Chapter 133

Chapter 133: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 133

“Captain, help me save someone.”

The person Zhuang Chen wanted him to save was named Gu Ning, a female with distinctive short golden hair.

From the description given by the man called Third Brother, he found the flat roof where she was trapped. Judging by the scene, she had already escaped. Time was tight, and Zhuang Chen didn’t have time to explain Gu Ning’s abilities. So, when Ji Jiuzhe saw the pile of zombie corpses on the roof, all in various states of death, he was somewhat surprised. It seemed this Gu Ning was no ordinary person.

He looked up at the vines above, following their path with his gaze, deep in thought.

Female, short golden hair. Both matched. Without hesitation, Ji Jiuzhe reached out and accurately grabbed Gu Ning’s wrist as she was running, pulling her towards him. Her reaction was incredibly fast—the moment she turned, a knife was already coming down at him. However, when their eyes met, he clearly saw the panic in her pale eyes turn to shock. The knife she raised froze mid-air, unable to come down. It wasn’t shock at seeing a living person, but rather… shock at seeing someone who shouldn’t be here. This look almost made Ji Jiuzhe feel as if she knew him.

Before he could get a clear look at her face, sensing something approaching, he pulled her over, covered her mouth, and whispered, “Shh! Don’t make a sound.”

Her body tensed up instantly, but then, strangely, relaxed—a reaction too trusting for a stranger. Given that she had survived this long and escaped such a dangerous situation, this level of relaxation didn’t match someone with low vigilance…

Gu Ning, with her mouth covered, knew something was coming. She relaxed her body and slowed her breathing. About ten seconds later, the dragging sound of slippers approached. A small, thin white figure slowly came into Gu Ning’s view. It was the mutated little girl. Gu Ning couldn’t help but hold her breath. She had lost her spatial advantage, and this mutated zombie’s abilities were beyond her imagination. Even at such close range, she didn’t dare act rashly. This was the closest “she” had ever been. “She” wore red sandals, making a clacking sound as she walked. Up close, her face had a faint grayish hue, but her features were intact, almost like a normal, slightly thin child.

“She” dragged her feet past them, but just as she was about to pass their hiding spot, she suddenly stopped. In the darkness, Gu Ning’s hand silently gripped her knife. A hand immediately pressed down on her wrist, stopping her from drawing it. Gu Ning’s nerves were on edge. The little girl slowly turned her stiff neck, her gray eyes “looking” in their direction.

Fearing she might be controlled again, Gu Ning decisively closed her eyes.

The zombie girl stood there, her gray eyes fixed on them. Ji Jiuzhe, with one hand covering Gu Ning’s mouth, fearlessly met the zombie girl’s gaze. Her face showed a hint of confusion. “She” clearly sensed that someone had been here just moments ago… “She” paused for about ten seconds, but to Gu Ning, it felt like an eternity. Time seemed to freeze, and her hand gripping the knife handle was drenched in cold sweat. Finally, the clacking sound of the sandals resumed, and to Gu Ning, it was like music to her ears.

The dragging footsteps grew fainter until they disappeared in the distance, heading back towards the main road. Gu Ning was filled with lingering fear. If she hadn’t been stopped, she would have directly confronted that mutated zombie.

The hand covering her mouth slowly released.

Gu Ning said hoarsely, “Thank you.”

Ji Jiuzhe asked, “Gu Ning?”

Gu Ning replied, “Yes.”

Ji Jiuzhe said, “Zhuang Chen sent me to get you. Let’s go.”

After this brief exchange, Ji Jiuzhe stepped out of the hiding spot.

“Did my teammates make it back?” Gu Ning asked.

“Zhuang Chen mentioned someone called Third Brother. Is that your teammate?”

Gu Ning sighed in relief, “Yes.” It seemed they had made it back safely.

She followed Ji Jiuzhe towards the river.

Gu Ning had once wondered what it would be like to meet Ji Jiuzhe in the apocalypse, but she never imagined their first meeting would be so messy. She was covered in filth, her hair soaked with sweat, sticking to her forehead, and her knife was smeared with disgusting fluids. But Ji Jiuzhe was alive and had made it to the Central South Base. This was something to be happy about. The helicopter she had heard earlier must have been Ji Jiuzhe’s, coming from the capital to find Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing. Even in the apocalypse, the First Squad was still intact. Gu Ning felt a sense of comfort.

A zombie stumbled out from a nearby yard, taking a couple of steps before its body was suddenly grabbed by an invisible force and slammed into the wall. With a loud crash, the back of its head was smashed, and it slid down the wall, sitting crookedly on the ground.

