Chapter 177: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online
Chapter 177
This is truly a case of “when you think there’s no way out, another village appears,” a complete turnaround!
Even Zhuang Chen and Ji Zhaotang were shocked.
“Where are they now?” Gu Ning, in her excitement, grabbed Yuan Ge’s arm.
“They’re at a Survivor Settlement Point. We spent the night there last night. I saw Third Brother and Zhang Xiaobai, but since it was dark, I didn’t stay long and just said hello. After that, we headed this way and haven’t seen them since. The settlement is about a two-hour drive from here, located at…”
Zhuang Chen interrupted, “Stop rambling. Just get in the car and lead the way!”
Yuan Ge hesitated, “But my things…”
Zhuang Chen said, “Once we find them, we’ll head straight back to Base One. Someone will bring your stuff back. Get in the car!”
Yuan Ge, now without hesitation, opened the passenger door and got in, pointing a direction to Ji Zhaotang, “Go this way first.”
The settlement at the dilapidated elementary school in the rural outskirts of the Capital City was rudimentary. Faded red characters on the wall by the iron gate read “Xiuyuan Elementary School.” The wall was only about a meter high, easy for even a ten-year-old to climb over. From the car, the iron gate was tightly shut, with four men sitting inside playing cards, using biscuits and bread as stakes.
“Hey! A car’s coming!” the young lookout at the gate shouted back to them.
One of the card players stood up and looked into the distance, spotting a military-green off-road vehicle approaching.
Squinting, someone suddenly said, “That looks like a car from Base One!”
“Are they here to collect supplies? It’s not time yet! We’re still a few days away. Did they come early?” someone else said.
A man spat on the ground, cursing, “These bloodsuckers, they’re draining us dry!”
As the car stopped at the gate, a golden-haired girl was the first to step out, asking the young man who followed, “Is this the place?”
The man nodded, “Yes, this is it.”
Next, a man and a woman got out of the car. One was in military uniform, the other strikingly beautiful. Their presence alone made it clear they were no ordinary people.
Looking at the license plate, it was indeed from Base One.
People from Base One never came here except to collect supplies.
An older man nudged the young lookout, whispering, “Xiao Liang, go inside and inform them!”
“Got it!” Xiao Liang responded and quickly ran towards the classroom building.
Naturally, it was Gu Ning and her group who had arrived.
They walked straight to the gate, and Ji Zhaotang showed his ID, saying, “We’re from Base One.”
“We know. Just wait a moment,” they said, showing no intention to open the gate. The youngest among them suddenly said angrily, “Why are you five days early this month? Our settlement is full of elderly and children. We can’t find much supplies. You come every month to collect, and now you’re early too? Don’t push us too far! Even a cornered rabbit will bite!”
This outburst left Gu Ning and her group baffled, but they quickly realized they were being mistaken for someone else.
Gu Ning said kindly, “Sorry, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. We’re here to find someone.”
Ji Zhaotang, however, had no patience for small talk, “Where’s your manager? Get him out here.”
A man in his thirties looked at them suspiciously, “You’re not here to collect supplies?”
“We’re just here to find someone…” Gu Ning suddenly stopped, her gaze shifting to a man being dragged over by Xiao Liang. Her expression changed, and she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Jia Daozhang!”
Jia Daozhang, who was being pulled along by Xiao Liang, suddenly heard a familiar voice call his name. He paused, shook his head, and muttered, “I’ve been hearing Zhang Xiaobai talk about Gu Ning so much lately, I’m starting to hallucinate…” When he looked up, he was startled, his feet glued to the ground.
Xiao Liang tugged at him, “Hey! Jia Daozhang, why aren’t you moving?” Then he saw the thunderstruck expression on Jia Daozhang’s face.
“Am I seeing things?” Jia Daozhang rubbed his eyes and looked again. The golden-haired girl at the gate was indeed Gu Ning. He exclaimed, “Oh my!”
Xiao Liang was confused, “Daozhang, are you okay?!”
“Oh my! My God!” Jia Daozhang shouted, shaking off Xiao Liang’s hand and rushing to the gate under the astonished gazes of the men. He grabbed the iron gate, his narrow eyes wide open, “I’m not seeing things! It’s really Gu Ning! My God! It’s really Gu Ning! What are you all standing around for? Open the gate!” Seeing their blank expressions, he quickly added, “This is Teacher Gu’s daughter!”
“Huh?” They were all stunned.
From Jia Daozhang’s words, Gu Ning deduced that her father was also here, and her heart leaped with joy.
After fumbling to open the gate, Jia Daozhang’s eyes reddened with emotion. He grabbed Gu Ning’s hand, saying excitedly, “Gu Ning! You finally found us! We’ve been waiting for you for days!”
Gu Ning’s eyes also reddened, “Jia Daozhang, it’s been a long time.” After a pause, she asked, “How are my parents?”
Jia Daozhang first said “good” three times, then suddenly hesitated, his expression changing, “Your mom is fine, but your dad…”
Gu Ning’s heart tightened, “What’s wrong with my dad?”
Jia Daozhang quickly said, “Don’t worry, your dad is okay, but his leg… Well, it’s hard to explain quickly. Let me take you to see them.”
He then hurriedly led Gu Ning and the others towards the classroom building.
