Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Visitors in the Dormitory – The Gate of Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Volume 1 Chapter 31: Visitors in the Dormitory

As night fell, all the noise and commotion gradually quieted down, as if afraid to disturb the zombies that never stopped hunting, even in the darkness.

It was only 9 PM, but in this post-apocalyptic world, with no electricity, no light, and no entertainment devices like phones or computers, people, after a day of fear and anxiety, could only find a moment of respite in their dreams.

Gu Ning lay on the iron-framed bed, staring at the bedboard above her, feeling no sleepiness at all. Ever since being bitten by a zombie, she rarely felt the need to sleep. Her ears clearly heard someone in the next dormitory turning over on their iron-framed bed, the sound of the bedboard and frame creaking, along with the deep snores of people sleeping.

After the apocalypse, even sleeping was usually done curled up in a car seat, and even then, one couldn’t fully relax, as the slightest noise would wake them. This was the first time since the apocalypse that she had slept in a bed in this world.

Inside her bed, she kept a rifle. Just over three months ago, Gu Ning was a fresh graduate, braving the scorching sun to look for a job. She never imagined that three months later, she would be lying here, sleeping with a gun.

In the next dormitory slept her parents. Her father’s injury, which she had been worried about, had already been operated on, and there was also that hopeful door leading to two worlds. But the tension in her mind still hadn’t eased.

Surviving alone in such a dangerous world was no easy task, let alone with elderly and frail parents.

But this was also the reason she existed in this world.

And then there was the sun that set early.

The unknown changes happening in that space.

And the little girl she met on the back playground today… those dark, mysterious eyes kept appearing in her mind. It was a strange feeling, when two pairs of eyes met in the darkness, clearly seeing each other’s eyes…

And then there was Fang Fa, waiting in Time City.

Fang Fa was the only person, besides her parents, whom Gu Ning truly trusted in this apocalypse. She and Zhuang Chen hit it off immediately, and it was rare for Gu Ning to feel such a strong connection in less than a day.

But clearly, her parents’ current condition wasn’t suitable for travel. After this separation, she didn’t know if they would ever meet again. She hoped Fang Fa would have the same good luck and find his parents smoothly.

Speaking seriously, the people in this dormitory.

Jia Daozhang, Cheng Ming, Huang Mengyao, Xie Yuhong.

Apart from Cheng Ming, who she vaguely remembered, the other three she had only met twice. During the zombie dog incident when they were trapped in that courtyard, they clearly sided with Gu Ning when it came to dividing teams. But honestly, she had no intention of staying with them long-term. Besides Cheng Ming, who had shown some capability, Huang Mengyao could help take care of her parents’ injuries, but the other two didn’t seem to meet her team requirements.

And for people she had only met twice, Gu Ning found it hard to trust them with her back.

In comparison, she trusted Third Brother more.

And then there was the most headache-inducing practical issue: money.

Thinking about the dozens of gold necklaces hidden in her backpack, the key was how to exchange them for money without raising suspicion.

She had even considered going to the bank to get money directly.

But money had serial numbers, and using too much of it would only bring trouble.

In this world, gold and RMB were everywhere, but Gu Ning felt at a loss on how to start.

Melancholy, truly melancholy.

Actually, no one in the dormitory was asleep.

Everyone was a bit worried because of what Jia Daozhang said about the sun never rising again. And the one who caused this unease was now lightly snoring, clearly sleeping without a care.

Cheng Ming lay on his side facing Gu Ning’s bed, looking at her vague figure in the darkness, feeling a bit complicated. He remembered the first time he saw Gu Ning at the train station, picking up new students, with a sincere, gentle smile on her face. She wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, but she looked very clean and refreshing. Since then, he had been paying attention to her, with many “chance encounters.” Most of the time, Gu Ning was either hurriedly walking with books or walking with a group of people. She didn’t join any clubs, so he never had a chance to approach her.

So, until Gu Ning graduated, he never managed to leave a clear impression on her. Maybe they had eaten together at some gathering, or he was some junior who had exchanged a few words with her…

He never thought he would end up sharing a room with Gu Ning… This was probably the only thing he felt fortunate about after the apocalypse.

He had once thought that if he met Gu Ning in the apocalypse, he would definitely protect her from harm. But now, it seemed that Gu Ning was the one playing the protector.