Gu Ning abruptly stopped, raising her knife defensively, scanning the surroundings. Only when Ji Jiuzhe stopped and looked back at her did she realize what had happened.

She sheathed her knife and silently followed.

She wanted to ask Ji Jiuzhe about his special ability. Judging by the attack pattern, was it psychic? But she had never seen Xiang Xu attack zombies like that—

But this was her “first meeting” with Ji Jiuzhe. To her, he was the most familiar stranger. If she asked, Ji Jiuzhe might not have a good impression of her, a stranger. She didn’t want to leave a bad impression, so it was better to keep her mouth shut.

Ji Jiuzhe gave her the same cold, unapproachable vibe as when she first met him in that other world, maybe even more so. The apocalypse had changed everyone, including Ji Jiuzhe, but he was still as strong as ever.

Ji Jiuzhe found this girl, Gu Ning, unusually quiet. From the moment they met, including the two words “thank you,” she had only spoken four sentences, totaling less than 20 words. She was younger than he had imagined, looking to be in her early twenties. She was extremely cautious and overly quiet, her footsteps light, keeping a distance of about two meters behind him. He could barely hear her footsteps, and her reactions and speed were impressively fast. These qualities were rare, not something an ordinary person could achieve after the apocalypse. Her overall abilities even seemed to surpass Zhuang Chen’s. Zhuang Chen was a member of the First Squad, but who was this Gu Ning?

Even without her special ability, Gu Ning was still formidable, and Ji Jiuzhe was even more so. The entire way, Gu Ning simply followed behind him. They made it back to the base without any issues.

Cheng Ming had been waiting by the wall. When he saw Gu Ning jump down, he couldn’t help but rush forward and hug her. Gu Ning wasn’t too surprised, her stiff expression softening slightly. She patted Cheng Ming’s back and said softly, “I’m fine.”

Cheng Ming let go of Gu Ning and nodded at Ji Jiuzhe, saying gratefully, “Thank you.”

Ji Jiuzhe glanced at Gu Ning, then nodded coldly and walked towards the base’s main gate.

As they walked, Gu Ning asked, “How’s the base holding up? Have the other squads returned? How’s Fang Fa?”

Fang Fa said, “Zhuang Chen and Director Zhong are directing at the main gate. They’re holding up for now. The others have already returned. Gao Yue is operating on Fang Fa. The bullet isn’t too deep, and with Gao Yue’s skills, it should be fine. Don’t worry.”

Gu Ning nodded, but her expression didn’t relax much. Her space had inexplicably closed, and her healing ability was unusable. Worse, the closed space meant she couldn’t return to the other world through the door inside it. She looked at Ji Jiuzhe ahead, remembering how she had disappeared halfway through cooking. If Ji Jiuzhe had returned later and seen the half-cooked meal but no trace of her, she didn’t know what would have happened. But now, there was nothing she could do.

Gu Ning didn’t head to the main gate but instead went upstairs first.

Seeing Gu Ning return safely, her parents’ eyes welled up with tears. Her mother hugged her tightly, unwilling to let go. Earlier, when Fang Fa had been carried back, they had been terrified. Cheng Ming’s vague answers about Gu Ning’s condition had only added to their anxiety, though they tried not to show it. Seeing Gu Ning return, albeit disheveled but unharmed, they were relieved.

After a brief stay, Gu Ning had to bid her worried parents farewell and return to the main gate.

Zhuang Chen didn’t hesitate to give Gu Ning a big hug, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Gu Ning smiled, “I’m not that easy to kill.”

Looking at the still numerous zombies, her expression turned serious again.

“That’s the captain of our First Squad, Ji Jiuzhe,” Zhuang Chen introduced, pointing at Ji Jiuzhe’s back. Then, lowering her voice with a hint of nervousness, she asked, “He didn’t recognize you, did he?”

Gu Ning was momentarily stunned before remembering that Zhuang Chen had told her not to let Ji Jiuzhe see her. But his earlier reaction suggested he hadn’t recognized her—perhaps the light was too dim, or the situation didn’t allow for much thought. Gu Ning shook her head, “No.”

Yi Shaoqing handed her a white mask, “Put this on.”

Gu Ning took it, somewhat resigned, but put it on.

Ji Jiuzhe glanced back, his gaze pausing slightly on Gu Ning. She had suddenly put on a mask, leaving only her eyes visible. He hadn’t gotten a clear look at her face earlier, and now all he could see were her somewhat cold eyes.

A strange person. That was Ji Jiuzhe’s impression of Gu Ning now.