Chapter 140

Chapter 140: Zombie Night Raid – The Door of Apocalypse Rebirth

After much deliberation, Gu Ning realized that this matter couldn’t just be brushed aside. If she didn’t take the initiative to explain, the trust they had built would inevitably crack. She might even be marginalized within the team, or worse, kicked out entirely. Perhaps Ji Jiuzhe was already thinking along those lines, which was why he hadn’t even bothered to question her.

The more Gu Ning thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. She knew she needed to explain herself to Ji Jiuzhe, but how? Should she tell him about the door that led to another parallel world? That was her biggest secret, one she absolutely couldn’t share with anyone.

After weighing her options, Gu Ning finally stood in front of Ji Jiuzhe’s room and knocked politely.

Fortunately, Ji Jiuzhe didn’t shut her out. A cool voice came from inside, “Come in.”

Gu Ning pushed the door open and entered.

Ji Jiuzhe had just finished showering. His hair was still damp, and he was wrapped in a light blue silk robe. The silver-rimmed glasses on his high nose bridge softened the sharp angles of his face, making him appear less cold and more approachable. This gave Gu Ning a bit more courage. He was sitting behind his desk, his eyes fixed on the computer screen. Without looking up, he simply said, “Sit.”

Gu Ning obediently walked over and sat on the chair opposite him.

Only then did Ji Jiuzhe move his hands away from the keyboard, placing them naturally on the table. His gaze shifted from the screen to Gu Ning’s face, signaling her to begin.

Gu Ning instinctively cleared her throat and looked at Ji Jiuzhe. “Due to some unexpected circumstances, I had to leave suddenly without informing you. I’m really sorry. The situation was urgent, and I had no choice but to leave in a hurry. This matter involves my personal privacy, so I can’t explain it to you. But I promise, nothing like this will happen again.”

“Mm. Your attitude is sincere,” Ji Jiuzhe commented, then paused. “Is that all?”

Gu Ning nodded nervously.

Ji Jiuzhe nodded as well. “If that’s all, you can leave now.”

Gu Ning cautiously asked, “Captain, are you still mad at me?”

His tone was indifferent. “No.”

“…” Gu Ning sat there, unmoving.

After a while, still in that same indifferent tone, he said, “This counts as a violation. You’ll be docked three months’ base salary.”

Gu Ning was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded, “Okay.”

Being fined meant the matter was settled. Compared to the annual bonus, three months’ base salary was nothing.

Gu Ning stood up happily and said, “Then I’ll take my leave. Captain, rest early and take care of yourself.” She then walked out of Ji Jiuzhe’s room with a spring in her step.

After watching Gu Ning leave, Ji Jiuzhe’s gaze returned to the computer screen. His slender finger pressed the enter key, and he calmly watched the footage he had reviewed several times before.

The previously stable footage suddenly distorted, as if due to signal interference. When the image stabilized again, Gu Ning, who had been nowhere in sight, suddenly appeared in the kitchen…

Meanwhile, in another world.

3 a.m.

Outside the base, people were still cleaning up corpses.

Fifty-three-year-old Lao Luo, wearing a mask and gloves, had been working for two days straight. Despite that, he still found the stench from the zombies unbearable.

“One, two, three!”

Lao Luo shouted the count, and on “three,” he and his son, Luo Chaozhi, threw a zombie corpse onto the truck.

They then moved on to the next corpse.

Luo Chaozhi’s muffled voice came from behind his mask, filled with frustration. “How many more days do we have to do this?”

Lao Luo, while directing Luo Chaozhi to lift the zombie’s legs, replied, “I wouldn’t mind doing this for a few more days. We get a pound of supplies per day. For the two of us, that’s two pounds. A few more days, and we can stock up on food for the winter. If we earn enough, we might even rent a room for the winter. Two tents are fine for us, but your mom’s health is weak. She can’t handle the cold. One more day of work, and we can afford a room… Lift it a bit higher, yeah, that’s less strenuous.” Lao Luo and Luo Chaozhi carried an adult zombie corpse toward the pile.

After loading the corpse onto the truck, they walked back. Lao Luo said, “We still have half a can of fish from lunch. Let’s have your mom cook some noodles for us when we get back.”

Luo Chaozhi noticed someone crouching over a zombie corpse ahead. He nudged Lao Luo and said, “Someone’s digging for a crystal core! I’m going to check it out!” Without waiting for Lao Luo’s response, he ran over and called out, “Hey! Buddy, digging for crystal cores? Found any?”

Over the past few days, while moving corpses, they had occasionally found crystal cores in the brains of evolved zombies. Although special abilities were now useless, the Management Office was collecting crystal cores, supposedly to develop an antidote. One crystal core could be exchanged for two pounds of supplies, equivalent to two days of corpse-moving.

The person didn’t respond, still focused on digging.

Luo Chaozhi, who hadn’t been lucky enough to find a crystal core in two days, ignored Lao Luo’s call and curiously approached.

