Chapter 201

Chapter 201: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 201

Gu Ning clung to the back of the Giant Bear, her hands gripping the fur behind its neck tightly. The wind howled on both sides, tossing her short golden hair into a disheveled mess, making it almost impossible to keep her eyes open. To make matters worse, the Giant Bear had a penchant for sudden sharp turns and abrupt stops, sometimes even standing up on its hind legs, as if it were on some kind of high, completely forgetting it had a person on its back. If it weren’t for Gu Ning’s death grip on its fur, she would have been flung off, eliciting a few screams from her. She even began to suspect the bear was doing it on purpose.

After circling the base’s walls a few times, the Giant Bear finally slowed its pace and came to a gradual stop.

Gu Ning felt like her internal organs had been rearranged from all the jostling. She lay on the bear’s back for a while, trying to recover.

Back at the gate, Fang Fa, Cheng Ming, and the others watched nervously as the Giant Bear slowly approached. It let out a roar, seemingly to intimidate them, causing them to immediately activate their special abilities. Others raised their guns, pointing them at the bear, creating a tense standoff.

Gu Ning patted the bear’s back, seemingly to calm it down.

The Giant Bear looked down at the tiny ants before it with disdain, snorted through its nose, then turned and dashed off into the distance with Gu Ning on its back. Its massive form grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared among the distant buildings.

As the bear ran, Gu Ning had a sudden thought. The bear felt a blur before its eyes, and when it landed, they were by the sea. It took a few more steps before finally stopping and lying down, allowing Gu Ning to slide off its belly.

“Thank you so much this time,” Gu Ning said gratefully, patting its belly.

The bear snorted twice, as if to say, “Just remember what you promised,” then ignored Gu Ning and stood up, heading toward the sea. Its body was covered in filth and reeked of decay. As a bear that prided itself on cleanliness, today had been a significant sacrifice. But the thought of having an entire sea of fish to itself, and even sleeping with cans of fish, made it happy.

Gu Ning wasn’t much cleaner than the bear. Though she wanted to take a swim, there was still work to be done at the base. Seeing the bear dive into the water, she didn’t bother saying goodbye. With a thought, she returned to the outside world, carrying her knife and trudging wearily back toward the base.

“Gu Ning, are you okay?” came Third Brother’s anxious voice through the earpiece.

“I’m fine. I’m heading back now. Should be there in about ten minutes,” Gu Ning replied.

Everyone visibly relaxed. Seeing Gu Ning carried off by the Giant Bear had been nerve-wracking.

The bear had taken out about two-thirds of the zombies, and at Gu Ning’s request, most of the mutated zombies had been dealt with first. The remaining ones were just small fry. The exhausted survivors rallied their spirits to clean up the mess.

“Gu Ning! Tell us about that mutated bear!” As soon as Gu Ning entered the gate, she was immediately surrounded. Everyone stared at her with a mix of awe and curiosity. They had seen her riding the bear, something no one had ever done before—let alone tamed a mutated beast. They were dying to know more!

Gu Ning felt a shiver run down her spine under their intense gazes. “The fight’s not over yet. I’ll explain the bear situation later,” she said, then headed straight for the wall.

Seeing her determination, they couldn’t press further and returned to their posts.

Jia Daozhang, however, quickly caught up to Gu Ning and whispered slyly, “Gu Ning, just one question. Is that mutated bear the same one we encountered in Jin Yong?”

Gu Ning was surprised Jia Daozhang had guessed it. After all, the bear had grown at least half a size since Jin Yong. She didn’t avoid the question, simply nodding slightly.

Jia Daozhang’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I knew it—” he started, but Gu Ning’s sharp look cut him off, and he swallowed the rest of his words.

Gu Ning climbed onto the wall, where Xiang Xu glanced over and gave her a smile. Gu Ning suddenly remembered their first meeting, when Xiang Xu had mentioned seeing a vision of the future—her riding a massive creature. That vision had finally come true today. She couldn’t help but smile back.

“Third Brother, have the casualty numbers come in?” Gu Ning asked.

“They have,” Third Brother handed her a list. “One hundred and seventy dead, including seventeen ability users. Four hundred and thirty severely injured, and countless minor injuries.” He added, “If it weren’t for Gao Yue risking the untested second antidote, the death toll would have been much higher.”

One hundred and seventy lives lost. Compared to the base’s total population of nearly three hundred thousand, the number might seem insignificant. But each of those one hundred and seventy had been a living, breathing person.

Gu Ning clenched the list in her hand. It was handwritten, not neat, each name passing before her eyes. Faces, familiar and unfamiliar, young and full of life, flashed through her mind. The thin sheet of paper felt unbearably heavy.

Third Brother spoke gravely, “Most of the bodies have been recovered. Some… are still missing.”

The battlefield had been so brutal that few bodies were intact. Many were missing limbs, and some were just fragments.

“At least retrieve their belongings,” Gu Ning said hoarsely. “Take care of their families. Make sure the compensation is handled quickly.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already assigned Zhong Xu to handle it,” Third Brother said, patting Gu Ning’s shoulder.

Jia Daozhang’s face darkened, his teeth clenched. “The Capital Base owes us a blood debt. We will make them pay!”

Gu Ning tightened her grip on the list, her gaze fixed in the direction of the Capital Base, her eyes icy. “We’ll make them pay a hundred, a thousand times over,” she said slowly.

