Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Gold Equipment – The Gate of Rebirth in the Apocalypse

Gold Equipment

The car started up quickly.

Gu Ning’s gaze was fixed straight ahead, her mind still pondering the golden pointer of the Tai Chi in the space.

“Gu Ning, why don’t you take a nap? I’ll keep an eye on the road and wake you up if I see anything,” Method said, glancing around.

“It’s fine, I’m not tired yet,” Gu Ning replied, sitting up straight and starting to pay attention to the vehicles on both sides of the road.

Method gave her a surprised look and said, “You drove all night and you’re still not tired? You must have incredible stamina.”

“Yeah, maybe I’m just used to staying up late. I don’t feel anything,” Gu Ning answered casually, still keeping an eye on the traffic.

Method scrutinized Gu Ning and noticed that she didn’t show any signs of fatigue, though her face was a bit pale, looking somewhat unhealthy. He suddenly asked, “Hey, by the way, Gu Ning, how did your hair turn this color? Last time we met, it was still black. Where did you get the dye? And you still have the mood to dye your hair in these times? But this color actually suits you.”

Gu Ning just smiled without saying a word. She couldn’t exactly explain that it was due to being bitten by a zombie.

There were still some cars on the road at this time.

Most of them were people who had initially stayed at home but were forced to venture out due to lack of supplies.

Many were heading towards the capital city, as despite the high population density, it also had the strongest military presence. At the beginning of the apocalypse, the local networks were still functional, and many people in the capital posted updates and photos online, showing military lockdowns with tanks and soldiers armed with machine guns patrolling the streets.

Helicopters flew over the capital every day.

Checkpoints were set up on all routes leading to the capital, with inspections to ensure no one had been bitten by zombies.

Although the news on TV daily urged people not to rush blindly towards the capital, advising them to stay home and wait for government rescue, many found their food supplies running out before any help arrived. Thus, more and more people were leaving their homes and heading towards the capital.

It was now the third month, and with the loss of communication and internet, it felt like being back in the information-dark ages, completely cut off from the outside world. The only way to gauge the situation was by observing local changes. The decreasing number of people and increasing number of zombies on the road suggested that things were not looking good.

Gu Ning took a deep breath. Now was not the time to dwell on these thoughts.

The most important thing was to find her parents first.

But she also had to go to the capital. Alone, she couldn’t ensure her parents’ safety. Only by finding a secure environment could she feel at ease. Undoubtedly, the capital was the primary choice.

For now, she could only take things one step at a time.

Gu Ning felt a heavy weight in her heart. Until she found her parents, she couldn’t rest easy.

“Stop the car!” Gu Ning suddenly shouted, spotting something by the roadside.

Method was startled, and by the time he reacted, the car had already passed by more than ten meters before stopping. “What’s wrong?”

“Wait for me a few minutes, I need to take care of something,” Gu Ning said, grabbing her long knife, slinging her backpack over her shoulder, and jumping out of the car.

“Again, just a few minutes?” Method moved from the driver’s seat to the passenger seat, watching Gu Ning walk back. “Didn’t we just handle something?” Then, seeing Gu Ning with her backpack, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly turned off the engine, pulled out the keys, and ran after her. “Gu Ning, wait for me, I’ll come with you.”

Gu Ning gave him a surprised look, noticing his obvious tension. She quickly understood his concern and nodded. Then, holding her knife, she hurried towards the shop she had just seen.

Method followed her, relieved.

When they reached the shop, Method couldn’t help but ask, “Gu Ning, what are you doing here?”

“Getting some stuff,” Gu Ning replied before ducking inside.

It was a small gold shop, clearly abandoned in a hurry. The outer glass door was closed but shattered, and the interior had been looted once. The display cases were broken, but one glass cabinet remained untouched, filled with neatly arranged gold chains, about seventy or eighty of them. Gu Ning didn’t dare to break the glass for fear of attracting zombies. She went around, pushed open the cabinet door from inside, and grabbed all the gold chains, stuffing them into her backpack.

Method was dumbfounded. “Gu Ning, what are you doing with these things?” It was understandable that he was confused. At the beginning of the apocalypse, there was a period of chaotic looting, but soon people realized that this disaster wasn’t temporary. Compared to gold and money, food and water were far more valuable, so the focus shifted from looting valuables to looting food.

