Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 272: Third is gone

Inside the makeshift maternity room, the tension was suffocating as the third baby remained unresponsive.

Mrs. Bennett had done everything she could, but the infant still wasn’t breathing, its tiny body turning purple with every passing second.

"Prepare the ventilator and an endotracheal tube! I’ll start chest compressions!" she ordered, her voice tight with urgency, hands trembling yet unwavering.

Hearing this, Ethan stood frozen beside Elena.

The sight of his third son struggling for life made his heart lurch violently, turning his world upside down into chaos.

He was at a loss for words, gripped by fear and disbelief.

And his usual calm was shattered as he watched helplessly—each second dragging into an unbearable eternity.

The tragedy had begun moments earlier—the Golden Tablet, acting on its own, had sensed Elena’s danger and tried to isolate her from everyone.

It happened at the worst possible moment, just as the baby was supposed to be taken out.

When Elena’s body finally began to stabilize, the Golden Tablet released her, and Mrs. Bennett seized the chance to complete the operation.

But it was too late. The baby had been deprived of oxygen for too long, his pulse fading fast.

"Come on, little one," Mrs. Bennett whispered desperately. "Be strong. You can do it..."

But there was still no response.

Slowly, the infant went still, as if drifting into an eternal, peaceful sleep.

Grandma Ford’s hands trembled as she held the tiny tube, tears welling in her eyes, heavy with sorrow.

The third one looked identical to his two older brothers. Yes, it could have been triplets—three sons in a row—but alas...

She stopped there, couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought; she was still clinging to the faint hope that a miracle might happen. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

But despite Mrs. Bennett’s best efforts, tragedy struck—the youngest’s pulse began to fade.

Ethan rushed to his side, his voice trembling as he tried to reach the little boy.

"Youngest, your mom and dad are waiting for you. Your brothers are too. Please, baby, don’t leave Daddy."

His desperate pleas filled the room, and the women nearby could hardly hold back their tears. They had always known Ethan as calm and composed, but now he looked utterly broken.

Minutes passed before Mrs. Bennett gently patted his shoulder, her own voice heavy with sorrow.

"I’m sorry... I couldn’t save the baby. I—"

Before she could finish, they were stunned to see Elena’s body begin to tremble violently.

Blood gushed from her nose and mouth, shocking everyone. Slowly, with great effort, she forced her eyes open.

"Ethan... let me see the third child," she whispered weakly, her voice filled with anguish.

Her abdomen was still bleeding, but she seemed numb to the pain.

What mattered most was seeing her baby—she needed to know, to confirm that the nightmare she’d seen wasn’t real.

Everyone froze, still drowning in grief over the loss of the third child—and now that Elena had awakened, no one knew how to face her, let alone explain.

Ethan opened his mouth, wanting to ask if she was alright, why she was bleeding, and why she suddenly woke up...

But no words came out.

And Elena, hearing only silence, felt dread tighten around her heart.

Her gaze darted to her husband, holding a small baby in his arms, but his expression... it was devastated.

"No... no... give me the baby. Ethan, give him to me, please," she pleaded through [Telepathy].

Her emotions surged so strongly that the message burst outward, reaching everyone connected to the Golden Tablet.

Those who heard her voice in their minds were startled. Without hesitation, they left Paradise in a rush, appearing one by one in the living room.

Meanwhile, Ethan moved to her side immediately, shaken by her desperation.

He carefully carried the third child toward her, his voice trembling with remorse.

"Wife... I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to save the youngest."

He took the blame upon himself—because he had promised her he would keep their baby safe while she slept.

Elena’s tears streamed down her cheeks as grief swallowed her whole.

Her body was weak—far too weak to move—but she forced herself to reach out, desperate to hold and see her third child.

She didn’t know what had happened... why her youngest was gone. But in her heart, she also blamed herself.

Ethan stared at her for a moment, pained by the sorrow in her eyes.

Then, without hesitation, he placed the tiny baby gently into her arms so she could see him up close.

Elena broke down completely.

Her strength was fading, her breath turning shallow, but none of it mattered—she only wanted to hug her youngest son, one last time.

The baby was a boy... they were supposed to have adorable little triplets. However, fate had been unbearably cruel.

She lifted her trembling arms, wanting to caress his tiny face gently.

But the moment her fingers touched his skin, something unexpected happened—her spiritual energy surged, drawn straight into the baby.

A faint connection sparked to life.

Then, in the next heartbeat, it resonated—reaching toward the Golden Tablet.

Elena froze. She was the master of the Golden Tablet—so, only she should have been able to resonate with it.

But the baby had done it.

