Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]-Chapter 208 - Eyes on the sky

The sky rumbled above the devastated city as smoke rose like dark banners, fluttering in winds filled with ash. Inside a sleek fighter jet flying low across the urban wasteland, Captain Li Wei adjusted his headset, his brows knitting as he glanced out the reinforced glass.

"Base, this is Hawk-2. We have visual confirmation on a small civilian group, roughly ten individuals, riding what looks like motorbikes through Sector 12, heading west," he said.

His co-pilot, Chen Yu, peered through binoculars, tightening his grip. "They’re fast. Looks like they know the city well."

"Any sign of infected near them?" came the crackled response from Command.

Li squinted. "Negative for now. But one of them... there’s something strange. Young male, white jacket. Mid-twenties. He... he set a dozen infected on fire without touching them. No weapons. It came from him."

There was a pause, followed by a different voice. Colder. More authoritative.

"Repeat that, Hawk-2. Are you saying this boy used his body as a weapon?"

"Affirmative. Fire emitted directly from his hands. Like... a flamethrower with a heartbeat."

A beat of stunned silence.

"Copy. Transmitting image feed. Maintain visual. Do not engage. Tag their location."

Li pressed a button, capturing Yunfeng mid-action—fire spiraling from his arms, the golden streak of his eyes glowing with intensity. He looked like a war god born from the ashes.

"Captain, do we really have time for this? Orders were to ensure containment," Chen Yu murmured.

Li didn’t respond. He had seen many things in this war. But never this.

*********

Inside the underground control room of the National Epidemic Command Center, monitors blinked alive with the transmitted footage. Men in suits watched with tight jaws. A folder was tossed onto the main console, labeled in red: TERA PROJECT: TYPE RED - FILE 001.

"Enhance the footage," the man in the black suit said. His voice was precise, surgical.

A scientist nearby leaned in. "It’s him. Is it him... the one infected by the special strand of virus. We thought he perished in the first outbreak."

"He didn’t. And he’s gotten stronger."

The man straightened, folding his hands behind his back. "I want Subject Y-07 alive."

"Understood, Minister."

The man sat down with a wide grin on his face. "What about Subject Y-03 and Y-05?"

The scientist scowled. "They did not last sir "

*********

Back in Hawk-2, Li Wei watched the boy from above. The way he stood, surrounded by people who looked ready to fight for him. The kind of loyalty even generals couldn’t buy.

Chen Yu glanced over. "They’re not slowing down. We might not get a chance to extract him."

"Even if we do, should we?" Li whispered.

A voice crackled through the comms. "Hawk-2, confirm visual and prepare to tag the boy. Recovery units will move in within the hour. We want him alive. Everyone else is expendable."

Li closed his eyes for a second. Just one second. Then he reached for the target laser and aimed it downward, locking onto Yunfeng’s heat signature.

The red dot blinked.

And Yunfeng felt it.

Just a flicker. A tingling along his back. He turned around. The sky was empty.

Muchen noticed his sudden stillness. "What is it?"

"I... don’t know. Just... keep riding."

But the feeling didn’t go away.

And above, the red light stayed fixed.

*****

The roar of the fighter jets thundered overhead, slicing through the thick air. Muchen, riding on the back seat, narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of something unnatural: a glowing red dot hovered steadily on Yunfeng’s back—small but unmistakably a tracking laser.

His stomach dropped.

"Yunfeng!" Muchen’s voice cracked with panic. "They’re trying to shoot you down!"

The world seemed to slow for a heartbeat. Tires skidded slightly as Yunfeng jerked the handle, eyes darting up toward the jet that zoomed over them, circling like a predator. In the next instant, chaos erupted.

"Everyone, check yourselves!" Yunfeng called out, loud and urgent. "See if there’s a red dot on you!"

They all swerved to a halt beneath a crumbling overpass. Dust and gravel kicked into the air as each of them twisted and turned, brushing over their backs, shoulders, arms—searching.

"I’m clean!" Jai shouted.

"Me too!" Zei called, panting.

One by one, the answers came in. No one else was marked.

Only Yunfeng.

Yunfeng’s jaw clenched tight. The world, once so noisy, felt mute for a second as he gazed at the panicked faces around him. "They’re targeting me," he said, voice grim. "Only me."

A cold hush fell over the group.

