Chapter 154

Chapter 154: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 154

Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing arrived at half-past one in the morning.

Although Gu Ning was equally happy to see them, she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment. What worried her even more was that while Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing had already arrived, the Three-Linked Team was still nowhere to be seen. Gu Ning dared not think of the worst.

Zhuang Chen gave Gu Ning a big hug and a smile: “Thanks to the detailed markers you left along the way, otherwise we wouldn’t have found this place! By the way, have your parents arrived?”

“No,” Gu Ning replied.

Zhuang Chen patted her shoulder comfortingly, saying, “Don’t worry too much, delays are quite normal in times like these.”

“Why are there so few of you left?” Gu Ning asked, noticing that less than fifty people had gotten off the vehicles. She glanced around and saw Director Zhong among them, all looking weary from the long journey.

“Different destinations, so we parted ways halfway,” Zhuang Chen shrugged, looking at the people still getting off the vehicles. “These are the ones who want to go to the Capital City with us.”

Over there, Wang Feng had already called Ji Jiuzhe aside. Watching the people whispering and pointing at the town, he frowned and said to Ji Jiuzhe, “Brother Ji, don’t tell me all these people are going to stay in the town. It’s already beyond the town’s capacity and will attract zombies. I have to be responsible for the lives of the other townsfolk; I can’t take that risk.”

“Your ammunition must be running low,” Ji Jiuzhe suddenly said.

Wang Feng looked at him: “What do you mean?”

Ji Jiuzhe continued, “Three guns, a hundred bullets. We only need to stay here for a few more days until everyone arrives, then we’ll leave. During this time, we won’t need your supplies; we’ll manage on our own. We just need a place to sleep. What do you think?”

Due to the country’s strict gun control laws, ordinary people have never even seen a gun, let alone owned one. The tools for killing zombies are usually knives and various modified weapons. However, guns are undoubtedly the best weapons against zombies, allowing for long-range kills without close combat, significantly reducing the risk of being scratched by zombies. A hundred bullets aren’t many, but they can be very useful in critical moments.

Wang Feng said gravely, “I want a hundred and fifty bullets, and I’ll let you stay here for a week. But you must follow our rules: no loud talking within the town, preferably stay indoors, and don’t leave the town without permission. If you agree to these conditions, then it’s a deal.”

“Deal,” Ji Jiuzhe agreed readily.

In fact, even without being reminded, people had already gotten used to keeping all noise to a minimum. Even children in their teens obediently stayed close to their elders, not causing any unnecessary noise.

Since it was half-past one in the morning, by the time the other two teams in the town reacted, Zhuang Chen and the others had already settled in.

“Wang Feng, the town isn’t yours alone. How can you let so many people in? This violates the town management regulations we agreed on!” Lin Qian said angrily.

Although Pei Jing wasn’t as angry as Lin Qian, his furrowed brows showed his dissatisfaction.

Wang Feng didn’t say a word, simply placing the three guns Ji Jiuzhe gave him on the table. He then kicked open a canvas bag beside him, revealing the shiny bullets inside. He looked at the astonished Lin Qian and Pei Jing and said, “Three guns, a hundred and fifty bullets, divided equally among the three of us. They’re only staying for a week, and we don’t need to provide any supplies. Isn’t this a good deal?”

Pei Jing stared at the guns on the table, speechless. Lin Qian’s anger gradually dissipated, but her tone remained cold: “Regardless, the three of us are managing the town together. You should discuss any decisions with us first.”

“Alright. Let’s discuss how to handle Wu Qin’s matter now,” Wang Feng said, picking up a gun and tapping it on the table, smiling at Lin Qian.

Lin Qian’s expression stiffened.

“Our supplies are only enough for a few more days. We need to get a good night’s sleep and go out to find more supplies tomorrow,” Zhuang Chen said, rolling into the blanket and speaking to Gu Ning. “Are you coming with us tomorrow?”

“Wait,” Gu Ning tried to retrieve something from her space, but once again, her space didn’t respond. She looked defeated and said helplessly to Zhuang Chen, “Congratulate me, my special ability has disappeared again.”

Zhuang Chen sat up in bed: “What’s going on? Is your ability intermittent? Think carefully, is there any pattern?”

Gu Ning could only smile bitterly: “No, no pattern at all.”

Zhuang Chen also felt helpless, lying back down and raising her hand to examine it for a while before sighing, “If only my ability could come back.” She resignedly put her hand down and said, “Ah, let’s just sleep. Goodnight, Gu Ning,” before turning over and falling asleep.

