Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Spilling the Beans – The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse: Spilling the Beans – Easy Read

A few zombies were wandering at the entrance of the gas station, and there were several new corpses on the ground, likely killed by Xia Yu, who didn’t waste any bullets. Gu Ning hacked down a few zombies and approached the inside of the gas station, where she saw a message left for her by Xia Yu on the glass door of the restroom. He had waited for her for three hours but had to leave when the number of zombies around started to increase.

Gu Ning got back in the car and continued her journey.

When she returned to the town, she happened to run into Wang Feng and his patrol team. Clearly, none of them expected Gu Ning to return alive after being missing for a whole day.

“Where’s Brother Ji?” Wang Feng asked with concern, seeing only Gu Ning.

Gu Ning’s expression darkened. “We got separated.”

Wang Feng wisely didn’t press further. “Your friends have been out looking for you all day and just got back. You should go and let them know you’re safe.”

They parted ways.

Someone in the team remarked, “Gu Ning is really lucky. Surviving a whole day out there as a woman and still making it back.”

Wang Feng watched Gu Ning’s car drive into the town and said, “Either she’s really lucky, or she’s got real skills. I believe it’s the latter. It’s a pity such a person can’t be of use to me…”

“If they could come back, they would have already! It’s been a whole day, and Xia Yu said there was a mutated wolf and a horde of zombies chasing them. With just the two of them, how could they possibly…”

“Shut up!” Zhuang Chen cut off the man who was rambling on with his opinions, her sharp eyes like daggers, her voice icy. “Say one more word, and I’ll cut out your tongue.”

The man, not expecting to be scolded so harshly in public, opened his mouth to say something to save face but was silenced by Zhuang Chen’s cold glare. Remembering how ruthless Zhuang Chen was when killing zombies, he shrank back in fear.

Yi Shaoqing continued to stare at the map. “We’ve already searched this line. Is it possible they went this way—”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Who could be knocking at this hour?

Zhuang Chen casually said, “Xia Yu, go see who it is,” while keeping her attention on the map in Yi Shaoqing’s hands.

Xia Yu walked over but didn’t open the door immediately. Instead, he gripped the doorknob and asked, “Who is it?”

A clear voice came from outside. “It’s me.”

Xia Yu instinctively asked again, “Who?” But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized and his eyes widened. He yanked the door open, and there stood Gu Ning, who had been missing for a whole day.

“Gu Ning!” Xia Yu exclaimed in surprise.

Gu Ning nodded at him and stepped inside.

Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing clearly heard Xia Yu’s exclamation and both hurried to the door, just in time to see Gu Ning walk in.

“Gu Ning!” Zhuang Chen cried out in shock, then walked over and hugged Gu Ning, unable to believe it. “Oh my God! It’s really you! You’re back!”

Yi Shaoqing’s smile didn’t last long. Not seeing Ji Jiuzhe follow Gu Ning in, he seemed to realize something and his expression turned grim. “Gu Ning, where’s the captain?”

Zhuang Chen’s face also changed, her eyes fixed on Gu Ning’s face, a hint of fear creeping in. “The captain didn’t come back with you?”

Gu Ning’s expression stiffened. She glanced at Director Zhong, Xia Yu, and the others who were watching from the sidelines, then gave Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing a meaningful look, her tone unusually serious. “I need to talk to you two alone.”

Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing exchanged glances, both feeling uneasy about Gu Ning’s request.

“Alright, it’s just the three of us now. You can speak,” Zhuang Chen said, locking the door and urging Gu Ning to continue.

Gu Ning sat down and said, “I don’t know how to describe Ji Jiuzhe’s current situation, but I can tell you he’s still alive. You can rest assured about that.”

“I knew it!” Zhuang Chen immediately felt a wave of relief upon hearing that Ji Jiuzhe was still alive. Yi Shaoqing also relaxed slightly. As long as Ji Jiuzhe was alive, that was what mattered.

“Where is he now? Is he trapped somewhere?” Zhuang Chen asked anxiously.

Yi Shaoqing, however, remained calm. “Calm down first. Let Gu Ning explain.” He then looked at Gu Ning, signaling her to continue.

Gu Ning took a moment to organize her thoughts before speaking. “What I’m about to tell you might sound unbelievable, but I hope you’ll listen carefully.”

Seeing Gu Ning’s seriousness, both Yi Shaoqing and Zhuang Chen’s expressions turned grave.

