Chapter 143

Chapter 143: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 143

After discussing the three proposals put forward by Third Brother for a long time, the group finally decided to head to the capital.

Jia Daozhang said, “We’ll leave a few more marks along the way later. Gu Ning’s vision is better at night than during the day, so she’ll definitely see them.” He glanced worriedly at Gu Dad and Gu Mama sitting in the front. They hadn’t spoken the entire journey, and Gu Mama occasionally wiped away tears, clearly very worried about Gu Ning’s safety. Jia Daozhang sighed inwardly. He was also worried about Gu Ning. No matter how capable she was, she was still just a young girl. But for Gu Dad and Gu Mama, any comfort they could offer was useless. All they could do was pray for Gu Ning’s safe return.

Hong Jie interrupted Jia Daozhang’s thoughts, “What about those people? Are we planning to take them all to the capital? It’s not just about providing them shelter now.”

“They seem to be discussing something,” Lin Zihao said. Chen Wen and the others were standing outside the bus, taking in the fresh air. Through the window, they could see the lights inside the bus, where only members of the Three-Linked Team were present, with no outsiders in sight.

Lin Zihao carefully wiped the knife in his hand. Hearing Chen Wen’s words, he looked up and said, “Probably discussing where to go next.”

Chen Wen whispered, “Or maybe they’re discussing how to deal with us.”

Lin Zihao glanced at her, slowing his movements, “What do you mean?”

Chen Wen said, “Don’t you know? Whether we stay or leave, we don’t have a choice. The choice lies with them.” She looked at Lin Zihao and continued, “Your chances of staying are pretty high, but for us, it’s different…” She was referring to the other girls and the woman with a child.

Lin Zihao stared at Chen Wen, “I noticed you’ve been getting close to Luo Long recently…”

Chen Wen was startled, unsure why Lin Zihao would bring this up. She looked at him with a slightly confused expression, as if she hadn’t fully processed his words, “Huh?”

Lin Zihao smiled, “Never mind. I’m heading up.” He pointed to the roof of the car and then walked towards the rear.

Chen Wen watched as Lin Zihao climbed onto the roof, where Cheng Ming gave him a hand. Lin Zihao said something to Cheng Ming, who smiled in response, showing a very friendly relationship. Chen Wen’s gaze darkened. This Lin Zihao, she heard, was an alumnus of Cheng Ming, and Gu Ning was also from the same school. From her observations over the past few days and the information she gathered from other members of the Three-Linked Team, Gu Ning and Cheng Ming were central figures in the team. With this connection, Lin Zihao’s chances of staying were much higher.

“I think Lin Zihao can stay for a while longer for observation,” someone in the car suggested. “From the past few days, he seems like a decent person, and he’s from the same school as Cheng Ming and Gu Ning. That day when we returned from outside, he was a big help.”

The gunshot wound on his stomach was somewhat related to Lin Zihao, but it wasn’t Lin Zihao who shot him. Moreover, Lin Zihao’s subsequent guilt and care for him far exceeded what he should have been responsible for, which made him think that Lin Zihao was a person of good character.

“I also think Lin Zihao is good,” Zhong Xu said. “When we were escaping, it was so dangerous that people instinctively ran to the front. But without anyone arranging it, Lin Zihao consciously stayed at the back to cover us. He also got on the bus last. I don’t think this kind of behavior can be faked. Plus, his marksmanship is good. I suggest we take him with us, put him in the reserve team for observation, and then decide whether to officially recruit him.”

Lin Zihao was clearly popular among the Three-Linked Team members. Most people who had interacted with him agreed that he should stay.

“What about the others?” Shi Tou asked. “Those girls and the woman with a child… and the people who got on the bus today.”

Hong Jie glanced at Luo Long, who was silent but clearly anxious, and said, “For laundry, cooking, and taking care of the children in the team, and with the possibility of more injured people joining, it’s just me, Ah Jie, and Mengyao. We might not be able to handle it all, so let’s keep them for now, like Lin Zihao, as reserve members, and see how they perform. As for those who got on the bus today…”

“I want to keep that woman,” Gao Yue, who had never spoken up during team discussions, suddenly interrupted Hong Jie. “I injected her with the No. 1 antidote. I need to keep her to draw her blood for further observation. The others, do as you please.”

