Chapter 110

Chapter 110: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Chapter 110

At ten in the morning, the sky had just brightened. It was almost November, and Gu Ning compared the weather here to that of another world, feeling it was much colder here. The sun set at three in the afternoon, and by four, it was completely dark. The daylight lasted no more than five hours. While the days were bearable, the nights were as cold as winter. Without thick blankets, it was easy to fall ill, especially since most people were malnourished and in poor health, with no medicine to treat their illnesses.

Recently, the base had started distributing free cotton blankets, but the demand far exceeded the supply. Every day, there were reports of weak children and elderly people passing away.

When Gu Ning and her team left the base, they witnessed a mother kneeling in front of a tent, holding a two or three-year-old child whose body had turned blue. She was patting the lifeless body of her child. The sun had just risen in the east, casting warm light on the small, frozen body, but it couldn’t bring warmth back to the child’s cold form.

Even Hong Jie, the most ruthless and sharp-tongued member of the Three-Linked Team, felt an indescribable heaviness in her chest, as if a large stone was blocking her breath. This was especially true for the kind-hearted Cheng Ming and Third Brother, who had always seen protecting the people as their duty.

Everyone felt a mix of emotions, an unspeakable sadness. They lived in the best houses, wore warm cotton clothes, and had cozy blankets at night. Even if someone caught a cold, there was a doctor in the team.

That night, Gu Ning quietly visited the Management Office’s director and directly stated her intentions. On behalf of the Three-Linked Team, she donated a batch of supplies: three hundred bags of rice, winter clothes and blankets she had specially purchased in large quantities from another world, and some urgently needed medicines for the base.

Gu Ning trusted Director Zhong from the Management Office. She had seen him secretly giving supplies to the elderly and children in the base. They had interacted often, and he occasionally shared his feelings of helplessness with her, his eyes filled with deep compassion.

The three hundred bags of rice were neatly stacked against the wall, each weighing fifty pounds! The porridge distributed by the base every night was so thin that a ladleful would yield nothing but clear water, not even a grain of rice. Director Zhong was anxious, watching the people grow weaker day by day. The capital’s promised supplies kept being delayed, and the base’s resources were limited, with priority given to those doing hard labor for the base’s construction.

But these three hundred bags of rice, totaling fifteen thousand pounds, could last until the next batch of supplies arrived from the capital if used sparingly!

There were also warm blankets and clothes, and even more precious, medicines that were scarce worldwide!

When Director Zhong learned that Gu Ning was donating such a large amount of supplies, he was utterly shocked. After repeatedly confirming her intentions, he was moved to tears and couldn’t speak for a long time.

Gu Ning only made two requests.

First, the news of her donation must not be leaked.

Second, the supplies must be prioritized for the elderly and children.

Although Director Zhong didn’t fully understand the first request, he solemnly agreed. After expressing his gratitude repeatedly, he watched as half the room filled with supplies, deeply moved, as Gu Ning declined his offer to escort her back.

Gu Ning left the Management Office feeling a sense of relief.

She had consulted most of her team before making this decision, and everyone agreed. Only Hong Jie expressed concern that giving away so many supplies at once might be disadvantageous for them in the future, but she didn’t say much more.

The next morning, before they were ready to leave, the Management Office sent someone to notify all Special Ability users to attend an urgent meeting in the second-floor conference room, requiring full attendance.

The base’s Management Office was still the authoritative management level of the base. No matter how powerful Gu Ning and the other Special Ability users were, they were still under the base’s jurisdiction.

So, the small conference room was packed with the base’s Special Ability users. Familiar faces whispered among themselves, sharing information they had gathered. Gu Ning glanced at Zhang Ji sitting across from her, and he shook his head, indicating he didn’t know what was going on. Jia Daozhang, the Three-Linked Team’s diplomat and intelligence officer, had already mingled with other teams and returned within minutes, reporting that no one else knew what was happening.

They could only wait for the base’s management to arrive.

The base leader was a middle-aged man around forty-five, wearing a gray wool sweater, his hair messy as if he had rushed out without combing it. But those who knew him were aware that this was his usual style. As he walked in, he looked like any ordinary middle-aged man from the pre-apocalypse streets, with no trace of a high-ranking official. In contrast, Director Zhong, who followed him with a furrowed brow, seemed more like the base leader. Director Zhong’s expression softened slightly when he saw Gu Ning, giving her an almost imperceptible nod.

The base leader sat down, and Director Zhong took the first seat to his right.

After a yawn, the base leader said slowly, “Director Zhong, please announce the matter to everyone.”

Director Zhong leaned forward slightly, his face serious. “Given the urgency, I won’t beat around the bush. We’ve called you here so urgently because we need your help with a very urgent matter.”

Seeing Director Zhong’s grave expression, all the Special Ability users in the room realized something major had happened.

