Chapter 151

Chapter 151: The Gate of Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Chapter 151: Chapter 151

“Then we’ll take our leave. It’s not safe around here. We have patrols every night to prevent zombies and other unsafe factors from approaching,” Lin Qian said, her words hinting at something.

“Feel free,” Gu Ning replied with a smile.

Lin Qian hesitated for a moment before adding, “You can choose to wait for your friends near the main gate… It’s a bit safer there.”

Gu Ning said, “Okay, thank you. We’ll stay here.”

Lin Qian smiled, then turned to the others and said, “Let’s go.”

She led them forward, with Wu Qin occasionally sneaking glances back.

Gu Ning and Ji Jiuzhe exchanged a look. They had reached the agreed-upon location, and now all that was left was to wait. They were waiting for the Three-Linked Team and Zhuang Chen’s follow-up troops to arrive as planned. But would things go as smoothly as they hoped? No one could say for sure.

It was 4:30 in the afternoon.

Ji Jiuzhe suggested that Gu Ning take a nap and relieve him later. Gu Ning, who was indeed exhausted, crawled into the back of the car and fell asleep almost immediately.

Ji Jiuzhe, who had been keeping watch outside, suddenly remembered something and got into the car to turn on the heater. He glanced back and saw Gu Ning curled up on the back seat, fast asleep. She looked unusually pale and fragile, her usually cold and distant eyes closed, and the sharp, icy aura around her seemed to have softened. She looked like a normal young girl.

Ji Jiuzhe averted his gaze, gently closed the door, and climbed onto the roof of the car without making a sound. He took a deep breath of the cold air, feeling unusually alert. At first, he hadn’t recognized Gu Ning as the young woman who had disappeared from under Jin Yong’s gun. Back then, she had been covered in dirt, her black hair obscuring her features. It was only later, when Gu Ning deliberately hid her face and Zhuang Chen subtly blocked his attention, along with Yi Shaoqing’s guilty demeanor, that he began to suspect.

After being bitten by a zombie, she hadn’t turned into one. Instead, she had gained some unknown ability.

Moreover, Gu Ning’s attitude toward him was suspicious. Although they had only spent a short time together, Ji Jiuzhe could sense that Gu Ning was very wary of strangers, even harboring a hint of hostility. But for some reason, she never showed any signs of caution or wariness around him. Even during their first meeting, when she didn’t know his identity, she had inexplicably given up resisting. If she had been a simple, trusting girl, it might have made sense. But Gu Ning was clearly someone who was very guarded. So what had made her drop her guard around him?… Ji Jiuzhe narrowed his eyes slightly. When he had pulled Gu Ning into a corner, her first instinct had been to attack. But when she turned to look at him, there had been something in her eyes…

And then, back at the base, when Yi Shaoqing had knocked him out and he woke up in the tent, he had found Gu Ning covering him with a blanket. When their eyes met, he had sensed a moment of panic in her… But Gu Ning didn’t seem like the type to do something like that.

Even during their brief time together on the road, he could feel Gu Ning’s trust in him. This trust didn’t seem to stem from her relationship with him or Zhuang Chen, but rather from her apparent understanding of his abilities.

Ji Jiuzhe had a strange, subtle feeling, but it was very vague, much like the sense of mystery that surrounded Gu Ning. She was always shrouded in a layer of mist, making her hard to figure out. And yet, she was so close to Zhuang Chen, always appearing by their side, forcing him to pay attention. He couldn’t allow anyone or anything to threaten Zhuang Chen or Yi Shaoqing, so he needed to determine Gu Ning’s level of danger.

When Gu Ning woke up, her first instinct was to check the time. She had slept for over six hours, and it was now 10:30 at night. Why hadn’t Ji Jiuzhe woken her up? She sat up and realized the car was warm, the heater on. She took a moment to gather herself, then pushed the door open and stepped outside, hearing faint voices. Ji Jiuzhe was talking to someone.

Had the others arrived?!

Gu Ning quickly stepped out of the car.

The cheerful chatter was suddenly interrupted by a scream: “Ah!” A sweet voice cried out, “You scared me!”

Wu Qin glared at Gu Ning with wide eyes, clearly annoyed. “You startled me!”

Gu Ning’s expression turned cold when she saw it was Wu Qin. She replied dismissively, “Oh, sorry about that.” Then she looked up at Ji Jiuzhe on the roof and said, “I slept too long. Why didn’t you wake me?”

