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Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Setting Off to Hunt Crystal Cores – The Gate of Apocalypse Rebirth – Full Novel Website

Chapter 39: Setting Off to Hunt Crystal Cores

After hearing the news brought by Gu Ning, Third Brother was stunned for a long time.

Suddenly, Third Brother let out a pained cry. It turned out that the cigarette he was holding had burned down to the filter, scorching his fingers.

After tossing the cigarette butt, Third Brother finally regained some composure. He looked at Gu Ning and said, “Say that again? What crystal core growing in the heads of zombies can give people special powers after eating it?”

“Abbreviated as ‘special abilities,'” added Jia Daozhang from the side.

Third Brother instinctively licked his dry lips. “How does this sound so… mystical?”

Gu Ning didn’t give Third Brother much time to react. She said, “Third Brother, everyone in the world who knows about the crystal cores is probably already on the move. From now on, every minute we delay could mean falling behind by a minute…”

Hearing this, Third Brother stood up from the ground and addressed the soldiers who were still in shock. “Then what are we waiting for? Everyone, get your spirits up! Bring enough guns and ammunition. We leave in ten minutes!”

Third Brother continued, “Lin Kai, Wang Yang, Yang Bo, and Zhang Feng, you four stay behind. Protect Gu Ning’s parents.”

The excitement on the faces of Lin Kai and the others was instantly doused like a bucket of cold water. They didn’t defy Third Brother’s order but responded weakly, “Yes, Third Brother.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your share,” Zhang Xiaobai reassured while loading bullets into a magazine. Zhang Yang, on the other hand, was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected Third Brother to let him go out instead of staying behind.

Watching them busily preparing guns and ammunition, Gu Ning reminded them, “Unless absolutely necessary, we should avoid firing to prevent attracting hordes of zombies. These guns are only for emergencies.”

Third Brother said, “Don’t worry. We’ve been out there every day; we know the drill. These guns are only for emergencies, like if we encounter something we can’t handle, like that zombie dog from the other day, or a horde of zombies. After all, every bullet counts, and we usually can’t bear to use them.”

Gu Ning nodded, feeling reassured. Third Brother and his men had no less experience killing zombies than she did. She had been overthinking.

Ten minutes later, the soldiers were fully equipped.

They formed two lines.

The soldiers were unusually less solemn than when they went out to search for survivors. Their excitement and eagerness were impossible to hide, their eyes gleaming.

“Third Brother, can I say something?” Gu Ning suddenly spoke up.

Third Brother was taken aback but then said, “Go ahead.”

He then made space for Gu Ning.

The soldiers looked at her with curiosity, not impatience but with a friendly kind of confusion. After all, they all understood how important the news she brought was, and the fact that she shared it with them freely was a huge favor. Even soldiers who hadn’t interacted with Gu Ning before now looked at her with goodwill.

Gu Ning’s gaze swept across the soldiers’ faces, and she spoke solemnly, “The entire world is evolving now. Not just humans, but zombies and even more dangerous zombie animals have gained this opportunity. I hope everyone won’t be blinded by the crystal cores. Stay calm at all times, and prioritize survival in every action.”

Hearing this, the excitement on the soldiers’ faces slightly faded. Indeed, their minds were filled with thoughts of quickly hunting down zombies with crystal cores. If they kept this up, they might lose their necessary vigilance. Gu Ning’s words were like a wake-up call, bringing them back to reality.

Third Brother also nodded, his sharp eyes scanning the soldiers’ faces one by one. He said gravely, “Gu Ning is right. The crystal cores are important, but your lives are even more important! I hope we leave with this many people and return with the same number!” He paused, looking at the soldiers, his tone tinged with sorrow. “The Third Company is down to just you few. I can’t let the Third Company’s commander become a lone wolf.”

Thinking of their comrades who died on the road or didn’t even make it out of the unit, the soldiers’ excitement faded, replaced by determination. “Yes, Company Commander!”

Third Brother didn’t correct their address. He nodded at Gu Ning, signaling that they could set off.

By this time, the children had already woken up. Seeing the soldiers about to leave again, they crowded by the windows or doors, watching eagerly.

