After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World

Beanie perused the territory alone with bright eyes, though his attention was half waiting for an announcement to come or someone to call his name—ideally his wife.

Of course, now that he was here, he wouldn’t miss trying to look for them himself. So, while he was looking around, he was also showing off the photo of his wife and child.

Quite a few paused on Theo’s image. It was just that the photo was taken over a year prior and Theo looked very different now with a small growth spurt, a small scar, and longer hair, so no one recognized him.

But he didn’t let it put him down. Instead, his eyes were just wide open as he explored this new territory.

Especially now that he was basically studying his family’s future ’home’.

As a reporter, he was a natural explorer. He had a fascination with discovering new things and information, particularly about people and events.

Although a guided tour was good, immersion was the most enjoyable for him, so he didn’t choose to get one. Sometimes, he followed where the crowd went, sometimes he went the opposite.

He admired the various parks and amenities. There was even a public restroom one could use for a few coppers.

The greening was really well-planned. It provided shade to pedestrians, while also providing resources. Because degeneration of dropped fruits was apparently slower within the territory, there were specific jobs to pick these up, used for fertilizers, seeds, and the like.

”Such a wonderful place~” he said, ”Priya and Theo would love it here.”

Those two liked to garden, he mused with a smile, continuing on his perusal of the territory greenbelt.

But his feet stopped as he heard a familiar bell-like laugh of a child.

His feet moved on their own, taking him to the playground in one of the parks. It was quite quaint until his peripheral vision saw something small zoom near him.

He followed the movement and he froze when he saw the child. The little boy was running and playing in the wooden playground, a happy smile adorning his cute face.

There was a small scar there now though, and it felt like his heart was stabbed.

Beanie thought he was hallucinating at first, but as time passed no disillusionment occurred.

It was really just one boy, clearly his baby Theo.

Immediately, Beanie’s feet moved, increasing pace, and the next moment he was already rushing towards the boy’s direction.

However, before he could get close, a man stood guardedly between.

Beanie frowned at the intruder, but his annoyance softened a bit when he saw through the pant shape. He realized that the man’s lower legs seemed to be made of sticks.

”What is it?” He asked with relative politeness, all things considered. Though as he asked, his eyes was fixed on the little boy taking the slide with a happy smile.

The dark-skinned man followed his eyes and looked at him guardedly, and his next words raised all of Beanie’s hackles.

”Why are you running towards my son?”

”YOUR son?!” Beanie was naturally triggered by his words. ”Theo is MY son!” He yelled, now looking at the other man as an eyesore.

”What? You are… Theo’s father?” The man asked, surprised that he knew the boy’s name. It was at this point that a woman came and stood beside the man.

Beanie watched the man’s stance soften as the woman held his arm. The man smiled sadly, and just patted her hand before turning back to him.

”Do you have proof?”

Beanie paused, thinking about how to prove something like this?

”He has a moon-shaped mole on his left hip.”

Melissa looked at Eugene hopefully but he shook his head. ”I didn’t take a close look.” He said. That’d have been creepy.

Melissa also realized this and looked at Theodore who was now playing in the sandbox.

”We’ll check later when he’s done,” she said, ”He… we don’t want to disturb him in the rare cases he acts like a child.”

Her words calmed Beanie a bit, and now that the hostility passed a bit, Beanie looked around, wondering where Priya was.

He shifted his head to look at the couple, his worry deepening. ”Wasn’t there an adult with him?”

Eugene looked at him, jaw tense, and the dread in Beanie’s stomach intensified.

”What about… my wife? Where’s my Priya??”

He asked again, hoping to be proven wrong in his thoughts.

His business trip was actually tracking down the terrorist group of Fargo. Because of Garan, he had gotten clues about this group, and he chanced upon a clue.

He took a risk partly for the memory of his missing friend, but also for himself. After all, tracking the terrorist group had been a real big break for him. He could finally give his wife the fabulous life she deserved.

Then the damned tragedy happened. He hadn’t seen his wife for months, never would he imagine that it could’ve been the last time—

Seeing him like this, Eugene could only shake his head. ”I’m sorry. Your wife… is gone.”

Beanie felt like he was submerged in the arctic.

Priya… is dead?

His brain refused to accept it, thoroughly in denial.

It was here a soft voice rang, catching all the adults’ attention.

”Papa!” The little boy yelled and he zoomed to their direction, directly to his father’s—who was, at this time, frozen in a daze.

Because he was still, the boy could only hug the man’s leg.

This surprised the other two and approached the little boy. ”Theo can talk, after all!”

The two leaned down to the boy’s level. While they were sad because their destiny with Theo as family was truly cut short, they were relieved for him. Not many people could find their relatives in this place, after all.

”Our little Theo can speak after all!” Melissa smiled at the baby boy, ”Why didn’t you speak all this time?”

The boy blinked at the question, before answering her honestly. ”Mama says I can’t talk or the monsters will eat me.”

Beanie shook at his words—the image of his wife in despair vivid in his mind—and his legs gave out in horror.

Eugene was quick to pull Theo back and they watched as Beanie fall down the grass, arms hitting the soil, and his whole body trembling.

”Papa! Papa!” Theo yelled, struggling to get out of Eugene’s hold. Because of the little one’s struggle, Eugene had to let him go.

Theo immediately ran to hug his father.

Shaking, Beanie lifted his head—revealing a pitiful expression—and embraced his son tightly as soon as he came in contact.

And only at this time, did Beany sob his heart out.