Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]

Chapter 136: Chapter 136 - Barricaded city

The car’s engine rumbled softly as it cut through the eerie silence of the night. The headlights carved a narrow path through the abandoned roads, the darkness pressing in like an oppressive weight. Yunfeng’s hands trembled slightly as he clutched his phone, his thumb scrolling feverishly.

After Hana’s last message, there had been nothing. No response. No calls going through. Just silence.

”I can’t get in touch with her,” Yunfeng muttered, his voice strained with rising panic.

Jai, who was gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly, shot him a glance. ”Stop overthinking. Her phone probably just died.” His voice was calm, but the slight twitch in his jaw betrayed his own unease. ”She said they were heading to the warehouse, right? If we keep going, we can get there in four hours.”

Four hours. Four hours felt like a lifetime.

Yunfeng’s pulse pounded in his ears. He couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. ”Check the news... quick,” Jai said suddenly, his voice lower than before, almost cautious.

Yunfeng nodded and immediately opened a live news app. But the main city channel was on standby. No broadcasts. No updates. Nothing.

”There’s... nothing,” Yunfeng whispered, the dread in his stomach deepening.

His hands moved on their own as he switched to social media. Maybe someone—anyone—was posting updates.

And that’s when he saw it.

A reel.

It was shaky, taken from a phone camera, the angle tilted as if the person was trying to stay hidden. The dim streetlights flickered ominously. A young man—pale, sweating, with a bloody hand clutching his phone—was crouched behind a car.

His breath came in ragged gasps.

”My... my wife bit my hand. I don’t know what’s going on... I-I think she’s crazy... please... help.”

The fear in his voice was so raw, so human, that Yunfeng’s stomach twisted painfully.

He swiped to the next video.

The same man, now panting harder. His shirt soaked in sweat and blood.

”Something is happening to me... I-I don’t know. I can’t think straight. I... I’m thirsty.”

Yunfeng swallowed hard. He knew where this was going.

The video continued.

The man, now desperate, grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it down in frantic gulps. The bottle fell from his grip, bouncing onto the pavement. His hands clenched his own hair, and he let out a frustrated cry.

”I can’t satiate it... I’m so thirsty... but—”

The screen glitched momentarily.

Then, the next video played.

The man lay collapsed on the ground, his phone still recording, capturing nothing but the night sky above.

A few seconds passed.

And then—

A low growl.

Yunfeng’s body went cold.

The fallen man twitched violently. His limbs jerked like a puppet with its strings yanked. And then—

His head snapped upward.

His eyes were leaking blood, his expression completely twisted, unnatural. His entire body convulsed before he suddenly sprang up, moving unnaturally fast.

A flash of movement.

And then he was gone.

The video ended.

Yunfeng felt his chest tighten painfully. His breathing became erratic, his fingers trembling around his phone. The realization hit him like a freight train.

”This isn’t just some virus. It’s... turning them.”

He suddenly struggled to breathe, his vision tunneling, his pulse hammering against his skull. His fingers dug into his pants, trying to ground himself, but it felt like the walls of the car were closing in.

”Yunfeng!”

A firm hand gripped his shoulder.

Jai had pulled the car to the side of the road and was now staring at him, eyes sharp with concern. ”Breathe. Now.”

”I—I c-can’t—”

”Yes, you can,” Jai said firmly. ”Breathe in for four seconds.”

Yunfeng barely followed. His lungs fought against him.

”Hold it for four.”

His vision was swimming.

”And exhale for four. Slowly.”

Jai’s voice was calm, unwavering.

Yunfeng forced himself to follow the rhythm.

In.

Hold.

Out.

The dizziness slowly receded.

Jai didn’t let go of his shoulder. ”I don’t know what you saw, but I need you to keep it together. We are not stopping. We are getting to Hana, and we will get her out of there.”

Yunfeng clenched his jaw, forcing a nod. He had to stay strong. For Hana.

Jai pulled the car back onto the road.

As they continued towards the city, Yunfeng looked down at his phone.

His fingers hovered over the replay button.

But he couldn’t bring himself to watch it again.

”It’s okay... it will be okay...” Jai started the car once again and drove slowly.

Jai’s hands gripped the steering wheel, his face unreadable, but the tension in his shoulders told Yunfeng everything he needed to know. He was worried too.

