Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Saved? The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Chapter 42: Saved?

“Run!”

At Xiang Xu’s terrified shout, Gu Ning reacted almost instantly, grabbing Xiang Xu and tucking her under her arm before breaking into a sprint.

The others, initially slow to react, instinctively followed Gu Ning. As soon as she started running, they too took off.

Zhang Xiaobai glanced back while running.

He saw a group of about ten people suddenly burst out from around the corner of the road behind them, running frantically in their direction. At the front was none other than White Wolf! Following them, countless zombies emerged, surging like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf the group.

“Run! The zombie horde is coming!!!” Zhang Xiaobai shouted, gritting his teeth and finally breaking into a desperate sprint.

Despite carrying Xiang Xu, Gu Ning was the fastest runner. Though Xiang Xu weighed a good amount, it wasn’t much of a burden for Gu Ning. Xiang Xu clung tightly to Gu Ning’s clothes, her face pale as she sensed the people behind them still in close pursuit.

Jia Daozhang cursed as he ran, “Those bastards! They’re like leeches, impossible to shake off!”

White Wolf and Pei Jing’s group, about a hundred meters behind, were chasing them, following every turn Gu Ning made. The zombies trailing them were also hot on their heels, clearly determined to stick with Gu Ning’s group.

Gu Ning knew this wasn’t sustainable. Even if she had the stamina to run all the way back to the Gathering Place, the others wouldn’t last long. After running less than a kilometer, Jia Daozhang was already pale. This wasn’t a leisurely jog—it was a life-or-death sprint. Cheng Ming, Xie Yuhong, and Huang Mengyao were also struggling, though the soldiers, used to cross-country training and carrying heavy loads, were holding up better. But over time, exhaustion would set in, and facing the zombies would mean certain death.

Gu Ning couldn’t help but think that if she were alone, she could easily hide in her space and wait out the zombie horde. But she couldn’t bring herself to abandon the others, no matter how much she wanted to.

As she ran, Gu Ning racked her brain for a way out.

Just then, she heard a voice and saw several ropes descending from above.

“Grab the ropes!”

It was a building. The voice came from the second floor, where several young men and women stood by the window, shouting at them. Clearly, they had thrown down the ropes.

Gu Ning rushed forward, hesitated for a moment, then handed Xiang Xu up, commanding, “Climb!”

Xiang Xu quickly grabbed the thick nylon rope and began climbing hand over hand. The rope had many knots, making it easier to climb. In this life-or-death situation, even Xiang Xu’s slender arms and legs moved swiftly.

Gu Ning glanced at White Wolf’s group, now only two hundred meters away, and the zombie horde close behind. Without hesitation, she grabbed a nearby rope and began climbing.

The soldiers followed, climbing with practiced ease, quickly overtaking Xiang Xu and reaching the window in just over ten seconds. They reached out to help Xiang Xu and Gu Ning up.

Gu Ning climbed through the window, followed by Xiang Yi, Cheng Ming, Xie Yuhong, and even Huang Mengyao, who gritted her teeth and made it up. Only Jia Daozhang remained. Gu Ning leaned out the window to see him struggling to climb the rope. After running nearly two kilometers, his age and lack of exercise had taken their toll. His hands trembled, his legs went numb, and halfway up, he simply couldn’t move anymore. As White Wolf’s group closed in, Jia Daozhang grew more terrified, realizing that the stories of people suddenly unlocking hidden potential were just myths. He felt weak, his heart pounding, and on the verge of an asthma attack.

Cheng Ming, seeing Jia Daozhang stuck, shouted urgently, “Daozhang! Hurry! The zombies are coming!”

Xiang Yi yelled down, “Come on, you old fraud! Stopping to chant prayers won’t help!”

But no matter how much they shouted, Jia Daozhang remained frozen. If I could climb, wouldn’t I be climbing already?! Jia Daozhang thought bitterly. And besides, “Amitabha” is for monks! But his chest hurt too much to argue. All he could do was cling to the rope to avoid falling.

White Wolf’s group, now within a hundred meters, seemed to see hope and surged forward, grabbing other ropes and climbing past Jia Daozhang. As they passed him, Jia Daozhang glanced back to see the zombies almost upon him. He tried to muster some strength, but his arms were numb, and he couldn’t move. If not for his pride, he might have burst into tears.