If it hadn’t been for the Giant Bear’s intervention, Gao Yue’s second antidote, and the well-equipped hospital with ample supplies, the death toll would have been much higher.

—

**Capital Base**

“What did you say?” Gu Yunzhi stood up from his chair, his face a mix of shock and disbelief as he stared at the man in military uniform before him. “Say that again.”

The military man understood Gu Yunzhi’s reaction. He had been equally stunned when he received the news. Looking at Gu Yunzhi, who had aged considerably after the loss of his daughter, he spoke cautiously, “Sir, the report is accurate. Tens of thousands of zombies have been wiped out.”

“How is that possible…” Gu Yunzhi slumped back into his chair, his expression shifting from shock to deep gloom. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. “What’s the situation at the Assembly?”

“The troops that were mobilized have been withdrawn. Heavy weapons have been pulled back… It seems the Chairman has changed his mind again.”

Gu Yunzhi gripped the armrests of his chair tightly, sneering, “Those conservatives must have chickened out again. They don’t realize that even though Oasis Base managed to deal with the zombies, they must have suffered heavy losses. If we don’t act now, we’ll never get another chance.” His eyes flickered with determination as he stood up abruptly. “Come with me to the Assembly!”

—

By 10 a.m., the remaining zombies were scattered and few. The base gates opened, and the collection of Crystal Cores began.

Over six thousand people worked through the afternoon to gather the cores. Even the zombies whose bodies had been destroyed but whose brains remained intact were finished off.

The heat made it urgent to dispose of the bodies to prevent disease. The base issued an emergency task for civilians to clean up the zombie remains, offering rewards. Any Crystal Cores found during the cleanup would go to the finder. The civilians, eager to contribute after seeing the soldiers fight for them, enthusiastically signed up. Some even volunteered without pay, wanting to help their home.

This showed they now saw the base as their home and were willing to do whatever it took to make it better.

In fact, while Gu Ning and the others fought on the front lines, a corrosive mutated zombie had eaten through a section of the wall. A civilian spotted it and, without hesitation, gathered her family and neighbors to hold the line until reinforcements arrived. Had they not acted, the zombies would have flooded the residential area with disastrous consequences.

The post-battle atmosphere was far from gloomy. Instead, the disaster had brought the base’s people together, creating a strong sense of unity. Everyone wanted to contribute, and the base was buzzing with positive energy.

The collected Crystal Cores were counted, and the numbers were staggering:

– **Regular Cores:** 17,381


– **Evolution Cores:** 3,214


– **Mutation Cores:** 271

Under normal circumstances, 7,000 Evolution Cores might produce a hundred ability users. But with Gu Ning’s unique ability, the success rate was 98%. That meant over 3,000 ability users! If Oasis Base had 3,000 ability users, would they still fear the Capital Base? The thought alone made Third Brother and the others burn with excitement.

Gu Ning, aiming to create as many ability users as possible, tried swallowing two Mutation Cores at once, processing two hundred people in a batch.

Only the core members of the Three-Linked Team knew about Gu Ning’s special ability. Before evolution, the candidates would drink a glass of water, officially said to be a special potion developed by Gao Yue to increase success rates. In reality, it was just plain water—a placebo to ease their minds.

But Gu Ning discovered a pattern. She could reliably process a maximum of two hundred people at a time by swallowing two Mutation Cores. Attempting a second batch in the same day resulted in fewer abilities and weaker power pools. Though eager to push forward, Gu Ning decided to stop.

The base now had nearly six hundred ability users. Even if the Capital Base decided to fully confront Oasis Base, they couldn’t afford to use all their forces. Oasis Base’s display of power in wiping out tens of thousands of zombies had undoubtedly shaken the Capital Base. Any further action wouldn’t come soon, given the Capital Base’s complex internal politics.

This bought Oasis Base precious time.

Though the weather was heating up, the atmosphere in Oasis Base was cold and serious.

Newly evolved ability users were immediately sent to the Ability School to learn how to control their powers.

Meanwhile, the military began recruiting.

To Gu Ning’s surprise, the recent battle hadn’t dampened people’s enthusiasm. If anything, more people signed up than before.

“Hey, it’s you!” A female soldier handling recruitment looked up in surprise at the girl in front of her.

The girl in the white T-shirt blinked, then recognized the soldier. “Oh, it’s you!”

“Great! Are you here to sign up?” the soldier asked.

“Yes,” the girl replied shyly. “This is my third time.”

“Ha! I don’t know why you were rejected before, but congratulations! Our commander has personally decided to waive your test and recruit you directly! I was just wondering how to find you!”

The girl was stunned. “Really? Why?”

“Of course! If it weren’t for you spotting the danger last time, who knows how many would have died? You were incredibly brave. That bravery earns you a place in the Women’s Corps!”

The girl blushed. “It wasn’t just me. Many others helped too. I couldn’t have done it alone.”

The soldier nodded, even more impressed. “Go get ready. Report to the Women’s Corps this afternoon!”

The girl felt like she was dreaming. “Okay! Thank you!”

After identifying everyone who had helped that day, they were all generously rewarded.

All participants in the battle received substantial rewards, with the most outstanding given priority for ability evolution.

Oasis Base’s power was skyrocketing. In just a few days, the base had undergone a dramatic transformation. This was something the Capital Base could never have anticipated. Their actions had only served to strengthen Oasis Base!