Chapter 73

Chapter 73: Who?

After a simple dinner, everyone washed up and returned to their rooms.

Gu Mama lay on the bed, sighing and regretting that she should have at least given them some food.

Gu Ning turned over, pretending not to hear, while Gu Papa patiently comforted her.

Gu Ning thought about her proficiency in controlling her special abilities and the amount of abilities she had. She felt that she no longer needed close combat skills. Did she really need to spend so much effort learning close combat at the Five-Star Brigade? This world was already exhausting enough. Maybe she could take it easier in that other world…

Later that night, Gu Ning sneaked out of her room, went to the backyard storage room, and entered her space.

The first thing Gu Ning did upon entering her space was to check the ocean of abilities. As soon as she reached the shore, she felt something was off. She was surprised to find that the water level of the ability ocean had dropped. The grass that used to grow right by the water’s edge was now five meters away from the water.

This ocean was the source of Gu Ning’s abilities. Among her two types of abilities, the wood-type ability consumed less, but the healing ability was extremely taxing. For any other ability user, such a massive consumption would have drained their ability source dry. But Gu Ning, relying on her vast amount of abilities, didn’t bother to control her usage…

However, according to feedback from Xiang Xu and others, abilities recover very quickly as long as they aren’t completely depleted. But for some reason, Gu Ning’s ability source either recovered extremely slowly or couldn’t cycle on its own after being consumed… If it was the former, that would be manageable, but what if it was the latter? The thought sent a chill down Gu Ning’s spine.

Even though she had a vast amount of abilities, if she couldn’t replenish them, they would eventually run out, especially with the heavy consumption of her healing ability.

Gu Ning sat by the ocean for a while. After experiencing the power of her abilities, it was hard for her to imagine losing them again. Just the thought of it made her break out in a cold sweat.

She quickly dismissed the idea of giving up on joining the Five-Star Brigade. If she had become dependent on her abilities and one day couldn’t use them anymore, wouldn’t she be useless?

She carefully examined the waterline and drew a line where the water met the ground.

Then, with unease, she left the space.

Checking the time, it was 6:30 in the morning.

She changed out of her dirty clothes, put on her military uniform, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Then she walked out feeling refreshed.

After a day of training, Gu Ning maintained her composure, but her mind was preoccupied with the abilities in her space, making her somewhat distracted. However, since Gu Ning was usually quiet, Zhang Xiaobai and the others didn’t notice anything unusual.

As soon as she returned to her room that night, Gu Ning eagerly went back to her space to check the waterline. To her dismay, the water level was still at the line she had drawn, showing no signs of recovery. A whole day had passed, and not a single bit of her abilities had been restored. Her hopeful mood was instantly doused with cold water.

Although she had prepared for the worst, the reality still left Gu Ning feeling depressed.

She spent the entire night by the ocean, trying to figure out what was wrong, but to no avail.

The next day, even Zhang Xiaobai noticed her low spirits, thinking she was nervous about the upcoming Five-Star Brigade selection. Zhong Xu and Zhang Xiaobai took turns comforting her for a while.

Gu Ning finally came to her senses. If her abilities couldn’t be relied upon, close combat would become her means of survival. It felt like she had come full circle. Although her abilities couldn’t be cycled, Gu Ning decided to use them sparingly from now on, only in critical moments. She suddenly felt like she had gone back to square one, with pockets full of money but too afraid to spend it. It was frustrating.

Training only lasted half a day that day.

Third Brother decided to give them half a day off to prepare for the selection the next day.

Although the three of them were happy, their joy was tinged with nervousness. Gu Ning, however, was the most relaxed among them. While she felt some urgency to join the Five-Star Brigade, she still had her abilities as a trump card. In critical moments, she could see if there was a chance to use her abilities to cheat. Compared to Zhang Xiaobai and Zhong Xu, she had more confidence.

Chen Gen had been training with them for the past two days. He looked to be in his early twenties, with a simple and honest appearance and a very steady personality. He rarely spoke, and his squad had nicknamed him “Silent Gourd.” Zhang Xiaobai had teased him a lot over the past two days, but Chen Gen neither got angry nor responded, leaving Zhang Xiaobai feeling awkward.

Gu Ning admired him, but she wondered if he had managed to escape after the apocalypse.

During their half-day break, Zhang Xiaobai chattered away and eventually suggested going to an internet café to play games. He even invited Gu Ning, saying he could help her level up. Gu Ning declined, saying she wanted to go home.

Zhang Xiaobai immediately insisted on visiting Gu Ning’s home: “Gu Ning! Take us with you! Let’s invite your parents out for a big meal! My treat!”

Zhang Xiaobai and the others often referred to Gu Ning’s parents as “Mom and Dad” during the apocalypse, so Gu Ning didn’t find it strange. However, she explained that she had been keeping her parents in the dark about certain things and that it wouldn’t be convenient. Zhang Xiaobai quickly suggested, “Just say we’re your college classmates! Look at me, I still look like a fresh graduate. Zhong Xu looks a bit older, so we can say he’s a mature student. Chen Gen can be our college military training instructor.”

Zhong Xu burst out laughing, and Gu Ning was amused too. Chen Gen, however, seriously said, “I have something to do in the afternoon.”

Gu Ning said, “You two should stick to your original plan and go play games. I’ll go home and come back tonight.” On one hand, she wanted to take the money back, and on the other, she had a small stash in her space that she needed to dispose of. It wouldn’t be convenient to bring others along.

Zhong Xu said, “Then let’s take the bus to Jinmen Street together. We’ll go shopping there too.”

As it happened, Chen Gen also had business in the city center, so they happily decided to go together.

Since there were four of them, Zhang Xiaobai shamelessly convinced Third Brother to lend them an off-road vehicle.

