Chapter 27

Chapter 27: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Book Online

Chapter 27

“Ningning, why did Xiao Fang bring you back?” Gu Mama asked curiously, already calling him Xiao Fang after just two meetings.

Gu Ning was in a hurry to return to the apocalypse and didn’t have much patience to explain to Gu Mama. She casually brushed it off, saying that Xiao Fang was kind and helped her carry things when he saw she had a lot. Then she changed the subject: “By the way, I just saw a job posting for a tutor with a great salary. I’m thinking of giving it a try.”

Gu Mama was first pleasantly surprised: “Really?” Then she grew a bit worried: “But you just got home a couple of days ago. Are you sure you’re ready?”

“No problem. Being a tutor will give me some free time to learn self-defense techniques,” Gu Ning said. This was the excuse she had prepared on the bus—it gave her a reasonable reason for her frequent disappearances and also allowed her to contribute to the family.

“That’s great. Dad supports you,” Gu Siyuan said while sipping tea. He thought that keeping busy would help Gu Ning move on from whatever shadows she carried. Though they hadn’t asked about the three months she was missing, her disheveled appearance and subtle changes since her return hinted at a difficult experience. He and Gu Mama tried to act normal, but they were always worried about the scars she might carry.

“I’ll go prepare now. I need to review for the interview tomorrow. If there’s nothing urgent, don’t disturb me. I’ll come out if I’m hungry,” Gu Ning said before heading to her bedroom.

Without wasting time, she grabbed a large patterned bag she used to carry bedding in school and stuffed everything into it, including the plastic bag she pulled from under the bed. With a thought, she entered her space. The first thing she always did upon returning was to turn the golden dial in the opposite direction.

Then she smiled at the bottle of anesthetic quietly standing next to the fluffy blanket.

Back to the apocalypse.

The familiar stench of decay filled her nostrils.

Gu Ning cautiously stepped out of the small restaurant.

Thanks to the gathering place, the zombies around the school had been cleared, and people were assigned daily to clean up any stragglers wandering in from elsewhere.

Gu Ning effortlessly carried the large bag and briskly walked toward the gathering place’s gate.

A line had already formed at the entrance.

Before entering, everyone had to go through a security check in the side room.

Just as Gu Ning was about to join the line, someone called out to her.

“Gu Ning?!” A guard in his early twenties excitedly ran over to her.

Gu Ning looked at him, puzzled, realizing she didn’t recognize him. She immediately grew cautious.

“I’m under Third Brother! My name is Zhang Zhanxing!” His dark face broke into a wide grin, exuding a simple, honest vibe. He was inexplicably excited and a bit nervous as he said, “Third Brother told us you’re his niece and to keep you safe. You don’t need to queue; come with me!”

Under the envious gazes of others, Gu Ning was led straight in by Zhang Zhanxing.

“Thank you,” Gu Ning said to him.

Zhang Zhanxing waved his hands vigorously, his eyes shining as he looked at her: “No need to thank me! Zhang Yang told me that if it weren’t for you, they wouldn’t have made it back! You saved my comrades’ lives—I should be thanking you! Zhang Yang said your marksmanship is amazing! One shot, one zombie!” His eyes were full of admiration, not underestimating her despite her younger age.

Gu Ning felt a bit overwhelmed by his admiration and smiled, “It’s not as exaggerated as he says.”

Zhang Zhanxing insisted, “Don’t be modest! Everyone in the gathering place knows about you taking out those thugs. They’re all talking about you! Boss Wang was so mad his face twisted! His gang of thugs always caused trouble, bullying people! It’s so satisfying that you took them down!”

This was exactly the effect Gu Ning wanted.

If no one provokes her, she won’t provoke anyone.

But if someone crosses her, especially if they try to kill her, they’ll pay a heavy price.

She needed to establish this reputation to ensure no one would dare mess with her family, even when she wasn’t around.

After bidding farewell to Zhang Zhanxing, Gu Ning headed straight to the school nurse’s office.

Carrying such a large bag, Gu Ning attracted a lot of attention. The curious eyes lingered on the bulging bag, but when they noticed her striking golden short hair, their curiosity quickly turned to fear.

The news of a golden-haired girl killing three people, severely injuring five, and scaring off five others had spread throughout the gathering place. People vividly described how terrifying this girl was.

No one dared to covet what she carried.

When Gu Ning visited the school nurse’s office, Dr. Gao looked at her in surprise.

Then, seeing the list of items Gu Ning presented, she fell silent. It hadn’t even been an hour—even driving to Lishui Hospital and back would take that long…

She opened her mouth but didn’t ask. She was just a doctor; her job was to heal, not to pry.

After organizing the items, she followed Gu Ning to the student dormitory.

Along the way, countless eyes watched from the streets and buildings.

But no one dared to approach.

A little girl, about four or five years old, curiously stared at Gu Ning, only to be quickly scooped up by a young woman who hurried away, as if Gu Ning were some kind of monster who might strike at any moment. In less than half a day since entering the gathering place, Gu Ning had already killed four people, which was indeed shocking. If it were a burly, menacing man, it might be more believable, but a seemingly innocent, frail young girl? It was hard to accept and even more terrifying.

