Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Dying Together

When the mutated wolf’s claws tore through his skin, Ji Jiuzhe felt a sharp pain on the right side of his face. Ten minutes later, he started to feel feverish. He had heard countless times from Yi Shaoqing about the symptoms after being infected—first a fever, then the wounds from being scratched or bitten would turn black and rot, and red blood streaks would appear in the eyes… He was infected.

Panic, fear, or despair—these emotions that should have overwhelmed him after being infected were nowhere to be found. He just felt a bit dazed. But now, looking at Gu Ning, who was silently crying as she stared at him, Ji Jiuzhe suddenly felt a pang of sadness, an emotion that felt somewhat unfamiliar to him. Since childhood, his personality had always been indifferent, as if he were less sensitive to emotions than most people. It wasn’t that he didn’t show his emotions; it was that most of the time, he simply didn’t feel them.

He had lured the mutated wolf away because he felt it was the right thing to do. He hadn’t expected Gu Ning to come back for him, but he was somewhat glad. After all, having someone accompany him during the final moments of his life wasn’t so bad, especially when that someone wasn’t someone he disliked.

But why was she crying? Crying so sadly.

Ji Jiuzhe didn’t have much time to think about it further. He picked up the clothes that had fallen to the ground and draped them over Gu Ning’s head again, saying, “Follow me.”

Then he pulled Gu Ning and continued to push forward. Since he was already infected, he wasn’t afraid of being scratched by zombies. He directly reached out and pushed aside the zombies blocking their path. Most of these zombies didn’t react much.

Because there were too many zombies, even the mutated wolf, no matter how strong, was forced to slow down. But its speed was still far beyond what Ji Jiuzhe and Gu Ning could match, so the distance between them kept shrinking.

Gu Ning felt that Ji Jiuzhe’s hand was burning hot, getting hotter and hotter… Both the blackened wound and the red streaks swimming in his eyes proved that he was beginning to transform. In less than ten minutes, he would be burned alive by the increasing heat in his body, and then he would turn into a walking corpse…

“Go inside and find a place to hide.” The clothes on Gu Ning’s head were suddenly pulled off, and then Ji Jiuzhe shoved her through a door.

Gu Ning reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes. The tear stains in her eyes hadn’t dried yet, and her voice, soaked with tears, trembled slightly, “Where are you going?”

Ji Jiuzhe was stunned for a moment, then turned around and suddenly did something unexpected. He reached out and gently caressed Gu Ning’s cheek, his eyes lowered as he gazed at her and softly said, “Hide well inside. Come out after the mutated wolf is gone.” Then he gave her the gentlest smile he could muster, pressed the door handle, and forcibly closed the door. He glanced at the mutated wolf charging toward them and ran in a different direction.

For some reason, even though he knew he was going to die, he felt incredibly calm at this moment. He even began to enjoy the cold night wind. The footsteps of the mutated wolf behind him grew closer and closer. Ji Jiuzhe ran at his fastest speed, his internal organs feeling as if they were being burned in a fire, yet this didn’t affect his speed at all. It was as if he was burning the last of his life.

Ji Jiuzhe knew that the farther he lured the mutated wolf, the safer Gu Ning would be. She was so smart; she would definitely make it back to the town safely.

He didn’t know how long he had been running when he started coughing violently. His bones ached all over, and his speed slowed down. His body became more and more hunched until he could no longer run. He tripped over a zombie’s corpse and fell to the ground. Coughing, he struggled to turn over and lay on his back, gasping for breath. Every breath felt like a knife was scraping his throat. His entire body was in so much pain that he couldn’t even tell which part hurt more…

He lay on the cold ground, squinting at the dark night sky. The sound of the mutated wolf’s slow footsteps was already in his ears. He calmly awaited the impending death, but he couldn’t help but wonder which would be worse—turning into a zombie or being torn to pieces by the mutated wolf. Scenes from his life flashed through his mind like a fast-forwarded movie. Finally, the image froze on Gu Ning’s pale, tear-streaked face. He weakly pulled the corner of his mouth into a smile, then gently closed his eyes.

The low growl from the mutated wolf’s throat was now right beside him, but Ji Jiuzhe lay motionless on the ground, as if already dead.

The mutated wolf slowly approached. Its pupils flashed with caution. This human was extremely cunning and had caused it a lot of trouble tonight. The nearly one-meter-long knife wound stretching from its neck to its abdomen was thanks to this human. So even though Ji Jiuzhe was lying on the ground, it didn’t dare act recklessly. It circled Ji Jiuzhe once, then finally confirmed that this human was severely injured. It slowly walked over, opened its fanged mouth, and bit down toward Ji Jiuzhe’s head!

The hot, foul stench from the mutated wolf’s mouth already hit his face, but Ji Jiuzhe remained motionless. The fire in his body had reached his brain. He didn’t know if having his head bitten off by the mutated wolf would hurt as much. However, the expected pain didn’t come. Ji Jiuzhe’s eyelashes fluttered a few times, and then he very difficultly opened his eyes a crack.

What greeted him was the mutated wolf’s gaping mouth, now right in front of him. But he immediately noticed the rope stuck in the corners of the wolf’s mouth. His pupils shook, as if he couldn’t believe it, and then he laboriously lifted his eyelids, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and followed the rope upward. There, he saw Gu Ning standing on the mutated wolf’s back, holding both ends of the rope. She was pulling so hard that her knuckles were turning white. Then he heard Gu Ning shout, “I won’t let you die!” He heard her cry out with all her might, and then the mutated wolf’s mouth, now right in front of him, was yanked backward by the rope! It was forcibly dragged back a few steps, away from Ji Jiuzhe’s body.

