Chapter 156

Chapter 156: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Chapter 156: Chapter 156

Seizing this moment to catch her breath, Xia Yu scrambled behind a bus stop sign on the roadside. The intense adrenaline rush made her heart feel like it was about to burst from the strain.

Gu Ning didn’t bother looking for Ji Jiuzhe’s whereabouts. Just knowing he hadn’t left calmed her nerves. She steadied her grip on the gun, aiming at the enraged mutant beast. Through the scope, she saw its deep green eyes suddenly narrow into vertical slits, locking onto her position.

Exposed! Gu Ning’s heart sank.

Sure enough, the next second, the mutant wolf charged toward her like a madman!

It was five to six times the size of a normal wolf, bigger than a horse. Wolves are naturally fast, but this mutated one had just been on the other side of the road and was now right in front of her in the blink of an eye. It was clear it hadn’t been using its full speed while chasing Xia Yu—it was toying with her like a cat with a mouse. If it had gone all out earlier, Xia Yu wouldn’t have made it two steps before being pounced on and killed! Now, with two bullets in it, the wolf was furious, determined to find and tear apart whoever had hurt it. It wasn’t holding back anymore.

The mutant wolf lunged at the tree, using its powerful hind legs to propel itself upward, its front claws reaching just inches below Gu Ning’s feet! The impact shook the branch she was standing on. Gu Ning panicked, grabbing a nearby branch to steady herself. She quickly adjusted her aim and fired several shots at the wolf’s head.

The wolf seemed to understand the danger of the bullets. Seeing Gu Ning aim, it leaped to the side, dodging the shots and circling to the back of the tree. After a few steps back, it lunged upward again! Gu Ning climbed two branches higher, straddling two branches about a meter apart. She stabilized herself in a mid-air split but didn’t have time to aim, firing wildly downward.

The wolf retreated down the tree but wasn’t ready to give up. It paced cautiously around the base, its predatory eyes scanning the branches for Gu Ning’s figure, seemingly plotting a better way to drag her down for a meal.

Gu Ning leaned against the tree trunk. She couldn’t see the wolf anymore, but she knew it was still there, waiting for the right moment to pull her down. Her gun didn’t have a silencer, and she usually avoided using it unless absolutely necessary. But in that critical moment, with no idea where Ji Jiuzhe was hiding, firing had exposed her position. The gunshots would undoubtedly attract zombies from all around.

Even if the mutant wolf left, she’d be surrounded by zombies drawn to the noise, trapped in the tree…

She had to deal with the wolf quickly. If her space ability were still accessible, she’d risk Ji Jiuzhe discovering it to store the wolf away like she had with the black bear before. But now, with her space sealed and her special ability unusable, she was out of options.

Xia Yu peeked out from behind the bus stop sign. His eyes, adjusted to the dark, could vaguely make out the scene. He was almost certain the mutant wolf had gone after Gu Ning. He’d heard the gunshots and knew Gu Ning had fired to save him. He could see the shadows of zombies approaching. His chest heaved with anxiety as his mind raced, desperately trying to figure out how to help Gu Ning out of this mess.

As for Ji Jiuzhe, after that one shot, there had been no further movement.

Zombies were already gathering at the base of the tree. Ordinary zombies, with their stiff joints, couldn’t climb trees, so they crowded below, clawing at the trunk. But evolved zombies were more agile. The tree’s branches weren’t too high, and the evolved zombies could climb up to reach her. Gu Ning, standing on the highest branch, no longer worried about alerting the zombies. She fired repeatedly at the climbing evolved zombies.

Her bullets were in her backpack, which she’d left in the car during her frantic escape with Xia Yu. The gun had thirty rounds, and now only a dozen or so remained. The zombies below were multiplying, like a zombie convention.

Gu Ning slung the gun back over her shoulder. She needed to conserve bullets for the hidden mutant wolf. She leaped to a lower branch, gripping an overhead branch to steady herself. With a swift kick, she sent two climbing evolved zombies tumbling back into the horde below. Landing firmly on a narrow branch, she drew her knife. With a flick of her wrists, the blade extended into a long sword. She jumped to another branch, slicing through a zombie’s neck with precision. Leaning back, she hooked onto a lower branch before dropping into the zombie crowd.

Gu Ning grabbed a branch with one hand, swinging forward to land on another branch on the opposite side of the tree. With both hands on the hilt, she drove the blade down, piercing a zombie’s skull from above! Slash, chop, stab, slice! The cold, hard weapon moved like a living serpent in her hands. Despite the tangled branches, every move was calculated, effortlessly avoiding obstacles to strike the zombies. Her movements were so fluid, it was as if she were in an open field, free to swing without hindrance.

