Chapter 150

Chapter 150: The Gate of Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 150: Chapter 150

After a three-and-a-half-hour drive, Gu Ning and Ji Jiuzhe arrived in Quanzhou City.

Without GPS navigation or anyone to ask for directions, finding their way was quite challenging.

Following the highway signs, Gu Ning drove at full speed. Quanzhou, a coastal city with developed industries, attracted workers from all over the country, resulting in a dense population. As soon as they entered Quanzhou, Gu Ning immediately noticed that the density of zombies on the road was much higher than in Zhongnan. Several times, they almost crashed into hordes of zombies. Gu Ning’s night vision ability came in handy, allowing them to avoid disaster. The Tianmen area, located on the outskirts of Quanzhou, was about two hours from the city center, surrounded by numerous industrial zones. Many zombies wandering the streets still wore factory uniforms.

The name “Dutch Town” sounded like a tourist attraction. If it weren’t for Ji Jiuzhe’s presence, Gu Ning would have gone back to check the specific address on her phone. As they passed a bus stop, Ji Jiuzhe called for a halt: “We might find some information here.”

As soon as the car stopped, a group of zombies that had been chasing them surrounded the vehicle. Both Gu Ning and Ji Jiuzhe stepped out. Ji Jiuzhe wielded a Tang sword, long-handled with a straight blade, gleaming coldly in the dark. When not in use, it hung at his waist. Gu Ning had seen Ji Jiuzhe use this sword to kill zombies; its sharpness was no less than her twin blades. With a single slash, he could effortlessly cut off half a zombie’s head, leaving neat cuts without any hesitation.

Ji Jiuzhe walked around to Gu Ning’s side of the car, swung his sword, and the zombie banging on her door fell. He opened the door and said, “Leave this to me. Go check the bus stop.”

“Got it,” Gu Ning replied. After stepping out, she cut down a zombie approaching from the bus stop and carefully examined the bus routes.

There were at least a dozen zombies following the car. Ji Jiuzhe fought them off single-handedly, while Gu Ning focused on finding the information she needed.

There were two bus stop signs, one at each end of the stop. After checking the first one and finding no mention of Dutch Town, Gu Ning moved to the second one.

Halfway through, a severely decayed zombie suddenly appeared from behind the sign, reaching out to grab her face! Its agility and flexible fingers suggested it was an evolved zombie. Gu Ning reacted faster, leaning back to dodge the grab, then slashed at it with her blade.

This was a speed-evolved zombie, clearly high-level, and it quickly dodged Gu Ning’s strike, leaping to another angle to attack from the side. Gu Ning combined her twin blades into one, spun them in her hand, and slashed diagonally at the zombie’s neck.

The zombie, aware of the danger, dodged to the side, but Gu Ning’s blade was too fast. It struck the zombie’s shoulder, sinking deep. Gu Ning’s eyes flashed coldly as she twisted the blade, severing the zombie’s arm. The zombie let out a shrill cry, enraged, and charged at Gu Ning recklessly. Instead of retreating, Gu Ning stepped forward, kicked the zombie back three feet, and before it could react, thrust her blade into its throat. With a powerful upward slash, the blade cut through the zombie’s chin and exited through the top of its head.

The zombie’s head split like a watermelon. Gu Ning pulled out her blade, stepped back, and the zombie collapsed. She wiped the blade clean on the zombie’s dark blue company-logo T-shirt, glanced at Ji Jiuzhe, who was still slaughtering zombies, and returned to the bus stop to continue checking the routes.

“Found it!” Gu Ning pointed to the bottom of the bus stop sign and couldn’t help but shout to Ji Jiuzhe. It was the only route that mentioned Dutch Town: M259.

“Get in the car,” Ji Jiuzhe said casually as he decapitated another zombie. Dozens more zombies were emerging from nearby flower beds and buildings, drawn by the noise.

Gu Ning marked the sign with a pen, then hurried back to the car. She reversed, knocked over two zombies, and stopped beside Ji Jiuzhe, leaning over to open the door. “Get in!” she shouted.

Ji Jiuzhe casually cut down two more zombies, sheathed his sword, and got in the car, closing the door in one smooth motion.

Ignoring the zombies banging on the doors and the back of the truck, Gu Ning floored the accelerator, kicking up dust as they sped away.

Ji Jiuzhe took out a cloth and meticulously cleaned his sword under the car’s light before sheathing it again. At each stop, Gu Ning got out to confirm the route. Half an hour later, they arrived at the Dutch Town stop.

“There should be a survivor camp nearby,” Ji Jiuzhe said.

“How can you tell?” Gu Ning asked, surprised.

“Didn’t you notice that at the last two stops, there were no zombies?” Ji Jiuzhe got out and scanned the area with a flashlight. “Not even a single body. This area must have been cleared.”

Worried about her parents and Third Brother, Gu Ning had been restless the entire journey. Ji Jiuzhe’s reminder made her realize how unusually quiet and clean the area was.

Just as she was about to say something, a bright light suddenly shone on them!

Before Gu Ning could react, Ji Jiuzhe pulled her behind him.

Someone shouted, “Hands up!”

Several hurried footsteps approached.

Ji Jiuzhe squinted and raised his hands.

Gu Ning followed suit.