Hearing the increasingly urgent shouts from above, Jia Daozhang thought sadly, Is this where I die? If I’d known I’d be torn apart by zombies, I might as well have taken some pills and gone peacefully at the start of the apocalypse. At least I’d have a whole body.

Should I tell them to shoot me if I fall, so I don’t suffer being eaten alive? As Jia Daozhang’s thoughts spiraled, a calm voice came from above: “Hold the rope tight.”

Jia Daozhang thought, I’m already holding it as tight as I can, but he instinctively tightened his grip with the last bit of strength he had.

Then, he felt himself rising—

Jia Daozhang opened his eyes and looked up to see Gu Ning pulling him up with both hands!

A wave of joy washed over him!

But it lasted only two seconds before he suddenly dropped!

A collective gasp came from above.

He was so startled he nearly let go of the rope, breaking out in a cold sweat. He looked down and almost fainted—a zombie had grabbed the other end of the rope and was pulling hard. Other zombies reached up to grab his legs.

Jia Daozhang quickly pulled his legs up, looking up to see Gu Ning, who had been holding the rope, suddenly jerked downward, nearly pulled out of the window. Xiang Yi and Cheng Ming rushed to hold her waist, preventing her from being dragged out.

Gu Ning held one end, the zombie the other, neither willing to let go. Worse, this zombie was stronger than the last power-type zombie Gu Ning had encountered, even slightly overpowering her. As the rope slipped from her hands, sweat beaded on her forehead. Jia Daozhang’s eyes grew more terrified, but he didn’t dare scream to conserve energy. Gu Ning suddenly shouted at him, “Use every ounce of strength you have to hold on!”

Jia Daozhang didn’t know what Gu Ning was planning, but he obeyed, gripping the rope tightly. Fortunately, the knots kept his hands from slipping. Just as he steadied himself, he felt a sudden drop! He screamed, looking up to see Gu Ning had let go of the rope. He fell back to where he’d been, just inches from the zombies’ grasping hands. A wave of panic hit him, and he nearly wet himself, which would have been the ultimate humiliation.

Gu Ning turned, sat on the windowsill, and called to two of the burliest soldiers, “Shi Lei! Cai Yong! Grab my legs!”

Shi Lei and Cai Yong, unsure of Gu Ning’s plan, obeyed and held her legs tightly.

“Hold on tight! Don’t let go!” Gu Ning instructed firmly, took a deep breath, and then flipped backward out the window! Her entire body, except for her legs, hung upside down against the wall.

The others were stunned by her daring move, rushing to the window to look.

Cheng Ming helped Shi Lei and Cai Yong hold Gu Ning’s legs, fearing they might not grip tightly enough, his face pale.

Hanging upside down, Gu Ning reached out to Jia Daozhang, shouting, “Quick! Grab me!”

Jia Daozhang, nervously watching the zombies below, looked up to see Gu Ning hanging upside down, reaching for him. He was stunned, unsure what to do. Seeing the urgency in her eyes, he felt a mix of emotions and tentatively reached out. Their hands met perfectly! Gu Ning grabbed his wrist, and Jia Daozhang clasped hers, feeling a surge of reassurance. He then offered his other hand.

With both hands firmly grasped, Jia Daozhang felt a wave of relief. Gu Ning used her core strength to pull him up!

However, in his joy, Jia Daozhang forgot about the zombies below. As Gu Ning pulled him up, he instinctively extended his legs… and stepped on something hard. He looked down to see he was standing on a zombie’s head! He screamed and quickly pulled his leg back, but it was too late—a pair of hands grabbed his calf!

Gu Ning, who had started to pull away from the wall, was suddenly jerked back, her spine slamming into the hard surface. She let out a pained grunt.

The sound echoed clearly to those on the windowsill, sending a chill through everyone.

Cheng Ming’s heart clenched.

“Gu Ning, are you okay?” Zhang Xiaobai asked urgently. The others looked on with concern.

Despite the pain, Gu Ning’s grip on Jia Daozhang didn’t loosen. She didn’t respond to Zhang Xiaobai, instead focusing on the tug-of-war with the zombies pulling Jia Daozhang down.

Jia Daozhang trembled, not from fear but from another emotion.

He looked up at Gu Ning, his voice trembling with guilt, gratitude, and desperation, “Gu Ning, let go.”

