Chapter 37

Chapter 37: The Person Who Sees the Future – The Gate of Rebirth in the Apocalypse

Chapter 37: The Person Who Sees the Future

The last remaining zombies were all cleared out.

Gu Ning stayed on the rooftop until the smoke gradually thinned before descending with her gun on her back.

The ground was littered with charred zombie corpses, some reduced to mere fragments of bone. As Gu Ning approached the gate, she suddenly stepped on something round. She paused, then moved her foot to reveal a transparent orb on the ground. Surprised, she quickly crouched to pick it up. As she did, she noticed a second orb, then a third, fourth, fifth…

By the time she was done, Gu Ning had bent down near the big iron gate and collected at least thirty-five orbs.

All of them were transparent, crystal-clear, and dazzling.

These orbs seemed to come only from the more agile zombies.

Gu Ning opened her backpack, ready to stash the orbs inside before heading into the gathering place.

But she was stopped.

Leading the group was Yan Yu, who, along with a dozen others, blocked Gu Ning’s path.

Pei Jing had already been taken away by White Wolf.

“Hand over the stuff,” Yan Yu demanded.

Gu Ning glanced at her, then, as if she hadn’t heard, tossed the orbs into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder.

Cheng Ming and Jia Daozhang quickly stepped forward, standing beside Gu Ning, eyeing the group warily.

The soldiers on guard also noticed the commotion but didn’t rush over, instead observing from a distance.

Yan Yu grew impatient. “Didn’t you hear me? Hand over my stuff!”

“Your stuff?” Gu Ning raised an eyebrow.

“Of course!” Yan Yu replied without hesitation. “Didn’t you see that big fire earlier?”

Gu Ning coldly stared at her. “If I’m not mistaken, only the agile zombies that climbed the iron gate had these orbs. I was on the opposite rooftop, firing over forty shots, all aimed at the zombies on the gate. Meanwhile, you were just watching. By the time your fire started, only the ordinary zombies were left.”

Yan Yu sneered. “Oh, so you fired over forty shots from that distance? You expect me to believe you hit every zombie?”

Without wasting words, Gu Ning took her gun, turned, and aimed at an antenna on the opposite rooftop where she had been earlier. She pulled the trigger.

“Bang!” The antenna snapped in half.

Then, Gu Ning turned the gun back, pointing it directly at Yan Yu. “Do you believe that, one second before you can launch your fireballs, your head will explode with a bang?”

Yan Yu’s face paled. Today was not her day. First, she encountered the fearless White Wolf, and now this unyielding Gu Ning. Twice in one day, she had a gun pointed at her head, even after gaining her special ability. It was easy to imagine her frustration.

As Gu Ning aimed at Yan Yu, the observing soldiers also raised their guns, ready to fire at the slightest provocation. After all, killing no longer required consequences.

Finally, under this pressure, a man tugged at Yan Yu. “Yan Yu, Pei Jing told you not to cause trouble.”

Yan Yu’s expression shifted several times before she glared at Gu Ning. “Fine. You win this time. But don’t regret it later. Let’s go!”

With that, she led her group away.

“Gu Ning, Yan Yu is powerful. You’ve made an enemy of her, and she might come after you,” Cheng Ming said worriedly.

Gu Ning thought to herself that she didn’t want to make enemies, but she couldn’t give up the orbs.

Just as White Wolf could shoot down fireballs, these special abilities weren’t invincible.

As long as she grew stronger, she wouldn’t fear anyone.

She nodded slightly to the soldiers in the distance as a gesture of thanks, then turned to Cheng Ming and Jia Daozhang. “Let’s head back first.”

Back in the dormitory, Gu Ning’s parents were relieved to see her return safely.

Gu Ning reassured them, explaining that the zombies at the school gate had been cleared.

They then moved to the neighboring dormitory to discuss what had happened.

Huang Mengyao and Xie Yuhong listened as Cheng Ming described how Yan Yu had conjured fireballs, both finding it hard to believe.

“Does she know magic? Or is it some kind of superpower?” Huang Mengyao asked.

“It’s because of this,” Gu Ning said quietly, pulling out a transparent orb from her backpack and placing it in her palm.

Jia Daozhang was the first to lean in. “What is this?”

The other three also gathered around, staring at the orb, waiting for Gu Ning to explain.

