Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies
Chapter 235: Kicked

Chapter 235: Kicked

After taking the core, Elena then examined the small, quail-sized black object.

It shimmered faintly, and she could feel the spiritual energy pulsing from it—but the energy’s attribute was different from hers, so she couldn’t use it directly.

Instead, she could feed it to the Golden Tablet, which would greatly boost the points in her Experience Tab bar.

Another option was to use it to awaken someone with a shadow attribute.

Just like in her past life, cores were used to awaken abilities. The only issue was that the attribute of the core had to match the person’s own.

The process itself was simple: the person would hold the core and meditate, letting the energy flow into their body.

But it came with a risk—if the core’s attribute didn’t match, the person could suffer severe internal damage... or even die.

Because of this danger, most people avoided core awakening and waited for their natural awakening instead.

Still, those who remained unawakened for years often took the risk, clinging to the hope that a core might finally awaken them.

Elena sighed and gently squeezed the core in her hand.

Technically, she could use it.

If she ran it through the Golden Tablet, it would purify the attribute, leaving only the raw spiritual energy.

That purified energy could then be used to strengthen her space core.

But... that would be a waste.

This core could help her husband awaken his dormant ability.

Yes, if she remembered correctly from her past life, Ethan possessed a shadow attribute.

This core was a perfect match for him, and she planned to let him use it.

Lately, he’d seemed a bit down, and she could feel it—though he didn’t show it outright.

But the way he trained day and night to release his frustration said everything.

This was his way—just like in the past.

Well, he was blaming himself—quietly carrying the weight of guilt—for letting her handle things too much, even while pregnant.

It wasn’t that Elena doubted his skills in fighting their enemies, especially those favored by Heaven.

It was just that when it came to dealing with Heaven’s twisted interference, things were never simple.

That’s why she had taken the lead so far. But now... things would change.

Once Ethan awakened, she hoped he would feel more confident and capable—especially when facing Heaven’s favorites.

She smiled as she looked at the shadow core.

And with a wave of her hand, the mutated cat’s body vanished.

She then checked the interrogation room to see if Dr. Cee was still there, but when she found it empty, she figured Ethan had already dealt with him.

Afterward, she exited the space and appeared inside Grandpa Caldwell’s unit.

There, she saw the kids whispering on the sofa, trying to stay quiet in case the mutated pests were still nearby.

She blinked next to them, hoping to surprise them.

But instead of being shocked, the kids were simply happy to see her. They had missed their sister, Elena.

Well, she had been busy these past few days and hadn’t been able to spend much time with them.

With Ethan stopping them from waking her up every day, it had become harder and harder to see her.

So now, finally seeing her again, they welcomed her with excitement.

"Sis Ewe, you’re finally back! I missed you so much! How is my nephew?" Little Mia beamed.

The mutated pests had scared her, but she was braver now and didn’t cry anymore.

"Little Mia, I missed you too! The baby is doing great. What are you guys doing?"

"Grandpa told us to stay here and watch movies while they fight the mutated pests trying to get inside," Little Koby replied, gripping his toy gun, ready to shoot.

Elena then chuckled at the sight of the little boy guarding the unit with his toy weapon.

"Oh, they’re still outside?"

"Yes, Sis Ele."

Seeing that the kids were adjusting well, she smiled and gently patted their small heads.

She then told them to keep watching the documentary movies, as she was heading downstairs to check the situation outside.

"And stop eating snacks—we’ll have dinner soon."

Then she walked to the door—but the moment she cracked it open, a strong smell of pesticide hit her nose.

Feeling like she might vomit, she quickly stepped back and retrieved several air purifiers, ensuring that the smell wouldn’t affect anyone inside the unit.

She didn’t insist on going downstairs anymore and decided to stay, teaching the kids in the meantime while waiting for the others to return.

After a few hours, Ethan and the rest finally came back, looking a bit tired. She quickly served them well water to help ease their fatigue.

Everyone, except for the kids, had gone outside today.

