Chapter 197

Chapter 197: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 197

That night, under Gu Ning’s influence, more than forty new Special Ability users evolved.

The base now had a total of over 170 Special Ability users, but this was still far from enough.

Gu Ning, along with Method, Cheng Ming, and Xiang Xu, left the base quietly without alerting anyone. Method and Cheng Ming wore night-vision goggles, while Xiang Xu and Gu Ning naturally had night-vision abilities.

Using Xiang Xu’s Spiritual Power to detect where the zombies were most densely concentrated and where the Special Ability fluctuations were strongest, they headed straight for those areas. The most dangerous places were also where the most rewards could be found.

That night, Gu Ning no longer held back her Special Ability. She manipulated the vines like living creatures, dancing wildly and cutting through everything in their path. Any zombie that came into view was mercilessly pierced. Cheng Ming controlled Wind Blades, cleanly slicing off the zombies’ skulls, while Method moved with the speed of the wind, swiftly collecting the Crystal Cores into their bags. The four of them worked together seamlessly, a perfect synergy honed through countless battles. A single glance was enough for them to understand each other and react quickly.

With just the four of them, they cleared out five entire streets of zombies in one night, killing over 3,000 zombies, and obtained more than 60 evolved Crystal Cores, over 300 supplementary Crystal Cores, and two Mutation Crystal Cores. They consumed 14 supplementary Crystal Cores.

Even in the entire Capital City, no one had the guts or the audacity to pull off such a feat, let alone achieve such a glorious record.

By dawn, when they returned to the base, Cheng Ming, Method, and Xiang Xu were completely exhausted. They went straight to their rooms and collapsed into sleep.

Gu Ning had expended the most energy, wielding her vines countless times throughout the night. She was also utterly exhausted. Without wasting any time, Third Brother had already arranged everything. After consuming a Mutation Crystal Core, she too fell straight into bed.

The following days were eerily calm.

No news came from the Capital City base.

Gu Ning sent Xia Yu to Base One to inquire with Zhuang Chen, but Zhuang Chen came in person instead.

After listening to Jia Daozhang explain the situation, Zhuang Chen said, “This is very strange. I did receive news that a Special Ability team went out to hunt zombies and two people died, but the message didn’t mention any conflict with Oasis Base. If you killed them, why would they suppress the news? One of the deceased was someone I don’t know well, probably without much backing, but the other was the granddaughter of a high-ranking official in the base. That family is known for holding grudges, yet now everything is so calm. It’s really odd.”

Jia Daozhang asked, “Could it be that the others with them are afraid of taking responsibility and deliberately hid the truth?”

“There’s no need for that. They could easily pin everything on you. Besides, they all have some background. Almost everyone in that team has family influence in the Capital City. Even if the Gu family wanted to retaliate, they couldn’t do much to them.” Zhuang Chen paused, then added sympathetically, “These people are used to throwing their weight around in the Capital City base. You just happened to cross paths with them. Tough luck.”

Zhuang Chen continued, “I didn’t know this incident involved you, so I didn’t pay much attention to the news. When I return to the base, I’ll look into it and let you know if I find anything.”

Third Brother thanked her, “We appreciate it.”

Zhuang Chen smiled warmly, “No need to be so formal, Third Brother. If I ever can’t make it in the Capital City base, I hope Oasis Base will take me in.”

Third Brother laughed heartily, “The doors of Oasis Base are always open to you!”

“Gu Ning, come walk with me. I haven’t had a proper tour of your base yet,” Zhuang Chen said to Gu Ning.

“Sure, let’s go.”

“When you first told me you wanted to build a base, I never imagined you’d make it this impressive. In some ways, Oasis Base even surpasses the Capital City base,” Zhuang Chen remarked as Gu Ning led her around, briefly explaining the base’s facilities and some of its systems. Zhuang Chen couldn’t help but sigh, feeling both impressed and troubled. “The Capital City base has the nation’s most powerful arsenal and the most resources, but it’s also a tangled web of competing factions. The struggle for resources is brutal, and often, the lives of ordinary people are overlooked. What’s best about Oasis Base is that whether it’s the older generation like Third Brother and Jia Daozhang, or the younger generation like Method and Cheng Ming, you all still retain a sense of compassion and kindness. For you, profit seems insignificant, but for some in the Capital City base, it’s something they’ve been taught to fight for since birth.”

Gu Ning agreed wholeheartedly. Whether it was Third Brother and the others, or Method and his group, none of them were overly obsessed with power. They were willing to help others as long as it didn’t sacrifice their own interests. That was probably why she had ended up with them in the first place.

“You’ve done well,” Zhuang Chen said finally. “Maybe one day, if I can’t stay in the Capital City base anymore, I’ll bring my family here. Remember to save a good house for me.”