Perhaps seeing their compliance, the bright light disappeared, replaced by several flashlights scanning them rudely. Gu Ning, standing behind Ji Jiuzhe, squinted and saw seven or eight people, mostly in their twenties or thirties, including two young women. They held various makeshift weapons, with only one boy holding a pistol, always aimed at Gu Ning and Ji Jiuzhe. The others watched them with wary eyes. Finally, someone asked, “Who are you?”

Gu Ning said, “We got separated from our friends. This is where we agreed to meet.”

A young woman in the group whispered, “Search them!”

Another young woman, however, looked at Ji Jiuzhe with bright eyes and asked, “Do you want to join our camp?”

“Wu Qin!” the first young woman scolded her in a low voice. “Our camp doesn’t have enough supplies to share with outsiders!” Wu Qin stuck out her tongue but continued to stare unabashedly at Ji Jiuzhe. The first young woman, still wary, said stiffly, “Sorry, you can’t join us.”

Gu Ning smiled and said, “No problem. We weren’t planning to anyway.” With their own supplies and weapons, they had no need to join a group armed with sharpened broomsticks.

The young woman was taken aback by Gu Ning’s response and asked, “Just the two of you?”

“Yes,” Gu Ning answered truthfully. “But our friends will be here soon.”

The young woman looked skeptical. “Where are you from?”

“Zhongnan.”

“You came all the way from Zhongnan? Just the two of you?” A man in his thirties from the group asked in disbelief.

Gu Ning replied, “We were lucky. We didn’t run into large hordes of zombies.” As she spoke, her right hand never left the hilt of her blade, ready to draw at any moment.

“No way. Someone from our camp came from that direction. Out of dozens, only a few made it. And you two…” another young man said, completely unconvinced.

“Do you have a gun?” Wu Qin suddenly interrupted, reaching for the rifle on Gu Ning’s back. Gu Ning sidestepped, avoiding her, and said with some displeasure, “Sorry, my gun isn’t for others to touch.”

The boy with the pistol immediately aimed it at Gu Ning and shouted nervously, “Hands up!”

Before he could finish, he screamed!

Ji Jiuzhe had firmly gripped his wrist and effortlessly disarmed him, saying coldly, “I guess you didn’t know you need to turn off the safety before firing.” With a click, the safety was off, and the gun, now in Ji Jiuzhe’s hand, was pointed at the boy’s sweating forehead. “Hands up,” Ji Jiuzhe commanded.

The boy, still in pain from the grip, raised his hands without hesitation under the gun’s threat.

Before the others could react, Gu Ning had already taken her rifle from her back and loaded it, the sound of the mechanism proving she was no amateur.

The two who had been subdued now held the upper hand, and the situation had completely reversed before the others could respond.

“Please calm down! We mean no harm!” the woman who seemed to lead the group shouted.

“We’re calm. Please raise your hands. Thank you,” Gu Ning said politely, but the gun in her hand sent chills down their spines.

The young woman was the first to raise her hands.

The others quickly followed, nervously watching Gu Ning and Ji Jiuzhe, afraid they might suddenly open fire.

“Please don’t shoot!” the young woman, now at gunpoint, remained calm, though her tense voice betrayed her nerves. “We mean no harm. Someone once tried to take over our base, so we have to be cautious. If you want to stay in the camp, we can discuss it.”

Gu Ning said, “We have no intention of taking your territory. We’ll only stay for a few days and won’t need to enter your camp.” She smiled and added, “Sorry, my friend here has a bit of a temper. If he offended you, please forgive him.”

Ji Jiuzhe glanced at Gu Ning, raising an eyebrow. Gu Ning smiled back, as if soothing her “short-tempered friend,” then said to the young woman, “The fact that we made it here from Zhongnan with just the two of us should tell you it’s not just luck. Let’s coexist peacefully for a few days. Once our friends arrive, we’ll leave immediately.”

Despite the girl’s calm, smiling demeanor and reasonable words, Lin Qian felt a chill down her spine. She watched the man and woman warily, confirming her suspicion that they were far more formidable than they appeared.

And it seemed they weren’t giving her group much choice.

Lin Qian forced a smile. “If that’s the case, then that’s for the best.”

The other side seemed to relax, their smiles becoming more genuine.

“Next time, remember to turn off the safety before firing,” Gu Ning said kindly as she handed the gun back to the stiff-faced boy.

The boy, red-faced, snatched the gun and silently retreated behind Lin Qian, though he couldn’t help sneaking glances at Gu Ning. Wu Qin, however, kept her eyes fixed on Ji Jiuzhe, her gaze shifting as if scheming something.

The tense atmosphere vanished, replaced by an awkward silence.

“If you don’t mind, you could come back to our camp to rest for a bit,” Lin Qian suddenly offered, changing her mind and inviting them to the camp.

“No, thank you. If you see our friends while patrolling, please bring them here. My name is Gu Ning,” Gu Ning said.

Lin Qian was taken aback that Gu Ning had truly declined the invitation but quickly said, “I’m Lin Qian. Sorry about earlier,” her tone sincere and composed.

Gu Ning nodded understandingly. “No problem.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to the camp? It’s not safe out here,” Wu Qin persisted, addressing Ji Jiuzhe directly, as if Gu Ning didn’t exist.

Ji Jiuzhe looked at Gu Ning, who knew he couldn’t be bothered to deal with Wu Qin and left it to her. To the others, it seemed Ji Jiuzhe was deferring to Gu Ning.

Gu Ning coughed lightly and said, “Thank you, but no.”