Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Gathering Place – The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online Novel

Gathering Place

“You’re not afraid of me.” This wasn’t a question, but a statement.

“Why should I be afraid of you?” This response, of course, wasn’t a question either.

There was an inexplicable sense of inevitability.

“You killed someone on my turf and still act so righteous?” This time, it was a question.

“I killed someone who deserved it. Because I’m righteous, I act bold.”

White Wolf stared at Gu Ning for a moment, then clicked his tongue and said, “I really don’t feel like killing you anymore.”

The underlying meaning of this statement was that he had originally planned to kill her again.

The sudden interest in those slanting eyes made Gu Ning’s pupils contract slightly, her mind racing.

The cruel smile on White Wolf’s lips shifted as if teasing Gu Ning: “But even though I’m the boss, I can’t be so capricious as to decide not to kill just like that. However, since you’re a minor, I’ll give you a chance.” He swung his long legs off the desk, stood up, and walked towards Gu Ning. He was at least 185 cm tall, his body swaying naturally and ostentatiously with each step, exuding a strong aura of dominance that enveloped the entire room, including Gu Ning.

Gu Ning used a great deal of self-control to stop herself from stepping back.

“You’d better not pull out that little knife behind your waist, unless you don’t want that little hand of yours anymore.”

Gu Ning’s hand, which had been resting on the knife handle at her back, froze. She looked up at White Wolf, who was now right in front of her, her pupils contracting.

“Scared? You should be. Otherwise, I’d think that because I haven’t killed anyone personally for a while, I don’t look like a bad guy anymore.” He spoke lightly, but the malice in his eyes was intense. He brushed Gu Ning’s hand aside and pulled the small knife from her waist.

His long, bony fingers gripped the handle, and with agile movements, the knife spun rapidly between his fingers like a living snake, yet not harming his skin in the slightest. Finally, he stopped the knife at Gu Ning’s face, his smile still present but now tinged with a chilling coldness: “I don’t have a habit of threatening little girls, but it’s best not to play with knives in front of me. I have a habit of wanting to kill when I see a knife.”

Gu Ning felt the cold blade against her face, her eyes stubbornly staring at him, but her pupils uncontrollably contracted, the fear deep within easily caught by White Wolf.

At that moment, the door was rhythmically knocked three times.

A tall figure appeared at the open doorway: “White Wolf.”

The man wore a spotless white shirt, a high-bridged nose adorned with gold-rimmed glasses, looking very scholarly. He politely nodded slightly to Gu Ning, then looked at White Wolf and tapped his wristwatch: “It’s meeting time.”

“What kind of damn meeting?! I don’t have time.” White Wolf said impatiently, casually tossing the small knife onto the table, then glared down at Gu Ning threateningly: “Little girl, follow your uncle’s lead and don’t cause trouble for me. Otherwise, not even your Third Uncle can protect you.” After saying this, he kicked a stool out of his way, cursing: “What kind of damn meetings all day long. Being the boss isn’t as free as I thought.”

With that, he swaggered out the door.

“You can go now, Third Brother is waiting for you at the stairwell.” The man said to Gu Ning, then quickly followed White Wolf.

“So? How was it? Insisting on seeing this murderous little girl, how did it feel?” The man asked, slightly lagging behind White Wolf.

White Wolf thought about Gu Ning’s reaction earlier and let out a disdainful snort: “Boring as hell.” Then he added with a sigh: “This apocalypse is getting more and more dull.”

Left alone in the room, Gu Ning slowly straightened up, walked to the desk, and re-sheathed the small knife at her waist. She looked at the wide-open door, catching the sounds of conversation in the corridor, her eyes flickering slightly. The fear that had been reflected in her eyes under her golden hair was now completely gone.

She couldn’t pique that man’s interest, nor could she let her actions implicate others, yet she couldn’t appear too deliberate. It was a delicate balance to strike. Fortunately, her improvisation had been decent.

Stepping outside, Third Brother was indeed waiting at the stairwell.

Seeing Gu Ning come out, his furrowed brow didn’t relax.

“Did White Wolf do anything to you?” Third Brother asked with a frown.

“Nothing. I’m a minor, after all.” Gu Ning joked, using Third Brother’s words.

Third Brother didn’t laugh, his brow still furrowed: “It’s fine for now, but I’m afraid there might be trouble later.”

Gu Ning paused slightly on the stairs, then asked: “White Wolf said he’d give me a chance. What kind of chance?”

Third Brother stopped, looked at Gu Ning, and said: “A chance to fight for your life.”

Gu Ning and Third Brother descended the stairs together, and upon seeing the anxious group waiting in the hall, Gu Ning was slightly taken aback.

Jia Daozhang, sharp-eyed, immediately spotted Gu Ning and called out: “Hey! They’re coming down!”

The crowd surged forward, surrounding Gu Ning in the middle.