Xiao Liang, still processing the dramatic turn of events, scratched his head in confusion, “What just happened?”
The small school had only three classroom buildings and one office building.
Inside, many elderly people were sitting on chairs on the grassy field, basking in the sun. No young people were in sight. Seeing Jia Daozhang bring over four energetic strangers, some of the elderly were too dazed to react, while others watched curiously. A few even greeted Jia Daozhang with smiles, and as they passed, one old man complimented Zhuang Chen on her looks.
Jia Daozhang led them straight to the middle classroom building.
They happened to run into Zhang Xiaobai, who was hurrying out of a classroom with a gun on his back. They both paused in surprise, then Zhang Xiaobai reacted, shouting without greeting Gu Ning, instead turning back into the classroom, banging on the door and yelling inside, “Gu Ning! Gu Ning is back!”
There was a hush inside.
Zhang Xiaobai was almost in tears, “It’s true! If I’m lying, I’m a pig!”
Silence followed, then chaos—Zhang Xiaobai was instantly swarmed by the crowd.
“Gu Ning!”
“Gu Ning!”
“Gu Ning!”
The familiar faces crowded around Gu Ning, their expressions a mix of disbelief and overwhelming joy. Even Gao Yue, standing outside the crowd, couldn’t help but show genuine happiness.
Gu Ning was immediately surrounded.
Ji Zhaotang pulled Zhuang Chen out of the circle, watching in mild horror as Gu Ning was engulfed.
“Gu Ning! We’ve been waiting for you for days!” Lei Long said excitedly.
Zhang Xiaobai finally squeezed through, saying excitedly, “What did I tell you?! I said Gu Ning would find us! You didn’t believe me!”
“Where are Third Brother and Method?” Gu Ning noticed several people were missing, including Xiang Xu, He He, and Wu Sen, and her heart sank.
Zhang Xiaobai said, “They’ve been going to different settlement points every day, looking to see if you ended up at another one. Who knew you’d find us first!”
Gu Ning felt relieved.
Jia Daozhang, standing outside the crowd, said, “Alright, alright! Give her some space! Gu Ning needs to see her dad!”
Hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed slightly, making Gu Ning anxious.
“I’ll take you. I can fill you in on your dad’s condition,” Gao Yue stepped forward.
“Zhuang Chen, I’ll catch up with you later,” Gu Ning said to Zhuang Chen, then nodded to Ji Zhaotang before following Gao Yue towards the classroom.
As they walked, Gao Yue explained, “On our way here, we were attacked by a zombie horde. Your dad got bitten on the leg while saving a child. I wasn’t there at the time, so I couldn’t administer the antidote in time. Thankfully, Third Brother acted quickly and amputated your dad’s leg to stop the infection. The wound has healed well, and he can walk now.”
Gu Ning’s heart ached at the thought of her father enduring such pain. If only she had been there, maybe this wouldn’t have happened…
As they reached the classroom door, Gu Ning looked inside and froze.
The classroom was packed with children, at least seventy or eighty of them, many with familiar faces. All were intently focused on the man at the podium.
Gu Ning immediately spotted her mother sitting in the front corner. She looked well, neatly dressed, smiling as she gazed at the man on the podium.
Gu Ning’s eyes welled up, and as she followed her mother’s gaze, tears spilled over.
The middle-aged man on the podium wore a cotton coat, leaning on a crutch with his left hand while writing on the blackboard with his right. He was teaching. Gu Ning felt both pride and heartache. Her gaze dropped, and she saw he was standing on only his right leg, his left leg amputated at the knee, the pant leg tied off. Gu Ning couldn’t hold back her tears.
Gao Yue said solemnly, “Gu Ning, your father is someone I deeply admire.”
Gu Ning was already in tears, choking out, “Dad—”
The classroom was quiet, making her voice especially clear.
The chalk in the man’s hand snapped as he pressed too hard. Both he and Gu Ning’s mother at the podium froze, then turned towards the door.
There stood their long-lost daughter!
“Gu Ning!” Xiang Xu shouted excitedly, jumping up from his seat.
The children from the Three-Linked Team, like He He, Zuo You, and Wu Sen, were stunned, then overwhelmed with excitement.
The classroom erupted in chaos.
“Ning Ning…” Gu Ning’s father’s eyes blurred with tears, barely able to see her at the door. Before he could wipe his eyes, Gu Ning rushed in and threw herself into his arms, sobbing, “Dad!”
“Ning Ning! It’s really you, Ning Ning!” Her mother rushed to the podium, stroking Gu Ning’s head.
“It’s me, Mom, I’m back!” Gu Ning hugged her mother, her voice choked with tears.
Her mother cried uncontrollably, “You’re back! Your dad and I missed you so much!” She kept patting Gu Ning’s back, as if scolding her for not returning sooner.
Gu Ning sobbed, “I’m sorry… I should have found you sooner, then Dad’s leg wouldn’t have…”
“Silly child! How can you blame yourself? If it weren’t for you, your dad would have died long ago. If you keep talking like that, your dad will really get angry. Look, your dad is just the same as before, with or without a leg,” her father comforted, gently stroking her back.
Gao Yue stood at the door, watching the family embrace and cry, visibly moved.