Though it was dark, the base’s floodlights provided enough light to see shadows, though not clearly. As Luo Chaozhi got closer, he noticed the person was extremely close to the zombie corpse, almost pressing their head against it. Something felt off. He bent down, almost putting his head next to the person’s, trying to see how they were digging for the crystal core. The person seemed entirely focused, not even looking up as Luo Chaozhi approached. Soon, Luo Chaozhi saw clearly. The “zombie corpse” was actually a person! His throat had been bitten through, his neck twisted unnaturally to the side, his eyes wide open, staring straight ahead. Luo Chaozhi recognized him—a middle-aged man who had been moving corpses with them. And the person crouching over him was actually a zombie, chewing on the man’s shoulder!

Luo Chaozhi’s legs turned to jelly. He screamed, and the zombie suddenly stopped chewing. It turned its head, revealing a half-rotten face, one eye missing, and blood smeared around its mouth.

Luo Chaozhi turned and ran, shouting toward Lao Luo, “Dad! There’s a zom— AHHH!!!!” But he didn’t get far before his words turned into a blood-curdling scream. The zombie pounced on him, biting into his neck!

Luo Chaozhi felt a searing pain and cried out, struggling, “Dad! Save me! Save me!!!”

As he struggled, blood gushed from his neck. The zombie eagerly lapped up the fresh blood, gulping it down—

“Chaozhi!” Lao Luo shouted, pulling a knife from his belt and running over. With one swing, he decapitated the zombie, pushing the body aside. He tried to lift Luo Chaozhi, “Don’t be scared, son. Dad’s here!”

Luo Chaozhi tried to speak, but blood bubbled from his mouth. “Dad… I… I’m dying…” He tried to touch his wound, but his arms had no strength.

Lao Luo pressed his hand against the gaping hole in Luo Chaozhi’s neck, tears streaming down his face. “Don’t talk nonsense! Dad won’t let you die! I’ll take you back to the base to see a doctor. They have medicine now. Even zombie bites can be treated. Don’t be scared. Dad’s taking you back right now—”

Luo Chaozhi’s eyes filled with tears as he struggled to speak. “I… I can’t make it. Dad… take care of… Mom… I’m… leaving first…” His voice faltered, then stopped completely. His mouth moved silently, no words coming out. He stared at the dark sky, unable to comprehend how the world had come to this. But at least he wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore… His pupils dilated, losing their last glimmer of light, just like the dark sky reflected in his eyes.

Lao Luo held Luo Chaozhi tightly, his voice hoarse from crying. “Son! Son! Help! Someone help! Please, save my son! Please, save him!”

But no one answered—

At some point, everyone else who had been moving corpses outside had disappeared. Aside from Lao Luo’s heart-wrenching cries, the only sounds were the zombies tearing flesh and slurping blood.

Not far away, another zombie rose from a bloodied corpse and shambled toward Lao Luo…

Meanwhile, a patrol team was making its rounds inside the base.

One of them yawned loudly, his voice drowsy. “What time is it? Almost time to switch shifts, right?”

The team leader, also looking exhausted, replied, “We’ll finish this round and call it a night. Just hang in there a bit longer.” Suddenly, he noticed someone slowly walking across the lawn ahead. At 3 a.m., everyone in the base except the guards should be asleep. This person was still outside, and their clothes didn’t look like a guard’s uniform. He shouted, “Who’s there?!” Shining his flashlight in that direction, he led the team toward the figure.

The person stopped at the shout, then slowly turned around…

Under the beam of light, a rotting face came into view, shocking the patrol team.

“Holy crap! A zombie!” The previously drowsy young man was now wide awake.

The team leader drew his knife and approached. Before the zombie could lunge, he drove the knife into its skull. Looking down at the fallen zombie, the team leader frowned. “How did this zombie get in?!”

Almost as soon as he spoke, a blood-curdling scream erupted from the tent area ahead!

The team leader’s heart sank. Several flashlights immediately swung toward the sound.

The ten-person team was struck dumb by what they saw. Under the flashlight beams, they watched as dozens of shambling zombies entered the tent area—at a glance, there were at least several dozen.

People who had been sleeping peacefully were suddenly awakened by the screams. Before they could react, zombies crawled into their tents, biting down hard—

The first scream was just the beginning. Soon, shrieks, cries, and wails filled the night air—

But it wasn’t just here. Quickly, like a plague, the screams spread throughout the base. Almost simultaneously, equally horrifying cries echoed from other areas—

The base was suddenly overrun by zombies that seemed to come from nowhere. They crawled into tents, attacking unsuspecting people in their sleep. Some even headed toward the dormitory building not far away… If anyone could see the entire scene, they would notice that among the zombies, a small group didn’t continue biting after attacking. Instead, they moved on to new “prey.” Minutes later, the bitten victims would stagger to their feet—

The team leader, pale-faced, watched as people were pounced on by zombies, surrounded by screams and cries. His hand holding the knife trembled, but he couldn’t muster the courage to step forward. He looked at the chaos unfolding before him and whispered, “…The base is done for…”