Chapter 61

Chapter 61: Special Ability Showdown Against Mutant Zombies – The Gate of Apocalypse Rebirth – Full Book Online

Chapter 61: Special Ability Showdown Against Mutant Zombies

Gu Ning gazed at the distant, towering high-rise buildings. The lingering dark clouds after the heavy rain still covered the entire sky, as if brewing an even greater storm.

The rainwater left on the road after the downpour reflected the gloomy sky and the high-rises on either side, only to be shattered by countless footsteps. Those steps moved further and further away, heading towards an area that was once bustling but now filled with deathly silence.

If someone could look down from the sky, they would see that the entire pedestrian street was once packed with people. A closer look would reveal the horrifying, mutilated faces of those people. The entire street was filled with such scenes, and countless streets were no different.

The apocalypse arrived on what seemed like a perfectly normal day. It was a Sunday, sunny and pleasantly warm—a perfect day for an outing or shopping. Golden Gate Street was especially crowded with young people taking advantage of the holiday to shop.

Then, the sun abruptly disappeared and reappeared.

People who had inexplicably fainted collapsed and then woke up. The friend who had been shopping with you just moments ago suddenly bit your neck. Those who had been hospitalized after fainting woke up and lost their humanity, biting nurses. One infected ten, and ten infected a hundred. In densely populated areas, the spread multiplied exponentially. Many people turned into zombies without even knowing what had happened.

The government sent countless Search and Rescue Teams, but none returned. Later, helicopters hovered over Golden Gate Street, capturing horrifying scenes so gruesome that the footage was deemed too graphic to be released.

Despite this, many survivors who escaped Golden Gate Street uploaded numerous chaotic videos online. The bloody and real scenes of people being pounced on and bitten by zombies surpassed any horror movie.

It had been over three months since the apocalypse began. Gu Ning didn’t know what kind of horrific scenes awaited, but her nerves were stretched to the limit. She had a strong, ominous premonition that grew stronger the closer they got to Golden Gate Street.

The atmosphere of deathly silence seemed to thicken. The once chatty group now fell silent, their expressions serious and tense as they moved forward. The only sound was the splashing of rainwater under their shoes.

Xiang Xu walked beside Gu Ning, her small face tense and grave. Such an expression on such a young girl wasn’t laughable but rather alarming. Without needing any reminder, she had already taken up her role, spreading her spiritual power like an automatic radar, covering the surroundings and probing further. She had also gained some benefits during Gu Ning’s absorption of special abilities, as her own abilities had noticeably grown.

In an alley about 500 meters away, a massive, shapeless blob of flesh lay curled up. It seemed alive, rising and falling as if breathing. Xiang Xu’s spiritual power swept over the blob but detected nothing, as if it had passed through air, continuing forward without any awareness.

However, the blob seemed to sense something. The head buried within the flesh slowly lifted, and the massive body began to writhe.

Gu Ning suddenly stopped, her gaze fixed in a certain direction. She felt an uneasy premonition and couldn’t help but ask, “Xiang Xu, did you find anything?”

Xiang Xu’s spiritual feedback indicated no abnormalities. “No,” she replied.

Gu Ning frowned. “Not even a single zombie?”

Xiang Xu realized what Gu Ning meant and paled slightly. “No.”

Third Brother, leading the group, noticed Gu Ning and Xiang Xu had stopped and immediately sensed something was wrong. He halted the team and approached, asking, “Gu Ning, what’s wrong?”

Gu Ning frowned. “Since we entered this street, Xiang Xu hasn’t detected a single zombie.”

No matter what, this area was close to Golden Gate Street, a known zombie-infested zone. Yet, upon entering, they hadn’t encountered even a single wandering zombie… If it wasn’t sheer luck, there had to be another reason.

Something unusual was definitely amiss.

Third Brother wasn’t a fool. He immediately understood Gu Ning’s implication. He looked around; it was eerily quiet, not even a breeze. Everything seemed frozen. He frowned. “Something does feel off.”