Several people who had their blood drawn by Gao Yue shivered upon hearing her words.

Third Brother said, “Then after this is settled, Zhong Xu, you go give them a flashlight and prepare two days’ worth of water and food for them. Let them find their own way.”

Zhong Xu resignedly said, “I knew it. Every time something like this comes up, it’s always me.”

Third Brother said, “Then let’s rest here for tonight. It’s past five now. Everyone rest, and we’ll set off at ten tomorrow morning.”

When Zhong Xu told the men to leave, they stubbornly refused. In the end, Tian Fei and the others had to force them out at gunpoint. As they left, they cursed and muttered, which angered Tian Fei and the others so much that they took back the supplies they had given them.

After getting used to sleeping in beds, sleeping in the car again felt quite uncomfortable.

Jia Daozhang had just managed to fall asleep when he was awakened by Zhang Xiaobai’s knocking.

Jia Daozhang opened the door and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhang Xiaobai, wrapped up tightly, whether from cold or fear, said in a trembling voice, “Daozhang, start the car. There’s a group of zombies coming.”

Jia Daozhang was instantly wide awake, all remnants of sleep gone.

When Gu Ning called Zhuang Chen in the morning, Zhuang Chen scolded her, saying that if it weren’t for Ji Jiuzhe stopping her, she would have rushed to the capital. Gu Ning repeatedly apologized before Zhuang Chen finally let her off. Zhuang Chen had always taken extra care of her, whether in the apocalypse or here, and Gu Ning cherished their bond.

After reassuring Gu Mama, who had a lot to say about Gu Ning not returning home for over half a month, Gu Ning asked about Gu Mama’s health. Gu Mama said everything was fine. Gu Ning decided to tell Gu Mama about her “job change” when she returned. Otherwise, hearing it from someone else would only cause unnecessary worry.

After some casual chat, Gu Mama suddenly brought up Jiang Yu, “By the way, Ningning, do you know about your cousin resigning?”

Gu Ning was stunned, then said, “No, I haven’t been in contact with her.”

“Your aunt called me a couple of days ago, saying Jiang Yu suddenly quit her job and went on a trip,” Gu Mama said. “Your aunt used to always talk about how promising Jiang Yu’s job was and how high her future salary would be. How could she just quit like that?”

Gu Ning said, “I don’t know.” She didn’t want to talk about Jiang Yu, so she changed the subject, “I’ll be back in a few days. Make me some good food then.”

Gu Mama chuckled, “Of course, I’ll make all your favorite dishes. By the way, Xiao Fang came over yesterday and brought some cured meat. He said his mom made it and they had too much, so he brought some over. I really like that young man. Listen to your mom, marrying someone like him will ensure a good life. You should really seize the opportunity. Good men like him are hard to find these days. Be careful not to let some other girl snatch him up!”

“Mom,” Gu Ning sighed helplessly, “Fang Fa and I are just friends.”

“Friends can develop into something more!” Gu Mama said.

“Alright, alright. I have things to do here. I’ll be back in a few days, so let’s hang up now.” With that, Gu Ning hung up.

She was now preoccupied with how to live a stable life in the apocalypse. How could she have the energy to think about romance? Besides, Fang Fa? Gu Ning really hadn’t considered changing their relationship.

Gu Ning pulled open the curtains and looked at the rising sun outside, sighing. The space still couldn’t be opened. It should still be night over there. With the zombies cleared out, there shouldn’t be any safety issues for now. Gu Ning felt slightly relieved. If she couldn’t go to that world, she would just have to stay here for the time being.

“After finishing your business, what’s next? Are you planning to take your little apprentice back to Jinyong?” Ji Qige asked Ji Jiuzhe casually, “By the way, what happened with her disappearance last time… never mind, I won’t ask. It’s none of my business.” Ji Qige rolled his eyes and continued, “I have plans. If you’re leaving, give me a call.”

