Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]

Chapter 260: Chapter 260 - Saw it all

Jai quietly opened the door to his grandfather’s room, expecting to find him reading or maybe stretching near the window like he usually did in the mornings. But instead, the room was still. Too still.

His grandfather was still in bed, the covers pulled up to his chest, his face turned slightly toward the window. Peaceful—but unmoving.

Jai’s brows furrowed.

He walked closer, the wooden floor creaking under his feet. He reached out, gently taking the old man’s hand. It was warm, soft, but unusually limp in his own.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the lined, familiar face.

”...Grandpa?”

No response.

He watched the slow rise and fall of his grandfather’s chest. Breathing... but shallow. His fingers shifted to feel his pulse. It was steady. Not too weak. But still...

”Why are you still asleep?” Jai whispered, his voice low, uncertain. ”You’ve been resting a lot lately... more than usual.”

Something was off. His grandfather wasn’t that old—mid-seventies, yes—but he’d always been energetic, brisk in his movements, sharp in his speech. He practiced tai chi. He walked every day. He barely got sick.

And yet now... it felt wrong.

His stomach twisted.

Panic began to seep in.

He stood up abruptly and rushed out of the room. ”Qui Yue!” he called. ”Qui Yue!”

He found the young doctor in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, rinsing dishes in silence. Zei glanced over, but Jai didn’t stop.

”My grandpa—I think something’s wrong with him!” he said, breathless, eyes wide.

Qui Yue froze, his hands dripping water. ”What? What do you mean?”

”Just come! Please!” Jai turned and bolted down the hallway again, heart pounding.

They all followed him. Muchen peeked out from his and Yunfeng’s room as they rushed by, his brow creased, but Jai didn’t stop to explain.

They entered the room, and Jai immediately pointed to the bed.

”He’s still sleeping. He hasn’t moved. I touched his hand—he’s breathing—but he won’t wake up.”

Qui Yue stepped forward calmly and leaned over the old man, checking his pulse, then feeling his forehead.

After a moment, he looked up and blinked at Jai like he was overreacting. ”He’s literally sleeping. His vitals are stable. Why are you making a fuss?”

Jai didn’t budge. ”You don’t get it. He’s been sleeping a lot. Since we got here. Even back in the safe zone... he kept napping all the time.”

Qui Yue paused at that. His brows lowered.

”...How long has he been sleeping now?” Jai asked quietly, anxiety laced in his voice.

That question finally seemed to hit its mark.

Qui Yue straightened up, looking toward the bed with a more serious gaze. He had been the one sharing the room with Grandpa Kailun, after all. The old man had gone to sleep shortly after they arrived and—now that he thought about it—hadn’t woken up even once since then.

The last time too, when they were traveling, the elder had dozed off often, staying asleep even through noise or chatter. He had chalked it up to exhaustion from their trip or stress, but now...

Now it didn’t feel so simple.

”He went to sleep yesterday evening, right after dinner,” Qui Yue murmured slowly. ”And he hasn’t woken up since.”

Jai’s lips parted, his shoulders tense. ”And before that?”

”There were a few days he slept most of the day. I thought he was just... tired.”

”But this isn’t normal, is it?”

Qui Yue didn’t answer.

The silence said enough.

Zei stepped closer, frowning. ”Is he sick? Did something happen to him out there?”

”I don’t know,” Qui Yue admitted. ”We’ll need to do more checks. Maybe bloodwork. Maybe something from the infection outside is affecting him. Or maybe it’s... something else.”

Jai stared at his grandfather, his chest tight.

Something else?

He took a step closer again and knelt beside the bed, grasping the old man’s hand once more.

”Grandpa...” he whispered.

The hand didn’t move.

He didn’t wake up.

And for the first time, Jai truly felt afraid that maybe—just maybe—he might not.

A small gasp cut through the tension in the room.

Jai’s head snapped toward the bed.

Grandpa Kailun’s eyes fluttered open, dazed at first, then slowly focusing. His breathing evened out, and a faint blush crept into his aged cheeks as he caught sight of his grandson hovering over him.

”Umm... you’re back,” he mumbled, voice scratchy from sleep. ”Ah...”

Jai didn’t waste a second—he threw his arms around the old man and hugged him tightly, nearly shaking.

”You were sleeping so much, what is wrong with you?” he demanded, voice cracking. ”Do you feel okay? Are you dizzy or—anything?!”

The old man chuckled, awkwardly clearing his throat and patting Jai’s back. ”Umm... I’m fine, I think...”

