

The boy, still shaken, felt the small bag of biscuits hidden in his pocket and said, “Let’s go too.”

The little girl accurately grasped the boy’s hand in the darkness and said, “Okay.”

It was only a little past five, but the sun had completely set in the west, and the moon had quietly risen in the sky, casting a faint glow.

Two thin figures, one tall and one short, slowly walked through the darkness.

In the little girl’s large, dark eyes, the world was still as bright as day.

If one looked closely at the outer ring of her deep black irises, they would see a faint, almost imperceptible circle of white, clearer than the whites of her eyes.

Gu Ning had been gone for over an hour, just to use the bathroom, which had everyone worried. They had searched outside several times.

Gu Ning could only explain that she had run into an acquaintance.

Gu Papa and Gu Mama had woken up, and the family was reunited. Though both parents were injured, the family being together brought them great comfort.

At the same time, Gu Ning solemnly thanked Li Hongjuan.

“Don’t thank me,” Li Hongjuan said, somewhat embarrassed. “I’m not afraid of anything in this life, but I’m most afraid of owing others. You’ve saved my life more than once or twice. Without you, I might have died over three months ago. Every day I live now is a bonus.”

Gu Ning was silent. Li Hongjuan’s attitude was a stark contrast to the “elders” on the minibus who had always smiled at her. Before the apocalypse, she had subconsciously disliked Li Hongjuan, but she never expected that after the apocalypse, among all the people she had saved, it was this universally disliked person who held the most basic sense of gratitude.

After distributing the food, Zhang Yang was pleasantly surprised to receive two pieces of bread. He couldn’t bear to eat them, carefully tearing off half a piece and saving the rest in his pocket. As he nibbled on the half piece, he asked, “Gu Ning, where did you get all these supplies? We’ve pretty much ransacked all the supermarkets around here. It’s getting harder to find supplies these days. Where did you find so much? And the medicine—our search and rescue team has been struggling to find any lately.”

He had asked casually, but everyone in the dormitory turned their eyes to Gu Ning, clearly curious.

Gu Ning was startled. She hadn’t realized this issue before, thinking it was convenient to just take out the supplies without their knowledge. She hadn’t considered how scarce supplies were now, with even the less zombie-infested supermarkets already looted by hungry people.

She swallowed hard, then casually said, “I got lucky and found a general store and a private clinic. They were in a pretty remote location, so there were still some things left.”

This explanation was plausible.

Everyone just marveled at Gu Ning’s luck and didn’t think much more of it.

Soon, the conversation shifted.

Jia Daozhang suddenly said, “Gu Ning, have you noticed that the sun is setting faster and faster? This season, the moon is out by a little past five—it’s unheard of.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, sharing the same concern.

“If it just keeps this speed, it’s fine, but what if…” Jia Daozhang paused, scanning the room before saying gravely, “One day, the sun sets and never rises again…”

The dormitory fell into a dead silence. An indescribable fear rose in everyone’s hearts.

The sun never rising again?

The world plunged into eternal darkness?

That would be a disaster even more terrifying than the zombies.