The soldiers patiently bid them farewell, promising to bring back something delicious.

Suddenly, Gu Ning felt a small hand timidly grasp hers and then quickly let go. Surprised, she looked down and saw a little girl who looked even younger than Xiang Xu, probably only six or seven years old, looking up at her with deer-like, moist eyes. Her gaze held curiosity, admiration, and a bit of timidity, as if afraid Gu Ning would scold her. Gu Ning felt her heart tighten, but she couldn’t help but smile at the girl. The little girl was stunned for a moment, then gave Gu Ning a big smile in return.

Even after getting into the truck, Gu Ning’s mind kept flashing back to that small, sincere smiling face.

This time, the group setting out included Third Brother and twenty-two others, plus Gu Ning, Jia Daozhang, Cheng Ming, Xie Yuhong, Huang Mengyao, and the siblings Xiang Xu and Xiang Yi, making a total of exactly thirty people.

Third Brother was initially surprised that Gu Ning wanted to bring Xiang Xu along. After hearing about Xiang Xu’s special ability, he was even more astonished.

The thirty people were divided into two trucks.

Gu Ning’s truck included Jia Daozhang, Cheng Ming, Huang Mengyao, Xie Yuhong, Xiang Xu, Xiang Yi, Zhang Yang, Zhang Xiaobai, and four other soldiers. One was the soldier who had stood guard with Zhang Xiaobai that day, named Shi Lei, whom the soldiers called “Stone.” The other three soldiers were named Cai Yong, Tian Fei, and Hu Guangming. In that other world, Gu Ning had met them all in the Third Company, but here, she had to pretend not to know them.

The other truck was led by Third Brother, driving ahead to clear the way.

Each person in both trucks was equipped with a walkie-talkie to maintain communication within a range of one kilometer.

Third Brother was initially surprised by the little girl who appeared by Gu Ning’s side. After learning about Xiang Xu’s special ability, he was even more amazed.

As for Xiang Xu, as soon as the truck left the gathering place’s gate, her spiritual power silently spread out, covering a 500-meter radius around the military truck, constantly monitoring.

After brief introductions, the soldiers began to take out the food they had brought with them.

Perhaps because they had saved some food for the children, their lunch was pitifully small—just a small piece of bread. They even asked Gu Ning and the others if they had eaten. Only after getting a positive response did they start eating. Except for Zhang Yang, who was slightly shorter and thinner, and Zhang Xiaobai, who was also quite slim, the others were all quite robust. It was clear that this small piece of bread wouldn’t fill them up. And they had long forgotten what it felt like to be full.

Gu Ning silently took out a small bag of supplies from her backpack, containing some chocolate, sausages, and bread. She handed the bag to Zhang Yang and said, “Share it. We can’t fight on an empty stomach.”

The soldiers swallowed their saliva as they refused, but under Gu Ning’s insistence, each received enough food to fill their stomachs for this meal.

However, none of them ate to their fill. They ate just enough to satisfy their hunger halfway, then stored the remaining supplies.

At this moment, whether it was Jia Daozhang, Cheng Ming, Xie Yuhong, Huang Mengyao, or the newly joined Xiang Xu and Xiang Yi, they all felt a sense of感慨. They had also been through this period, and there were times when they couldn’t find any food at all, worse off than these soldiers. So they could better appreciate how fortunate they were to be with Gu Ning now. Whenever Gu Ning left the gathering place, she always managed to bring back some supplies. Although the quantity wasn’t large, in the apocalypse, it was enough to drive people crazy.

But they also knew very clearly in their hearts that if this evolution of special abilities didn’t succeed, they might eventually have to part ways with Gu Ning. Thinking about the possibility of returning to those days of desperately fighting for a bite to eat, Jia Daozhang silently vowed to give it his all this time, to show his bravery even if he couldn’t evolve a special ability.

For a moment, the minds of the people in the truck were filled with different thoughts.

On the other hand, Xiang Xu, who had already gained Gu Ning’s full trust, and her “bonus” Xiang Yi, were relatively more relaxed.

Xiang Xu, who had been sitting quietly beside Gu Ning without speaking, suddenly said, “Five trucks have left the gathering place. They’re following our route.”

