After Turning Into a Girl, I Kept My Girlfriend in the Apocalypse - Chapter 20

As He Ning opened the apartment door, a wave of putrid stench hit her nostrils.

 

The zombies she had killed yesterday had been tossed downstairs, only to be devoured by others, their bodies decomposing rapidly.

 

She quickly locked the doors of the other apartments to prevent any stragglers from flanking her.

 

Then, she slowly approached the horde of zombies across the corridor.

 

Though she had seen zombie hordes in movies, experiencing it firsthand was a completely different sensation—her scalp tingled with dread.

 

During the day, the zombies existed in a state of agitated dormancy. Though they stood motionless, their bodies twitched intermittently, and some even made shoving or dodging movements.

 

“Aaaarrgh!”

 

When He Ning was about ten meters from the outermost zombies, one suddenly turned its head and roared.

 

This was roughly what she had anticipated.

 

But that single roar triggered a chain reaction, causing dozens of zombies to turn their heads in unison.

 

What the hell?

 

Are they communicating?

 

Do these things have any social cohesion?

 

Staggering, stumbling, and even tripping over each other, the zombies dragged their companions to their feet and continued their advance.

 

Though their gait was unsteady, their sheer numbers exuded an overwhelming sense of menace.

 

System, don’t tell me they’ve already awakened intelligence!

 

No, they’ve merely retained some of their primal human instincts.

 

‘Instincts? If I get caught, they won’t… right?’

 

…

 

Without a doubt, you’ll be eaten!

 

Oh…

 

He Ning’s face fell as she took a few steps back, cursing these creatures whose minds were consumed by nothing but eating.

 

“Fireball!”

 

A massive miniature fireball instantly incinerated the five closest zombies, and the residual flames ignited several nearby ones as well.

 

If I had a wind-attribute skill, I could set up a chain reaction like a wildfire!

 

“Arcane Orb!”

 

Several approaching zombies were struck precisely in the head.

 

See? I’m still pretty accurate!

 

However, half their bodies were obliterated, clearly overkill.

 

Since the orbs lacked penetration, each one was absorbed by a single zombie. Hopefully, I can find items with enhancement attributes later.

 

Seeing the zombies clustered together, He Ning pulled out her assault rifle and unleashed a barrage.

 

Every shot hit, but the headshot accuracy was abysmal.

 

Let’s be realistic—expecting a complete novice with no training to land headshots is pure fantasy!

 

The thrill of firing a gun was truly exhilarating, especially with such a powerful weapon. Though her hands were numb, her bl00d was boiling with adrenaline.

 

After clearing out the small wave of zombies, He Ning felt exhausted. The excitement of unleashing such firepower, combined with the relentless pressure of the horde, had left her drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.

 

“Awooo…”

 

“Awooo—!”

 

The zombie horde suddenly stirred, and more and more heads turned in her direction, clearly having detected her.

 

“Seriously? They can do that?”

 

She had ventured out, counting on the cool autumn air and weaker Brownian motion to keep the zombies at bay. Now, she found herself in a desperate survival situation.

 

“Sprout Bolt!”

 

“Sprout Bolt!”

 

Several fireballs ignited the horde, creating a burning barrier.

 

The zombies behind continued to surge forward, inadvertently fueling the flames that now protected her.

 

“Hmph, fire attacks—always a classic!”

 

Regaining the upper hand, He Ning pulled out her assault rifle to resume practicing. But she noticed the zombies behind had stopped advancing.

 

As if gradually understanding the situation, they ceased adding fuel to the fire and instead began detouring around the burning barrier through the adjacent flowerbeds and green belts.

 

TMMD, are they evolving?!

 

Realizing the situation, He Ning immediately retreated, abandoning the fight. As she turned, a black tentacle descended from the sky.

 

“Arcane Leap!”

 

Her survival instincts kicked into overdrive. Without hesitation, she teleported through the gate.

 

The cloak’s limited visibility prevented her from seeing where the monster had come from.

 

But the brief glimpse she’d caught earlier felt strangely familiar.

 

System, was that the Chameleon from a few days ago?

 

Affirmative.

 

Bang! Bang! Bang!

 

Whether it was the monster or zombies pounding on the door, this place was no longer safe.

 

Host, return to the shelter immediately. The Chameleon will lock onto your scent and hunt you down.

 

Huh?

 

This is never going to end!