They chatted and laughed along the way, discussing tactics for the upcoming Five-Star Brigade selection. Time flew by, and they soon arrived at their destination.

After parking the car, they exchanged phone numbers. When they saw Gu Ning’s old Nokia, Zhang Xiaobai exaggeratedly marveled at it, and even Chen Gen was surprised. They agreed to meet back at the latest by 7 PM.

As soon as Gu Ning left, Zhang Xiaobai couldn’t help but say, “Is Gu Ning’s family struggling? I noticed she usually wears sportswear and doesn’t have any girly clothes. That phone she uses has been out of production for ages, right?”

Zhong Xu nodded in agreement, “Let’s not bring up visiting her home again. It might make her uncomfortable.”

Zhang Xiaobai quickly agreed.

Chen Gen, however, simply said goodbye and headed in another direction.

Gu Ning hailed a taxi. She just wanted to get things done quickly. In the past, she would always take the bus instead of a taxi. Once in the car, she considered calling Method but decided against it. Instead, she asked the taxi driver, “Do you know where there’s a pawnshop?”

After driving around for half an hour, the taxi stopped. The driver pointed to a shop across the street, “See that? The one with the red sign.”

Gu Ning thanked the driver and got out. Before heading to the pawnshop, she found a public restroom and took out dozens of gold necklaces from her space, wrapping them in black tape. Then she crossed the street and entered the small pawnshop.

Half an hour later, Gu Ning left the pawnshop with several stacks of red bills in her backpack. When the pawnshop quoted a price, Gu Ning didn’t argue and immediately signed the pawn ticket. It went more smoothly than she had imagined. Combined with the final payment from Method, Gu Ning now had nearly 100,000 yuan. The frustration caused by her abilities was swept away, and a smile finally appeared on her face.

When she got home, only Gu Mama was there. Gu Ning’s sudden return surprised and delighted her.

“Why are you back now?” Gu Mama asked nervously, “Did something happen at work?”

Gu Ning smiled, “No. The child’s grandparents came today and took him out to play, so they gave me half a day off. They’re very satisfied with me.”

Gu Mama breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Have you eaten?”

“Yes,” Gu Ning replied. After pawning the gold necklaces, she had gone to a small restaurant and ordered several meat dishes, finishing them all, much to the owner’s surprise.

Gu Ning sat on the sofa and started taking money out of her backpack.

Three neat stacks of red bills were placed on the table, startling Gu Mama, “Where did you get so much money?!”

Gu Ning explained, “Our family still has debts, right? I talked to the parents and asked if I could get an advance on three months’ salary. Since they’re very satisfied with me and Method vouched for me, they agreed. Use this money to pay off the most urgent debts first. We can wait a bit for the others.”

Gu Mama was both surprised and happy, “The parents are so kind!” Recently, several creditors had been calling, and she and Gu Papa had been lying in bed last night, worrying about where to get the money. These tens of thousands of yuan were a lifesaver. “I’ll use this 30,000 to pay back your uncle first. Your aunt has called several times, saying your cousin needs to give a gift for some job. I lent them 80,000 before, and they didn’t push this hard. By the way, your uncle heard you’re back and wants you to come over for dinner. Let’s go visit them this Sunday and give them the money.”

As soon as Gu Mama mentioned her uncle’s family, the smile on Gu Ning’s face disappeared. She敷衍道, “We’ll see. You should put the money away first.”

Gu Mama happily picked up the money and headed to her room, saying, “Ningning, you really should thank Method! He introduced you to such a great job!”

Gu Ning suddenly asked, “Mom, aren’t you going to take a nap?”

Gu Mama replied, “I was just about to sleep when you came back. How could I sleep now?”

Gu Ning said, “I want to take a nap too. Let’s sleep together.”

They lay in bed and chatted for a long time. Gu Mama even told Gu Ning about the cactus on the balcony that had come back to life. Gu Ning thought it might have been due to her abilities leaking that night.

Half an hour later, Gu Mama fell asleep.

Gu Ning finally had the chance to do her own thing.

She held Gu Mama’s wrist, and healing energy continuously flowed from her palm into Gu Mama’s body. Gu Mama remained unaware.

Although Gu Ning knew her abilities couldn’t cycle, she didn’t hold back when it came to Gu Mama. The energy poured out relentlessly.

After a full half hour, Gu Ning finally let go of Gu Mama’s hand. Gu Mama’s previously heavy breathing had become light and even.

Gu Ning carefully got up and went to the balcony. She looked at the cactus that Gu Mama had said had come back to life, marveling at the wonders of her abilities.

When Gu Mama woke up, she felt completely refreshed and free of any discomfort. She smiled and told Gu Ning that she felt much better after the nap.

Before Gu Papa returned, Gu Ning left the house.

By 6 PM, the sky had darkened.

Gu Ning walked out under the streetlights. She had plenty of time, so she decided to walk and enjoy the streets, so different from the apocalyptic world.

The area where Gu Ning lived was quite remote. To get to the main road, she had to pass through many chaotic streets and alleys. Most of these alleys had no lighting. In the past, Gu Ning was afraid of the dark and rarely walked through these alleys at night. But now, she wasn’t afraid at all and walked straight through the streets and alleys.

As she was about to enter another alley after crossing a street, a hand suddenly reached out from a dark corner. Before Gu Ning could react, she was pulled in and pinned against the wall. A rough hand accurately covered her mouth in the darkness. A cold glint flashed in Gu Ning’s eyes as she prepared to act, but the person seemed to anticipate her move. With a lift of his leg, he pressed down on Gu Ning’s leg, preventing her from moving. A low voice whispered in her ear, “Shh.”