Chapter 5: The Garage – The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse
Garage
As soon as Gu Ning spoke, everyone was stunned.
Gu Ning turned to the stunned Cheng Ming and said, “Cheng Ming, thank you for giving me a ride. I hope we’ll meet again someday. Take care.” Then, she turned to the shocked Xiao Chen Ge and said, “Could you please open the door and let me out?”
“Hey! Wait, little girl, take me with you. It’s better to have company, right?” Jia Daozhang suddenly made an unexpected decision, stepping closer to Gu Ning to show his stance.
“Senior Sister, it’s so dangerous outside. Not just for a girl like you, but even for a group like us, no one dares to stay out overnight. You…” Cheng Ming gritted his teeth and said, “If you insist on going out, I’ll go with you.”
“Cheng Ming, do you even know what you’re saying?!” Huang Mengyao couldn’t help but scream.
The others were also shocked by Cheng Ming, their eyes darting between him and Gu Ning, sensing something微妙.
Even Gu Ning was taken aback by Cheng Ming’s words. Was he some kind of hero?
“Forget it! Since you’re a weak girl, I’ll make an exception and let you stay this time.” Surprisingly, Xiao Chen Ge relented. Cheng Ming was a strong fighter, and if he left with this girl, it would be a real loss for their group.
Cheng Ming immediately looked delighted.
Gu Ning found it strange. Although they were from the same school, Cheng Ming seemed overly enthusiastic toward her. Something felt off, so she decided to keep her distance. Thinking this, she subtly moved a few steps away from Cheng Ming.
After rummaging through the sacks they brought back, Xiao Chen Ge pulled out a dozen packs of loose biscuits and tossed them to Cheng Ming, the leader. “This is all you guys brought back, so this is all you get.” Then he left with his group.
“This isn’t even enough for one meal, is it?” Xie Yuhong couldn’t help but mutter.
“Let it go. Compared to others, we’re doing okay,” Zhang Chao said.
The others glanced at the envious looks from the other group and remained silent.
The group found their spots, and Cheng Ming distributed two packs of biscuits to each person. He then handed his two packs to Gu Ning, whispering, “We already ate some outside.”
Gu Ning was stunned for a moment, then shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ve already eaten.” She had dinner with her dad’s homemade braised pork and Kung Pao chicken, so she wasn’t hungry.
Cheng Ming thought she was being polite and was about to insist when Huang Mengyao sneered, “Cheng Ming, can’t you see she doesn’t want your favor? Why keep pushing your warmth on her cold shoulder?”
Cheng Ming felt embarrassed, unsure whether to keep holding the biscuits or take them back.
Gu Ning had to say, “I’m really not hungry right now. I don’t have pockets, so could you hold onto them for me? I’ll ask for them when I’m hungry.”
Cheng Ming happily stuffed the two packs back into his pocket. “Alright then.”
He was tall, around 1.8 meters, with fair skin, short hair, and a baby face that made him look even younger when he smiled.
“If you don’t want them, you can give them to me. I haven’t eaten since noon,” Jia Daozhang muttered, clutching his stomach.
By midnight, Jia Daozhang was already asleep next to her, snoring softly.
Gu Ning leaned against the wall, wide awake. She couldn’t help but think, what if her parents suddenly walked into her room and found her missing? They’d be terrified. And she still didn’t know why she had suddenly ended up in this world from the other one. Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
“Senior Sister, why aren’t you sleeping?” Cheng Ming crawled over from the other side and whispered.
“Can’t sleep,” Gu Ning whispered back.
“Me neither,” Cheng Ming said, his voice tinged with a strange happiness that puzzled Gu Ning. Why would being unable to sleep make him happy?
Just then, faint, ambiguous sounds broke the silence of the night, coming from more than one place.
Cheng Ming and Gu Ning both froze, exchanging awkward glances.
Gu Ning stiffened for a moment but quickly relaxed. In the apocalypse, morals had been thrown out the window, and she had seen enough to not be surprised. Cheng Ming, however, was visibly embarrassed. He whispered, “Goodnight, Gu Ning,” and crawled back to his spot.