Questions flew from all sides: “Gu Ning, are you okay?”

“Gu Ning, did they give you a hard time?”

“I’m fine.” Gu Ning smiled in response, then asked worriedly: “Where are my parents?”

“They’re settled in the student dormitory. Your mom woke up for a bit, probably too tired, and fell back asleep. Huang Mengyao said the wound isn’t a problem, she’s taking care of her in the dorm now.” At this point, Jia Daozhang’s voice hesitated slightly, then continued: “But your dad’s condition is more complicated. Huang Mengyao said she can’t handle his wound.”

Third Brother said: “We do have a doctor in the gathering place. I’ll have someone bring her over to take a look. But it’s hard to get medicine now; all the medicine found in the school nurse’s office has been taken by White Wolf and his crew.”

Jia Daozhang was surprised: “You’re not with that White Wolf?”

Third Brother glanced at him: “Who told you I’m with White Wolf?”

“Third Brother used to be the company commander of our third company! How could he be part of the underworld?!” Zhang Yang interjected excitedly.

Gu Ning wasn’t too surprised. Even when Third Brother was sitting in the car with his eyes closed, pretending to sleep, his back was naturally straight. Plus, his behavior along the way, the military truck, and the guns they carried, Gu Ning had somewhat guessed that Third Brother might be a soldier.

“So you’re a soldier too? How come your marksmanship is so poor?” Jia Daozhang asked Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang, gripping his gun tightly, blushed and said: “I’m from the mess squad!” He had been assigned to the mess squad because he failed the marksmanship test. Being called out in front of so many people for his poor shooting, Zhang Yang was on the verge of tears.

“Enough.” Gu Ning cut off Jia Daozhang before he could continue, then said to Third Brother: “Let her take a look at my dad’s leg first. Make a list of what medicine is needed, and I’ll handle it.”

“Alright. Zhang Yang, go to the school nurse’s office and fetch Dr. Gao.”

“Yes.” Zhang Yang responded, then ran off towards the school nurse’s office with his gun.

Soon, Dr. Gao was brought over.

It was somewhat surprising that Dr. Gao was a very young woman, probably in her late twenties, with short hair just above her ears, wearing a dusty white T-shirt, cropped jeans revealing slender ankles, and black sneakers. Despite being a bit dirty, she gave off a very clean and refreshing vibe.

She strode over with her medical kit, nodded to Third Brother, and asked: “Where’s the patient?”

“He’s still in the student dormitory. I’ll have Zhang Yang take you there.” Third Brother said, then turned to Gu Ning: “Gu Ning, I have other matters to attend to. If you need me, come find me on the fifth floor of the Teacher’s Building.”

“Okay. Thank you, Third Uncle.” Gu Ning nodded, still not changing her address. If she was going to act, she had to do it thoroughly.

Then, led by Zhang Yang, Gu Ning and the others headed towards the student dormitory.

“So you’re the little girl who killed someone at the school gate?” Dr. Gao suddenly asked as they walked.

Gu Ning, about to turn 23, felt a bit embarrassed being called a little girl all the time. Dr. Gao’s direct question left her unsure how to respond, but she answered honestly: “Yes.”

“Good job.” Dr. Gao said indifferently: “People like that are just a waste of resources living in this world.”

Gu Ning was slightly taken aback, then smiled without saying anything.

She looked around.

Many people were hurrying past on both sides of the road. There were only a few students left; most had fled home at the first sign of the apocalypse. Now, the school was mostly filled with people coming in from outside. It had been over three months since the apocalypse began, and it was rare to see anyone well-dressed and spirited. Faces of numbness passed by Gu Ning.

Not many people paid extra attention; the place was adding new people every day, and everyone was too busy thinking about survival to spare energy for others.

But when they saw Gu Ning’s group heading towards the dormitory building, many more eyes turned their way.

All the classroom buildings had their desks moved out and piled up in the open.

They were now filled with people, dozens crammed into each classroom, men, women, old, and young. Those without luggage had to make do with a few books or newspapers spread on the concrete floor to sleep on. The conditions were terrible.

As the weather grew colder each day, the large, drafty classrooms offered no shelter for those sleeping on the floor, making it easy for those with weaker constitutions to catch colds. Medicine was more precious than gold now, and once someone caught a cold, there was no choice but to tough it out. Those who couldn’t, died.

Every few days, someone on the brink of death was taken out, never to return.

But the dormitory building was a different story. Not only were there beds to sleep on, but if you were lucky, you might find clothes, bedding, and other necessities left behind by fleeing students.

Only two kinds of people could live in the dormitory building.

One, if you had connections with the higher-ups in the gathering place.

Two, if you could contribute enough supplies.

Only by meeting one of these conditions could you live in the dormitory building.

Gu Ning and her group clearly fell into the first category.

Wherever there are people, there are unspoken rules of survival. But in the apocalypse, these unspoken rules have become blatant.

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