Chapter 165

Chapter 165: Light – The Door of Rebirth in the Apocalypse

Following the clues they left, it was almost possible to deduce the perilous situation they were in that day. After more than three hours, they finally shook off the zombie horde and left a clear message for Gu Ning on a wall.

The red spray paint left very large and conspicuous words on the white wall.

“See you in the Capital!!!” followed by the number 3, representing the Three-Linked Team.

Clearly, this was the real message from the Three-Linked Team.

The words “Tianmen Dutch Town” that Gu Ning had seen earlier might have been, as Yi Shaoqing analyzed, something someone wrote out of boredom on the car for no particular reason. However, in her anxious and frantic state, Gu Ning mistakenly took it as crucial information. This misled her to waste several days in Dutch Town. If not for those days, she might have caught up with them by now.

If nothing unexpected happened, they should have already reached the capital safely by this time.

Gu Ning let out a long sigh as she looked at the wall, then turned to the four people standing behind her and said, “Let’s go, to the capital!”

Zhuang Chen, Yi Shaoqing, Xia Yu, and Director Zhong all smiled, got into the car, and drove away before the next wave of zombies arrived.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

In the dark night, two vines burst out from the ground, growing rapidly with the wind! The sharp tips of the vines shot forward, side by side, piercing through the chests of zombies like threading beads, effortlessly skewering over twenty of them! Then, lifting the string of zombies, the vines swung towards the zombie hordes on either side! Instantly, a group of zombies was sent flying, and the two vines stood like unyielding fortresses, preventing the zombies from regrouping. The crowded zombie horde was split into two, leaving only a dozen zombies still approaching from the middle. Yi Shaoqing, recovering from his shock, stepped on the gas and drove straight through! Like bowling balls hitting pins, zombies were sent flying one after another or crushed under the wheels. The vines mutated again, growing nearly half a meter long spikes. Xia Yu watched in horror as the zombies ignored the spikes and continued forward, only to be impaled by the thorns, some even having their heads pierced, rendering them immobile.

Gu Ning leaned back from the car window and calmly said to Yi Shaoqing, “Find a safe spot to stop and rest for a bit.” It was clear that Director Zhong, the oldest and physically weakest, was exhausted but had been pushing through to avoid delaying the journey. Hearing Gu Ning suggest a rest, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had once been infected with the zombie virus, and although he was injected with an antidote in time, he could feel his constitution had significantly weakened.

Xia Yu, who was also extremely tired, being tall and long-legged, had been cramped under the seat, unable to sleep comfortably. But now, his fatigue was swept away, completely awestruck by Gu Ning’s display of power as she swept through the zombie horde with her special ability, his eyes sparkling with excitement: “Gu Ning! That move was just too cool! Damn!”

Zhuang Chen couldn’t help but turn around and ask, “Gu Ning, what level is your special ability now?” The scale of what she had just done was not something an ordinary ability user could achieve.

“I don’t know,” Gu Ning replied. She truly didn’t know what level she was at, as her abilities, though numerous, were one-time use and non-renewable. But since her space ability started opening and closing, she had stopped worrying, using it freely while she could, fearing it might close again and she’d miss the chance.

They drove all the way to the seaside.

As soon as Xia Yu got out of the car, he started stomping his feet and shaking his hands, stretching his body. His large frame had been cramped in the car for too long, probably stiff. Director Zhong also seemed relieved as he stepped out, his complexion slightly better.

The sea wind was howling; it was already past mid-November, and the sea breeze felt like knives scraping against their faces. Gu Ning took out several down jackets from her space and handed them to everyone, then set up a large tent on the ground: “Let’s sleep here tonight.” Not everyone could go without rest like her, and continuing the journey would be too strenuous, especially seeing Director Zhong’s poor condition. It was better to rest here for a few hours, regain strength, and then set off. The area seemed deserted, with no zombies in sight, and the open terrain made it a good spot for camping.

Although no one had mentioned it during the journey, everyone was eager to rest now, and they quickly set up the tent with renewed energy.

The tent was large enough to accommodate five people, and fortunately, Yi Shaoqing and Zhuang Chen were experienced. With Xia Yu and Director Zhong assisting, it was assembled quickly. After laying out air mattresses and tossing in four sleeping bags, and covering the tent with a windbreak, the inside immediately felt much warmer, with only the faint sound of the howling wind and waves outside. Director Zhong lay down and fell asleep almost instantly.

The car was parked in front of the tent, blocking most of the wind.