Zombies climbed up, only to fall back down.

Gu Ning moved with agility, leaping between the sprawling branches. Anyone watching would’ve been terrified by her daring jumps. A misstep could send her plummeting into the waiting jaws of the zombie horde below. But Gu Ning moved as if she’d grown up in that tree, knowing every branch and the exact distance needed to land safely.

The blade pierced through a zombie’s gaping mouth, driving through its skull and into the tree trunk behind it. With a forceful pull, Gu Ning yanked the knife free. A gentle push sent the zombie tumbling down, crashing into another climbing zombie and taking it down with it.

For now, no more evolved zombies were climbing. Gu Ning took this brief respite to catch her breath against the branch. She’d lost count of how many zombies had fallen—thirty, maybe more. Evolved zombies were tougher to kill than ordinary ones, their skulls harder. Her arms were starting to ache, and now that she’d stopped, her right hand trembled slightly. She couldn’t keep this up much longer. Looking down, she saw the zombies below multiplying, layers upon layers pushing against the tree. If it weren’t for the tree’s size, they might’ve toppled it already. Gu Ning smiled bitterly. If only her space ability hadn’t been so unreliable, she could’ve hidden inside and waited for the zombies to disperse. Instead, she was trapped in the tree, fending off evolved zombies while keeping an eye out for the mutant wolf. Though the wolf seemed gone, Gu Ning’s instincts told her it was still nearby, waiting for the right moment to avenge that gunshot.

Given the intelligence of the mutant bear in her space, these mutated creatures seemed far smarter than before. Maybe the wolf was waiting for her to exhaust herself fighting the zombies before making its move.

“You want to eat me? Well, I won’t let you!” Gu Ning thought fiercely. She climbed two more branches to avoid being ambushed by the wolf.

Exhausted, Gu Ning sat down to rest. Feeling hungry, she pulled two sausages from her pocket, quickly unwrapped them, and stuffed them into her mouth. She massaged her sore wrists, preparing for the next round. Looking down, she saw the zombies, initially drawn by the gunshots, now fixated on her scent. They wouldn’t leave easily, only growing in number. Even if Ji Jiuzhe and Xia Yu wanted to save her, how could they break through this zombie wall?

Unless there was a bigger distraction to draw the zombies away—

“Bang!”

At that moment, a gunshot startled Gu Ning. It was close. Before she could locate the source, another shot rang out, followed by the mutant wolf’s agonized howl piercing the night!

Then Gu Ning saw the wolf burst out from somewhere. It had been lying in wait, ready for its meal, only to be shot unexpectedly, sending it into a frenzy! It charged through the zombie horde, trampling countless “innocent” zombies, abandoning Gu Ning to race toward the source of the gunfire! At the same time, the sound of a car engine roared to life, speeding away with occasional gunshots! The zombies below, drawn by the noise, began to stir, slowly turning toward the sound.

The car, gunshots, and the wolf’s roars grew fainter, all racing at top speed.

Gu Ning watched as the zombies below followed the noise, leaving only a stubborn few lingering. Who had driven off the wolf and the zombies? Xia Yu? Or Ji Jiuzhe?

Just then, the sound of another engine reached her ears. Gu Ning pushed aside the branches to see a small truck quietly approaching. It pulled up beneath the tree, and the zombies immediately swarmed it. A head popped out from the passenger window, shouting, “Gu Ning! Get down!” It was Xia Yu! So, it was Ji Jiuzhe who had lured away the wolf?

Once in the truck, Gu Ning asked, and Xia Yu explained, “Luckily, Captain Ji came up with this plan! He drew the mutant and the zombies away, and I snuck in to rescue you. I didn’t even see where the monster was hiding, but Captain Ji spotted it. Too bad he didn’t kill it with that shot!”

Gu Ning asked, “Did you agree on a meeting point?”

Xia Yu nodded, “Yeah! Remember that gas station we passed on the way here? We’re meeting there. Don’t worry, Captain Ji’s no ordinary guy!”

But Gu Ning wasn’t reassured. Even though Ji Jiuzhe was skilled, he didn’t have special abilities. If she, without her powers, had faced the mutant wolf head-on, she’d have been torn apart in under a minute. Ji Jiuzhe, no matter how strong, was still human. Even a scratch from the wolf’s claws could mean infection. She could only hope—pray—that he was safe.