Gu Ning lay in bed, unable to sleep, her hands behind her head as she stared at the ceiling, feeling anxious. Zhuang Chen and the others had arrived, but Third Brother and the rest were still missing. Although only a little over a day had passed, Gu Ning couldn’t help but start imagining the worst. They had lost their vehicles, and with the darkness, the dangers were even greater. She hoped her parents were with Third Brother, Jia Daozhang, Method, and Little Bai, as that would ensure their safety.

It seemed all she could do was wait.

A torturous night passed.

After a quick meal, Zhuang Chen suggested going out to search for supplies.

“I’ve already inquired; they only emptied the nearby supermarkets and stored enough supplies without venturing further. We can drive to more distant places. Industrial areas usually have small shops with enough supplies to sustain us until we return to the Capital City,” Yi Shaoqing said, bundled in a thick down jacket while munching on dry bread. He spoke with a heavy nasal tone, having caught a cold on the road. Despite his cold, he still managed to gather information. He sniffled and continued, “You can bring that guy Xia Yu. He’s quite skilled among this group, and most importantly, he doesn’t cause trouble.” Seeing Gu Ning’s confusion, he explained, “When we went back to rescue people, we happened to meet this guy who was also rescuing others. In such a situation, someone willing to stay and help shows good character.”

“Count me in,” Gu Ning said. Although she knew Yi Shaoqing would likely choose her anyway, given her night vision ability.

Ji Jiuzhe said, “Zhuang Chen, you stay in the town to take care of Shaoqing and manage the others.”

Zhuang Chen looked at Gu Ning and said, “Captain, you’re not planning to go with just you, Gu Ning, and Xia Yu, are you?”

Ji Jiuzhe replied, “Xia Yu is quite clever and fast, at least he won’t hold us back. As for the others, bringing them along wouldn’t be of much use.” He then turned to Gu Ning and asked, “Do you have any suggestions?”

Gu Ning was busy loading bullets into her gun and immediately shook her head when Ji Jiuzhe asked for her opinion: “No.” This was indeed the best arrangement. With her and Ji Jiuzhe’s abilities, as long as they were careful not to run into a zombie horde, there shouldn’t be any major problems. Although she didn’t know Xia Yu, since Ji Jiuzhe approved of him, he must be reliable.

Upon hearing that Gu Ning and the others planned to go out with just three people, Wang Feng expressed shock and confusion: “Just the three of you? Don’t you have more people? Why only three? Where are you planning to go?”

“Three is enough. We’re mainly going out to scout ahead for the main group,” Xia Yu, a young man in his twenties with dimples when he smiled, said innocently.

“Alright. Be careful,” Wang Feng said, not knowing them well enough to say more, and had someone escort them to the gate.

“Gu Ning, I used to admire your Three-Linked Team so much back at the base! I never thought I’d get to go out with you to find supplies! I’m so excited!” Xia Yu eagerly took the front passenger seat, completely missing Ji Jiuzhe’s outstretched hand, and happily chatted with Gu Ning.

Ji Jiuzhe slowly retracted his hand and silently walked to the back, opening the door and sitting in the rear seat, his expression unreadable as he watched Xia Yu excitedly talking to Gu Ning.

“Gu Ning, how old are you?”

“Gu Ning, is your hair naturally blonde?”

“Gu Ning, where did you learn your martial arts?”

“Gu Ning, did you know how to shoot before?”

“Gu Ning…”

Finally, the man sitting in the back, already displeased, couldn’t take it anymore: “Quiet.”

“…Oh.”

Five minutes later, a deliberately lowered voice spoke again: “Gu Ning, are you good at shooting…”

The further they got from the town, the denser the zombies became on the road. To avoid the zombie hordes, Gu Ning drove through a small path and returned to the main road. After passing two traffic lights, they arrived at the entrance of an industrial area, Nanchang Industrial Zone, which only had a few buildings. The electric iron gate was still intact, with a small door next to the security room.

Gu Ning pulled over and stopped the car. As soon as the car stopped, Xia Yu pushed the door open, stepped out, and with one swing of his axe, split the head of a zombie chasing them. He then used a flashlight to illuminate a few more zombies behind them, hacking them down with his axe.

Gu Ning got out of the car and watched Xia Yu struggling to pull his axe out of a zombie’s skull, feeling speechless.

When they pushed the iron gate open, it creaked loudly, sending shivers down their spines in the dark night.

Xia Yu made a funny face and was the first to step inside.

He hadn’t gone far when he turned around, grimacing and waving frantically at Gu Ning and Ji Jiuzhe. Seeing his strange expression, Gu Ning tiptoed to look inside and immediately felt her scalp tingle. A building nearby was swarming with zombies, too many to count!

Her heart tightened, and she quickly stepped back, grabbing Ji Jiuzhe’s hand and signaling to him before pulling him back quietly.

The three of them ran back to the car, and Gu Ning immediately stepped on the gas, speeding away from the area.