Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 266: Come well prepared

The pain was unbearable, sharp and heavy, as if someone had struck her directly in the belly.

Elena quickly lowered herself into the corner, pressing her hands against the wall as she struggled to steady her breathing.

For the first time since becoming an awakener, she felt utterly helpless.

The pain came from deep within her body, leaving her trembling and twitching against her will.

Her mind suddenly raced—was she about to give birth? The intensity of the pain certainly felt like it.

But since her water hadn’t broken, it was safe to say the baby wasn’t coming just yet.

Even so, her instincts whispered otherwise that today would be the day she would give birth.

So, this was no time to entertain guests.

But before she could catch her breath, a sudden shift swept through the area.

Spiritual energy surged violently within their unit, flooding the space like an unseen tide.

Soon, fine threads of it seeped into the children’s small bodies, making their eyes widen in shock.

Because they already carried a temporary core within them—having been marked by the Golden Tablet—they could sense the strange energy clearly, though they were still too young to fully understand what it meant.

Elena’s heart clenched as she watched. It was entering little Lucy, Sera, and little Koby.

’Oh no... they’re awakening. This can’t be. It’s far too early!’

The extreme heat had only just begun—it was supposed to last for months before the awakening descended upon humanity.

Yet here it was, already happening against all expectations. Soon, she felt a deep unease.

The energy wasn’t only saturating the air—it was forcing its way into her body as well, preparing to trigger her own awakening.

That meant she would soon fall into a deep slumber. But she couldn’t—not now.

Not when her baby was coming.

If she slipped into awakening while her body was already under the strain of childbirth, the result would be catastrophic for both her and the child.

Clenching her fists, Elena forced herself to resist, teeth gritted as she fought to hold it back.

’I can’t... not now. I have to endure it. Just a little longer enough to born the baby safely.’

Ethan, who had been keeping track of the disturbance outside, turned sharply when he felt the shift crash through their unit.

His eyes darted to his wife, and what he saw chilled him: Elena’s face was pale and drawn, her lips pressed tight together as if she were holding back.

"Wife... why do you look so pale? Are.. .are ... you about to give birth? Let’s head into Paradise—I’ll call Aunt Liza to help you!"

Elena shook her head faintly, her voice uneven and strained. "I think it will happen soon... but the water hasn’t broken yet, so it’s not immediate. Just... relax for now."

Before he could say more, she forced the subject away, her gaze sharpening even as her body trembled.

"The awakening has started," she whispered, almost in disbelief.

"And I’m afraid... I’ll soon fall into slumber.... But I can’t for now. Not when labor could start at any moment. And I can’t enter Paradise either... I need this spiritual energy to awaken my ability."

In this life, she wanted the ability more than ever. Entering Paradise would cut her off from the flow of spiritual energy completely.

What if her awakening never came again because she was forced to stop it now?

So she needed to stay outside—probably even to give birth here.

She planned to take in the spiritual energy little by little, letting it seep into her instead of cutting it off entirely until the baby was safely born.

Heaven was truly cunning. It had forced the cycle to begin earlier, using events like this awakening as a trigger.

Ethan’s face darkened as he finally understood her dilemma, but before he could speak further, a violent pounding echoed through the unit.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound rattled the doorframe as if someone intended to break it down if they refused to respond.

Elena gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing cold.

"Let’s deal with them first. Since they want to annoy us so badly, there’s no need to show mercy. Cut them off. It’s time they learned their place."

"Okay." Ethan’s tone dropped to steel. "Take a rest. I’ll see what these abbots are scheming at."

"Be careful—I think they came prepared," she replied, making sure he listened to her.

Ethan nodded before kissing her on the cheeks, and afterward, Elena activated her [Blink] skill, teleporting herself to the sofa.

There, she steadied herself and began absorbing the spiritual energy bit by bit, careful not to overwhelm her body.

Once Elena managed to steady the flow of spiritual energy within her, she turned her focus to the children.

She instructed them not to enter Paradise for now, letting the spiritual energy nourish them naturally.

At the same time, through [Telepathy], Elena reached out to her people, asking them to close the shop immediately, issue an indefinite closure notice, and inform them that the awakening had begun.

Since no one knew who might awaken, it was safest to prepare.

She told them to gather after their task inside the unit and to start eating large meals before their slumber—strong bodies would endure the process better.

The moment her instructions were received, her people moved swiftly.

They informed customers and notified the military about the temporary closure.

Oslo even dropped subtle hints to the military about the awakening, ensuring they could ready themselves in advance.

As allies, Elena wanted the military to stay a step ahead of those soon-to-be awakened citizens.

Awareness meant they could at least prepare to control the chaos of sudden awakeners before it spread too far.

She sighed, remembering her past life when those with abilities had ransacked some base in a different city, causing chaos everywhere.

Now that the age of awakeners was beginning and the new cycle was descending again, she hoped the military here would be able to control them before it was too late.

From this moment on, it would fall on living beings to defend this world.

Ethan studied Elena carefully and, upon seeing that her condition had stabilized for now, he quickly reached out to Aunt Liza, briefing her on the situation before shifting his focus to the impatient pounding at their door.

Without wasting a second, he activated his [Shadow Cloak], his figure dissolving into the shadow as he slipped silently into the neighboring unit, careful not to disturb Elena.

Moments later, a thunderous crash shook the floor—the sound of a fight breaking out.

Elena’s warning had proven true, and he was struggling. The abbots had really come well prepared.