Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]-Chapter 178 - Just us

Shao didn’t say much. His face was tight with restraint as he knelt beside a pile of salvaged supplies and swiftly packed a small bag. A few chocolates, an energy drink bottle, and a thick table leg—went into the old backpack. He zipped it shut and tossed it without ceremony.

The bag landed with a dull thud by Jian Hao’s feet.

"Here," Shao muttered, not even looking at him.

Muchen crossed his arms and nodded toward it, eyes cold. "Take it. And leave."

Jian Hao’s head slowly lifted, his expression twisted with disbelief and venom. "This is unfair..." he choked out, his voice shaking. "Where is your humanity?"

His eyes flared with spite as he turned his gaze directly to Muchen. "You monsters! And you..." His lips curled. "You’re carrying a monster in your stomach."

Time stopped.

That was all it took.

Muchen didn’t blink. His jaw tightened. Then, without a word, the back of his gun struck Jian Hao square across the face.

The crack of metal against skin and bone echoed in the warehouse, loud and brutal.

Jian Hao dropped to the ground like a stone, blood immediately spilling from his nose, dark and wet. He coughed, sputtered, and clutched at his face.

"This..." Muchen said, voice low and trembling with rage, "is the mercy I can give you."

He stood over him, chest heaving, gun still in his hand. His eyes, sharp and wild, locked onto the boy writhing on the floor.

"Talk shit about my baby again," he hissed, "and I’ll shoot you down without hesitation. No questions. No mercy. I don’t give a damn about humanitarian qualities—did I forget to mention that?"

Jian Hao stared up at him, trembling, blood trailing down to his chin. He dragged his sleeve across his face and slowly got to his feet. His pride was shattered, but spite still burned behind his eyes.

"You’ll regret this," he spat. "I’ll make your life a living hell. I swear—even if I become a zombie, I’ll come after you. I’ll tear through you and your child will become my—"

Crack!

The gun’s muzzle cracked against his forehead again, sending him stumbling backward into a crate with a groan.

"Go ahead." Muchen’s voice was ice. "Finish that sentence."

Jian Hao didn’t speak. Couldn’t.

He clutched his forehead, panting, bloodied and humiliated. The silence in the room was thick, pressing against everyone’s lungs. Even Hana, who was still burning with anger, stepped back instinctively.

Yunfeng reached out, gently placing a hand on Muchen’s back. "Let him go," he said quietly. "It’s over."

Muchen’s chest rose and fell with furious breath. But after a long pause, he gave a slow, sharp nod.

Jian Hao looked between them with a glare.

He turned without another word, clutching the bag to his chest, and walked toward the exit.

Muchen followed him to the back of the warehouse, gun still gripped tight in his hand.

He didn’t trust him. Not for a second.

Jian Hao reached the back door, blood still smeared under his nose, and tugged it open. Cold air swept in, and with it, the distant groans of the undead

As he stepped out, he turned his head just slightly, eyes narrowing on Muchen with an unreadable glare.

Muchen caught it. He didn’t blink.

Something was wrong with this boy.

The way he moved, how tight he held the bag, how that smirk still hadn’t left his face.

Muchen raised his gun a little, eyes narrowed. "If you make a ruckus and attract the zombies here," he warned in a low, deadly voice, "I will shoot you down. I swear it."

Jian Hao paused. His eyes lit with something wicked, and a laugh broke from his lips, sharp and reckless. "You wouldn’t dare."

Bang!

The shot cracked through the alley, echoing down the empty streets. Dust burst up from the ground inches from Jian Hao’s feet.

The boy yelped and stumbled back in fear, eyes wide as he looked down at the smoking hole near his shoes.

"That bullet," Muchen said, voice trembling with cold fury, "will be in your knees next. And when you can’t walk properly... do you think you can outrun those zombies?" His tone lowered to a growl. "I think not. Don’t you dare test me, boy."

Jian Hao’s breath came in ragged pants now. He gripped the bag tighter against his chest and muttered something under his breath as he turned and stormed away from the warehouse.

But he kept glancing back. Intermittently. Eyes filled with rage and something darker.

Muchen stood still, watching him until the boy had crossed the outer perimeter and vanished into the maze of abandoned vehicles.

Then he slammed the door shut with all his weight and locked it tight from the inside.

"Fucker," he muttered through clenched teeth, leaning back against the door. "He really had it coming. I just want to strangle him."

Before his anger could fester any deeper, he felt familiar arms wrap around him from behind.

"Don’t get angry..." Yunfeng whispered gently, resting his head against Muchen’s shoulder. "The baby will feel it."

That stopped him.

Muchen let out a long, slow breath. His fingers twitched around the grip of the gun before he finally lowered it, letting the tension bleed out of his shoulders.

"Fine... I’m fine," he murmured, placing a hand over Yunfeng’s. "God... that could’ve gone down so badly."

He turned then, just slightly, so he could see Yunfeng properly, eyes filled with something fierce and fragile all at once.

"Yunfeng," he said quietly but firmly, "from now on... no more strangers. We seven. That’s it. Just us. No one new."

Yunfeng hesitated.

But Muchen caught it. He raised a hand, gently touching Yunfeng’s face to stop the words forming behind his lips. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"I know you want to save others," Muchen whispered. "But I don’t want to risk our lives again like this. I don’t want our baby... to grow up without one of us."

The warehouse fell quiet again.

Yunfeng finally nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Okay..." he whispered. "Just us."

And Muchen smiled faintly, brushing his thumb over Yunfeng’s cheek. "Just us."