Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]
Chapter 120 - Opening doors

Chapter 120: Chapter 120 - Opening doors

Muchen glared at Shao intensely, but his friend only panted, gripping the stairwell railing for support.

"Glaring is useless, Muchen. You know what I’m saying makes sense." Shao wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Even if Yunfeng left an hour ago, he wouldn’t reach the city for another seven hours. You really think the government would just sit around and let this infection spread unchecked? They’ll shut everything down as soon as they can."

After a pause, he continued grimly, "No one can enter. No one can leave."

The weight of his words settled over them like a heavy fog. The stairwell fell into an uneasy silence.

Then, Dr. Qiu Yue finally spoke up.

"If this were any ordinary virus, that would be true. But that’s not the case here."

Muchen turned to him, still panting from exhaustion. "What do you mean?"

The man cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "I was called to this hospital to study adverse reactions patients were having to a particular drug. In the underground market, they call it ’T.’"

"T?" Hana echoed, already skeptical.

He nodded. "It became popular among the elites a few months ago. People raved about how it made them feel more energetic, cleared their minds, and boosted focus. It was the new fad. But those who used it started to experience severe side effects—nerve weakness, brain deterioration, and eventually... manic insanity."

Muchen’s brows furrowed. "And you’re telling me no one noticed that a so-called miracle drug was making people go insane?"

"Rich people love their drugs," Dr. Qiu Yue said dryly. "I ran a blood sample and found something strange—there was a virus mutating in their cells. It was... fascinating to watch."

He seemed disturbingly engrossed in his own explanation, eyes glinting with curiosity.

Hana, however, had had enough. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Yeah, yeah, science is cool and all, but let’s cut to the important part. You guys have a cure, right? Or at least something to stop the side effects?"

The doctor looked at her blankly.

"If we had that, I wouldn’t have been called in as a backup researcher." He sighed, rubbing his temple. "My professor was the lead scientist studying this drug’s effects. Some big-shot elites paid a fortune to hire him. The poor man was practically losing his mind trying to find a cure. Then I got roped in."

Hana stared at him expectantly. "So... did you find it or not?"

"No."

The deadpan response made her want to strangle him.

"What do you mean no?!" she practically shrieked.

"Exactly what I said. It takes years to develop an antiviral. Why do you think the recent C-virus outbreak became such a nightmare? Because it kept mutating, adapting, changing into different strains. It’s nearly impossible to find a cure for something that won’t stay the same long enough to be treated."

A tense silence followed.

Then Muchen exhaled sharply. "So what you’re saying is... we’re all fucked."

The doctor gave a nonchalant shrug. "Basically."

Shao narrowed his eyes at the doctor. "Why did you say the city won’t be closed off?"

The man adjusted his glasses, his expression eerily calm. "Because this drug wasn’t just popular in this city. It had a vast network of users, reaching far beyond here. The virus inside the drug would have already spread—" he gestured vaguely around them, "—probably across the entire country by now. Shutting down one city won’t stop it. We’re not dealing with an isolated outbreak."

A loud bang echoed through the corridor. The doctor’s gaze flicked toward the door that was being slammed repeatedly.

"And it’s spreading fast." His voice was quiet but carried a chilling certainty. "Very fast."

Without hesitation, he pulled a cotton swab from his pocket and crouched near the door, carefully taking a sample of the dark, smeared liquid—blood and something else, something thick and viscous, like spit but wrong. He observed it closely under the dim hospital light.

The weight of his words settled over them like an oppressive fog.

Shao clenched his jaw, his grip tightening around his makeshift weapon.

"So you’re telling me this isn’t just a city-wide problem. It’s already too late."

The doctor merely nodded.

A heavy silence followed. Muchen exhaled, rubbing his face in frustration. Hana swallowed hard, glancing at the door that threatened to give way at any moment.

Finally, Shao broke the silence.

"Then all we can do now is safeguard ourselves and wait to be rescued." His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.

He bent down and picked up his broken table leg, gripping it like a bat.

"Let’s go."

Their footsteps thundered against the cold concrete as they sprinted down to the basement.

Weirdly, not a single zombie blocked their way, as if something had lured them elsewhere. But climbing down twenty flights of stairs was brutal. By the time they reached the bottom, everyone was a panting mess.

Hana slumped against the wall, wiping the sweat from her brow. "God... I should have worked out."

Muchen and Shao were the least affected, but even they weren’t unscathed. Muchen grimaced, gripping his stomach.

Shao frowned. "Does it hurt?"

"A little."

Muchen’s fingers lingered on his lower abdomen, feeling the faintest hint of warmth where life was growing inside him. The baby was still so small, the bump barely noticeable, but it was there.

This was supposed to be the time he took things easy—ate well, stayed stress-free. Instead, he was running for his life, barely breathing between moments of sheer terror. His lips trembled, but he bit down on them hard.

"I’m fine. Let’s go."

They approached the basement door. Shao reached out, fingers wrapping around the handle.

The door creaked open loudly. Sensing the movement, the basement lights went on.

They all froze.

A couple dozen bloodied zombies stood mere feet away. The instant light hit them, they turned their heads in eerie unison—then charged.

"Shit!" Hana screamed and slammed the door shut.

The iron door shuddered violently as the undead threw themselves against it. The walls trembled. Dust rained down from the ceiling.

"Fuck... there goes our escape plan." She mumbled under her breath.

Shao braced his weight against the door, breath coming fast. "At least the door will hold..."

Dr. Qiu Yue, panting softly, muttered, "For how long?"

Then—click.

The handle moved.

A cold horror settled in their stomachs as they watched the metal lever slowly turn downward.

The door swung open.

And then—they flooded in.

"They.... OPEN DOORS!!!" Hana screamed in terror.

"AHHHHHH!!"

Screaming, they bolted back up the stairs.