"I think it’s time we split up," Yunfeng continued, trying to sound calm. "We’ll regroup at the tunnel entrance. Just get there safe, okay?"

"No." Muchen’s voice broke as he reached around and grabbed Yunfeng’s waist tighter. "No! Not again."

Yunfeng brought the bike to a full stop. He tried to turn, but Muchen had already dismounted and was facing him, fists clenched, eyes filled with raw disbelief.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Muchen shouted. "Why do you keep leaving me like this? First at the store, then during the horde—and now this? Do you even love me?"

The words struck harder than the roar of the jets. Yunfeng’s face froze. His mouth opened, but no words came.

The silence was suffocating.

"They’re targeting me, Muchen," Yunfeng finally rasped. "God knows why. Maybe because of my powers. Maybe because I’m dangerous. But if they shoot and you’re still with me—do you know what that means? You’ll die and our child die."

His voice cracked.

"Do you think I could live with that?"

Muchen’s eyes widened, tears brimming.

"I’m trying to keep you safe. That’s all I’ve ever wanted," Yunfeng whispered, stepping off the bike. He cupped Muchen’s cheek with one soot-streaked hand. "Please... go with the others. Keep our child safe."

"No..." Muchen’s voice was small now, crumbling. "Not without you."

But Yunfeng gently nudged him back, pressing the bike key into his hand. He grinned faintly, but his eyes were glassy with pain. "We’ll meet again, yeah? You promised we’d eat curry on the border of City X. I’m holding you to that."

And with that, he turned, jumped onto a spare bike, and sped off toward the ruined side streets, drawing the red dot—and the looming threat—away from his friends.

"Muchen!" Jai called, grabbing Muchen’s arm just as he tried to run after him. "We have to trust him. He’s doing this for us!"

"But I—" Muchen’s breath hitched. "He always does this! Always sacrifices himself like he doesn’t matter..."

Jai pulled him into a sudden hug. "He matters to you. That’s why he left. Because you matter to him."

Behind them, Kailun stared up at the fighter jet as it turned. He hissed a curse under his breath.

"They’re trying to isolate him..." Kailun muttered. "And if they’re targeting him, they’ve probably got a kill order."

"What do you mean?" Hana asked, horrified.

"I mean," Kailun said with a heavy heart, "they want him either captured... or destroyed."

Everyone turned to look toward the rising dust trail Yunfeng had left behind, hearts trembling with fear and helplessness.

*******

Meanwhile, inside the fighter jet...

"Command, this is Falcon 2. We have confirmed laser mark on Subject Y-07. No visual resistance. Subject is moving eastbound—appears to be trying to separate from the group."

"Copy that, Falcon 2," came the voice over the comms. "Stand by for engagement. Extraction team is en route. Confirm—do not fire until clearance."

The pilot nodded. "Understood."

"Also..." another voice entered the channel, more clipped, higher authority. "Bring the target in alive if possible. We need to understand the scope of his abilities. Government priority. Do not allow civilian interference."

"Roger."

Falcon 2 banked low, wings slicing through clouds. Below, Yunfeng sped through the empty streets, hair snapping in the wind, fire simmering beneath his skin.

He knew.

He knew he was being watched.

He could feel the red dot trailing over his body like a phantom. And he could feel the fire inside him responding—aching to burst, aching to protect.

"Just a little longer..." he whispered to himself. "Let me pull them far enough."

Suddenly, a second red dot flickered onto the ground in front of him.

Then another.

Three. Four.

They were marking the area. Setting up a perimeter.

Yunfeng’s eyes narrowed. "So it’s like that, huh?"

With a sharp turn, he cut through an alley, sending metal trash bins flying, weaving through fallen power lines and shattered cars. Every time he thought he had lost the dot, it returned—relentless.

A strange sound echoed in the distance—soft, rhythmic, mechanical.

Chkk... chkk... chkk...

Yunfeng blinked, scanning the rooftops.

A small black drone hovered near the edge of a burnt-out building, its camera lens whirring as it tracked him. Behind it, two more rose into view.

Yunfeng gritted his teeth.

"They’re not just watching me. They’re guiding someone."

Sure enough, the faint growl of heavy vehicles echoed from afar.

He had to move. Fast.

But his bike jolted as he hit debris, skidding momentarily. Pain shot through his ankle, but he grunted and kept going.

In his mind, one thought repeated like a mantra:

Get them far enough. Give them time.