“Roar—!” The mutated wolf seemed to feel immense humiliation. After letting out an angry howl, it began violently shaking its head, trying to throw Gu Ning off its back. But Gu Ning simply sat on its back, gripping the rope tightly with both hands. No matter how much the wolf shook, she clung to it like a stubborn plaster.

The mutated wolf shook countless times but couldn’t throw Gu Ning off. It was furious! And this human was riding on its back! It felt deeply insulted! It went berserk! Its vertical pupils locked onto a nearby building, and a flash of madness crossed its eyes. Without hesitation, it charged toward the building! By the time Gu Ning realized what it was planning, its body was already in the air, arching its back to expose Gu Ning as it slammed into the wall! If this hit connected, Gu Ning would at least suffer broken bones, if not be killed outright.

At the moment of impact, Gu Ning flipped off the wolf’s back and was thrown by the immense force into the nearby wall. Her back exploded with pain.

The mutated wolf slammed into the wall with such force that the entire wall shook. Then it shook off the rope in its mouth and slowly stood up, turning its gaze toward Gu Ning. Its entire body radiated extreme danger. Gu Ning had thoroughly enraged it!

Gu Ning gasped for breath as she leaned against the wall and stood up. Her chest rose and fell slightly, but her eyes were locked onto the mutated wolf without a hint of retreat. Instead, they burned with a desperate, fierce determination, as if her anger had been fully ignited. She exuded a presence no less intimidating than the mutated wolf itself! Then she actually drew a long knife, pushed off the ground with her foot, and charged madly toward the mutated wolf! Only someone insane would think of facing a mutated wolf head-on!

The mutated wolf, seeing Gu Ning not retreating but instead charging straight at it, narrowed its pupils to pinpricks. It actually sensed a dangerous aura from this seemingly weak human, similar to that of the man earlier!

Gu Ning sprinted forward, and when she got close, she pushed off the ground with her foot, leaping onto the nearby wall. She then jumped even higher, surpassing the mutated wolf’s height, and with both hands gripping the knife, she plunged it straight down toward the wolf’s head!

Gu Ning was thrown off! She rolled on the ground several times before finally stopping. The clothes covered in zombie guts had already been discarded. Her pink down jacket was torn in several places, covered in dust, and barely recognizable. Gu Ning propped herself up on her elbows, gasping for breath as she watched the blood-covered mutated wolf slowly walking toward her.

“Gu Ning, come here.” Ji Jiuzhe, lying less than two meters behind Gu Ning, suddenly spoke, his voice horrifyingly hoarse.

Gu Ning glanced at the mutated wolf, which seemed certain of her impending death and was in no hurry to kill her. She slowly crawled backward.

“It looks like we’re going to die together,” Ji Jiuzhe said softly, turning his head to look at the disheveled Gu Ning. He could feel his consciousness gradually slipping away. Even if he didn’t die in the mutated wolf’s jaws, he would turn into a zombie. It was hard to say which outcome was worse.

Gu Ning finally moved to his side. Her elbows gave out, and she lay back, resting against his left chest. She wanted to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, a metallic taste rose in her throat. She forced it back down and then said with a smile, “Do you think it’s better to turn into a zombie or be bitten to death by the mutated wolf?”

Ji Jiuzhe’s throat felt like it was on fire, and every word felt like a knife scraping his throat. But he managed to pull the corner of his mouth into a smile and said, “It might not be a quick bite.”

Indeed, the mutated wolf, having been humiliated by two humans, wouldn’t simply bite Gu Ning to death. It would likely torture her before slowly devouring her.

Gu Ning fell silent.

Even at this moment, Ji Jiuzhe couldn’t offer any comforting words. But the thought of being torn apart bite by bite by the mutated wolf sent a chill down Gu Ning’s spine.

“Scared?” Ji Jiuzhe asked. “Do you still have strength? There’s a gun on my waist. It only has one bullet left…” He paused for a moment before continuing with difficulty, “It was meant for me, but I don’t have the strength anymore… I’ll give it to you.”

Gu Ning reached down to his waist and indeed found a gun.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Ji Jiuzhe said again.

“That’s the third time you’ve said that to me tonight,” Gu Ning replied, as if complaining about his nagging. She gripped the gun but didn’t point it at herself. Instead, she raised it and aimed it at the mutated wolf.

“One shot won’t kill it. It’s a waste,” Ji Jiuzhe kindly reminded her.

“I don’t care,” Gu Ning said, and without hesitation, she pulled the trigger.

Bang! The gunshot rang out.

Ji Jiuzhe squinted as he watched the bullet hit the mutated wolf’s chest. “See, I told you.”

“I said I don’t care,” Gu Ning replied, tossing the gun aside. She lay down in a more comfortable position and, like Ji Jiuzhe, squinted at the mutated wolf, which had been enraged by the sudden shot and was now charging toward them. But as the wolf’s ferocious face loomed closer, Gu Ning couldn’t help but close her eyes in fear—while Ji Jiuzhe, before Gu Ning closed her eyes, had already expended the last of his life force. His faint heartbeat came to an abrupt stop, and he quietly closed his eyes.

The suffocating, hot stench of the mutated wolf’s breath washed over her. The wolf opened its massive jaws and bit down hard toward Gu Ning’s head!

At that moment!

A golden light silently flashed by—

Followed by the roar of a giant bear!