Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies
Chapter 234: Situation in the Building

Chapter 234: Situation in the Building

The moment Ethan appeared, the situation was already chaotic.

Numerous mutated pests had entered the building, trying to bite every resident in sight.

Thankfully, the use of pesticides has greatly reduced the risk of being overwhelmed.

For now, the building remained under control.

According to the information provided by Oslo, the stationed military personnel and volunteer residents were doing their best to eliminate the pests before they could break into the residents’ unit.

But it was still far from safe, as there were too many mutated pests.

Seeing his grandson appear, Grandpa Caldwell felt relieved, glad he had returned unharmed.

"Thankfully, you’re safe. How’s your wife?" he asked with concern.

At that moment, a mutated rat crawled into view. Ethan swiftly drew his pistol and fired.

Bang!

"Elena’s fine, Grandpa. She’s resting now. I’ll tell you about our side later—how’s it looking here?" Ethan asked, his eyes scanning the floor.

He noticed that even though there were many rats and cockroaches, they were being dealt with quickly. He figured the pesticide must be doing its job.

"It’s still under control. So far, we’ve managed to eliminate most of them and throw their bodies outside," Grandpa Caldwell answered, shooting another rat.

"But there are still too many of them. We must clear them out before midnight, or we’ll lose our advantage."

Ethan nodded and plunged back into the fray.

He watched as Oslo and Xander moved swiftly down the corridor, misting every crack and corner with pesticide to keep the pests at bay.

Together, they fought their way downstairs, emerging onto the main hall where military rifles barked ceaselessly at the writhing swarm below.

Despite the military’s relentless assault, the overwhelming number of pests took its toll.

Many residents had been bitten by the mutated pest, their cries of fear and pain echoing through the halls.

"Does anyone have any medicine left? I’ll trade a pack of noodles for even one vial!" a volunteer called through gritted teeth.

"Medic! Please help me! My foot was bitten, and it’s turning black!" someone screamed, clutching her wounded leg in pain.

Calls for aid echoed through the floor.

Though the Paradise shop had donated a large amount of ointment, the steady stream of wounded quickly depleted its reserves.

The military did its best to ration the last remaining supplies, but with casualties mounting and cries for help growing louder, the situation became increasingly dire.

Knowing the situation, Ethan instructed Xander and Oslo to put on their disguise and donate additional supplies.

It was best to help the military survive so they could keep fighting the mutated pests—otherwise, if they fell, the burden would shift to them.

When the supplies arrived, the military medics breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the Paradise staff.

Soon after, those who had been injured or bitten were safely treated with the cure. However, some still died from their wounds, especially those who were severely injured.

Although death had become a part of daily life, the military still felt a deep sense of loss.

The steadily shrinking human population served as a harsh reminder of the ongoing devastating disasters, and many feared that humanity was on the brink of extinction.

With heavy hearts, they continued their defense.

Afterward, Ethan and the others soon joined the fight, greatly easing the military’s efforts.

The soldiers were surprised—they knew little about the residents from the upper floors, only that General Kaiser had warned them to show respect and avoid conflict.

Now, watching them shoot the pests with sharp precision, the soldiers finally understood why General Kaiser had chosen to befriend them.

They were confused as to why General Kaiser hadn’t recruited such capable individuals, but they quickly brushed the thought aside and focused on shooting, knowing there was no time for this curiosity.

While Ethan was busy defending their side, Jetro—on the other side of the building—was actively promoting the Paradise Shop, subtly brainwashing the residents to be thankful for the supplies it had donated, which made their defense against the pests more manageable.

Casualties were still present, but not as severe as those in the other buildings.

"This Paradise Ointment relieves pain and cures poison. We must always remember the help we received from the shop," Jetro declared proudly, then turned to the core members of Building A to begin distributing the remaining supplies.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Ever since the Paradise Shop settled in their building, life had noticeably improved.

While the building’s rising popularity attracted thugs and criminals trying to raid them, the residents didn’t mind. They continued to support the shop, doing whatever they could in return.

It became a relationship of mutual cooperation—help offered, and help received.

They soon began distributing the medicine to the injured, while the others stayed focused on helping defend the building.

Everyone worked together, determined to hold their ground until the threat was gone.

With a strong military presence stationed in the well-known Building A and pesticides sprayed in every corner, the mutated pests found it harder to cause real damage.

Though the situation had stabilized for now, the military personnel and volunteer residents remained on high alert, staying vigilant in case things took a sudden turn for the worse.

Meanwhile, the government evacuation center was overwhelmed by the sudden influx of mutated pests—not because they couldn’t defend themselves, but because those who had been bitten had no cure for the poison these creatures carried.

"Who has a Paradise Ointment? I’ll trade it for a mountain of supplies!" a captain shouted, watching one of her subordinates turn pale from the wound.

Without a cure, the consequences could be deadly. But no one responded.

Everyone remained silent, unwilling to trade such a valuable item.

Paradise Ointment had become a rare treasure for them, desperately sought after since the disaster began.

Frustrated but not giving up, the captain left her post and headed upstairs to demand supplies from the higher-ups.

If there were no medicine, she wasn’t going to risk her subordinates’ lives any longer.

"I need someone to bring me medicine—specifically something that can cure mutated pest poison," she said firmly, facing the officials in the meeting room.

They were gathered around a table filled with food and snacks, chatting as if nothing was happening outside.

It looked more like a dinner party than a crisis response.

"Captain Eva, we don’t have any medicine left," one of the officials said smugly. "We already gave everything to the frontline officers earlier. There’s nothing left now."

"With all due respect, sir, we have heavy casualties. Without medicine, no one will be willing to defend the building."

"They dare! Even if we gave them medicine, they wouldn’t be able to fight anymore due to their severe injuries," the man scoffed.

"It’s better to let them handle things on their own and—"

"And what? Leave them to die?" Captain Eva snapped, her anger boiling over.

They had risked everything—was this the reward they got?

"How dare you raise your voice at me, woman?" the official growled, pride wounded.

"Are you giving me the medicine or not?" she asked coldly.

The officials sneered, ignoring her completely and returning to their food without answering.

Disgusted by their indifference, Captain Eva turned and left.

She gave one final order to her team: retreat and find a safe place. It wasn’t worth dying for people who didn’t care.

Soon after, chaos erupted in the evacuation center—defenders began to fall back, leaving only a few behind to hold the line.

The battle dragged on for hours, and still, the mutated pests didn’t stop their assault on the buildings.

However, the fight on the icy field finally came to an end.

The swarm of mutated pests had already retreated, likely shifting their focus to attacking the buildings instead.

When the military learned of this, they immediately rushed back to their evacuation center, not bothering to search for the mutated cat—unaware that it had already been killed.

"Everyone, return to the military evacuation center! The mutated pests have breached the building. They need backup immediately," General Reid informed the other military leaders through the comms.

"Roger. We’ll go first since we’re the closest," General Kaiser replied, then ordered his men to prepare to move.

"Alright. Be careful."

Soon after, the military left the area, leaving the Paradise Shop staff behind on the battlefield.

The staff gave an excuse, saying they still had business to finish in the area.

The military didn’t question it, since they had more urgent matters to deal with.

Once the military was gone, Lydia and the others quietly disappeared, entering the space.

*****

Meanwhile, Elena finally woke up from her slumber.

She looked around for Ethan but realized he was likely busy helping defend the building.

Since no one had disturbed her, it likely meant the situation was under control.

Still, she decided to contact him to check on things.

After learning that they had been fined, she freshened up and had a quick snack before retrieving the mutated cat’s body.

A smirk crossed her face as she thought about how much her husband would appreciate the core inside.