Gu Ning didn’t respond or let go. If she had intended to release him, she wouldn’t have hung herself out the window in the first place.

Once she had Jia Daozhang’s hand, she wasn’t letting go unless the zombies tore him from her grasp.

The zombies hissed with excitement, eager to feast on fresh flesh and warm blood that would nourish their parched throats and strengthen their bodies—

No one on the windowsill spoke, watching the hissing zombies below with a growing sense of dread. Shi Lei and Cai Yong tightened their grip on Gu Ning’s legs.

Sweat dripped from Gu Ning’s forehead, soaking her golden hair. Her body swayed with Jia Daozhang’s movements, her back scraping against the wall, burning with friction. But her hands remained firmly locked on Jia Daozhang’s wrists, as if fused together.

Suddenly, the sound of a gun being cocked rang out.

Then, a gunshot—

A bullet hole appeared in the head of a zombie gripping Jia Daozhang, and it silently collapsed, quickly buried by the advancing horde.

Gu Ning looked up in surprise to see White Wolf leaning out the window, the shooter.

Catching Gu Ning’s gaze, White Wolf’s eyes gleamed with malice as he shifted his aim toward her. Gu Ning’s heart tightened, but seeing the malicious glint in his eyes, she relaxed slightly, neither angry nor afraid, simply watching him.

Perhaps bored by her calm stare, White Wolf smirked and shifted his aim again.

Several more shots rang out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One by one, the zombies grabbing Jia Daozhang’s legs fell. Jia Daozhang, not wasting a moment, kicked off the dead zombie still clutching his ankle and quickly pulled his legs up. The zombies behind could only reach futilely into the air.

Feeling the tension ease, Gu Ning grunted, using her core strength to pull herself up, still holding Jia Daozhang. As she rose, people on both sides of the window reached out, grabbing Jia Daozhang’s arms and helping Gu Ning pull him in.

Jia Daozhang tumbled through the window, collapsing on the floor like a fish out of water, gasping for breath.

Gu Ning, supported by Zhang Xiaobai and Zhang Yang, sat against the wall, the adrenaline fading and leaving her shaken.

She glanced at White Wolf, nodding slightly in thanks for his timely shots. Without them, she’d still be hanging outside.

Beside White Wolf stood Yin Sang and a man in a white shirt, along with Pei Jing and Yan Yu, the woman with special abilities. Only about a dozen of them remained; the rest had been swallowed by the zombie horde.

The soldiers felt a pang of guilt, too panicked earlier to think of helping. Now, they regarded White Wolf with mixed feelings.

Jia Daozhang suddenly jumped up and bolted down the stairs, startling everyone.

A moment later, he returned, leaning on the railing, his legs still shaking. “Nature calls, nature calls…” he muttered, though his earlier sprint belied his current shaky state.

Once rested, Gu Ning stood up.

She frowned at the constant banging of zombies against the door below.

“Don’t worry, we’ve barricaded the door. They won’t get in. Once we’re upstairs and they can’t smell us, they’ll leave,” said one of the rescuers, a girl with a sweet smile and dimples that made her seem friendly.

“You’re safe for now. Let’s go up,” said a man, glancing subtly at their guns. The other three smiled warmly, welcoming them.

Gu Ning exchanged a glance with White Wolf, then followed the five rescuers upstairs.

“Thank you for earlier,” one of the soldiers said to the leader.

“No need. In the apocalypse, humans have to help each other,” the man replied.

“We haven’t had visitors in a long time,” the dimpled girl said, naturally linking arms with Gu Ning. “You were amazing back there!”

Gu Ning caught a whiff of sour body odor, likely from their prolonged stay without washing. Though uncomfortable, she couldn’t push the girl away after being rescued, so she smiled and responded politely.

They took breaks along the way, finally reaching their living area after about ten minutes.

The seventh floor.

To their surprise, there were quite a few people there.

Roughly fifty or sixty men, women, and children filled the large room.

The floor was strewn with makeshift bedding, some areas covered only by thin blankets.

They sat, stood, or lay around, their eyes fixed on Gu Ning’s group of twenty. The atmosphere was tense, a mix of wariness and something else, sending an inexplicable chill through the room.

Gu Ning scanned the room, a strange unease settling over her. Something felt off, but she couldn’t pinpoint what. A sense of foreboding lingered, sending a shiver down her spine…