Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]

Chapter 194: Chapter 194 - Golden specks of dust

Yunfeng crouched by the cracked pavement, one hand pressed against the cold ground, the other trembling near his nose. He sniffed the air carefully, trying to pick up Muchen’s scent again.

The faintest trace of him had led this way—familiar and warm, like rain on sunbaked stone—but now it was thinning fast.

He rose to his feet, eyes scanning the road ahead.

The trail twisted toward the main road, wide and eerily empty. It should have been bustling. People. Horns. Vendors yelling. But now... just silence and shadows.

He took a step forward—and immediately regretted it.

Snfff— ”A-CHOO!!”

Yunfeng staggered back, sneezing violently, his eyes watering as a sickening stench hit his nose like a punch.

”Oh god...”

The air was thick with the rot of death.

It wasn’t just the familiar tang of the undead. No, this was worse. There was a sharpness to it—like mold and burned plastic and wet garbage all churned together. He gagged, covering his nose with the crook of his elbow, but it barely helped.

Then he noticed it.

The air shimmered faintly, golden specks floating in lazy spirals. Dust?

No.

Pollen?

Maybe. But it didn’t feel natural.

His stomach turned. The glittering particles clung to everything—leaves, cracks in the cement, even the fur of a nearby dead animal collapsed on the curb. And it stank.

He yanked off his outer shirt and pressed it over his mouth and nose. Even that was barely enough to hold back the burn crawling up his nostrils.

Yunfeng scowled, panic rising.

The scent trail was gone.

Whatever this pollen-like crap was, it was messing with his senses—clogging them, overwhelming his nose with decay and artificial sweetness. It was like he’d stepped into a chemical fog.

”Shit...”

He blinked hard, trying to refocus. But his eyes stung now too. Not good.

Still, he couldn’t afford to stop.

The golden dust danced around him as he moved down the main road. His breathing was shallow now, controlled. He couldn’t smell anything. Not even his own sweat.

It was like walking blind.

Every shadow felt like a trap. Every rustle of wind made his spine tense. His ears were straining, listening for anything—any sign. But even the birds were gone. No moans. No dragging feet. Just that pollen and silence.

Suddenly, something cracked in the distance.

Yunfeng froze.

His body went rigid, like a predator.

Another crack—closer.

Yunfeng held out his hand ready to burn anything in his way.

He couldn’t smell who or what was coming.

But something was there.

The air thickened the deeper he walked.

Each step forward felt like pushing through invisible cobwebs, his senses dulled, his thoughts starting to slur inside his skull. A strange dizziness crept in, swaying his balance just slightly.

And then he saw it.

Right in the middle of the cracked highway, slumped like a rotting offering to the gods, was a corpse.

But not like any he’d seen before.

It was pale—no, white. Covered entirely in something that looked like spider silk, draped over its body like a shroud. The skin beneath had turned paper-thin, almost translucent, stretched tightly over bone. Its limbs were long and grotesque, barely resembling anything human.

And it was the source.

Yunfeng could see it now—those glimmering, golden particles weren’t floating from the trees or the air.

They were pouring from the zombie’s open mouth.

Slow. Constant. Like a decaying perfume.

The fuck... what IS that...

He staggered back a step, heart pounding against his ribs.

A sharp pulse of nausea coiled in his gut. His vision swam. The disorientation hit hard, like falling through molasses. The world tilted—then righted itself with a jolt.

”Fuck...”

His eyes snapped open in panic.

MOVE. NOW.

The corpse twitched.

He barely had time to breathe when the thing stood up.

It didn’t rise like the others—no snapping limbs or clumsy groaning. It moved with intention, its every step calculated and slow. Its hollow eye sockets locked onto him, mouth agape in a soundless scream, spewing that golden dust.

It didn’t chase.

It waited.

Watching him.

Patient.

Yunfeng’s blood ran cold.

This wasn’t just another mindless undead.

This thing was smart.

A predator. And he was prey.

Gritting his teeth, he yanked his backpack from his shoulders and tossed it far—his little monkey companion squealing as he was flung out of the danger zone.

Then his body ignited in a roar of searing flame.

The golden mist met the heat and disintegrated instantly, curling into ash before it could reach him. The fire danced violently across his skin, his legs, arms, chest, hair—all burning bright, protecting him in a sphere of relentless energy.

His shirt caught fire. His pants. Everything.

But Yunfeng didn’t care.

He needed to survive.

Through the flames, he saw the white zombie tilt its head, curious.

Still watching.

Still waiting.

His breath was ragged now. Muscles strained. Skin stung. His clothes were gone, reduced to soot and smoke.

He stumbled back, barefoot and glowing red-hot, heatwaves rippling from his trembling form. His teeth chattered—not from cold, but from fear.

The zombie never moved.

It merely lowered itself back down into the center of the road, spine creaking like dry branches.

Lying flat.

Waiting for the next fool to walk into its death field.

Yunfeng backed away, heart thundering. He reached for his monkey, grabbing him into his arms as he made it past the pollen fog, panting and singed.

He looked back once more.

And the thing didn’t even blink.

Yunfeng barely made it out of the golden mist before his knees buckled. His vision blurred, limbs trembling uncontrollably. His monkey squeaked worriedly in his arms, trying to rouse him, tugging gently at his hair.

But he couldn’t move.

The adrenaline had dried up, and with it went his strength. His body, charred and raw, now felt like a hollow shell. He gasped for breath—each inhale shallow, pained. His muscles were screaming, bones shaking under the weight of what he’d just survived.

He lay there, completely exposed on the cracked side of the road, curled slightly inward as the wind brushed over his raw skin like knives.

The night air had grown cold. But the bright moonlight lit up the empty streets of the now ruined city.

He couldn’t move.

Couldn’t even lift his arms to shield himself.

’Muchen..... I hope you are safe...’