Gu Ning immediately guessed that it was probably Bai Lang’s group, who had already gotten the news from Pei Jing. Perhaps Pei Jing and Yan Yu’s group were also among them.

Gu Ning felt a bit worried. If both groups were taking the same route and had the same goal, it was inevitable that conflicts would arise if they met. Bai Lang’s side had more people and who knew how many special ability users. Although their side had good marksmen, Gu Ning didn’t want a gunfight unless absolutely necessary. And there was also Yin Sang on the other side, whom Gu Ning deeply feared. If a conflict broke out, they would likely be at a disadvantage.

“Do you know how many special ability users are among them?” Gu Ning asked.

“No,” Xiang Xu replied honestly. “My current ability only allows me to detect their ability fluctuations when they use their powers… They’re speeding up,” Xiang Xu suddenly said.

Gu Ning picked up the walkie-talkie. It was her first time using it, so she asked Zhang Yang, who was sitting across from her, for help. Then she relayed the message that Bai Lang had also left the gathering place and was following the same route, expressing her concerns to Third Brother.

Third Brother’s response, however, was very calm. “Everyone has their own methods. We won’t interfere with each other. Don’t worry too much.”

Gu Ning’s vigilance didn’t lessen because of Third Brother’s calmness. After all, just from that one meeting, she knew Bai Lang was not an easy person to deal with. Even if they were willing to back down, they couldn’t keep retreating.

And Bai Lang was clearly the type to take an inch and then demand a mile.

They were much more impatient than Gu Ning. In less than five minutes, five speeding vehicles roared up from behind the military truck and quickly overtook them, speeding ahead.

The truck fell silent. But except for Gu Ning and Xiang Xu, everyone else’s faces showed a bit of anxiety. The difference between arriving early and late was huge.

Gu Ning, on the other hand, felt more settled. What she had feared was Bai Lang’s group leisurely following behind, waiting to reap the benefits. Now that they were rushing ahead so impatiently, Gu Ning felt more at ease. After all, with Xiang Xu as their human radar, they still had a significant advantage.

The two military trucks continued to drive forward at a steady pace. Once they passed the gathering place’s cleared area, they began to encounter some bumps. As the truck jolted up and down, the wheels rolled over the corpses of zombies on the ground, splattering intestines and blood everywhere.

Half an hour later, the two trucks stopped in a safe area detected by Xiang Xu.

This location was near the edge of the downtown area. A few streets ahead was Eleventh Square and the adjacent pedestrian street. That was where Gu Ning planned to go after their evolution, but for now, it was the most dangerous place in the world for them.

It might have been an illusion, but Gu Ning even felt like she could sense the danger emanating from three or four blocks away.

After getting out of the trucks, the two groups merged.

It was already 1:30 PM. Given how early the sun set now, it would be dark by 5 PM. They didn’t have much time left.

To complete the mission as quickly as possible, they had to split into two groups.

Third Brother had a very old-fashioned metal watch. After synchronizing their watches, they set a time. No matter what happened, they had to return here by 4:30 PM. They would keep each other updated via walkie-talkie.

Third Brother said, “If we don’t make it back in time, take one of the trucks and leave. Don’t wait for us.”

Gu Ning nodded and said, “Same goes for us.”

Then the two groups hurriedly bid farewell and headed in different directions.

What lay ahead, what dangers awaited them, they had no idea. But they could only move forward.

The Door to Rebirth in Apocalypse

The Door to Rebirth in Apocalypse

末世重生之门
Score 8.4
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2015 Native Language: Chinese
Two parallel universes. On the day of the apocalypse, the trajectory of history driven into two different paths, completely altered the two universes. One is a heaven, and one is a hell. One is an era of peace while the red flag fluttered. One is the end of the world where zombies rampaged, and lives devastated. Gu Ning tried to survive in the apocalyptic world, trying all her best to protect her family and loved ones. Yet, she dies brutally on the streets after being betrayed. She woke up in a strange dimension. An empty dimension, and a door. Opened the door once, it is the peaceful era. Opened the door again, it is the end of the world.

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