Chapter 74

Chapter 74: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Chapter 74

Gu Ning had immense strength, but this man seemed to be even stronger, pressing her leg down firmly as she tried to lift it. However, his body maintained a subtle distance from hers. Sensing this, Gu Ning relaxed her leg and leaned against the wall, signaling her non-resistance. The man seemed surprised, hesitated for a moment, and then released his hand from covering Gu Ning’s mouth.

The man was tall, and Gu Ning could only see his well-defined jawline. She heard a series of hurried footsteps approaching, pausing briefly nearby. Someone urgently asked, “Where is she? Where did she go? How did she disappear in the blink of an eye?” After some random responses, the footsteps chased forward.

Gu Ning caught a glimpse of the people holding long knives and frowned.

As the sounds faded, Gu Ning suddenly moved. Her elbow, freed by the man, struck fiercely towards his abdomen. The man, caught off guard, was momentarily stunned but reacted quickly, blocking her elbow with a hint of annoyance. “You’re quite unreasonable, little girl.”

Gu Ning coldly replied, “You used me to hide from your enemies. If they find me, they’ll think I’m with you. Would it be fair if I got hacked to death because of you?”

The man paused, then chuckled. “Fair point.” The alley was dimly lit, making it hard to see the girl’s expression, but her voice, tinged with anger, sounded young. He suddenly wanted to see what she looked like.

Realizing the man was far more skilled than her and unable to use her special ability, Gu Ning suppressed her anger and said, “I can’t beat you. Please step aside; I need to leave.”

The man, surprised by her decisiveness, stepped back with a resigned gesture. “Go ahead.”

Feeling unlucky, Gu Ning didn’t even glance at him and walked deeper into the alley.

The man watched her disappear into the darkness, noticing her striking short blonde hair as she stepped into the light.

Gu Ning arrived at the meeting point where Chen Gen was waiting with a bottle of water. Zhang Xiaobai and Zhong Xu arrived twenty minutes late, carrying several large bags from shopping, apologizing profusely.

They drove back, arriving past nine. Zhang Xiaobai and Zhong Xu were scolded by Third Brother. Chen Gen returned to his unit.

Gu Ning bid farewell to Zhang Xiaobai and Zhong Xu and headed home. Zhang Xiaobai caught up and handed her a paper bag, saying, “Open it later!”

Gu Ning waited until she was in her room to open the bag, finding a white dress inside. She held it up, smiled slightly, and then checked the water level in her space.

The waterline she had marked was still there, but the water had receded by half a meter. The energy consumed to heal Gu Mama’s heart was immense. Gu Ning frowned, then returned to the apocalypse.

It was 8 a.m., but the sky was just beginning to lighten. Most people were still asleep.

Gu Ning quietly peeked into her parents’ room, finding them still asleep. As she was about to enter, she heard hushed arguing from the front yard. She closed the door and walked over.

Standing by the window, Gu Ning saw Huang Mengyao talking to a familiar girl.

The girl held Huang Mengyao’s hand and a bag of bread. “Mengyao, you have food and drink with them, and you’ve even developed a special ability. Can’t you help me join? I can contribute.”

Huang Mengyao looked troubled. “It’s really not possible…”

“Why not? Are you afraid I’ll take your place?” The girl frowned, then softened her tone. “Mengyao, we’ve been best friends since school, surviving together. Will you just watch me freeze or starve?”

Gu Ning recognized the girl as Xiao Yunyun, who had chosen a different side when they were trapped by a zombie dog. Huang Mengyao had been secretly helping her, but Xiao Yunyun wanted more.

Huang Mengyao explained, “We have rules. I can’t just bring anyone in. And you haven’t killed a single zombie.”

Xiao Yunyun pleaded, “What about Cheng Ming? Can’t you ask him or Xie Yuhong to help? I can do many things, even if I can’t kill zombies.” She suddenly grabbed Huang Mengyao’s hand, her expression strange. “Have you slept with them?”

Huang Mengyao was furious. “What are you talking about?!”

Realizing she had gone too far, Xiao Yunyun apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I’m just… so sad.”

Huang Mengyao, still angry, said, “If there’s nothing else, I’m going in.”

“Go ahead,” Xiao Yunyun said, holding up the bread. “Thanks for the bread, Mengyao.”

Huang Mengyao sighed and turned to leave, only to see Gu Ning standing by the window, having witnessed everything. “Gu Ning.”

“I saw her curse at you,” Gu Ning said. “She called you a bitch when you turned around.”

Huang Mengyao was stunned, her face turning grim.

Gu Ning, feeling pity, said, “Some people aren’t worth your kindness.” She then walked away.

Huang Mengyao watched Xiao Yunyun hide the bread and leave, her eyes shadowed.

Gu Ning learned from Gu Papa that Zhuang Chen had left with White Wolf, feeling a bit regretful.

Yesterday, those who went out to hunt crystal cores had mixed luck. Some returned alive, others didn’t. Out of a hundred, only one or two might gain a special ability, and even then, success wasn’t guaranteed. Yesterday, out of several hundred, only one person gained an ability.

It was a probability that offered both hope and despair. Today, some chose to give up, while others bravely left the gathering place. It was hard to say which choice was right, but those who left showed courage.

At breakfast, Gu Ning calmly mentioned her inability to regenerate her special ability, as if discussing the next meal.

Zhang Xiaobai nervously asked, “What do you mean it can’t recover?”

Gu Ning replied evenly, “It means once it’s used up, it’s gone.”

The table fell silent, understanding the implications.

Gu Ning continued, “So from now on, I’ll use my ability sparingly. Don’t count on my healing unless it’s critical.”

Xiang Xu asked, “Have you tried using crystal cores to replenish it?”

Gu Ning nodded. “Tried. Didn’t work.”

The group was disappointed, realizing how much harder it must be for Gu Ning.

Method sipped his porridge and said, “It’s better than having no ability at all. And if your ability wasn’t limited, you’d be too overpowered. Others wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Everyone agreed.

Thus, Gu Ning was removed from today’s zombie-hunting list. After discussing the zombie horde threat with Third Brother, they decided to reduce the number of people going out. With ten other ability users in their team, five would go out while five stayed, making Gu Ning a key protected figure, shifting from frontline offense to support.

Two days passed in the apocalypse.

Gu Ning left her space, appearing in her room at the family building. After changing, she looked at her refreshed reflection in the mirror and smiled confidently.

She was determined to join the Five-Star Brigade.