Gu Ning smiled, “You can pick any house in the base.”

Zhuang Chen got into her car and laughed, “You said it! I’ll be your neighbor someday!”

Gu Ning closed the car door for her and said, “Take care on the road.”

Zhuang Chen nodded, “I’m off!”

With that, she stepped on the gas and drove away.

Two more peaceful days passed.

But this calm was unsettling, as if a storm was brewing, the kind that fills the air with tension before it breaks.

Zhuang Chen hadn’t sent any news, which suggested nothing had happened, but Gu Ning still felt a lingering unease. For the past two nights, she hadn’t gone out, staying in the base instead, feeling that something was about to happen.

The base now had 300 Special Ability users.

The newly evolved Special Ability users were diligently studying at the Special Ability school. With instructors guiding them, their progress in mastering their abilities had significantly accelerated. Aside from keeping a few Mutation Crystal Cores as reserves, Gu Ning distributed the rest to Xiang Xu, Zhang Xiaobai, and Cheng Ming to enhance their Special Ability pools.

Though she didn’t know if anything would happen, Gu Ning always prepared for the worst.

She took some time to call Ji Jiuzhe and explained the situation.

Ji Jiuzhe’s opinion was that the Capital City base wouldn’t go to war with Oasis Base over just two people, but he couldn’t guarantee that the family of the deceased girl wouldn’t take action. For now, Gu Ning and the others could only wait.

“But you must be careful,” Ji Jiuzhe’s voice came through the phone. “The Gu family is known for holding grudges. This matter won’t just blow over.”

Gu Ning replied, “Yes, Zhuang Chen already warned me.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a soft sigh. Ji Jiuzhe said, “I should be by your side.”

Gu Ning tightened her grip on the phone and smiled silently, “You’ve always been by my side.”

Two more days passed, and Gu Ning remained vigilant.

Finally, on the third night, a loud explosion rang out! Followed by a series of deafening booms, countless fireworks lit up the base, illuminating the sky and the terrified faces of the people. Many rushed out of their homes in panic, staring in horror at the fireworks exploding one after another above the base. It was a beautiful sight, but also one filled with dread.

“It’s finally here,” Gu Ning stepped outside, looking up at the fireworks that lit up the entire sky, her expression grave. She had expected something, but the scale of it still shocked her.

It was 1 a.m., and the noise was enough to attract zombies from far away… It wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes for the walls to be surrounded by zombies. Everyone in the base knew this, and panic spread like wildfire among the crowd.

The cries of babies were drowned out by the loud fireworks.

Third Brother’s firm and powerful voice roared:

“Xiang Xu! Make them stop!”

“Method, notify all Special Ability users to gather here!”

“Xiaobai, go check the Monitoring Room! How did they manage to deliver fireworks to our base without us knowing?”

“Cheng Ming, notify all team leaders to assemble their squads and await orders!”

“Yes!”

Everyone quickly moved to carry out their orders.

At that moment, the female announcer’s voice, familiar to everyone in the base, came over the loudspeakers: “Attention all base personnel, attention all base personnel! The base has issued a Level One combat alert! All civilians currently outside, please return to your rooms, lock your doors and windows, take up the weapons issued by the base, and protect your families!”

After repeating the message three times, the announcer stopped. She turned off the microphone and asked Gu Ning, “That’s done. Stay here, I’ll send two people to protect you. We might need you later.”

The announcer’s sweet face showed a hint of determination, “I’ll make sure the task is completed!”

Gu Ning nodded at her, then turned and walked out of the broadcast room.

The announcer suddenly stood up and called out to Gu Ning’s retreating figure, “Take care!”

Gu Ning didn’t turn back, just gave a slight nod before leaving the room.

The fireworks soon stopped, but the base remained brightly lit, with all the streetlights turned on.

As Xiang Xu walked, he said, “Those fireworks were all set off outside the walls. There must have been dozens of them.”

Gu Ning asked, “Did you spot any suspicious individuals?”

Xiang Xu replied, “No. But I did detect a trace of Spiritual Power.”

Gu Ning nodded in acknowledgment, then said, “Head to the walls and keep a close eye on the zombies’ movements.”

“Got it!” Xiang Xu said, then split off from Gu Ning with the mute boy, running toward the walls.

The streets were empty of ordinary people; everyone had followed the broadcast’s instructions and returned to their homes.

Only soldiers and Special Ability users hurried through the streets, their expressions serious.

Although the fireworks had been extinguished, the noise had been enough to rouse the zombies lurking in the darkness. They didn’t need the fireworks to guide them to the base; the scent of humans would draw them in. It wouldn’t be long before the walls were surrounded.