Gu Ning took a deep breath and said, “Do you believe in parallel universes?”

Half an hour later.

Yi Shaoqing and Zhuang Chen, sitting across from Gu Ning, were completely stunned by what she had told them. It took them a while to recover from the shock, both wearing expressions of disbelief. The impact of Gu Ning’s revelation was no less than the arrival of the apocalypse itself.

In that half hour, Gu Ning had briefly explained her space and the events of the past six months, including Ji Jiuzhe’s current situation.

After a long silence, perhaps due to the tension, Yi Shaoqing cleared his throat unnaturally and stared at Gu Ning. “So you’re saying that besides this world, there’s another world that was completely parallel to this one until the apocalypse happened? And in that world, there’s another me, another Zhuang Chen, another Ji Jiuzhe—and everyone else? Exactly the same?”

Gu Ning nodded, confirming his understanding.

Zhuang Chen rubbed her arms, covered in goosebumps. “Gu Ning, are you serious about all this?”

Gu Ning sighed and pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. “If you don’t believe me, here’s a note Ji Jiuzhe wrote for you.”

Yi Shaoqing took the paper and unfolded it. It read: “Everything Gu Ning said is true.” Below was his signature and the date.

Gu Ning felt a bit speechless looking at the note. Before leaving, she had asked Ji Jiuzhe how to explain his absence to Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing.

Ji Jiuzhe’s suggestion was to tell them the truth.

“Zhuang Chen may often act superior and arrogant, but once she considers you a friend, I guarantee she’ll be the most loyal friend. Yi Shaoqing and Zhuang Chen are actually similar, just in different ways. They both have one thing in common: they’re tight-lipped. And letting them know the truth will be beneficial for future arrangements.”

Then he wrote this note for her.

Gu Ning thought he would give a simple explanation, but instead, he wrote these few words that left her completely speechless.

Yi Shaoqing was still skeptical. The handwriting on the note was indeed Ji Jiuzhe’s, and the style matched his. But what Gu Ning had said was so shocking and unbelievable that even though he trusted her, this wasn’t something that could be easily accepted just based on trust.

Yi Shaoqing and Zhuang Chen’s reactions were exactly what Gu Ning had expected. After all, experiencing something firsthand and hearing about it were completely different. Their reactions didn’t seem like disbelief, but rather that the information was too overwhelming for them to process immediately.

Zhuang Chen, however, accepted it faster than Yi Shaoqing. “So besides Ji Jiuzhe and you, there’s another world with people exactly like us? There’s another me, and you’re on good terms with ‘her’?” She then frowned. “Are you sure it’s exactly like me? Personality and all?”

Gu Ning nodded firmly. “It’s you.”

Zhuang Chen collapsed onto the couch in agony. “I can’t—my brain is about to explode!”

Yi Shao卿, on the other hand, had a flood of questions. “So the first time Ji Jiuzhe and I met you, when you disappeared after being infected by the zombie virus, was that when you first discovered your space could lead to another parallel world?”

Gu Ning nodded.

“And before, when you said you had to enter your space every two days passively, was that to prevent people from digging deeper?”

Gu Ning nodded again.

“So all those abundant supplies in your team, including Gao Yue’s instruments, were all brought from the other world?”

Gu Ning nodded once more, then gave him a strange smile. “Speaking of which, Gao Yue’s instruments were all obtained by you.”

“Me?” Yi Shaoqing was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized, his expression turning odd. “You mean the other me in that world?”

Gu Ning nodded, then pulled out her knife and looked at Zhuang Chen. “This was made by you.”

Zhuang Chen shuddered. “I’m getting goosebumps again—”

“Do the other versions of us in that world know about our existence?” Yi Shaoqing asked.

Gu Ning shook her head. “I don’t think it’s necessary to tell them. I wasn’t planning to tell you the truth either, but Ji Jiuzhe said it would save us a lot of trouble. He said you two are too smart, and if I ever did anything unusual, I wouldn’t be able to hide it from you.”

Yi Shaoqing stared at Gu Ning and asked gravely, “So Ji Jiuzhe… can’t come back?”

Gu Ning hesitated, then answered honestly, “I’m not sure.”

After a moment of silence, Yi Shaoqing looked at Gu Ning and said, “Gu Ning, I need you to tell me every detail of the last moments you and Ji Jiuzhe spent together in this world.”