Apocalypse: Reborn with a Soul Sync Farming Space System-Chapter 102 A Baby in the Fortress

"Bind his hands," Ling Xuan instructed without emotion.

Two soldiers stepped forward and secured the man’s wrists despite his protests that he would not resist, and when they moved toward the woman he flinched but did not struggle.

"She cannot fight," he said desperately. "She cannot even stand."

"She can still bite," Ling Xuan replied flatly.

Chris watched the exchange without interfering and his gaze lingered briefly on Ling Xuan’s profile, as if trying to decipher the invisible battle happening behind her eyes.

"Take them to the isolation wing," Ling Xuan continued. "Seal the corridor and have medical staff ready, but no one approaches without protective gear."

The soldiers nodded and carefully lifted the woman onto a stretcher while the man walked beside them with bound hands, his eyes darting around the fortress with a mixture of awe and disbelief, as if he had not expected salvation to look like towering walls and armed guards.

As they moved away, Laurel’s presence grew quieter inside Ling Xuan’s mind, not because she was satisfied but because she understood that this was the only compromise Ling Xuan would allow.

"You see," Laurel said softly after a moment, "we can be cautious without being cruel."

Ling Xuan did not respond; instead, she watched until the isolation door sealed shut behind the newcomers, and only then did she turn her attention back to the mist beyond the wall.

"If they are awakened," she said inwardly, "then they will be useful."

"And if they are infected... I will chop off their heads," Ling Xuan added, and there was no hesitation in her tone.

Chris stepped closer once the immediate tension had eased and his voice carried a faint trace of curiosity.

"You made the right choice," he said.

Ling Xuan glanced at him coldly. "Do not mistake calculation for kindness."

His lips curved slightly as if amused but he did not press further, and instead, he followed her gaze toward the red horizon where the mist rolled endlessly like a living sea.

"I sense trouble coming," he said.

"We will prepare anyway," she said finally, her voice steady and commanding. "Increase patrol rotations and double the watch at night, and if any movement is detected near the perimeter, report directly to me."

Chris inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment before stepping back, and Ling Xuan followed the siblings into the isolation sector.

Inside the isolation wing, the woman’s cries echoed faintly through the sealed corridors and Laurel’s heart tightened at the sound, but Ling Xuan’s expression did not change.

A new life was about to enter a broken world and whether that child would become a blessing or a curse remained to be seen, but Ling Xuan had already made up her mind that if fate sought to challenge her through this birth, she would not hesitate to carve her answer into it with her own hands.

Ling Xuan stood outside the isolation room, her arms folded behind her back as the woman’s cries grew sharper and more desperate with each passing minute. The medical team moved quickly inside, their voices tense but controlled as they prepared for delivery, and even through the reinforced glass the strain on their faces was evident.

"She will not last long like this," Laurel said inwardly, her voice no longer calm but edged with urgency.

Ling Xuan did not answer at first. She watched the woman arch on the bed, sweat soaking through the thin hospital gown she had been changed into, her fingers clawing at the sheets as another contraction tore through her body.

The man was restrained in the adjacent room, pounding weakly against the transparent partition, shouting her name with a voice that carried both terror and helplessness.

"Let me take control," Laurel said.

Ling Xuan’s jaw tightened.

"This is not a strategy, Ling Xuan, it is childbirth," Laurel pressed. "Let me handle it."

A breath passed between them, heavy and silent, and then Ling Xuan stepped back from control. "Fine, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on her."

The shift was subtle but immediate.

When Laurel opened her eyes again, the weight of the body felt different under her command, and without wasting another second she pushed open the isolation door and stepped inside, ignoring the startled looks from the medical staff.

"Commander..."

"I will assist," Laurel said firmly, already moving to the woman’s side.

She quickly sanitised her hands and put on gloves.

The pregnant woman’s eyes were glassy with pain and confusion, but when she saw Laurel she clutched at her sleeve as if grasping onto the last stable thing in the world.

"Please..." she whispered hoarsely.

"You will be fine," Laurel said, though even she did not know if that promise would hold beyond this hour.

"Susanne, right?" Laurel gently caressed her hand.

Susanne nodded.

"I’ll do my best to make sure you and your child are safe." She said with a reassuring smile.

The labor was long and brutal, Susanne’s body trembled from pain, and several times the monitors spiked in erratic patterns that made the doctors exchange uneasy glances. Laurel kept her voice steady, guiding her breathing, helping reposition her when the pain became unbearable, and when the final push came it felt as if the entire room held its breath with her.

Then a cry broke through the air.

The baby was small but strong, her tiny fists curling as she screamed at the cold world that had welcomed her, and for a fleeting moment, the sterile isolation room felt warmer than it had any right to be.

The nurses’ faces were filled with joy, one they never knew they would experience so soon after the world’s destruction.

The brother collapsed to his knees in the adjacent chamber, tears streaming freely down his face as he pressed both palms against the glass in joy.

"It is a girl," one of the nurses said softly, relief flooding her voice.

A fragile smile touched Laurel’s lips as she looked down at the child resting in the nurse’s arms.

"What is her name?" Laurel asked gently.

"Diana," Susanne’s voice was weak. "Her name is Diana."