 

To avoid any mishaps, she teleported straight to the tenth floor in one go. Although her skill had no cooldown, continuous use drained her mental power.

 

The sudden exertion, combined with her exhaustion from the previous night, left her feeling utterly drained.

 

But there was no time to rest!

 

The corridor windows were wide open, and animals typically chose the path of least resistance, making it easier to pass through.

 

System, open the door now!

 

Unable to teleport precisely between the two airlock doors or directly home (due to the risk of bringing back the Virus, which required disinfection), she had no choice but to sprint for her life.

 

The less than ten-meter distance felt like a life-or-death marathon. She could already hear the rustling sounds of the tentacles approaching.

 

Which bastard left the window open?!

 

Bang!

 

The outer airlock door slammed shut. A massive lizard slithered across the wall, sending shivers down her spine.

 

After disinfecting herself, He Ning lay motionless on the sofa.

 

System, my script is different from those protagonists, right? How did I get cornered before even leaving the tutorial zone?

 

Host, your tutorial zone was those days scheming against Bai Lu. Moreover, this System is functional, not combat-oriented. You’ll need to develop more uses for it yourself.

 

Hiss…

 

I’d forgotten about that. This is a Discipline System, not some Apocalypse hack-and-slash system. The fact that it sells combat skills is already a bonus.

 

I’m still too green. I’m no match for the zombie hordes. I never expected so many unexpected situations to arise. From now on, I’ll have to play it safe and hunker down.

 

“Wait, System, isn’t that Chameleon a Mutant Creature? Didn’t you say they’d die if they left the Toxic Fog?”

 

Yes, but things aren’t static. Just like biological evolution, Mutant Creatures have also evolved into dominant groups capable of surviving outside the Toxic Fog!

 

Seriously, why does this damn System sound so proud of itself? Does it think it’s the host of some “Man vs. Nature” show?

 

Then my rainwater and dew collection device won’t be contaminated by it or the Zombies, right?

 

Rest assured, Host. The System’s products are protected by a special force field that only allows access to designated targets.

 

What kind of high-tech is this? Whatever. Just install the Water Tower for me.

 

Afterward, He Ning retrieved the Small Base Station.

 

Hmm… it looks like an outdated router, but after turning it on, the network actually came back online.

 

I still don’t understand how it works.

 

The only downside was that news feeds couldn’t be refreshed; they could only chat with each other.

 

After a brief shock, the group members immediately began exchanging information.

 

Most were complaining about the convenience store’s exorbitant prices, and someone even confessed they wanted to become the Big Shot’s mistress—and it sounded like they were a man…

 

He Ning stripped off her clothes, ready for a bath, only to realize her makeup had long since smeared. Even more absurdly, she’d been running around in high heels all day—she was practically a superhero.

 

As for the dirty clothes, each activation of her combined skill required only two points of mental power.

 

After a series of “laughing-rich” operations, the clothes landed neatly on the sofa.

 

The person who invented this skill was truly remarkable.

 

Splash!

 

Her lotus root-like arms swayed gently, sending droplets of water cascading through the air. Ripples blurred the flawless contours of the young woman’s body, mingling with the misty steam to create an ethereal, dreamlike scene.

 

He Ning lay sprawled in the pool like a milk-soaked cloth, blowing bubbles with a blissful expression. A hot bath was her greatest comfort, second only to Bai Lu. In her previous life, her family had never had such luxuries, but the He Ning of this world certainly knew how to indulge. It was perfect for relieving fatigue, relaxing her mind, and practicing Meditation.

 

Thump!

 

The bathroom suddenly plunged into darkness.

 

Finally, the power’s out?

 

The city’s power grid has collapsed. Switching to backup circuits.

 

Two and a half minutes later, the bathroom lights flickered back on.

 

He Ning casually wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the bath.

 

In the Homeowners’ Group chat, despair had already taken hold. The power outage had finally driven home the reality: the Apocalypse had truly arrived.

 

3-1002-Lu Qingqing: “The internet’s back! [Image]”

 

“No wonder I suddenly have internet again! The Big Shot’s at it again! [Thumbs up]”

 

“Does the Big Shot carry their own Small Base Station? [Kissing face]”

 

“The little sister’s gonna have a rough night tonight. [Smirking face]”

 

“If the internet’s back, does that mean the power can be restored too?”

 

Dream on.

 

He Ning didn’t reply, letting the atmosphere speak for itself.

 

Now, it was time to seek healing from Bai Lu.