It was also because the Gu Ning now was completely different from the one he had imagined.

Cheng Ming felt a mix of subtle joy and inexplicable melancholy.

Suddenly, there was a noisy commotion at the staircase in the corridor, as if a group of people were coming upstairs. It was already very quiet, and this group didn’t bother to lower their voices. You could clearly hear a group of young voices, both male and female, stomping up to the third floor, passing through the corridor, making a lot of noise.

After the apocalypse, everyone’s nerves were on edge, and the slightest noise would wake them up. Plus, these people had no sense of restraint, and their walking and talking were loud enough even for daytime.

From some dormitory, a very unpleasant curse was heard.

Someone in the group cursed, and then a voice quietly scolded them.

The group suddenly quieted down.

They must have arrived late at night, but it was unclear whether they had handed over enough supplies or had some backdoor access.

Not long after the group passed, footsteps were heard returning. Then, the door to Gu Ning’s dormitory was knocked.

No one in the dormitory was asleep.

As soon as the door was knocked, everyone sat up from their beds.

Jia Daozhang, however, just turned over, showing no reaction.

Then, a flashlight beam shone through the window, and someone outside shouted, “Open the door!”

“Gu Ning? Should we open it?” Cheng Ming asked.

Gu Ning said, “Open it, let’s see what’s going on.”

Cheng Ming got out of bed to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, they saw the dormitory manager with four or five young men and women standing outside: “The other dormitories are full. These people will stay with you.”

Cheng Ming glanced back at Gu Ning, who nodded slightly.

Cheng Ming stepped aside to let them in.

“Alright, you’ll stay here. I’m leaving now. Be quiet and don’t disturb others.” The dormitory manager left with his flashlight.

Gu Ning looked at the group of three men and two women. They all carried the faint stench of zombies, but their clothes were surprisingly clean and tidy.

“No way, only the upper bunks are left!” A girl, using the faint moonlight, looked around the dormitory and complained.

“Sorry for disturbing your rest.” A man in his mid-twenties said with some apology, then turned to the girl: “Enough, stop talking, get to bed. Don’t disturb others.”

This made the people who had been woken up in the middle of the night feel slightly better.

The girl, clearly obedient to the man, pouted and stopped talking. She didn’t even take off her shoes, stepping directly onto the end of Huang Mengyao’s bed. Huang Mengyao, about to lose her temper, thought about the current situation and held back. But her expression was far from pleasant.

“Hey! There’s a lot of food here!” Suddenly, the girl above exclaimed with delight, followed by the rustling of plastic bags.

“Sorry, that’s our supplies. Please hand them over.” Cheng Ming quickly stepped forward.

The girl froze.

The dormitory fell silent for a moment, then the man’s voice, with a warning tone, called out: “Yan Yu.”

The girl pouted again and threw the two bags of supplies down, landing with a loud, jarring thud.

The dormitory fell silent again.

“What’s going on? What’s going on? What’s going on?!” Jia Daozhang, who had been sound asleep, was startled awake by the noise and sat up. Looking around the room in the moonlight, he was momentarily stunned: “Where did these people come from?”

“Who knows.” Xie Yuhong, who rarely spoke, said emotionlessly, then lay back down and turned over to continue sleeping.

Clearly, the others were also embarrassed by the girl’s actions and quietly climbed into the upper bunks.

The last man, the one who had been restraining the girl named Yan Yu, slept on the bunk above Gu Ning. As he climbed up, he politely said, “Sorry, I need to step on your bed.” As he looked down at Gu Ning, she instantly felt the same sensation she had when she met the little girl on the back playground, locking eyes with her. At the same time, the man seemed to feel something too, his gaze on Gu Ning slightly changing.

Gu Ning instinctively and naturally lowered her eyes, avoiding the man’s somewhat probing gaze.

After Gu Ning looked away, Pei Jing unconsciously sighed in relief, silently shaking his head, thinking he was being too sensitive and imagining things. Someone with his experiences was probably rare in the world, so how could he coincidentally meet someone like that?

Gu Ning faced the wall, her eyes glowing faintly in the darkness…

She had clearly seen a faint golden ring around the man’s pupils, just like hers…

What on earth was going on?!