Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]

Chapter 324: Chapter 325 - Meet the parents

Zei drove for nearly two hours, but they still hadn’t found any trace of another vehicle anywhere around them. The area was far too rural, with thick vegetation stretching along both sides of the road and hardly a house in sight. There wasn’t even a proper road in some places, just a narrow, overgrown path cutting through the forest.

He rolled down his window and leaned slightly toward it, squinting as he searched the surroundings. The wind rushed into the car, carrying the damp, earthy smell of the forest, but there was still no sign of anything useful.

Que Yue, who was sitting beside him, suddenly leaned forward in his seat and narrowed his eyes at something ahead.

”Do you see that up ahead? I think I see a jeep...”

Zei immediately looked in the direction he was pointing. A few meters farther down the road, partially hidden beneath the bushes, was indeed a jeep.

”Yes!” Zei exclaimed, his face lighting up with relief. ”Finally! God sake, we’ve driven so far just to find this thing.”

He quickly pulled the car over and parked as close to the jeep as possible before jumping out.

Que Yue followed him out, but Zei immediately glanced at him with raised eyebrows.

”Oh, not you. You stay in.”

”Why?” Que Yue asked with a frown, peering up at him.

”You have no powers, dude. You’ll just become zombie food if we run into anything.”

Que Yue sighed at that but obediently stepped back toward the car. Kailun, however, climbed out instead, a rifle already in his hands.

The two of them slowly approached the jeep. Something about the vehicle immediately felt wrong. The tires looked almost brand-new, and the body of the jeep was far too clean for a vehicle that had supposedly been abandoned in the middle of nowhere. There was barely any dirt on it, as though someone had taken care of it recently.

The strange sight made Kailun raise a hand, silently gesturing for Zei to stop.

He tightened his grip on his rifle and carefully moved closer, using his free hand to push aside the low-hanging branches that concealed the jeep.

The moment the branches moved, a rifle was pointed directly at his face.

”Lower your weapon and leave,” an almost familiar voice ordered.

Kailun froze.

He slowly lowered his rifle a little, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the person standing behind the bushes.

”Shinju?”

The moment Shinju heard his name, his expression changed. He immediately lowered his own rifle.

”Dad...”

For a second, he simply stared at the old general in disbelief.

Then his eyes widened.

”Oh my God!”

Shinju rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Kailun in a tight hug.

”I thought you died, you old man! Fuck! I was so fucking worried!”

He continued cursing as he hugged him, even reaching up to pinch Kailun’s cheeks as if he needed to make absolutely certain the old general was actually alive.

Kailun’s expression darkened.

”Shinju, what the hell are you even doing out here?” he demanded, finally pushing him away. ”Aren’t you supposed to be taking care of the base? You irresponsible mutt! You were supposed to lead your men and take care of their families! What the fuck are you doing here?”

Shinju rubbed the back of his head, giving him an awkward grin.

”Well... it’s a big story.”

Before Kailun could demand an explanation, another figure suddenly emerged from behind the jeep.

Jinju stopped the moment she saw the old general.

Her eyes widened in shock.

”You brought her along as well?” Kailun asked incredulously. ”What were you thinking?”

Shinju gave another helpless sigh.

”I wasn’t thinking...”

”You!” Kailun pointed at him accusingly. ”I’ll deal with you when we get home!”

Jinju, however, barely seemed to hear them. She rushed toward Kailun, her face filled with worry.

”General, my son... my son, did you see my children? Are they okay?”

Her eyes immediately wandered toward the car behind him, searching desperately for the familiar figures she had been hoping to see.

But they weren’t there.

Her expression crumbled.

”A-are they okay?” she asked again, her voice trembling. ”Please...”

”Yes, Dad, where’s Jai?” Shinju asked at the same time, his own eyes widening with concern.

Kailun sighed when he realized neither of them was going to calm down until they received an answer.

”Both of you, calm down. They’re fine. They’re both safe. We drove ahead because their car ran out of gas.”

”We have gas!” Shinju immediately exclaimed.

His relief was obvious.

”So Jai is okay? He’s not hurt?”

”Yes, yes. They’re fine,” Kailun assured him. ”Those kids are more powerful than you think. There’s nothing for you to worry about. Let’s just siphon some gas from your jeep and go pick them up.”

The tension finally left Jinju’s body.

”Oh, thank God...”

Her legs gave out, and she slowly collapsed onto the ground, silent tears spilling down her cheeks.

”I’m so glad...” she whispered, pressing a trembling hand over her face. ”I’m so glad they’re all safe.”

***

While Zei, Kailun, and Shinju worked on siphoning gas from the jeep, Jinju returned to the other car and waited with the children. Yuki sat quietly beside her, while Lu Zhi occupied the back seat. Que Yue remained in the front, watching the three outside through the windshield as they worked.

Yuki suddenly shifted in her seat and carefully held something out toward her.

It was her little monkey.

”He is my friend,” Yuki said proudly.

Jinju blinked before looking down at the tiny monkey in the child’s arms. ”Is that so?” she asked gently.

Yuki nodded enthusiastically.

Jinju reached over and softly patted the child’s head. ”Then you must take good care of your friend.”

Yuki immediately hugged the little monkey closer, looking pleased with herself.

Lu Zhi watched the interaction for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him. He turned toward Jinju. ”How do you know General Kailun?”

Jinju looked toward the windshield, where the old general was still busy working with Zei and Shinju.

”We’ve known each other for a long time,” she replied with a small smile. ”He’s an old friend of the family.”

Lu Zhi nodded, but before he could ask anything else, Jinju added casually, ”I’m Yunfeng and Hana’s mother.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Que Yue nearly choked. He whipped around in his seat. ”Wait. What?”

Jinju looked at him in surprise. ”What is it?”

”You’re Yunfeng and Hana’s mother?” Que Yue stared at her as though he’d just discovered some unbelievable secret.

Jinju nodded. ”Yes.”

Que Yue ignored her for a moment, his mind clearly racing. ”your genes might be the reason,” he muttered. ”Their genes are way too strong.”

Jinju frowned slightly. ”My genes?”

”Yes.” Que Yue leaned closer, suddenly looking far more interested in her than before. ”Yunfeng and Hana are both unusually powerful. Even among ability users, their strength isn’t normal. If you’re their mother, then there’s a possibility that their abilities have something to do with your genetic makeup.”

Jinju stared at him blankly.

Que Yue’s eyes lit up with curiosity. ”I need a sample of your blood.”

Jinju’s eyebrows shot up. ”My blood?”

”Just a small sample,” Que Yue quickly explained. ”I’m a doctor don’t worry. I want to test it and see whether there’s something unusual in your genes. If there is, we might finally know why your children are so powerful.”

Jinju glanced toward the two children, then back at Que Yue.

For a moment, she didn’t know whether to laugh or be concerned. ”You doctor’s really are strange,” she muttered.

Que Yue looked completely serious. ”This is important research.”

From the back seat, Lu Zhi quietly covered his mouth to hide his laughter.

Yuki, meanwhile, seemed completely uninterested in the adults’ conversation. She was busy showing her little monkey something outside the window, happily introducing her friend to the passing trees as though none of the strange conversation mattered at all.