Rustle—

Just as Third Brother finished speaking, a dragging, rustling sound echoed—so abrupt that it instantly put everyone on edge. What made it worse was that Xiang Xu hadn’t detected anything, yet the rustling grew louder and closer. The tension on everyone’s faces intensified.

Gu Ning sharply turned towards the sound. Though she couldn’t see anything, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her ominous premonition peaked, and her instincts screamed at her to flee. Without hesitation, she shouted, “Fall back!”

The sudden rustling jolted everyone from their terrified stupor, and they followed Gu Ning, desperately retreating. Though they didn’t know what was causing the sound, they had a very bad feeling.

Despite their fear, having faced numerous life-and-death situations, they didn’t panic. Instead, they maintained their formation, with the ability users on the outside protecting those without abilities, and quickly retreated.

The rustling grew louder, as if aware they were fleeing, and sped up, chasing them. Gu Ning could feel it gaining speed.

Third Brother shouted, “Run faster!”

The team clenched their teeth and picked up the pace.

Xiang Xu, though mature for her age, was only eight and couldn’t keep up. Gu Ning scooped her up and slung her onto her back, continuing to run.

Without needing to look, Xiang Xu glanced back and paled at the indescribable sight.

Just as she looked, the creature targeted her. Suddenly, a thick, arm-like tentacle shot out from the blob, extending rapidly towards Xiang Xu. The tentacle moved so fast that Xiang Xu couldn’t react. She felt something slap her back, then suction onto her like a suction cup, yanking her off Gu Ning’s back. The tentacle retracted, flinging Xiang Xu into the air.

Gu Ning, sprinting with Xiang Xu on her back, suddenly felt the weight disappear. Hearing Xiang Xu’s scream, she knew something was wrong. She skidded to a halt and turned to see Xiang Xu being pulled away by a fleshy tentacle. Panicking, she hurled her knife at the rapidly retracting tentacle.

Gu Ning’s throw was powerful and precise, striking the middle of the tentacle.

As the knife flew, Gu Ning charged forward, reaching an astonishing speed. The knife sliced into the tentacle, which, though tough, was cut open, causing it to loosen its grip. Xiang Xu fell from the air.

“Xiang Xu!” Xiang Yi screamed, rushing towards her.

But Gu Ning was already there, catching Xiang Xu as she plummeted. The impact forced Gu Ning’s arms down, and she rolled with Xiang Xu to dissipate the force, avoiding the dark, sticky fluid spraying from the tentacle’s wound.

Gu Ning, holding Xiang Xu, rolled aside and yelled at the stunned group, “Ability users, attack! Everyone else, retreat!” She handed the pale, speechless Xiang Xu to the terrified Xiang Yi, then grabbed her knife and backed away.

At Gu Ning’s command, various abilities materialized, all targeting the monster.

Cheng Ming’s wind blades and Zhang Xiaobai’s lightning strikes were the fastest, reaching the monster in an instant.

Only then did everyone get a clear look at the creature causing their terror. It was hard to describe—a bloated, massive blob of flesh with soft, flowing sides. Most horrifying was its human head atop the grotesque body, a sight both jarring and nauseating. The blob also had numerous thick, arm-like tentacles, making it hard to imagine how a human could transform into such a monstrosity.

This was perhaps another form of mutated zombie. The visual impact was overwhelming, causing extreme discomfort, especially with the foul-smelling, dark fluid oozing from its wounds after the ability attacks.

Despite the barrage of abilities, the mutant zombie wasn’t severely harmed. Sensing the attacks weren’t immediately fatal, it let out a deafening roar and extended several tentacles, launching its attack.

As Gu Ning retreated, she noticed the tentacles had suction-cup-like tips. Remembering how Xiang Xu had been snatched, she shouted, “Watch out for the suction cups on the tentacles!”

Third Brother and the others, having seen Xiang Xu’s close call, braced themselves as the tentacles lashed towards them. The battle had truly begun.