Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Cannibalism – The Door to Apocalypse Rebirth – Full Novel Website

Chapter 44: Cannibalism

After filling all their containers with water, they started a fire in the middle of the house.

They moved the natural gas tank and the gas stove to the very center of the room, then set up a large pot, pouring the freshly collected rainwater into it. Soon, a rich aroma of meat filled the entire room.

People who hadn’t tasted meat in a long time couldn’t help but inhale deeply, their stomachs growling with hunger.

Jia Daozhang swallowed hard and whispered, “Do you think they’ll give us a bite of meat later? Even if it’s just the broth, that would be enough.”

Several soldiers also swallowed audibly, unable to resist saying, “It smells so good!”

Everyone’s eyes couldn’t help but drift toward the source of the aroma.

Xiang Xu couldn’t help but glance over a few more times, saying, “It really does smell amazing.” For once, he looked like a child craving something delicious.

Gu Ning, however, felt the opposite. The strong smell of meat didn’t make her hungry at all—instead, it made her feel nauseous.

The others were each given a bowl of meat soup, with chunks of meat floating in it. They sat on the ground, enjoying their meal without even glancing at Gu Ning and her group.

It seemed they had no intention of inviting Gu Ning and the others to join them.

Both Gu Ning’s group and White Wolf’s group hadn’t eaten in hours, and with their energy severely depleted, they were in desperate need of food. The sounds of slurping and chewing from the other group were both tempting and torturous. The sight of those people enjoying their steaming bowls of soup only made their hunger burn even more fiercely.

While Jia Daozhang and the others in Gu Ning’s group were practically drooling, Gu Ning remained motionless, her eyes closed. They had no choice but to endure their hunger.

But someone from White Wolf’s group couldn’t hold back.

Gu Ning and White Wolf both cracked their eyes open slightly, watching as Yan Yu stood up and walked over to the other group.

Everyone’s eyes followed her.

Yan Yu walked gracefully over, exchanged a few words with the man serving the soup, and then returned with a bowl in hand, her eyes sweeping over Gu Ning’s group with undisguised smugness.

Seeing how easily Yan Yu had gotten a bowl of soup, the others began to lose their patience.

One by one, members of White Wolf’s group stood up and headed over. Jia Daozhang, Cheng Ming, Huang Mengyao, Xie Yuhong, Xiang Yi, and several soldiers all looked pleadingly at Gu Ning, even Xiang Xu’s eyes were filled with longing. They were clearly seeking Gu Ning’s approval, but she remained silent, only shaking her head almost imperceptibly, dashing their hopes.

White Wolf, who had been quietly observing, noticed Gu Ning’s subtle shake of her head. A flicker of something passed through his narrow eyes, and he leaned over to whisper something to the man in the white shirt. The man in the white shirt glanced thoughtfully in Gu Ning’s direction, then murmured something to his companions. After that, not a single person from their group stood up to ask for soup. Strangely, Pei Jing also didn’t go, politely declining Yan Yu’s offer to share a sip.

“This is so good,” a man who had taken a sip of the soup before even sitting back down exclaimed, his eyes wide with delight.

“It really is amazing. I’ve never had soup this delicious before. And it’s so fragrant,” another chimed in.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had something warm to eat,” someone else sighed.

Someone chewing on a piece of meat mumbled, “Though the meat could’ve been stewed a bit longer. It’s so tough.”

Those who hadn’t gotten any soup due to Gu Ning and White Wolf’s decisions were visibly frustrated. Why did those people have to talk so much while enjoying their meal?

The dimpled girl walked over with a bowl of soup, smiling at Gu Ning. “They all went to get some soup. Why didn’t you go? There’s still plenty in the pot, enough for all of you. Here, I brought you a bowl.” She held out the bowl, the chunks of meat clearly visible beneath the surface of the broth.

Gu Ning didn’t take it, instead smiling and saying, “Thank you for your kindness. But we lost too many companions on the way here, and now we just can’t bring ourselves to eat.” Her smile carried a hint of exhaustion and apology, appearing utterly sincere.