“This was dug out of a zombie’s brain,” Gu Ning said.

Jia Daozhang immediately recoiled. “What?!”

Gu Ning continued, “If I’m not mistaken, Yan Yu gained her ability by swallowing one of these orbs. I also met a little girl who had a different ability, also from swallowing an orb.”

Jia Daozhang voiced his concern. “But this came from a zombie’s brain… What if… what if swallowing it doesn’t give you any ability and just turns you into a zombie?”

“Jia Daozhang, Cheng Ming, you’ve both seen it. The zombies are evolving. They’re no longer stiff; they can climb and run. If we don’t get stronger, we’ll just become their food.”

Gu Ning opened her palm, revealing four orbs. “The choice is yours.”

The four exchanged silent glances, each struggling with the decision.

Huang Mengyao was the first to take one. Then Cheng Ming, Xie Yuhong, and finally Jia Daozhang.

They silently washed the orbs with water.

Jia Daozhang muttered, “Should we boil them to disinfect them?”

Just as they were about to swallow the orbs, a childish voice suddenly rang out at the dormitory door.

“It’s useless.”

Everyone turned to look.

Gu Ning frowned slightly at the two figures at the door—a tall boy and a short girl, Xiang Yi and Xiang Xu.

Xiang Yi spoke up. “If you want to awaken a special ability, these transparent orbs won’t work. You need colored orbs to trigger an ability. These transparent ones only work when your ability is severely depleted, and even then, it’s not a guarantee.” He shrugged. “Like me, I’ve eaten two orbs and still haven’t developed any ability.”

The four in the room were stunned by this information, all instinctively looking at Gu Ning.

Gu Ning silently processed the information, then turned to the little girl, Xiang Xu. “And you? What color orb did you eat to gain your ability?”

Xiang Xu replied, “Pure white.” Her voice was clear and childlike, but her eyes were calm, with a depth that didn’t match her age.

Her dark eyes gazed at Gu Ning as she requested, “If possible, I’d like to speak with you alone.”

Gu Ning narrowed her eyes, studying her for a moment before nodding to Jia Daozhang and the others.

Though curious, Jia Daozhang and the others stood up and left the room.

Xiang Xu entered, and Xiang Yi closed the door from the outside.

Now, only Gu Ning and Xiang Xu remained in the dormitory.

Gu Ning looked at Xiang Xu. “So, what do you want to talk about?” The scene was somewhat comical—a woman in her twenties and a little girl of seven or eight, both with serious, calm expressions. While Gu Ning’s demeanor was expected, a child with such a mature expression was unusual.

Xiang Xu’s dark eyes were like deep pools as she stared at Gu Ning, dropping a bombshell. “I can see the future.”

As these words left the girl’s mouth, the calm in Gu Ning’s eyes finally wavered.

“After swallowing that white orb, I had a dream. In it, I saw many things. I know these orbs will be called crystal cores in the future. The zombies will grow stronger, even animals will start mutating, and you…” Xiang Xu’s gaze deepened, her eyes flickering with countless images. “I saw you standing on a massive tree, your golden hair shining brightly, riding a colossal beast, running through a green ocean… I thought it was just a dream. But after seeing you that day, I knew it wasn’t a dream. It was the future I saw.”

As Xiang Xu finished speaking, if Gu Ning’s face remained calm, her mind was in turmoil.

Crystal cores, evolving zombies, mutating animals, a massive tree, a colossal beast, a green ocean…

These images bombarded Gu Ning’s mind, leaving her shaken.

For a long time, Gu Ning couldn’t speak, unsure of what to say. Should she ask if all this was true? She didn’t think Xiang Xu could fabricate such details, especially with the real existence of the massive tree and green ocean. Moreover, the girl had no motive to lie.

“That’s why I had to follow you,” Xiang Xu said, her voice tinged with mystery. “It’s a revelation from the future.”

Gu Ning looked at Xiang Xu’s youthful face, peering into the depths of her dark, pool-like eyes. There, she caught a hint of tension, and the girl’s unconsciously pursed lips betrayed her inner unease.

But if you didn’t look closely, her face, though young, was filled with an earnest and calm determination.

Gu Ning couldn’t help but think that, compared to Jia Daozhang, this seven- or eight-year-old Xiang Xu seemed more like a proper fortune-teller.