Chapter 69

Chapter 69: The Door to Rebirth in the Apocalypse – Full Novel Website

Volume 1, Chapter 69

Gu Ning could tell that Zhuang Chen and White Wolf had an unusual relationship, but she didn’t ask any questions.

The group was ready to leave.

Suddenly, White Wolf spoke up: “But what’s the situation here? Did you guys take everything?” He glanced at Third Brother and then at Gu Ning.

Third Brother and the others felt a sudden tightness in their chests, a bit guilty.

Gu Ning, however, remained calm and composed, saying, “It was like this when we arrived.”

White Wolf wasn’t really suspicious, and after hearing Gu Ning’s explanation, he let it go.

To avoid drawing attention, Third Brother and the others drove the truck, which was half-filled with supplies, back to their base.

On the way back, Gu Ning and Zhuang Chen briefly shared their experiences since they last saw each other, both feeling a bit emotional. Gu Ning didn’t mention her spatial and healing abilities to Zhuang Chen, only saying that she had evolved a wood-type special ability. She also asked about Fang Fa’s condition and felt slightly relieved upon hearing that Fang Fa was not in life-threatening danger. Third Brother and the others had never heard Gu Ning mention Fang Fa’s name before. Gu Ning was usually quite reserved, so seeing her care so much about someone was rare. They had just started to get closer to Gu Ning, and now this unfamiliar Fang Fa appeared, which naturally made them feel a bit uneasy.

Zhuang Chen was good at reading people’s expressions. Seeing the subtle looks on everyone’s faces, she could guess what was going on. However, she was curious. She and Gu Ning had only been apart for less than a week, and these people seemed to have met Gu Ning after they separated. How had Gu Ning gained such an important position among them in such a short time?

A wood-type special ability wasn’t particularly strong among the various types of abilities; in fact, it could be considered weak. The energy fluctuations from the people in the truck weren’t weak either…

The journey back to the gathering place was relatively smooth. When the truck drove into the gathering place and stopped in front of their small courtyard to unload, the survivors in the gathering place were shocked. The children, seeing the half-truck of supplies, cheered as if it were New Year’s, overjoyed.

Gu Ning left the unloading to Third Brother and the others, then greeted Gu Dad and Gu Mom before heading straight to the medical room with Zhuang Chen to find Fang Fa.

Third Brother watched Gu Ning and Zhuang Chen walk away, his brow furrowing involuntarily.

Zhang Xiaobai couldn’t help but ask, “Third Brother, what’s the relationship between that Fang Fa and Gu Ning? Gu Ning seems really concerned about him.”

Third Brother replied irritably, “How should I know?”

Luo Long nervously chimed in, “Do you think Gu Ning might leave with them?”

Zhang Xiaobai was stunned, “No way, right?”

Zhong Xu said, “I don’t think Gu Ning is that close to them. She didn’t even tell that woman about her healing and spatial abilities, only us. What does that mean? Trust! We’re the ones she trusts. We’re her people.”

Third Brother cut off their chatter, saying impatiently, “If it rains, it rains. If Gu Ning wants to leave, we can’t stop her.” But he couldn’t help sighing.

He was worried too.

Jia Daozhang, unusually, didn’t offer any opinion. He had already decided that wherever Gu Ning went, he would follow.

Dr. Gao was nowhere to be found.

Fang Fa was resting in the medical room, flipping through a high school textbook, looking a bit unwell.

When he saw Gu Ning walk in behind Zhuang Chen, he was completely stunned.

He stared at Gu Ning in shock, asking, “Gu Ning?! How… how are you here?”

Gu Ning walked over and glanced at the bandaged wound on Fang Fa’s thigh, then said, “That’s what I should be asking you.”

Fang Fa scratched his head. Although he was surprised to see Gu Ning here, he was still happy. “We had an accident, so we had to turn back.”

Zhuang Chen had mentioned a bit about the accident on the way.

Gu Ning suddenly turned to Zhuang Chen and said, “Zhuang Chen, can I have a moment alone with Fang Fa?”

Zhuang Chen, understanding, replied, “Of course,” and then walked out.

“I need to check your wound,” Gu Ning said, reaching to unwrap the bandage on Fang Fa’s thigh.

Fang Fa quickly grabbed her hand, saying, “No, no, it’s gross. You’re not a doctor, why do you need to see it?”

Gu Ning gave him a look, and Fang Fa reluctantly let go, lying back and saying, “Fine, go ahead, look.”