Gu Ning watched him carefully navigate the darkness, avoiding stepping on others, and found it amusing. But her smile froze as she suddenly realized why something had felt off this whole time.
It was nighttime, and to save power, the garage was pitch black with no lights. Yet, she could see every corner clearly in the dark…
Gu Ning wasn’t thrilled by this sudden night vision. Instead, she felt a growing panic about the unknown.
She began to carefully recall her bizarre experiences over the past few days.
Everything started after she was bitten by a zombie. That strange white room with the black door—the first time she opened it, she ended up in another world where the apocalypse never happened. Everything else was the same, including her family and friends. The only difference was that world wasn’t ravaged by the apocalypse… And the second time she opened the door, she returned to this apocalyptic world.
Her wounds had also healed on their own, leaving no scars. And now she had night vision.
If it weren’t for the fact that she was still wearing the pajamas from that world, she might have doubted everything. She was almost certain now that both worlds were real!
But how could there be two identical worlds? Gu Ning felt like she was going crazy, struggling to stop her racing thoughts and regain her focus.
Gu Ning boldly hypothesized: if she opened that door again, would she return to the other world?
The thought shocked her. Her heart raced! If this hypothesis was true, did it mean she could travel between these two worlds at will?
Gu Ning pressed her hand to her chest, her heart pounding so hard it almost hurt.
After a while, her heartbeat gradually steadied.
She began to think about other questions.
First, how could she return to that space?
The first time, she was bitten by a zombie—a condition that couldn’t be replicated.
What about the second time? Gu Ning tried to recall every detail. She had a nightmare, woke up, her parents comforted her and left the room, and then she lay alone in bed… thinking about her parents in the apocalypse…
Something flashed in her mind… She swallowed nervously, closed her eyes, and began to picture her parents’ faces from that world. Suddenly! A cold hand touched her ankle, slowly sliding upward.
Gu Ning jolted and, without hesitation, kicked hard!
Her foot landed squarely on the man’s face!
A cry of pain echoed as the man was kicked over, crashing into someone else, causing a flurry of curses.
Many people woke up.
Gu Ning stood up, coldly staring at the man she had kicked—a man in his thirties.
“What’s going on? Are the zombies here?!” Jia Daozhang, who had been sleeping soundly, jumped up in panic.
“What happened?!” Someone shone a flashlight over, illuminating Gu Ning’s frosty expression and the man on the ground. They quickly understood the situation and said to the man, “Old Gui, you’re useless. Getting beaten by a little girl?”
The man covered his face, glaring at Gu Ning without a word.
Jia Daozhang quickly realized what had happened and pulled Gu Ning behind him. “Did he hurt you?”
Gu Ning shook her head.
Cheng Ming rushed over. “Gu Ning, are you okay?” He stood next to Jia Daozhang, glaring at the two men.
“Stop staring, everyone, break it up,” the man with the flashlight said, pushing the man. “You picked the wrong person, stop staring and leave!”
They left together.
“You sleep on the inside,” Jia Daozhang pushed her toward the wall and sat cross-legged next to her, patting the spot beside him. “Kid, come, sleep here.”
Cheng Ming obediently lay down next to him.
“Gu Ning, you sleep. We’ll guard the door for you,” Jia Daozhang said, brandishing his knife.
The commotion ended just like that.
Gu Ning lay on the ground, staring at the high cement ceiling, listening to Jia Daozhang’s soft snores less than a meter away. She closed her eyes, picturing her parents’ faces from the other world… Her eyelids twitched as a bright light flashed—
Gu Ning’s eyes snapped open—
She was back in the familiar white room.
Gu Ning sat there for a moment, then jumped up and ran to the door. This time, she turned the handle without hesitation, and in the next moment, she was standing in her bedroom at home. The wall clock showed 3:30 AM.
Gu Ning covered her mouth to stifle a scream of excitement!
