Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Mutation – The Gate of Apocalypse Rebirth – Full Novel Website

Chapter 28: Mutation

Dad Gu was performing surgery in the dormitory. Outside, the noise was chaotic, with adults arguing fiercely and children crying. Yet, Gu Ning could clearly hear Gao Yue whispering to Huang Mengyao inside the dormitory, even the sound of surgical scissors cutting through flesh.

Feeling uneasy, she instinctively reached into her pocket and grasped the green orb. Strangely, as soon as her hand touched the orb, her restless heart calmed down instantly. It was a mystical sensation, hard to describe.

Unable to resist, she took it out and opened her palm. Under the sunlight, the orb appeared almost transparent, emitting a refreshing green hue. Upon closer inspection, something seemed to be flowing slowly inside.

Gu Ning once again had the illusion that the orb looked delicious. As if possessed, she brought the orb to her mouth…

When the cool orb touched her tongue, Gu Ning suddenly woke up and tried to spit it out. But in an instant, the orb melted into a cold stream in her mouth. The stream, as if alive, flowed down her throat without her needing to swallow… Gu Ning could clearly feel the cool stream sliding down her throat. Remembering where the orb came from—the stinking rotten flesh—she bent over, retching violently.

The commotion quickly caught the attention of Jia Daozhang, Cheng Ming, and the others, who gathered around with concern.

“Gu Ning, are you okay?”

Gu Ning couldn’t answer. Overwhelmed with fear, she kept retching, trying to vomit the stream she had swallowed.

Jia Daozhang thought something was stuck in her throat and slapped her back—

Before his hand even touched her, it suddenly felt empty.

Gu Ning, as if struck by a heavy blow, collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Jia Daozhang’s hand froze mid-air. Facing the shocked gazes of Cheng Ming, Xie Yuhong, and Zhang Yang, he quickly said, “It wasn’t me! I didn’t even touch her!”

Looking at Gu Ning, her eyes closed, lying motionless on the ground.

Jia Daozhang glared at the panicked boys, “What are you standing around for?! Quick, carry her to the bed!”

The boys hastily lifted Gu Ning and carried her to the neighboring dormitory.

Jia Daozhang glanced at his palm, utterly confused, and followed them to the next room.

“Daozhang? What’s wrong with Gu Ning?” Cheng Ming asked, looking at the unconscious Gu Ning with anxiety.

Jia Daozhang wanted to curse. He was a Taoist, not a doctor! He knew how to perform rituals, not save lives. How would he know?

“Go next door and call Dr. Gao,” Jia Daozhang said, then added, thinking of Gu Ning’s retching, “Could she have eaten something poisonous?” Looking at Gu Ning lying on the bed, eyes closed but not showing any signs of pain, she seemed to be just asleep.

Zhang Yang rushed to the next room to call Gao Yue, who had just finished the surgery. Hearing about Gu Ning’s sudden collapse, she was startled and hurried over. She checked Gu Ning’s breathing, listened to her heartbeat with a stethoscope, and found nothing wrong. Then she lifted Gu Ning’s eyelids. “Huh?” She leaned closer, noticing a distinct green ring around Gu Ning’s pupils. “What is this?”

“What’s wrong?” Jia Daozhang asked, hearing Gao Yue’s surprised tone, and came over to look. “Why are her eyes green?!”

This exclamation drew Cheng Ming, Zhang Yang, and Xie Yuhong closer.

The green ring wasn’t faint but a vivid emerald, strikingly noticeable, giving off an inexplicable sense of vitality. Yet, a green ring around a person’s pupils was undeniably eerie.

Zhang Yang blurted out after a long pause, “Glaucoma?”

Jia Daozhang smacked his head, “Glaucoma my foot.” He then asked Gao Yue, “What’s wrong with Gu Ning?”

Gao Yue let go of the eyelid and shook her head, puzzled. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Xie Yuhong, who had been silent at the back, hesitantly spoke up, “Could she be wearing colored contacts? Many girls at our school wear them to change their eye color…”

“…No,” Gao Yue continued, “We’ll have to wait until she wakes up to see if she knows what’s going on.”

