Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]

Chapter 197: Chapter 197 - T-minus ten hours

Kailun finished the last bite of his food, wiping his hands clean with a towel folded beside him. The bunker’s soft hum was the only sound as he walked over to the satellite phone and dialed in again. His hand was steady, but his voice faltered slightly as he spoke.

”Shinju...” he whispered, his tone heavy with restrained emotion.

On the other end, his son breathed out in visible relief. ”Dad. I’ve had people hack into the satellite and check the live feed. We found some clues... Jai is somewhere near the mall area. The signal was faint, but it’s him.”

Kailun let out a deep sigh, a weight lifting slightly from his chest. ”Did you see them all? Alive?”

”Everyone’s alive,” Shinju answered. ”But... a huge zombie followed them around. It’s not clear if they’re safe. Just go. Go soon.”

Kailun stood up from his seat abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the metal floor. ”We’re leaving,” he ordered the two nearby soldiers, who immediately began gathering their gear.

His eyes fell on Yunfeng, who was sitting quietly, a blanket over his shoulders, his brows knitted in confusion and lingering fatigue.

”You stay right here. It’s quiet. Safe.” Kailun gave him a small, almost fatherly smile.

Yunfeng looked around the dimly lit room, the walls fortified with layers of thick steel, wires running through conduits. His voice was hoarse. ”Where... where are we?”

Kailun chuckled faintly, a flicker of pride on his face. ”Underground military bunker. One of the few left intact.”

Just then, Shinju’s frantic voice came through the phone again. Kailun pressed it tightly to his ear. ”I didn’t catch that. Say again?”

”Dad,” Shinju said, his voice cracking under the strain, ”I just got news! They’re going to bomb the city! The infection is spreading too fast—they can’t contain it. They’re going to cover it up by wiping the whole place out.”

Kailun’s body stiffened. The room went cold.

”They’re planning to clean up the rest of the areas afterward... Dad, you need to get out of the city. Now.”

Yunfeng, who had been quietly listening, shot up as the panic seeped into his bones. ”What did he say? When are they going to bomb it?!”

Shinju heard him through the open mic. His voice was sharp, almost desperate. ”T-minus ten hours. Ten. So move your ass!”

Yunfeng tightened the straps of the combat vest one of the soldiers had handed him, still feeling the ache in his limbs but pushing it aside. The air inside the bunker was damp and heavy with the weight of dust and age, as if time itself had been forgotten here.

”This place looks old,” he mumbled, trailing just a few steps behind the two soldiers, his breath fogging slightly in the cold underground air.

”It is,” Kailun replied, his voice echoing slightly through the arched concrete tunnel. ”It was built to survive a nuclear war. After the world war, it was abandoned... but it has all necessities. The entire structure is sealed in a way that can even withstand EMPs.”

There was a hint of pride in his voice—like an old soldier admiring an old blade. Then, almost inaudibly, he added, ”If only the others had time to get here...”

Yunfeng caught the sadness in his tone and fell silent.

The infection had taken the city by surprise. It began quietly—just one or two odd deaths in the hospital. By the time the government acknowledged the threat, the virus had already spread through air, touch, even the water in some places. The virus was unlike anything they’d seen: slow to activate, almost patient. But once it took hold, it never let go.

No one inside had time to react.

Even those who had known of the virus’ existence didn’t predict how silently it would destroy everything.

They finally reached the sealed door of the bunker—an iron hatch built into the foundation of what used to be a courthouse above. One soldier keyed in the exit code, and the lock hissed. The heavy door groaned as it opened.

Morning sunlight spilled through the crack, golden and piercing after the dimness of the bunker. Yunfeng squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes.

”I was asleep for how long...?” he asked, blinking up at the sky.

”A few hours,” grunted one of the soldiers. ”By the way... why the hell were you naked, kid? We found you curled up by the curb. With a damn monkey clinging to you.”

Yunfeng rolled his eyes and glanced at the monkey now dozing on his shoulder. He reached up and stroked its fur gently. ”I used my powers too many times yesterday. I guess I’ve got limits too, like Zei.”

”Powers?” The old man scoffed, giving him a withering look. ”What imaginary world are you living in?”

Yunfeng didn’t answer. Instead, he jogged forward and ducked behind a burnt-out car, peeking from behind it with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

”I have powers. Watch.”

He opened his palm. A small blue flame flickered to life, glowing softly in the early daylight. It hovered above his skin, dancing gently in the breeze.

Kailun’s eyes widened. His mouth parted in astonishment.

”What the...” he whispered.

The younger soldier gasped. ”Oh my god. It’s like that novel I read! The one where people start developing superpowers to fight zombies. That’s so cool...”

He looked at Yunfeng with gleaming admiration.

The older soldier, however, remained stern, his expression unreadable.

Yunfeng chose to ignore him. He turned instead to Kailun, his voice quiet but sure. ”I’m not that weak. I can handle myself. Even without a gun, I can take down a lot of zombies.”

He hesitated, his expression darkening slightly.

”...though I still struggle with the weird ones.”

Kailun’s brow furrowed. ”Weird ones? What do you mean? Like that zombie elephant the others spotted last week?”

Yunfeng shook his head. ”No, not like that. I mean zombies that have powers—or mutations, or something else entirely. The one I encountered had this strange ability. It could emit a drug or mist... I don’t know exactly what it was, but anyone who came within a certain radius would get weak, muscles like jelly, brain foggy... I barely escaped.”

The group fell silent.

”That’s why I was by the curb,” Yunfeng continued, his voice soft. ”I had to burn the magic drug off my body using my powers. That’s why my clothes were gone. I had to burn everything.”

He glanced around at their shocked faces. ”...You guys didn’t actually think I was crazy enough to sleep naked on the side of the road, did you?”

Kailun narrowed his eyes at him. Then, with a shake of his head, he sighed. ”Honestly, I thought—’Youngsters these days have weird tastes.’ That was my first thought.”

The younger soldier snorted with laughter. Even the older one cracked a reluctant smile.

Yunfeng rolled his eyes.

Kailun adjusted the strap of his old rifle found by him in the bunker and turned toward the road ahead. ”We move fast. No detours. Find Jai, find the others, and get out. Everyone ready?”

Yunfeng looked up at the towering skyline in the distance. He took a breath. ”Ready.”