”No, you’re not!” Jai pulled back, eyes wide and glistening with frustrated tears. ”Don’t lie to me, Grandpa! Tell me what’s going on. Now!”

The old man winced slightly under the force of Jai’s glare, then sighed and looked away.

”I think...” Kailun began slowly, glancing toward the others in the room. ”I think I gained a power.”

That made the entire room go still.

Even Qui Yue, still standing near the edge of the bed, raised a brow in interest.

”...A power?” Jai asked, blinking.

”Yeah.” Kailun nodded. ”Every time I sleep... it’s like I can float out of my body. Like I can walk around without anyone seeing me. Like astral projection or something.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. ”It felt... peaceful. Like I was just watching things. Time moved differently.”

”That’s... why you were sleeping so much?” Zei murmured, clearly fascinated.

The old man nodded. ”I guess my body got used to staying in that state longer.”

Jai exhaled loudly, finally letting go of the tension gripping his chest. ”Oh thank God. I thought you were dying.”

Kailun smiled and reached up to hug Jai back with trembling arms. ”Not yet, boy. Not yet.”

But just as the room began to relax, his expression changed.

His eyes narrowed, sharp and focused—and they landed on Shao.

”You. Stay right there,” he said, voice suddenly stern, a far cry from the gentle tone he had moments ago.

Everyone froze.

”Everyone else, out,” Kailun added. ”Give us some privacy.”

Jai glanced between his grandfather and Shao, confused. ”Why...?”

Kailun turned to his grandson and cupped his cheek gently. ”Just a minute, okay? I just need to talk to him.”

Jai didn’t look convinced, but after a tense pause, he gave in. ”...Okay.”

He motioned to the others. One by one, they filed out—Zei, Qui Yue, and Muchen casting worried looks between Shao and the old man. Jai lingered a second longer, then quietly stepped out and closed the door behind him.

As soon as the latch clicked shut, Kailun’s demeanor shifted completely.

His old hand slipped under the pillow, and in a flash, he pulled out a small pistol. With a click, he pressed the cold barrel straight against Shao’s temple.

”You dare touch my precious grandson...” he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. ”You really have the guts, don’t you?”

Shao, however, didn’t flinch.

Instead, he raised an unimpressed brow, calmly meeting the old man’s furious eyes.

”As I thought,” he said coolly. ”You saw everything, didn’t you... when you were ’sleeping.’ You were watching us through astral projection.”

The old man’s jaw clenched.

His knuckles were white against the grip of the pistol. ”You took advantage of him when he was vulnerable.”

”I didn’t,” Shao said without hesitation, voice still calm. ”I never laid a finger on him without his consent. Ask him.”

”I saw your hands on him!” the old man snapped. ”I saw him blush—I saw you kiss him! Don’t pretend like I didn’t!”

”You saw the kiss, then you also saw that he kissed me back.”

Kailun’s glare deepened.

”You think that excuses it? You think I’m just going to let someone like you get close to him? I don’t care what powers you have. I don’t care if you saved his life. He’s my grandson. And I’ll put a bullet in your skull before I let anyone hurt him.”

Shao’s eyes didn’t waver. ”I don’t intend to hurt him. Ever.”

”People like you always say that. Until the moment they do.”

Shao tilted his head slightly. ”So what? Are you going to kill me right now, old man? And then what? Jai walks in and sees his grandpa murdering someone he cares about?”

The words hit like a hammer, and the tension in the room thickened.

Kailun’s finger hesitated over the trigger.

His lips tightened. His hand trembled just slightly.

”You think you care about him more than I do?” Shao asked, softer now. ”I would die for him. But I won’t let you threaten me like I’m some piece of trash. I’m not going anywhere.”

”...You think you’re good enough for him?”

”No,” Shao said, without missing a beat. ”But I’ll still stay. As long as he wants me to.”

There was a long, heavy silence between them.

The old man finally lowered the pistol, slowly, but his eyes didn’t soften.

”You better mean every word of that,” he said coldly. ”Because if I see even a flicker of pain in that boy’s eyes... you’ll wish I pulled the trigger today.”

Shao nodded once. ”Understood.”

Kailun stared at him for another long second... then turned away and slipped the pistol back under the pillow.

”Go,” he muttered. ”Send Jai back in.”

Shao quietly walked to the door, but before stepping out, he looked over his shoulder.

”...I won’t hurt him. Ever.”

And with that, he left the room.