“It’s a message from the capital. Yesterday, two of our three helicopters were attacked by an unknown entity in the Baoxi District and were forced to land there. We lost contact with them afterward,” Director Zhong said with a deep frown. “On those helicopters were invaluable research materials for a zombie virus vaccine, escorted by several Special Ability users.”

As soon as Director Zhong finished speaking, the conference room erupted.

Zhang Ji was the first to ask, “Has a vaccine for the zombie virus been developed?!”

Director Zhong replied gravely, “Not yet. But according to the capital, the materials on the helicopter are crucial for a breakthrough in the vaccine’s development. There’s also a medical expert who has made significant progress in understanding the zombie virus. If anything happens to them, it would be a tremendous loss for humanity! If the vaccine is successfully developed, our country, and even the entire world, could be saved!”

Someone hesitantly asked, “So, you’re asking us to go find those materials?”

Director Zhong nodded. “Exactly.”

The room immediately buzzed with chatter. Director Zhong’s mention of an “unknown entity” attacking the helicopters clearly pointed to evolved zombies. The fact that these zombies could take down helicopters meant the mission would be extremely dangerous, especially since the helicopters had landed in the Baoxi District, a notorious zombie-infested area. The base was essentially asking them to risk their lives, and their dissatisfaction was palpable.

Gu Ning and her team, however, remained silent, deep in thought.

Someone spoke up, “Evolved zombies that can attack helicopters… Director Zhong, we may be Special Ability users, but this is too dangerous…”

“We’re just ordinary people… Besides, if the capital received the message, why don’t they send people to retrieve it? Why not send more helicopters?”

“Exactly! And there are Special Ability users on that helicopter. What if they’ve already escaped? We go there, only to find nothing!”

This line of reasoning garnered agreement. No one wanted to risk their lives for a mission to save the world.

Director Zhong’s expression darkened. “Everyone, our base is the closest to the Baoxi District. It’s only a two-hour journey from here. If we wait for the capital to send reinforcements, it would take at least half a day. Time is of the essence; every minute we delay, those people and the materials on the helicopter are in greater danger.” He paused, then continued, “You’ve all been living in the base for some time now. Without the base’s protection, you wouldn’t be as safe as you are now. Since you’ve enjoyed the base’s protection, you also need to fulfill some obligations.” At this point, he glanced at Gu Ning before adding, “And this isn’t a free task. Regardless of the outcome, everyone who participates will receive a reward of fifty pounds of rice!”

The room fell silent.

Lately, supplies had been extremely scarce.

Although the Three-Linked Team had been continuously exchanging supplies, using Crystal Cores—which could expand their Special Ability pools—was still painful. Moreover, fifty pounds of rice per person could last for months if rationed carefully. Just as the room was filled with hesitation, a voice sneered, “No matter how many supplies you have, you need to be alive to use them.”

This statement chilled half the room, and several teams immediately opted out.

Zhang Ji remained silent, occasionally glancing at the Three-Linked Team.

In one of these glances, he noticed Third Brother looking somewhat anxious as he glanced at Gu Ning. After a moment of silence, Gu Ning gave a slight nod, and Third Brother’s expression immediately calmed.

Zhang Ji was puzzled by the interaction between Third Brother and Gu Ning.

As far as he knew, Third Brother was the leader of the Three-Linked Team. Gu Ning, who had joined with her parents, was a Space System Special Ability user but carried the burden of two dependents. Logically, her position in the team should have been somewhat awkward. However, from the few interactions he had witnessed, Zhang Ji got the impression that Gu Ning’s status in the team was not as low as he had imagined. The subtle interaction between Third Brother and Gu Ning confirmed this.

Then he heard Third Brother say, “Director Zhong, can you provide us with the exact location where the helicopter was forced to land?”

Zhang Ji was stunned. So, Third Brother’s glance at Gu Ning earlier was… seeking her approval?!

Director Zhong was also taken aback but quickly replied, “The helicopters were equipped with tracking devices. The capital has transmitted the precise location to us, accurate within five hundred meters.”

The room fell silent again. No one expected the Three-Linked Team, known for their independence and reluctance to get involved, to suddenly step forward.

Third Brother nodded and said with a relaxed smile, “Alright. Count us in.” His tone was light, without any hint of reluctance.

The Three-Linked Team and Zhang Ji’s team were recognized as the two strongest teams in the base. However, since arriving at the base, the Three-Linked Team had never shown interest in recruiting other Special Ability users, while Zhang Ji’s team had taken in five new members in less than a month, surpassing the Three-Linked Team in numbers. Yet, perhaps due to the Three-Linked Team’s mysterious aura and their seemingly abundant resources, the base’s residents subconsciously didn’t consider Zhang Ji’s team to be stronger than the Three-Linked Team.