Those who had just arrived and didn’t know the backstory were baffled. Gu Ning’s appearance was so harmless that it was hard to imagine her wielding a blade and killing.

What surprised Gu Ning was that Third Brother had sent Zhang Yang and Luo Long to guard the dormitory, protecting her parents. This was likely because she had thoroughly offended Wang Jizhong, and Third Brother was worried he might take his anger out on her parents if he couldn’t get to her.

Gu Ning was deeply grateful for Third Brother’s arrangements.

When Gu Ning returned, Cheng Ming and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They had heard about Gu Ning being ambushed and then disappearing outside the gathering place. Seeing her return safely eased their worries.

They were also amazed that Gu Ning had managed to retrieve Gao Yue’s supplies so quickly.

Gu Mama was still asleep, but Gu Siyuan had woken up.

He had already heard from Cheng Ming and the others that Gu Ning was alive.

But seeing her standing in front of him, he couldn’t help but shed tears.

He silently patted Gu Ning’s back.

After a while, both Gu Ning and Gu Siyuan calmed down and shared their experiences since they had been apart.

Gu Siyuan sighed, “We owe a lot to Auntie Li on this journey. If it weren’t for her, your mom and I wouldn’t have made it here, let alone found you.”

Gu Ning was still a bit surprised. Before the apocalypse, their family hadn’t been close to Li Hongjuan’s family.

Gu Mama had often said that Li Hongjuan was too crude, and there were many rumors about her in the neighborhood. When they bumped into each other, it was usually just a nod and a smile. But after Gu Ning saved her twice in the apocalypse, she had grown closer to Gu Mama. However, back then, because Gu Ning was brave enough to kill zombies, everyone on the minibus had fawned over Gu Mama and Gu Siyuan. Li Hongjuan hadn’t stood out much.

But now, in such times, it was she who stood by Gu Mama and Gu Siyuan through thick and thin.

Gu Ning felt a wave of emotion and asked, “Where is she?”

“She’s sleeping next door,” Huang Mengyao said.

Gu Ning then asked, “Dad, have you eaten?”

“I have,” Gu Siyuan replied.

He had woken up to the care of the others, drinking water and eating. Just being alive to see his daughter again made him feel that fate had been kind to him, and he held no resentment.

Gu Ning crouched down and said to Gu Siyuan, “Your leg needs surgery. This is Gao Yue; she can perform the operation.”

Though a bit scared, Gu Siyuan nodded.

Huang Mengyao volunteered to assist Gao Yue, while the others were shooed out of the dormitory.

And so, a debridement surgery began in the small girls’ dormitory.

“Once my hand heals, I plan to go to Lishui Hospital,” Gu Ning said to Cheng Ming and the others in the corridor.

Cheng Ming and Jia Daozhang were both stunned. Cheng Ming asked, “Didn’t you already get everything Gao Yue needed? Why take the risk to go to Lishui Hospital? It’s always crowded there, and there are probably even more zombies. Plus, the zombie horde we encountered this morning was near there—who knows if they’ve dispersed?”

“We’ll have more injuries in the future. The supplies we have won’t be enough,” Gu Ning said. If she were a wealthy heiress in that world, maybe money could solve everything, but the reality was she was dirt poor. Going to Lishui Hospital to scavenge would save a lot of money.

“I agree with Gu Ning,” Jia Daozhang said, stroking his small goatee. “While you were gone, Cheng Ming and I went out and gathered some intel. If we’re going to Lishui Hospital, just the few of us won’t be enough. We can recruit some people from the gathering place. Offer some supplies, and they’ll be willing to risk their lives for you.”

Jia Daozhang continued, “Cheng Ming and I scouted around and basically figured out the situation here. The person in charge of this gathering place is White Wolf. He used to be a gang leader, with a bunch of thugs working for him, and they have guns. What’s most important is that his men are ruthless—they kill zombies without hesitation. He has about a hundred of them. There’s a guy with glasses named Yin Yu who’s always by his side. He’s said to be his strategist.”

“Third Brother used to be a company commander in the army. When their unit turned into zombies, he led about thirty men out, bringing along a lot of guns and ammo. They stayed here but don’t answer to White Wolf—they’re their own faction. Boss Wang used to own a chain supermarket. After the apocalypse, he rallied his employees, loaded a few trucks with supplies, and joined White Wolf. It’s said he has a secret warehouse full of supplies, and only he knows where it is. Many in the gathering place wish him dead, but no one dares touch him because he’s the main source of supplies. Those thugs today were all his men.”

As Jia Daozhang spoke, Gu Ning was surprised. She had only been gone for a little over an hour, yet he had gathered so much information?

As if reading her thoughts, Jia Daozhang chuckled, “I may not have many skills, but gathering intel is one of them.”

What Gu Ning didn’t know was that Jia Daozhang had put in a lot of effort to appear so nonchalant. He wanted to show off his usefulness to Gu Ning, and it seemed he had succeeded.