After parting ways with Ji Qige, Ji Jiuzhe got into the car but didn’t start it immediately. After pondering for a while, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

Ji Jiuzhe had been called out early in the morning by Ji Qige. Gu Ning, lying in bed, was bored. After sitting in the living room watching TV for a while, she couldn’t stand it anymore and was about to go out for a walk when her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was Ji Jiuzhe calling.

“Hello?”

Ji Jiuzhe’s cool yet pleasant voice came through, “It’s me. Are you still at home?”

Gu Ning said, “Yes, I am.”

“Then wait for me at home. I’ll come pick you up.”

“Where are we going?”

“Yes. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Gu Ning held the hung-up phone and muttered to herself, “What’s this about?”

She quickly put on the pink down jacket Ji Jiuzhe had bought for her, took his wallet, and walked to the front door to wait for Ji Jiuzhe to pick her up. The winter sun outside was warm and comfortable.

After waiting for about ten minutes, a red convertible sped past her from the direction of the entrance.

Driving a convertible in this weather? Either they’re crazy or just showing off.

Gu Ning silently criticized.

Just as she finished her internal critique, the car that had sped past her suddenly reversed and stopped right in front of her.

There were two people in the car, a man and a woman. She didn’t recognize the man, but the woman…

“Gu Ning?” Before Gu Ning could recognize the woman in the passenger seat, the woman had already called out her name. Gu Ning stared at her for a while before finally recognizing who she was.

“Gu Ning, it’s you, right? Oh my! I’m Jiang Rongrong! We were high school classmates! Class 245! Don’t you remember me?” The woman with long straight hair said excitedly.

Gu Ning smiled politely, “Hello, long time no see.” It wasn’t that she didn’t recognize her, but the woman with the sleek, straight hair and heavy makeup didn’t quite match the simple, smiling girl in her memories.

“Oh, so formal!” Jiang Rongrong let out a tinkling laugh, then said in a sweet voice, “Let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Zhang Jian. Honey, this is my high school classmate, Gu Ning. We were desk mates for a while in high school and were really close.”

Gu Ning remembered that they had indeed been close in high school, but after they went to different universities, they gradually lost contact. She politely greeted her companion, “Hello, Mr. Zhang.”

Zhang Jian was much colder, “Hello.”

Jiang Rongrong said, “Oh, running into an old classmate here is such a pleasant surprise! By the way, what are you doing here?” She suddenly realized something and said in surprise, “Don’t tell me you live here.”

Gu Ning said, “No, my friend lives here.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Rongrong’s expression was微妙, “Why are you standing here? You look like you’ve been standing for a while. But we’re also on our way to a friend’s place, otherwise we should really invite you to dinner. How about you give me your number? When I return to Jinyong later, I can call our old classmates out for a gathering.”

This was the second classmate invitation Gu Ning had received.

Just as Gu Ning was about to say something, Zhang Jian impatiently said, “Alright, alright, stop chattering. We’re going to be late.”

“Hey! I finally ran into my high school classmate, what’s your problem?” Jiang Rongrong was clearly unhappy.

At that moment, a car approached from not far away. Gu Ning immediately recognized it as Ji Jiuzhe’s car.

Ji Jiuzhe’s car stopped behind the red convertible, and then Ji Jiuzhe got out and walked straight towards Gu Ning, “Have you been waiting outside? Aren’t you cold?” He naturally took off the gray scarf around his neck and wrapped it around Gu Ning’s, then as if just noticing the two people in the car, asked, “Your friends?”

Gu Ning said, “Uh, that’s my high school classmate.” The scarf around her neck was warm from Ji Jiuzhe’s body heat.

Ji Jiuzhe glanced at Gu Ning, his eyes seeming to say, “Another classmate?”

Gu Ning also found it amusing. Just as she was about to bid farewell to Jiang Rongrong, she noticed Jiang Rongrong’s eyes were practically glued to Ji Jiuzhe.