Nowadays, even if people saw a golden Buddha on the ground, they wouldn’t bother to pick it up. But if they saw a chocolate bar, they would definitely pounce on it.

Such was the absurdity and dark humor of the apocalypse.

So, it was no wonder Method was shocked to see Gu Ning looting these gold chains.

After all, Gu Ning seemed like a clear-headed and thoughtful person, not the type to do something seemingly pointless.

“These things will be useful,” Gu Ning said, slinging her backpack back on and preparing to leave.

Method walked ahead, and the two headed out of the gold shop.

Suddenly, a whiff of decay hit Gu Ning’s nose. She sniffed slightly, then her expression changed drastically. She yanked Method, who was oblivious, behind her and swung her knife at a zombie that had lunged from the side! Method was startled by the sudden pull, and when he steadied himself, he saw Gu Ning’s knife had cleaved through the zombie’s right shoulder, severing it completely!

He was shocked. How much strength would it take to cut off an entire shoulder with one strike? But he didn’t have time to think much, as Gu Ning kicked the zombie hard in the chest, sending it sprawling to the ground. She then stepped forward, gripped the knife handle, and plunged the blade down into the zombie’s head!

From the moment Gu Ning spotted the zombie to when she finished it off, the entire process took less than a minute!

Method was stunned.

Earlier in the car, when she suddenly grabbed Old Liang’s head and slammed it against the door, he had been surprised. Although he had spent some time with Gu Ning before, most of that time she was with her parents, and she seemed like a calm but otherwise ordinary girl. He had never seen her kill a zombie before.

But now, he had to revise his understanding of Gu Ning.

Her reaction was sharper than his, and he had spent years in the military and two more as a police officer. He hadn’t even noticed the zombie hiding there, and her seamless attack sequence left him in awe. She dispatched the zombie with a final strike without even blinking, clearly experienced.

Even after they got back in the car, Method was still in a daze.

After driving for a few minutes, Method finally snapped out of it and asked, “Gu Ning, how did you do that?”

“Do what?” Gu Ning was busy stashing the gold chains into a compartment in her backpack.

“Just now, how did you spot that zombie? And how were you so effective in taking it down?”

“Woman’s intuition,” Gu Ning said offhandedly. “You’ll get that good too if you kill enough zombies.”

In truth, she had been momentarily shocked herself by how easily she had severed the zombie’s shoulder. Her senses had become incredibly sharp—her vision, smell, hearing, and physical reactions had all heightened.

Method didn’t press further, but he was inwardly pleased. Having such a capable teammate would make the journey much safer, and with the large backpack of supplies, they could last at least ten more days if they rationed carefully.

His desire to find Gu Ning’s parents was no less urgent than hers, as he had promised to help her find them before searching for his own.

The car continued on the road, with Method driving cautiously to watch out for the yellow minibus. Vehicles kept speeding past on both sides.

This stretch of road had fewer zombies, but there were many zombie and human corpses lying on the ground, baking in the sun and crushed by passing vehicles. The car jolted over the bodies, and Method pursed his lips, feeling a bit queasy.

Suddenly, a savory smell wafted over. He glanced over and was surprised to see Gu Ning munching on a sausage, already peeling a second one.

Method hesitated but couldn’t help saying, “Uh, Gu Ning, our supplies aren’t that plentiful. If we run out before finding more food, we’ll go hungry. If you’re not that hungry…”

“I’m really hungry,” Gu Ning interrupted with a frown. The two chocolate bars she had just eaten seemed to have already been digested, and now she just wanted to keep eating until her empty, acid-churning stomach was full.

Method had nothing more to say, as the large backpack of supplies belonged to Gu Ning.

He could only watch in a mix of heartache and trepidation as Gu Ning devoured five sausages, seven chocolate bars, three pieces of bread, and drank half a bottle of water before finally stopping.

Method swallowed hard. He wasn’t particularly hungry and could hold out.

Gu Ning suddenly yawned, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her. She flipped the hood of her tracksuit over her head, the large hood covering her strikingly golden hair, which shone brightly in the sunlight, and shading her eyes, leaving only her nose and mouth exposed. It blocked the direct light perfectly. Gu Ning mumbled, “I’m going to take a nap. Keep an eye on the road.”

With that, she fell asleep instantly.

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