Zhang Yang timidly asked, “What if she doesn’t wake up…”

Before he could finish, Jia Daozhang smacked his head again, “Kid, can’t you say something positive? If not, just shut up, okay?”

Zhang Yang pouted, not daring to speak further.

“Maybe she’s just asleep,” Huang Mengyao suggested. “She hasn’t rested since early morning, and so much has happened. She might be exhausted.”

“Let’s hope so,” Gao Yue stood up and said, “Anyway, if she wakes up, remind her to send my fee to the school nurse’s office.” Before anyone could react, she left with her medical kit.

“Fee? What fee?” Cheng Ming was still confused.

“Of course, the fee for treating her,” Jia Daozhang said, remembering his role and refraining from rolling his eyes. “Even if you ask me, a Taoist, to perform rituals for the dead, I charge money. We’re not immortals; we all need to eat, sleep, and live.” Despite often mentioning “Infinite Heavenly Respect,” his demeanor was far from that of an otherworldly figure—he was entirely mundane.

Though Cheng Ming and the others were somewhat taken aback, they could understand. Still, Gao Yue didn’t quite match their image of a selfless healer.

Meanwhile, Gu Ning was completely unaware of what was happening outside.

And they had no idea what strange changes were occurring within her body.

When Gu Ning, as if possessed, swallowed the orb, it instantly turned into a stream of water that flowed down her throat. Before reaching her stomach, it branched into countless streams, coursing through her limbs and body, circulating endlessly. It didn’t disrupt her bodily functions but silently nourished her, like a gentle spring rain.

As time passed, the green streams filled her entire body. In the world outside, countless green light points, invisible to the human eye, began to glow faintly in the dimness, then converged from all directions towards Gu Ning’s body. They passed through forests, grass thickets, walls, and even human bodies, as if nothing could hinder them…

The leaves in the forest rustled as if laughing joyfully. It was early autumn, and the old leaves had started to yellow, while new leaves trembled into a tender green. The roadside weeds, trampled by passersby, straightened up with a faint quiver.

Someone looked up in surprise at the rustling trees, as if a wind was passing through. He reached out, but felt no breeze.

The green light points gathered, converging from all directions, their destination being Gu Ning, lying on the iron bed with her eyes closed.

When the light points touched her skin, they passed through effortlessly, just as they had with others. But unlike with others, the green light points didn’t re-emerge. They orderly penetrated her skin, merging with the green streams inside her body, continuing their endless circulation.

In a mysterious space somewhere.

The golden needle embedded in the Tai Chi symbol on the black gate seemed to sense something, beginning to tremble slightly. The tremors grew stronger until the needle, which shouldn’t have been able to move further, started spinning wildly!

As the needle spun, the black on the gate began to fade, revealing a green beneath. The green then spread rapidly…

Surrounded by the invisible green light points, Cheng Ming and the others, anxiously waiting in the corridor, felt nothing. But Jia Daozhang suddenly rubbed his arms, covered in goosebumps under his robe, and looked strangely at the empty air, sensing something odd.

At first, the green light points formed a continuous stream within Gu Ning’s body, then turned into a rushing river, then a roaring torrent, and finally, the rivers merged into a vast, calm green sea—

If anyone had seen this, they would have been awestruck, forever remembering the sight.

Yet, no matter what changes occurred within Gu Ning’s body, to Jia Daozhang and the others, she simply lay there, eyes closed, unmoving.

Three hours later, when the sea of green light points finally calmed, the remaining light points that hadn’t entered her body gradually dimmed, disappearing from perception.

As the last green light point merged into the sea, Gu Ning’s eyes suddenly opened.

The vivid green ring around her pupils faded, leaving only a faint hint of green, barely noticeable unless closely examined.

Upon opening her eyes, Gu Ning felt a green haze before her vision. Blinking, the haze disappeared.

She was completely unaware of the changes her body had undergone during her unconsciousness.

And she had no idea what this mutation signified.

As the apocalypse entered its third month, the world, unbeknownst to its inhabitants, had begun to change dramatically, starting with the death of a zombie dog and a blonde girl.