Gu Ning carefully peeled back the bandage, which was stuck to the pus on Fang Fa’s wound. When she pulled it off, Fang Fa’s leg twitched. Finally, she spread the gauze open, fully exposing the wound on his thigh.

Fang Fa pursed his lips and said, “See, I told you it’s gross—”

Gu Ning looked at him seriously and said, “Fang Fa, no matter what happens next, I need you to promise me you won’t tell anyone.” She paused, then added, “Including Zhuang Chen.” Although she appreciated Zhuang Chen, a day wasn’t enough to fully trust her, especially since Zhuang Chen’s relationship with White Wolf was unclear. She couldn’t take the risk.

Fang Fa didn’t know what Gu Ning was talking about, but after a moment, he nodded.

Then Gu Ning raised her hand and placed it slightly above Fang Fa’s wound, starting to channel her ability.

When the green light spots appeared in Gu Ning’s palm and began to seep into his wound, Fang Fa’s eyes widened in shock. He instinctively tried to back away, but Gu Ning’s gaze stopped him.

Gu Ning closed her eyes, focusing on controlling the green ocean within her space—

If one looked closely, they would see the water level in the green ocean slowly dropping. The amount of energy consumed to heal Cheng Ming and Jia Daozhang was also significant. If calculated using Xiang Xu’s ability, healing Cheng Ming would have drained all her energy. But Gu Ning had opened up such a vast reservoir of energy that she could sustain such heavy usage in such a short time. For her total energy, it was only a tenth or so.

Fang Fa felt a cool sensation enter his wound, followed by an intense itch. He resisted the urge to scratch, holding his breath and staring at the green light spots continuously emerging from Gu Ning’s palm. He wanted to ask Gu Ning what this was, but she was so focused, her eyes closed, that he didn’t dare interrupt.

Gu Ning sat sideways to him, her eyes closed, her expression focused. Her skin was pale, almost sickly. When she had black hair, she looked much healthier. Fang Fa silently thought, then continued to watch her. Her features were small but perfectly proportioned—just the right eyes, just the right nose, just the right mouth… not so beautiful as to be intimidating, but not so plain as to blend into the crowd.

When she had black hair, she seemed much more approachable and often discussed things with him. After dyeing her hair blonde, her personality seemed to change too. When she wasn’t speaking, she gave off a distant vibe, and her words were cold and blunt.

But strangely, it felt like this time, Gu Ning was much warmer toward him.

Of course, he didn’t know that Gu Ning’s warmth was because of another version of himself from a different world.

Fang Fa noticed Gu Ning’s eyelashes flutter slightly and felt a sudden panic, quickly averting his gaze. His eyes naturally fell on his thigh, and he was shocked to see his wound completely healed. He stared at his intact thigh in disbelief, “This—”

Gu Ning, while re-bandaging his thigh, said, “This is my ability. Healing.” She tied the bandage securely and continued, “I need you to pretend you just had surgery. If too many people know about this ability, it will be trouble for me.”

Fang Fa’s throat tightened. But why do you trust me so much? He wanted to ask, but seeing Gu Ning’s matter-of-fact expression, he felt he didn’t need to.

Gu Ning stood up and said, “If Zhuang Chen asks, just say I performed surgery on you.”

Fang Fa nodded dumbly, then suddenly realized, “I don’t think we can fool her.” He paused, “She’s very smart.”

Gu Ning said, “I don’t expect to fool her. I just need her not to know the truth.” Gu Ning didn’t ask about Fang Fa’s parents. Since they weren’t together, they must not have been found.

Fang Fa asked, “Are you doing well?”

Gu Ning nodded without hesitation, a smile breaking through her usual cold demeanor, “I found my parents. And I’ve made a lot of friends.” When she smiled, the icy distance on her face faded, making her look more alive.

But for some reason, hearing Gu Ning say she had made many friends gave him a strange, sour feeling.

“What about you?” Gu Ning suddenly asked, “Do you want to come with me?”

Fang Fa was momentarily confused, “Huh?”

“When we went out this time, we encountered some very powerful mutated zombies,” Gu Ning’s expression turned serious. “This world is evolving at a speed we can’t imagine, and it’s getting more dangerous. It’s only been three months; what will it be like in three years? If we want to survive, we have to stay one step ahead of the world. That means we have to get stronger.” Gu Ning spoke earnestly, “No matter how strong one person is, there’s a limit. Our team now has many ability users. We were the first to know and the first to evolve. That means we might be the ones with the best chance of surviving in this world. So, Fang Fa, I’m formally inviting you to join us.”