Then, suddenly—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gunshots.

Yunfeng’s heart jumped to his throat.

A shouting voice followed.

”STOP THE CAR! STOP RIGHT NOW!”

The headlights illuminated the road ahead, revealing a makeshift barricade. Large metal barrels and sandbags were stacked across the highway, blocking the path forward.

Four heavily armed soldiers stood in front, dressed in full bulletproof gear, each holding massive guns aimed directly at them.

”STOP RIGHT NOW OR I WILL SHOOT!”

Jai let out a curse under his breath and immediately slowed the car.

The tires crunched against the asphalt as the vehicle rolled to a halt just a few meters away from the soldiers.

One of the men, a stocky soldier with a shaved head, quickly approached the driver’s side. His rifle was slung across his chest, but his finger rested dangerously close to the trigger.

”The city is closed.” The soldier’s voice was firm, no room for argument. ”Turn around immediately.”

Jai didn’t flinch. He lifted a brow, his hands still resting casually on the wheel. ”My family is in that city. We need to get to them.”

The soldier’s expression didn’t change.

”No one goes in,” he said, his grip tightening on his weapon. ”It’s not safe.”

Yunfeng’s breath hitched. Not safe?

”Listen,” Jai said, voice dangerously calm, ”we don’t have time for this. My sister is inside, and I’m going to get her out. Now, you can let us through, or—”

”Or what?” The soldier stepped closer, his face now illuminated by the headlights. ”You think we’re doing this for fun?” His tone was sharp, almost frustrated. ”The entire city is under lockdown. The military has orders—no one in, no one out.”

Jai did not flinch.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze locked onto the soldier’s as he spoke in an even tone.

”My father is Shin Kailung.”

The soldier’s expression faltered for a fraction of a second—a tiny flinch, barely noticeable. But Jai caught it.

Yunfeng did too.

The man hesitated, his lips pressing into a firm line. ”Kid, I’m not kidding. We are under—”

Before he could finish, Jai plucked Yunfeng’s phone right out of his hand. Yunfeng let out a startled ”Hey!” but Jai ignored him.

With swift, practiced ease, he opened the photo album, scrolled for a second, and then turned the screen toward the soldier.

A high-resolution image of Shin Kailung flashed under the headlights. A government official. A powerful one.

Jai tilted his head, his voice casual but with an underlying authority. ”My father is Shin Kailung, and he ordered me to get my sister from the city. Do you have the authority to stop me?”

A heavy silence fell.

The soldier cursed under his breath, his jaw clenching as he glanced back at his platoon.

All of them looked exhausted.

Dark circles under their eyes. Dirt smeared on their faces. Restless. Anxious. Like they had seen too much in just a few hours.

Finally, the man exhaled sharply.

”Fuck.” His voice was low. ”Listen, kid, the city is a shit show. Your sister might not be alive.”

Yunfeng sucked in a breath, but Jai’s face remained unreadable.

The soldier ran a tired hand down his face before continuing.

”There’s a strange drug going around,” he explained, his voice grim. ”It’s turning people into monsters. The infected—” He hesitated, like saying it aloud made it real. ”—they don’t die. They just keep going. You really wanna walk into that nightmare?”

Jai’s lips curled into a smirk.

”We know exactly what we’re getting into.”

His confidence was unshaken.

He gestured to the barricade. ”So...?”

The soldier cursed again, glancing back at his men before finally gritting his teeth and waving a hand.

”Move the damn barricade!”

The other soldiers hesitated, then reluctantly began shifting the barrels and sandbags to the side.

Jai leaned back in his seat, smirking in satisfaction.

As they slowly rolled forward, he turned back to the soldier, his tone light, almost playful.

”Thanks, man.” He glanced at the soldier’s name tag. ”Liu Feng, huh?”

Liu Feng stiffened.

Jai’s smirk widened. ”I’ll put in a good word with my father about you. Keep up the good work.”

With that, he stepped on the gas, driving them straight into the city.

Yunfeng, who had watched the entire exchange with his jaw halfway to the floor, let out a stunned breath.

Then, after a pause—

”Shit. Thank god I brought you along. If not, they never would have let me in.”

Jai grinned, eyes still on the road. ”See? I’m awesome.”