Apocalypse: Reborn with a Soul Sync Farming Space System-Chapter 100 Awakened? (Bonus)

If the infected had already discovered their fortress it meant going out to look for the Snow Lotus would be a big problem.

Ling Xuan let out a sigh of relief when she didn’t discover any movement.

According to Laurel’s memories, the Vile Valley was a safe zone, maybe that part didn’t change when it came to the infected roaming around.

Just as she was about to bring down the binoculars from her eyes, she caught a sudden movement in the far distance. Her fingers tightened slightly around it as she pressed it firmly to her eyes again.

The movement became clearer, a man was heading towards the fortress entrance, but he wasn’t alone, by his side was a woman who was heavily pregnant.

Ling Xuan removed binoculars from her eyes for a brief moment before lifting them again, certain that what she had seen must have been a trick of the mist.

Exactly as she had seen before, the man and the woman continued heading towards them, and the woman’s belly was so round and heavy that even from this distance it was obvious she was close to giving birth. Their steps were slow but steady, and what unsettled Ling Xuan was not their approach, but the fact that they wore no masks and no protective suits, and yet the red mist did not seem to be affecting them in the slightest.

Their clothes were torn and stained, their hair disheveled, and their skin exposed to the thick red mist that swallowed everything beyond the valley, but neither of them staggered nor clawed at their faces like the infected.

A frown formed between Ling Xuan’s brows. "That’s impossible..." she muttered under her breath.

The soldiers on duty followed her line of sight, but none of them could see clearly through the mist without the binoculars. One of them shifted uneasily. "Commander, should we prepare to fire?"

Ling Xuan did not answer immediately. She kept watching but she raised her hand signalling them to remain alert and not to open fire yet.

The man seemed to be supporting the woman carefully, one arm wrapped around her shoulders while the other hovered near her swollen stomach as if afraid she might trip. Even from afar, Ling Xuan could see the strain on his face, yet there was no madness in his movements, nor any erratic twitching that belonged to the infected.

They looked... human... and that was what made it more dangerous. They might already be infected and not showing the signs yet, allowing them in the fortress meant trouble, and not only that, what if the infected followed them here?

"Do not shoot," Ling Xuan said finally, her voice calm but firm. "Open the outer speaker."

"Yes, Commander."

A crackling sound echoed from the speakers mounted along the wall.

"You two," Ling Xuan’s voice carried across the mist, cold and clear. "Stop where you are."

The couple froze instantly.

The man looked around in confusion before lifting his head toward the giant wall in front of him. His eyes squinted as if trying to locate where the voice came from.

"We...we mean no harm!" he shouted back, his voice hoarse. "Please... we just need shelter."

Ling Xuan studied them carefully, she held the little black mic in her hand, hovering just above her mouth.

If they were infected, they would have already rushed towards the gate at the sound of human voices. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

But they did not move, which meant their senses were intact.

The woman clutched her stomach suddenly, her face twisting in discomfort. The man panicked and lowered his head toward her. "Are you okay? Is it starting again?" His voice trembled.

Ling Xuan’s fingers tightened slightly around the railing.

Pregnant... that made everything worse. The last thing she wanted was a baby in her fortress... at least not yet, they didn’t have the time to care for babies’ needs in the apocalypse... her frown deepened.

Chris brought another pair of binoculars, his gaze fell on the man and woman.

Ling Xuan turned to him, lowering the mic. "You want us to bring them in?"

Chris glanced at her, lowering the binoculars in his hand. "The woman is heavily pregnant and requires urgent care, but I won’t overstep my authority, the decision is yours to make."

Ling Xuan looked away from him, and her lips twitched slightly. ’At least he knows his place, and doesn’t act rashly on emotions.’

She brought the mic closer to her lips again. "Go back, we don’t take in people."

Her voice echoed from the speakers again.

"Please, I beg of you... let us in, my sister needs help!" The man shouted on top of his lungs so his words could reach Ling Xuan.

"Let them in."

Laurel’s voice surfaced inside their shared consciousness, calm yet firm.

Ling Xuan’s expression hardened. "No."

"They are not infected," Laurel insisted. "You can see that, and that means only one thing, which is that they are awakened."

"That is exactly why it is suspicious," Ling Xuan replied inwardly. "They are siblings, and I don’t remember anywhere in your memories where it says it runs in the family?"

Laurel fell silent for a second.

Below, the woman groaned again and bent slightly forward, her breathing uneven. The man looked up at the wall desperately.

"Please! She’s about to give birth. We don’t even know why the mist isn’t hurting us. Everyone else... everyone else went crazy. We thought we would die too, but we didn’t. We just kept walking."

His words were rushed, confused, and filled with fear.

Ling Xuan’s gaze sharpened, but she felt nothing for them.

Laurel’s tone softened. "You heard him. They don’t understand what is happening to them, we can bring them to the isolation center, so we can run tests to confirm if they are truly dangerous or not. We need all the awakened we can get."

"It is not worth the risk," Ling Xuan replied.

"You can restrain them if you want, Ling Xuan," Laurel argued. "But you cannot leave a pregnant woman outside the gate."

Ling Xuan’s jaw tightened, she hated emotional decisions.

Outside, the woman dropped to her knees suddenly, clutching her belly as a cry tore from her throat. The man knelt beside her in panic.

"Commander..." one of them murmured, unsure.

Ling Xuan closed her eyes briefly, calculating.

If they were awakened, bringing them in could strengthen the fortress. If they were something else, it could invite trouble...