Chapter 115

Chapter 115: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 115

That zombie just retreated, disappearing from Gu Ning and the others’ sight. If it weren’t for the shattered door, the scattered wood chips, the green ooze seeping from its wounds, and the lingering pain in her right arm, Gu Ning might have thought the appearance of that mutated zombie was just a hallucination.

Method stared at the empty corridor, both confused and incredulous: “It… ran away?”

Cheng Ming and Zhang Xiaobai were also speechless for a long time.

It’s no wonder they were shocked. Nothing could usually stop a zombie’s instinct to hunt living creatures. They had faced zombies countless times, and each time, they had to kill the zombie to avoid being bitten. Never had a zombie turned tail and run away. This was a first.

“Did it… get scared off by us?” Zhang Xiaobai said in disbelief.

Gu Ning was equally puzzled. If the zombie had fled because of its injuries, realizing it was outmatched, then it meant that zombies, which were always thought to have no self-awareness and only acted on instinct, had evolved self-awareness?! Zombies were already terrifying without self-awareness. If they truly gained self-awareness… Just the thought sent a chill down Gu Ning’s spine.

But now wasn’t the time to worry about that. The immediate danger was over, but there were still unresolved issues.

Gu Ning’s icy gaze turned to the psychic system ability user, Lu Qi, standing behind Zhang Ji, and Zhou Yan, who looked a bit pale. She had specifically called for a psychic ability user to prevent unforeseen dangers. If she hadn’t noticed quickly earlier, Method might have been seriously injured or even killed. Gu Ning knew very well that their target wasn’t Method. Besides Method, she was the closest to the zombie, and right behind her were members of the Three-Linked Team. Any misstep, and the Three-Linked Team would have been the first to suffer!

But now wasn’t the time to settle scores.

Gu Ning looked at Zhang Ji and said coldly, “Zhang Ji, control your people.” After saying that, she continued upward. Zhang Xiaobai, Zhong Xu, and Method weren’t fools. They hadn’t realized it earlier, but now, hearing Gu Ning’s words, they immediately understood. They shot unfriendly glances at Lu Qi and Zhou Yan. Though they were also seething with anger, they knew now wasn’t the time and followed Gu Ning with dark expressions.

The other squads’ gazes toward Zhang Ji’s team became somewhat微妙. It was clear that the psychic ability user from Zhang Ji’s team had just screwed over the Three-Linked Team. Rumor had it that Zhang Ji’s team had clashed with the Three-Linked Team when they first entered the base. It seemed some people still held grudges.

Zhang Ji’s expression darkened, his sharp eyes sweeping over Lu Qi and Zhou Yan, his face clearly showing anger. Lu Qi opened her mouth, wanting to explain, but Zhang Ji simply walked upward without a word.

Lu Qi shot a resentful glance at Zhou Yan. If it weren’t for Zhou Yan’s pleading, she wouldn’t have made Zhang Ji so angry. She couldn’t help but blame Zhou Yan for causing all this and quickly followed.

The rest of the journey was surprisingly safe, with only a few ordinary zombies shambling toward them, all of which Gu Ning swiftly dealt with.

As they progressed, Gu Ning grew increasingly anxious, her speed picking up. By the end, only Method could keep up, while the others fell far behind. However, the closer they got to the top floor, the stronger Gu Ning’s sense of unease grew. Along the way, there were no signs of ability attacks or dead zombie bodies. It was too clean, suggesting no one had passed through. What did that mean? Gu Ning felt a pang of panic.

“This Gu Ning, isn’t she a space system user, but a speed system user?!” Yuan Ge leaned on the railing, marveling.

“Is it possible she’s both a space system and a speed system user?” someone from his team asked.

“Dual-system abilities? I’ve never heard of that. Besides, her speed isn’t that fast. Maybe she just has good stamina.” After saying this, even Yuan Ge doubted himself. He had once won a marathon, but even he wasn’t as freakishly fast as Gu Ning!

Gu Ning, however, couldn’t hear the chatter of those still slowly climbing the thirty-something floors. She and Method had already reached the top floor.

The door to the rooftop was still locked.

Gu Ning used her knife to violently break the lock, then pushed open the heavy iron door and stepped out. As soon as she did, she saw the helicopter parked in the center and felt a surge of excitement. After carefully checking the surroundings for anything suspicious, she immediately ran toward it.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the helicopter had been attacked mid-air. The entire body was dented and deformed, as if squeezed by a giant hand, and the tail was broken. The pilot must have had exceptional skills to safely land in such a condition.

Gu Ning’s heart was filled with anxiety. She stepped onto the helicopter’s footboard and found it empty. She instantly breathed a sigh of relief. She had been terrified of finding someone she knew inside. She climbed into the cabin and thoroughly checked it, finding no documents or anything resembling a vaccine sample. However, she did find a backpack filled with supplies. They must have left in a hurry, not even taking the most crucial supply bag.

Gu Ning meticulously checked the cabin again before stepping out and shaking her head at Method, who was waiting outside: “Nothing.” But her mood had lightened considerably. Whether it was Ji Jiuzhe, Yi Shaoqing, or Zhuang Chen, Gu Ning had great confidence in them. As long as the plane hadn’t crashed, she believed any of them could have found a way to escape. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have become the First Squad.

Method sensed a change in Gu Ning’s mood but didn’t understand it. They hadn’t found the people or the items, so why did Gu Ning seem relieved? He didn’t dwell on it. While Gu Ning checked the cabin, he inspected the area: “There are signs of ability battles over there. They must have encountered mutated zombies. A section of the wall has been torn off.” He pointed in another direction: “There’s another staircase leading down. I saw the same green ooze from the mutated zombie we saw earlier. The walls also show damage from wind blades and other abilities. They must have gone down that way.”

This explained why they hadn’t seen any traces on their way up.

While waiting for the others to catch up, Gu Ning surveyed the area. As Method had said, there had been an intense battle. The guardrail was completely destroyed, and further on, there was even a hole punched through the wall. From the marks, Gu Ning could see traces of wind, fire, and earth abilities. She remembered Zhuang Chen was a wind ability user. Wind abilities were rare and considered a variant type. It was highly likely that the wind ability user was Zhuang Chen!

Gu Ning and Method waited on the rooftop for nearly twenty to thirty minutes before the others slowly made their way up. Method repeated his earlier observations to the group, and everyone agreed with his deductions.

Zhang Ji said, “That mutated zombie we saw earlier seemed heavily injured. It was probably wounded by the people on this helicopter. It seems there were some powerful ability users on board who must have escaped with the data.”

Someone complained, “So we came all this way for nothing?!”

Zhong Xu sneered, “Don’t worry, whether we find anything or not, you’ll still get your share of supplies.”

The complainer immediately fell silent.

Considering the others were exhausted, they decided to rest for ten minutes. Everyone collapsed on the ground, including Cheng Ming, Zhang Xiaobai, and Zhong Xu, who looked completely spent. Zhang Ji found a spot to sit and watched Gu Ning, who was still pacing around without showing any signs of fatigue, with a复杂 expression.

After a short rest, the group struggled to their feet under Method’s urging and followed Gu Ning down another staircase.

Gu Ning led the way, and as Method had said, they could see the green ooze trailing down the stairs, smeared on the walls, along with marks from wind blades. The path was littered with zombie corpses, some even piled up on the stairs. For the first time, Gu Ning carefully examined each corpse, her eyes scanning every body.

It had taken nearly an hour to climb up, but the descent was swift. Only when they reached the first floor did Gu Ning confirm that none of the corpses belonged to anyone she knew, finally allowing herself to relax completely.