Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]-Chapter 193 - Alive or not

The moment the danger was over, the tension snapped.

Hana and the others rushed up the stairs, still breathless, hearts thudding in their ears. Their feet echoed on the cold metal steps as they found Muchen crouched on the second-floor balcony, holding Shao in one arm and his stomach in the other. His head was bowed, face buried into Shao’s shoulder, but the sound coming from him was unmistakable.

He was sobbing.

Raw, ugly, heart-wrenching sobs.

"Muchen!" Hana called out, eyes wide with fear.

But he didn’t look up.

Muchen’s entire body trembled as he clutched his stomach tightly, as if he was afraid it would fall apart if he let go. His bloodied fingers were digging into the fabric, lips moving in broken whispers. "No... no... my baby... my baby..."

Qiu Yue pushed past the others, his usually calm expression furrowed deeply. "Get back—give him some space!" he barked, his white coat flaring behind him.

He dropped to his knees beside Muchen and reached for his wrist. "Give me your hand," he said calmly.

Muchen shook his head violently, tears and snot streaking down his face. "No—don’t—please—he’s dead, he’s dead, I felt something tear—I—my baby..."

"I’m trying to check your baby’s health," Qiu Yue snapped, grasping his wrist firmly now. "Let me do my job!"

With a sharp tug, he pulled Muchen’s hand away from his stomach. Muchen screamed, twisting as though the pain and grief were one and the same. But Qiu Yue didn’t waver—his hand found the pulse point, two fingers pressing gently, then sliding down. He held his breath.

There.

He closed his eyes.

"I can still feel the fetal heartbeat," he murmured, voice quieter now. More grounded.

Muchen froze.

His bloodshot eyes widened, lips trembling. "W-what...?"

Qiu Yue pushed his glasses up with a smear of blood on the frame and nodded. "You must’ve strained yourself too much. That’s why you’re bleeding. You need to stop these stupid stunts."

He gave Muchen a hard look. "This isn’t a stable lifestyle for a pregnant person. You’re putting both of you in danger."

Muchen blinked, tears still trailing. His hand trembled as he gently cupped his stomach again, more tender this time.

"So... the baby is okay?" he whispered.

"Yes." Qiu Yue said firmly. "But weak. The sooner we check everything properly, the better."

He hesitated now, frowning slightly. "If you can remove your pants, I can check you, but—" he stopped mid-sentence.

A pause.

An awkward, dawning realization passed across his face.

Check what?

Muchen was... visibly male. There was no anatomy Qiu Yue could reference. What was he even supposed to examine? His hands hovered awkwardly for a second before he muttered under his breath, "It would be better if we had an ultrasound to check the baby’s positioning and vitals..."

At that, Muchen grabbed his hand suddenly, eyes wide, almost frantic. "Yes... yes! I want to check it—I need to see it—I need to know—"

"But the hospitals..." Muchen looked away, panic setting back in. "They’re crawling with the undead..."

Shao, still cradled in his arms, winced in pain but reached up and gently touched Muchen’s face. "Calm down," he murmured, his voice a soothing rasp. "It’s okay... maybe there are smaller clinics. Don’t big hospitals have satellite branches?"

Qiu Yue nodded thoughtfully. "Yes... some pediatric or gynecology clinics might have one. Even some smaller private ones..."

A hesitant voice cut through their conversation.

Zei stepped forward from the shadows, his face pale, eyes avoiding all the blood around them. "Umm... what about... plastic surgery clinics?" he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Everyone turned.

Qiu Yue blinked, looking up at him in confusion. "What?"

Zei rubbed the back of his neck. "Some of them have really good machines—ultrasounds for body sculpting, fat measurements, uh, post-surgery scans... I-I just... I used to model, okay? I went to one once... I remember."

Qiu Yue’s gaze sharpened. "Where?"

"I-it’s downtown. Across from that fancy tea lounge, ’Mei House.’ I think it’s still running on backup power. If it hasn’t been hit..."

Muchen gripped his arm tightly, eyes wide and shining. "Can you take me there?"

Zei hesitated, then nodded.

"I can try."

Muchen looked around at them all, voice still hoarse from screaming. "Then we’re going. I’m not waiting another day."

His hand moved protectively over his stomach.

"I need to see my baby."

"Um... guys..." Hana hesitantly, twisting her fingers together. "This city... was attacked by an EMP strike, right? None of the devices will work. Most of the things would be fried by now..."

Her words dropped like a stone into still water.

Muchen stiffened, lips parting in disbelief. He turned slowly toward her, eyes wide, pupils shaking as the realization sank in.

"No..." he whispered, shaking his head. "No, no, no—"

His voice cracked, and suddenly he looked like he couldn’t breathe. Like the entire mall was closing in on him.

"Is there any other way to check the baby’s health?" he asked desperately, turning back to Qiu Yue. His knuckles were white from gripping his knees, fingernails digging into his skin. "Anything—please—I don’t care what it is—just tell me the baby’s okay—"

Qiu Yue’s shoulders fell with a long, quiet sigh. He took off his cracked glasses and wiped them, stalling for time, as though that could shield Muchen from the truth.

"She’s right," he said finally, voice soft but heavy. "All the civilian devices would be down for good. Everything would’ve shorted out when the EMP hit. We can’t rely on any of it."

He met Muchen’s eyes. "We can only hope the baby is safe. There’s... no way to check it now."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Muchen stared down at the floor, his hands cradling his stomach, trembling. Tears slid silently down his cheeks.

"I can’t just hope," he whispered, almost to himself. "I can’t just hope. That’s not enough—what if I lose him and I never even knew—"

Jai’s voice cut in gently from the back, like a thread of light through thick clouds.

"Um... what if the devices were inside a military fallout shelter?"

Everyone turned to look at him.

He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure. "I mean, Shao said the walkie Yunfeng found was still working, right? Maybe some military tech is protected?"

Shao’s expression shifted, a spark of recognition in his eyes. "He’s right. I’ve read about it before. Military-grade tech is often shielded from EMPs."

Qiu Yue blinked, thinking rapidly. "There is a chance. Some high-level bunkers are designed to survive nuclear blasts. They’d definitely be shielded from EMP damage."

Jai crouched beside Muchen now, his voice quiet but steady. "My grandpa once said... our city had a secret underground military fallout shelter. It was built decades ago, back when people still feared nuclear war."

Muchen looked up slowly, watching him.

Jai nodded. "He told me it could survive anything. That it even had surgical rooms, water filtration, labs—everything. If we get there, they’ll have ultrasound machines that still work. Maybe even doctors, if we’re lucky."

He looked at Qiu Yue, eyes hopeful. "Even after the bombing. That place was meant to be a last resort. If we can find it... we might really be able to escape this."

Qiu Yue looked at him with renewed interest. "Do you know where it is?"

Jai bit his lip. "No, not exactly. But I remember he mentioned something about it being underneath the oldest courthouse in the city. He said the staircase to the real shelter is hidden in the judge’s chamber."

Muchen stared at him.

For the first time since collapsing, something other than panic or despair lit up in his eyes.

"...Then we’re going," he said.

Shao shifted against his arm, grimacing at the pain in his leg. "Muchen, you need rest—"

"I can’t rest until I see him," Muchen said softly but firmly. "I need to know. Even if I die, I need to know he’s okay."

His hand hovered protectively over his abdomen.

"I have to see my baby."