While Ethan and some of the others helped the military downstairs, the rest stayed busy tossing out the dead, mutated pests.

If they didn’t clean them up, it could lead to deadly diseases. So, everyone worked together to get the task done.

Even after half a day of nonstop work, they still weren’t finished, so they decided to take a short break first.

"Elena, did you rest well?" Grandpa Caldwell was the first to greet her, concerned for her and the baby’s well-being.

"Grandpa, I’m fine. I’ve rested enough. How’s the situation going?"

"No more rats or cockroaches have entered our floor, but we still need to clean up the dead bodies."

"Then, Grandpa, you should rest for a while. I’ll help you later."

But Grandpa Caldwell quickly shook his head. Elena had already been through a lot, and he didn’t want her to tire herself further.

"No need—we can handle it."

Everyone agreed, especially Aunt Liza, who reminded her that the smell of pesticide wasn’t good for the baby.

Hearing that, Ethan firmly refused, too. Cleaning up was a simple job, and they could do it themselves.

With no choice, Elena finally gave in, and soon after, some of them entered the space to clean themselves up, then got ready to have dinner before continuing their work.

When everyone finally left, Ethan gently pulled his wife into their room. He was a bit tired and just wanted to hug her in bed for a while.

He had been busy the whole day—supporting everyone in fighting the mutated cat and helping defend their building.

Even though his body had been strengthened by the well water, the nonstop battles and constant shooting had still taken a toll on him.

"Wife, I’ll just freshen up a bit and be right back."

"Alright, I’ll prepare the bed for you," she replied with concern, seeing how worn out he looked.

Ethan smiled and entered the space to wash up, and soon after, he returned looking refreshed and ready to rest.

He then lay beside his wife, using one arm as a pillow for her while wrapping the other around her.

Gently, he caressed her belly and spoke softly to the baby, letting it know that he was there.

Just last week, he had started telling prenatal stories to the baby, hoping to build a bond early on.

Elena at first suggested doing it later, waiting until the baby’s hearing developed enough to recognize voices, but Ethan was determined to start right away.

Not wanting to dampen his excitement and seeing how happy it made him, she could only nod and agree.

Well, she secretly enjoyed listening to his deep, soothing voice as he told adventure tales.

It always made her feel calm—and helped her fall asleep faster.

"Wife, your belly’s way too big for four months pregnant. I really think we’re having twins."

"Maybe the energy nourishing our baby is making it grow faster?" she wondered.

"I don’t think so. My gut tells me—it’s twins. Baby, your daddy’s here," he said, softly rubbing her belly.

Then, all of a sudden, the baby responded with a gentle kick, as if acknowledging him.

Ethan and Elena looked at each other in surprise.

"Wife... did you feel that? The baby just kicked!"

Elena rolled her eyes—of course, she felt it. It was her belly, after all.

"I think the baby just wanted to greet you," she said with a small smile.

Soon, they couldn’t contain their happiness. Ethan gently spoke to the baby again, hoping for another response.

"Baby, do you want to talk to your dad?"

Not long after, another kick came—then another.

Three kicks in total.

Ethan was overjoyed, the feeling almost as great as when he had finally married Elena.

"Alright now, stop kicking. You might hurt your mom," he said gently, pretending to scold the baby out of concern for his wife.

Elena listened to her husband’s playful tone, her heart full of love as she looked at him.

If only the world were normal, everything would be perfect.

Maybe they could be taking walks in the park, laughing along the way. But there was no room for ’what ifs’ in this world.

At least they still had each other—and the formidable space to support them.

"Rest now, husband. The baby might be sleeping too. Afterward, I’ll give you your gift."

Ethan’s eyes lit up as he leaned in to kiss her lips.

"Wife, can I have it now? I don’t think I can sleep knowing you’ve got something for me."

"Stop being stubborn. Sleep first. When you wake up, I’ll give it to you. You’ll definitely like it."

Hearing her firm tone, Ethan finally gave in.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep—eager to wake up and see what surprise his wife had prepared.