Zhuang Chen suggested cooking something hot to eat, so Gu Ning sent Xia Yu and Yi Shaoqing to gather some branches and stones from the nearby woods.

Yi Shaoqing, with his strong survival skills, quickly set up a stove and got a fire going.

The firelight warmed their faces.

Gu Ning took out pots, bowls, and chopsticks from her space. Xia Yu’s eyes lit up when he saw the packets of instant noodles Gu Ning produced. As soon as the water boiled, they tore open the noodles, poured them into the boiling water, added the seasoning, and the enticing aroma immediately filled the air. Xia Yu’s mouth watered, earning him a good laugh from Yi Shaoqing.

They woke up the sleeping Director Zhong.

Everyone got a large bowl of noodles, and for a while, no one spoke. They sat around the fire, warming themselves and slurping the noodles. Eating hot instant noodles by the seaside on such a cold day, especially after days of dry sausages, bread, and biscuits, was incredibly satisfying.

Xia Yu, wrapped in a warm down jacket, ate quickly and eagerly, his mouth burning red and his forehead sweating profusely. When he put down his bowl, he felt thoroughly satisfied, not a drop of soup wasted, all of it filling his round belly, exclaiming how delightful it was.

Director Zhong, warmed by the hot soup, also looked much better.

They had cooked enough, with about a packet’s worth of noodles and plenty of soup left. All five were full and couldn’t eat anymore, so they set the leftovers aside. Relaxed, they chatted around the fire, mostly about things that happened before the apocalypse. Xia Yu used to be a courier, and when the apocalypse hit, he was out delivering packages, and then chaos ensued. He had risked returning to his hometown once, but his family was nowhere to be found.

As they chatted enthusiastically, Director Zhong, unable to keep up, crawled back into the tent, wrapped himself in a sleeping bag, and covered himself with a blanket to rest.

The four young people, full of energy, talked about the past and the future for a full two hours, adding firewood to the fire several times, before reluctantly standing up.

Yi Shaoqing looked at the dark sea in the distance and said, “When do you think the heavens will finally let the sun come out?”

“Who knows!” Xia Yu stretched and said, “Maybe tomorrow morning, the sun will rise from the sea!”

Zhuang Chen shook his head with a smile, then said to Gu Ning, “We’ll have to trouble you again.”

After chatting for so long, Gu Ning felt unusually relaxed and said with a smile, “It’s my honor, ladies.”

“Then, soldier, our safety tonight is entirely in your hands!” Yi Shaoqing said with a laugh.

Then the four of them, all warm and cozy, crawled into the tent, leaving Gu Ning alone to keep watch.

Gu Ning zipped up her down jacket to her chin, climbed onto the roof of the car, took a deep breath looking at the distant sea, and sat down, dutifully performing her role as the night watch.

Gu Ning never expected that a casual remark from Xia Yu would come true.

When she saw the faint white light on the horizon, Gu Ning didn’t think much of it. But when the sun peeked out from the sea, instantly bathing everything in golden light, Gu Ning almost forgot to breathe. She jumped down from the car, quickly unzipped the tent. Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing reacted the fastest, sitting up almost simultaneously at the sound of the zipper, urgently asking, “Zombies?”

“No,” Gu Ning said, pulling the tent zipper all the way down, her face full of wonder. “I just thought you should come out and see this.”

The light pouring into the tent stunned Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing, and then their faces lit up with ecstatic joy. They scrambled out of their sleeping bags and rushed outside.

Awakened by the commotion, Director Zhong and Xia Yu, after a brief panic, also dashed out of the tent.

The five of them stood side by side in front of the car, watching as the entire sea was dyed golden by the rising sun, the waves gently lapping at the shore.

Director Zhong squinted at the golden sea and murmured, “This is the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Xia Yu was grinning silently, lost in a daze.

Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing’s faces were filled with reflective smiles.

Gu Ning also wore a faint smile, her golden hair tousled by the sea breeze, her heart expanding with the vast ocean. Their faces were bathed in a gentle golden light, as if they were沐浴在圣光之中。

If only Ji Jiuzhe were here too, Gu Ning thought.

As if reading her mind, Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing suddenly looked over, and when their eyes met, they all shared a knowing smile.

At that moment, Xia Yu, who had been grinning foolishly, suddenly pointed at the distant sea and exclaimed, “Look! There’s a big ship over there!”

Gu Ning, Zhuang Chen, and the others looked out and saw, amidst the golden light, a large ship sailing towards them, cutting through the waves.