Elena was anxious as she paced back and forth, waiting for the result.
She hoped it was just a false alarm; unfortunately, the moment she saw the two lines on the pregnancy test, she turned pale.
Then, past memories haunted her like a ghost she couldn’t escape—Little Mia’s death and the children who had been victims of human cannibalism.
Her emotions were in turmoil; she was afraid that the same fate would happen to the baby in her belly.
But then, a sudden stream of energy flowed through her, as if comforting her and telling her not to be afraid.
To her amazement, she realized the energy was coming from her belly.
Then it suddenly hit her: ’The core from the bank.’
The energy from it might have been taken by the baby.
She smiled while caressing her belly.
’Are you comforting Mom? Since you want to be with me, then be strong, alright?’
She was determined to do everything to keep the baby safe; this time, there would be no ’what ifs.’
She took a deep breath and steadied her resolve to face the challenges that might come.
She was glad and thankful to the immortals—or whoever had created this space—for giving her an edge in ensuring the safety of her future baby.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she couldn’t hear her husband knocking frantically on the bathroom door.
"Wife! Open the door. Are you there?"
He waited for another minute, and when there was no response, he barged in, breaking down the door.
There, he saw his wife lost in thought, caressing her belly.
He went to her side and embraced her with concern.
Elena woke up from her reverie, excited to inform him about her pregnancy.
But before she could speak, Ethan asked seriously, "Wife, I’ve been calling you a couple of times. What are you thinking?"
Elena replied mischievously, taking his hand and placing it on her belly.
"Do you think my belly looks a little bigger?"
Clueless, Ethan answered in a way that was the opposite of what Elena expected.
"Not really. Wife, you’re slim, and I like you no matter what your size."
Elena almost burst out in frustration but calmed herself, thinking that today was a good day.
She smiled, giving him a chance.
"Is that so? What do you think is the cause?"
Ethan, confused by her insistence, patiently replied, "Is it because you eat a lot? Don’t worry, wife, with some intense exercise, you’ll be fine again."
That was it—her husband was way too innocent.
"You’re so clueless. Come on, let’s head to the living room first."
Ethan was dumbfounded, unsure of what exactly she wanted to hear.
Her mood had seemed off lately, and he couldn’t quite understand the cause of it.
But he followed her without asking any questions.
Sitting on the sofa, Elena sighed and then looked at her husband, who appeared anxious.
She smiled and said, "I’m pregnant. Probably over a month now."
Ethan was stunned, his mouth wide open as he processed the words his wife had just said.
"I... You... Pregnant... You’re pregnant."
He stood up, looking at her belly intently. It dawned on him why his wife had been asking about her belly.
She was pregnant, and he was going to be a dad.
"Wife... is this true?" he said lovingly, glancing at her belly from time to time.
"Yes, I just took a test a while ago. Maybe later we can check into Paradise Hospital for confirmation."
"I am going to be a dad!" he exclaimed happily, stroking her belly like a fool.
Elena could see the joy in him, his once cold and commanding eyes now full of love and indulgence.
"Wife, is our baby girl behaving well?" Ethan said, fully expecting the baby to be a girl, imagining a mini version of Elena.
"What baby girl? What if it turns out to be a baby boy?"
Ethan felt embarrassed for having already concluded that the baby would be a girl.
The thought of a sweet little girl calling him ’Daddy’ was enough to make his heart flutter.
Of course, he would love whatever gender Elena would give birth to, but the idea of a little brat pestering his wife left him feeling a bit uneasy.
Still, he believed that Elena would always choose him as her number one in her heart.
Elena waited for an explanation, but when she saw him staring at her belly silently, her frustration bubbled over.
"What do you mean by this? Do you have a gender preference?"
Ethan quickly responded, his tone serious, "Wife, as long as it’s our kid, I will love them unconditionally. So, you don’t have to worry about the gender, okay?"
"You better be," Elena glared at him, warning him silently.
After that, the two of them began discussing childcare, and Ethan promised to read the pregnancy and childcare books he had once took from the library.
While Elena and Ethan were celebrating their joyful news, the military in City A was engulfed in a different kind of chaos.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted in their building as pests appeared out of nowhere.
"Help! A rat entered my unit!" a soldier’s wife shouted, panic evident in her voice.
"Help me first! My unit has a lot of them. My supplies might be their target!" another soldier’s wife cried out, desperation in her tone.
"No, my daughter has been bitten! Help me first! Sob... Sob..." an old woman wailed, clearly distraught.
The military was overwhelmed, scrambling to find ways to control the pests that had invaded their building.
"We already warned them about this pest problem. Why are they still not listening?" Brother Elias asked, bewildered by the reckless behavior of those who ignored military commands.
"Let them be. We can’t save everyone. As long as we do our best, that’s enough," General Kaiser replied nonchalantly, seemingly unfazed by the chaos surrounding him.
"What are you doing here in my unit? Go back; I have to meditate," Elias said, trying to maintain his focus amidst the turmoil.
"Oh, come on, Elias. You’ve been meditating since we arrived back in the military. Let’s visit Ethan and return his motorboat. You know the military has been eyeing it," Kaiser urged, attempting to coax him out of his meditation.
"Soon. I’m busy at the moment," Elias insisted, his tone firm.
Before General Kaiser could persuade him further, a red alarm began ringing non-stop, signaling a serious threat.
Both men exchanged worried glances and quickly made their way to the military meeting room.