Ji Jiuzhe, sitting on the roof, looked at Gu Ning’s messy golden hair, which made her look like a spiky hedgehog. He found it oddly amusing, though his expression remained neutral. “Forgot,” he said casually, then jumped down from the roof.

Gu Ning frowned. “Has Zhuang Chen and the others not arrived yet?” It had been over six hours.

“They might have started late or been delayed on the way,” Ji Jiuzhe said. “I’ll take a nap. Wake me if anything happens.” He then climbed into the car. His tall frame meant his legs stuck out awkwardly, and he had to lean sideways to sleep.

Wu Qin, who had been ignored by Ji Jiuzhe the entire time, now watched as he went into the car. She eyed Gu Ning suspiciously and asked, “What’s your relationship with him? Are you close?”

Gu Ning ignored her, stretching her stiff body.

Wu Qin, undeterred, continued, “Sister? Or girlfriend?” She then concluded on her own, “Can’t be a girlfriend, right?”

Gu Ning rotated her stiff neck, the bones cracking. She gave Wu Qin a cold look, then suddenly flashed her a chilling smile.

To Wu Qin, the smile was downright eerie. The surroundings were so quiet that even the sound of a falling leaf could be heard, and the atmosphere felt unnaturally tense. Wu Qin suddenly felt scared but tried to brave it out. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

Gu Ning didn’t answer, just kept smiling at her.

Wu Qin’s eyes darted to Gu Ning’s hand, which was gripping a gun holster. She took a step back, stammering, “I-I won’t talk to you anymore. They’ll be looking for me. I’ll head back…” She turned and ran off, flashlight in hand. Just as Gu Ning thought she had gotten rid of a nuisance, she heard a short, sharp scream from the direction Wu Qin had fled.

Gu Ning hesitated, about to wake Ji Jiuzhe to check what had happened, when she heard arguing. The voices were speaking in some dialect she couldn’t understand, but it sounded like a man was arguing with Wu Qin. It was probably someone from their camp looking for her. Just as Gu Ning was about to give up on investigating, she heard a brief cry for help, followed by silence. Without hesitation, she knocked on the car window to wake Ji Jiuzhe, then hurried toward the commotion.

When she arrived, she saw a tall man with one arm around Wu Qin’s neck and the other hand covering her mouth, dragging her toward a flower bed. The man was so focused on Wu Qin’s struggles that he didn’t notice Gu Ning approaching.

“Excuse me, am I interrupting?”

A cold female voice suddenly broke the silence.

The man, already tense, was startled by the sudden voice. He looked up and saw a shadowy figure standing nearby. Even Wu Qin, who had been struggling, froze in fear.

“Who’s there?!” the man growled in a low voice.

“Do you need help?” the cold voice asked, ignoring the man and addressing Wu Qin instead.

“Mmhmm!” Wu Qin’s eyes widened as she tried to speak through the hand covering her mouth. Help me!

The man, realizing it was a young woman’s voice, relaxed slightly and sneered, “Hey, little girl, don’t meddle in grown-up business. Or do you want to join in? Huh?…” His crude words were cut short as a knife plunged into his head, the blade sinking deep until only the hilt remained. His grip on Wu Qin loosened, and he collapsed backward, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Wu Qin, still in shock, turned and saw the man with the knife in his head. She screamed, then quickly covered her mouth.

Gu Ning walked over, expressionless, and pulled the knife out. Without a word to Wu Qin, she turned and walked away, leaving Wu Qin staring in horror.

“What happened?” Ji Jiuzhe asked.

“Just a small issue,” Gu Ning replied casually. “It’s taken care of. Go back to sleep.”

Ji Jiuzhe glanced at her but didn’t press further, returning to the car to sleep.

Gu Ning sighed, running her fingers over the knife handle. She frowned slightly. When had killing someone become so easy? In the past, she wouldn’t even dare to kill a chicken or a fish. Now, she had just ended a man’s life without a second thought. What she couldn’t understand was how calm she had been—no struggle, no fear. It was as if she had simply crushed an ant underfoot. Gu Ning forced a bitter smile. It seemed the apocalypse had truly changed her.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps snapped Gu Ning out of her thoughts. She looked toward the source of the noise, about to wake Ji Jiuzhe, but he was already stepping out of the car. He squinted at the group of people approaching with an air of confrontation. “Looks like that ‘small issue’ wasn’t so small after all,” he said.