Jiang Rongrong suppressed her surprise and asked, “Gu Ning, is this your friend?” She was asking Gu Ning, but her eyes remained fixed on Ji Jiuzhe.

Before Gu Ning could introduce him, Ji Jiuzhe nodded slightly to Jiang Rongrong and said coldly, “Hello.” His tone was even colder than Zhang Jian’s. Without waiting for Jiang Rongrong to speak, he said, “Sorry, Gu Ning and I have something to attend to. Excuse us.” Then he turned to Gu Ning, “Shall we go?”

Before Gu Ning could respond, Zhang Jian, who had been silent, spoke to Ji Jiuzhe, “This gentleman seems young and promising. May I ask where you work? Here’s my business card, perhaps in the future…”

Ji Jiuzhe had no intention of exchanging business cards. He glanced at the card in the man’s hand and, before the man could finish, said in an almost arrogant tone, “Sorry, I never exchange business cards with strangers.” Then he turned to Gu Ning, “Let’s go.”

“Sorry, I’ll be going now,” Gu Ning gave Jiang Rongrong an apologetic smile, then walked side by side with Ji Jiuzhe towards the car.

Jiang Rongrong watched as Gu Ning and Ji Jiuzhe walked away. She saw Ji Jiuzhe open the passenger door for Gu Ning before walking to the driver’s seat. A pang of jealousy rose in her heart. She had worked hard to get to where she was today, wanting to show off her success to everyone she knew from the past. After high school, she had lost contact with Gu Ning and later found she no longer had Gu Ning’s contact information. She had successfully let all her old classmates and friends know how successful she was now, but she had never had the chance to show off in front of Gu Ning. She often thought of Gu Ning, not out of nostalgia, but out of a certain obsession. Running into her here was an unexpected delight. Gu Ning, with her short golden hair, pale face, and wearing a bulky pink down jacket, looked somewhat lost standing by the roadside. She seemed to be not doing well… Seeing Gu Ning’s surprised expression, Jiang Rongrong suppressed the glee in her heart. A friend? The people who lived here weren’t ordinary folks. Her so-called friend might be a security guard or a maid here, just saying it vaguely to save face in front of her high school classmate. But it didn’t matter. Kind as she was, she wouldn’t expose people’s little lies… She was ready to slowly show off her beautiful feathers to Gu Ning—and then, Ji Jiuzhe appeared.

Jiang Rongrong might not know the exact model of the car, but she knew its price. Clearly, this was a resident here. But why did he park behind their car?

Then, her gaze shifted from the car to the man who got out of it, and she couldn’t look away.

She saw him walk straight towards them, or more accurately, straight towards Gu Ning, and then naturally take off his scarf and wrap it around Gu Ning’s neck…

A friend? This was Gu Ning’s friend?

Jiang Rongrong felt like she had been struck.

Zhang Jian, humiliated, crumpled the business card in his hand and drove off in a huff.

“Why do you keep running into your classmates everywhere?” Ji Jiuzhe suddenly asked after they drove out of the gate.

“Uh, I don’t know,” Gu Ning said with a laugh. She had been running into quite a few acquaintances recently, including Fang Fa and Huang Mengyao on the street the other day.

Ji Jiuzhe asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Gu Ning snapped out of her thoughts.

Ji Jiuzhe glanced at her, “You were spacing out.”

Gu Ning was startled, “Was I? I just suddenly remembered something.” She had just zoned out for a moment, and Ji Jiuzhe had noticed. How perceptive was this guy?

“By the way, where are we going?” Gu Ning asked.

Ji Jiuzhe said indifferently, “You’ll know when we get there.”

“Oh, and your scarf—” Gu Ning started to take off the scarf to return it to Ji Jiuzhe.

Ji Jiuzhe kept his eyes on the road, “I’m warm. You wear it for me.”

“Oh…” What did he mean by ‘wear it for me’? Gu Ning thought. Besides, I’m not cold at all. Well, I’ll just keep wearing it.