Gu Ning’s parents noticed that their daughter seemed like a completely different person after one night. The lethargy and gloom she had shown since returning home were gone, replaced by a vibrant, energetic aura.
“Dad, Mom, I want to go out for a walk today,” Gu Ning said after breakfast.
Gu Mama and Gu Dad exchanged surprised but happy glances. “Sure, I’ll go with you,” Gu Mama said.
Gu Ning had planned to go alone, but seeing her mom’s eager expression, she swallowed her refusal.
“Old Gu, you’re in charge of cleaning the house. When we get back, Ning Ning and I expect a hot meal!” Gu Mama instructed before leaving.
Gu Dad grunted without looking up, continuing to read his newspaper. After the door closed, he adjusted his glasses and muttered, “As if I don’t clean and cook every day.”
As they walked downstairs, they ran into Aunt Wang, known for her nosy but kind nature. She was carrying a bag of fruit upstairs and paused when she saw Gu Ning. “Oh! Ning Ning! Long time no see! Why haven’t you been out and about since you got back?”
Gu Ning stared at her coldly, not smiling or responding, just looking down at her with a chilling gaze.
Aunt Wang felt uneasy under Gu Ning’s stare and awkwardly turned to Gu Mama. “Jiao Di, what’s wrong with Ning Ning? She seems… off.”
Gu Mama, equally puzzled, said, “Sorry, Mei Fang. Ning Ning might still be feeling unwell. Don’t take it personally.”
“Sorry. We’re in a hurry, so we can’t chat,” Gu Ning said, then walked downstairs with her mom.
“Ugh, disappearing for three months, coming back with dyed hair—probably got into some shady business. Who does she think she is, acting all high and mighty?”
Gu Ning frowned. Her hearing had improved too; she could even hear Aunt Wang’s muttering from three floors up. Great, now even good hearing was a nuisance.
“Ning Ning, why were you so cold to Aunt Wang just now?” Gu Mama asked.
Gu Ning was about to say it was nothing but then changed her mind. “Yesterday, when I went out to throw the trash, I heard her telling someone that I might have been tricked into becoming a… you know, a ‘lady of the night’ during those three months.”
Gu Mama exploded. “Wang Mei Fen really said that?!” She turned to go back. “I’m going to confront her!”
“Mom, it’s fine. Even if we confront her, she’ll just deny it. Let’s just stay away from her from now on,” Gu Ning quickly stopped her.
“I can’t believe Wang Mei Fen! We’ve been neighbors for over twenty years, and she watched you grow up! Always so friendly, but who knew she’d talk like that behind our backs? Ning Ning, let’s just ignore her from now on. If she talks to you, just pretend you didn’t hear her!” Gu Mama said.
Gu Ning smiled. “That’s exactly what I did today.”
“Mom made you suffer,” Gu Mama’s eyes reddened. If even the seemingly kind Aunt Wang could say such things, who knew what others were saying? And for Ning Ning to hear it herself—how hurtful that must have been.
“Mom, do you still want to go shopping with me? If you keep this up, I’ll send you back,” Gu Ning said, her heart aching but her face smiling. This Aunt Wang, who always seemed so kind, had once used her mom as a shield to save herself during the apocalypse. If it weren’t for Gu Ning, her mom would have been bitten by a zombie.
Gu Mama quickly wiped her tears. “Let’s go, let’s not talk about it anymore.”
They walked off, chatting and laughing.
“Hey, Ning Ning, why are you buying another pair of reading glasses? Your dad already has a pair,” Gu Mama asked as Gu Ning picked up a pair of glasses.
“It’s good to have a spare. It’s a hassle to buy them last minute if they break,” Gu Ning said with a smile.
“Ning Ning, why are you buying such a big knife?!” Gu Mama was shocked as Gu Ning stopped a middle-aged man carrying a backpack full of knives, selling them on the street.
Gu Ning listened intently as the man, a minority ethnic, explained the knives, then casually said to her mom, “It’s for cutting watermelons.”
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