She shut her eyes quickly, pouring what little strength she had left into tracing the strange, fragile link forming between them.

Around her, the room fell into a heavy, painful silence. Everyone assumed Elena was simply too heartbroken to speak.

But suddenly—her eyes flew open, wide and alert.

The grief that had hollowed her moments ago vanished, replaced by shock that forced her to sit upright despite the blood still trickling from her nose and mouth, along with her bleeding abdomen.

Waking in the middle of her awakening was dangerous—she knew that.

She didn’t know what damage she might have done to herself. But she didn’t care.

Elena was grateful she had forced herself awake... grateful she’d been able to see her precious baby.

"Ethan," she whispered urgently, her voice trembling, "the baby... he has a core. It’s faint, but it’s resonating with me. The baby is still alive. Please—hold him for a moment."

Ethan blinked, worried by Elena’s sudden action—but when he saw the determination blazing in her exhausted eyes, hope sparked in his heart.

He carefully took the baby back into his arms while watching his wife closely.

Elena didn’t know if what she was about to attempt would work. But she deeply believed in the Golden Tablet and its mysterious power.

And as its master, it would answer her call.

There was a specific function within the Level 1 Golden Tablet—one that could help restore its master as long as the body remained intact and still alive.

But the exchange had to be equal—restoration demanded an enormous amount of spiritual energy to activate.

If the required energy weren’t met, the Golden Tablet would shatter itself, sacrificing its own core to complete the restoration... and once broken, it would be gone forever.

For Elena, that was reason enough to avoid using it. The Golden Tablet and the space within it were far more valuable than her own life.

It held everything inside—sustainable food, shelter, protection.

Using such a precious function recklessly—with no certainty of success, and there’s a chance it could damage the space—was unthinkable.

But now... everything had changed. She had to use it for her baby.

Well, the [Restoration] function was meant for the tablet’s master alone. But when the baby’s tiny core resonated with the Golden Tablet, it felt as though the tablet acknowledged him as part of her.

And that single miracle opened a door.

Elena finally had a way to save her third child. The question now is how much spiritual energy [Restoration] would demand.

Whatever it was... she would pay it. If it meant her child could live, it was worth everything.

She quickly summoned the Golden Tablet from the corner, where it had been steadily absorbing spiritual energy from the room.

The moment it landed in her hands, she whispered the command with trembling hope.

"[Restoration]."

’Please... let it work.’

At once, the Golden Tablet burst into brilliant light, glowing fiercely as it began processing its master’s command.

****

Inside the space, the ground trembled violently, startling everyone.

Then the spiritual items stored in the Southern Inventory began to glow, rising into the air on their own.

They floated upward, forming a wide circle, and one by one they dissolved into pure spiritual energy.

Everything they had collected since the start of their hoarding and the accumulated items they traded in Paradise Shop —every antique, every jade—vanished.

Soon after, a small, radiant orb that pulsed with powerful spiritual energy hovered above. It was the condensed essence of every spiritual item they had gathered.

Grandpa Ford and the kids watched the breathtaking scene unfold, their eyes wide with pure wonder at the strange, magnificent sight before them.

But the moment was cut short—the two babies suddenly burst into loud, frantic cries, as if desperately searching for someone.

"Uwaa.... Waahh.."

"Babies, don’t cry. Aunt Mia is here to play with you. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you. By the way, where is your mom?" Little Mia spoke frantically, talking nonstop as she tried to entertain and soothe the babies.

She wondered where her Sis Ele could be now, especially since the babies were already here.

Well, she was unaware of what was going on; she believed that everyone was just busy.

However, instead of calming down the babies, they grew even more distressed, crying louder.

Realizing it wasn’t normal, Little Mia quickly alerted Grandpa Caldwell about what was happening inside the space, urging him to return immediately.

Aside from the babies’ crying, something else was clearly wrong—strange things were happening inside the space.

It was raining.

For the first time ever, rain was falling inside Paradise. Little Mia stared in disbelief, unable to process it.

There was also another problem: the animals went wild, running circles around her sister Ele’s house.

’Are they webelling? Oh no... They’re totally gone crazy.’

****

Outside the space, the Golden Tablet’s glow intensified, its brilliance visible across Camel Tower.

With the solar eclipse still hanging over the sky, the sudden burst of light shocked everyone nearby.

And now Building C shone like a star, drawing countless gazes.

’What’s happening there?’ That was the question every normal person asked, staring in awe.

But those attuned to spiritual energy felt something far greater—they sensed a powerful artifact emerging, and the spiritual energy around the building surged wildly.

Even the mutant animals licked their twisted mouths, sensing that a rare opportunity had appeared before them.