Jia Daozhang was screaming internally, *Gu Ning, if you can’t eat, I can!!!*

But since Gu Ning had spoken for the group, he couldn’t just go against her for a bowl of soup. He wouldn’t do something so foolish as to undermine her for a bit of broth.

His expression of grief over not getting the soup actually looked quite convincing, as if he were mourning their fallen comrades.

“That’s such a shame,” the dimpled girl said, looking down at her bowl with regret. “Such a delicious soup. We might never get to taste something like this again.”

For some reason, Xiang Xu felt a chill run down her spine as she watched the dimpled girl walk away with the soup. She didn’t know why Gu Ning had forbidden them from drinking the soup, but she trusted that Gu Ning had her reasons. And it was this trust that kept the others from indulging in the soup that was practically within their grasp.

After Gu Ning refused the soup, the dimpled girl didn’t approach her again, instead sitting in a corner with a group of young men and women, laughing and chatting.

Over an hour passed.

The heavy rain outside showed no signs of stopping.

The sky was as dark as ink in an inkstone. Looking out, the entire city was shrouded in complete darkness.

Inside the room, with no light source, it was pitch black.

Yet, Gu Ning’s vision remained unaffected.

Most people were lying on the floor, whispering to each other in the dark.

Then Gu Ning saw the dimpled girl and several others quietly slip out of the room. Their footsteps were so light that, if not for Gu Ning’s sharp hearing and the darkness, no one would have noticed they had left.

“Follow them,” Gu Ning whispered to Xiang Xu.

Xiang Xu had also seen them leave and understood what Gu Ning meant. She nodded solemnly, then closed her eyes. The surface of the white lake in her mind rippled slightly as her spiritual power silently extended, following the group.

The speed of spiritual power was unimaginable. In no time, her power enveloped the group, and Xiang Xu began analyzing their actions.

“They’re going upstairs…” Xiang Xu whispered, her voice blending in with the murmurs around her. She quietly described what her spiritual power was sensing to Gu Ning: “There’s a flat roof up there. They entered a small room… It sounds like they’re discussing something…” After about ten minutes, she added, “They’re coming back down.”

“Keep your knife ready. Something bad might happen tonight,” Gu Ning said coldly.

Xiang Xu turned sharply to look at Gu Ning, her heart chilling at the sight of Gu Ning’s icy profile. She thought of the bodies beneath the tarp and felt a surge of fear. What kind of “bad thing” could happen?

After speaking to Xiang Xu, Gu Ning turned to Zhang Xiaobai and whispered, “Zhang Xiaobai, inform everyone. No one sleeps tonight. Keep your guns close.”

Zhang Xiaobai was momentarily stunned, but he quickly recalled Gu Ning’s unusual behavior earlier in the day. She must have noticed something. Without asking questions, he quietly relayed the order to everyone.

The previously drowsy Jia Daozhang, Cheng Ming, and the soldiers all instantly became wide awake.

The atmosphere in the room grew tense.

Soon, the dimpled girl and her group quietly re-entered the room. They even glanced in Gu Ning’s direction, but with no light at all, they couldn’t see anything.

Gu Ning’s eyes, however, could clearly see every expression on their faces in the darkness. Her gaze finally settled on the dimpled girl’s face. The absolute darkness seemed to make her feel safe, and she shamelessly shed the harmless mask she had worn during the day, revealing her true face—one of utter coldness and numbness. Yet, her eyes burned with the same excitement and hunger Gu Ning had seen countless times in the eyes of zombies, creatures driven solely by the instinct to feed. The mix of coldness, numbness, excitement, and hunger made her expression in the dark particularly sinister and terrifying.

Xiang Xu clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.

Even Gu Ning felt a bone-chilling cold sweep through her.

They were no different from zombies—they saw Gu Ning and her group as food.

Which meant that what they had eaten earlier… was human flesh!