Pregnant During An Apocalypse [BL]-Chapter 153 - Rationing the food

Dissecting the corpse only proved one thing—this wasn’t a normal mutation.

Qiu Yue carefully peeled back the layers of rotting flesh, his gloved fingers moving with practiced precision. What lay beneath was unlike anything he had seen before. Unlike regular human mutations, which followed a slow, progressive pattern, this zombie had undergone rapid mutation. Parts of its body had evolved grotesquely, while others remained strangely underdeveloped.

Most alarming was the brain.

It was unusually large, swollen to almost twice the size of a normal human brain. Thick black veins wrapped around it like a parasite, pulsing faintly as if the infection still lingered even in death. Qiu Yue clenched his jaw. He was so tempted to take a sample, to slice a piece of that abnormal tissue and examine it under a microscope. But he didn’t have the equipment for a sterile extraction, and contamination could ruin everything.

He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to step back. "Damn it."

Beside him, Hana was struggling. Her face had gone pale as she continued sketching, but her lines were clear, precise. Even through her nausea, she was managing to document every gruesome detail.

At one point, she had to climb onto the corpse, her shoes squelching in the decayed flesh. The sickening slush of it nearly made her lose whatever was left in her stomach.

"I hate you," she mumbled under her breath, voice trembling.

Qiu Yue smirked slightly, though his focus remained on the corpse. it was very hard to cut into the corpse. "You’re good at this."

"I don’t think I can ever look at meat the same way again," Hana groaned, trying not to gag. "Maybe I’ll become a vegetarian."

Qiu Yue glanced at her drawings—crisp, detailed, horrifyingly accurate. He nodded in approval. "You should consider medical illustration."

She shot him a glare, then turned back to her work. Her hands trembled slightly, but she pressed on, determined.

Qiu Yue peeled off the gloves carefully, making sure not to let any residue touch his skin. His movements were swift and precise, a habit honed by necessity. As soon as the gloves were off, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle of sanitizer, rubbing it thoroughly over his hands and arms. The strong scent of alcohol burned his nose, but he didn’t care. He needed to be clean.

Hana, still standing in the same spot, watched him in mild disgust.

"Here, clean yourself." He held out the bottle, squeezing a small dollop of sanitizer into her palm.

Hana looked down at the tiny amount and then shot him a dirty look. "That much? That’s all I get?"

"That’s enough to disinfect," Qiu Yue said matter-of-factly. "You don’t need more."

"Cheapstake," she muttered under her breath as she rubbed her hands together.

"Being a cheapstake is good during these times," he said, glancing at her blood-splattered shoes. "Come on, let’s check the bags, see if we can find new shoes for you. Maybe some food, too."

As if on cue, his stomach let out a loud, embarrassing growl.

Hana turned to him instantly, her lips twitching. "Really?"

Qiu Yue cleared his throat, looking away. "Ignore that."

Sighing, Hana reached into the small sack she carried and pulled out a slightly squished chocolate bar. Wordlessly, she held it out to him.

Qiu Yue blinked, staring at her hand as if she had just offered him gold. "You’re giving this to me?"

"Yeah," she said, rolling her eyes. "It’s just chocolate. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Eat it quick. If you faint, I won’t be able to carry you anywhere."

For a moment, Qiu Yue hesitated. In this world, food—especially sweet food—was rare. People didn’t share it freely. But here she was, handing it to him without a second thought.

A soft smile played on his lips as he took the chocolate from her. "Thanks."

Hana crossed her arms. "Just eat it already."

Qiu Yue unwrapped the bar and took a bite. The chocolate had melted slightly, turning into a thick, sticky mess, but to him, it was the best thing he had tasted in a while. The sweetness spread over his tongue, bringing back a faint memory of a time before everything went to hell.

He chewed slowly, savoring it, before glancing at her again. "You’re alright, Hana."

Hana scoffed, but there was a slight flush on her cheeks. "Shut up and eat."

They continued shifting through all the boxes and parcels they could reach.

Hana let out a frustrated sigh as she shoved aside another empty box. "Nothing. Again."

Qiu Yue was rummaging through a separate pile, his fingers quickly sifting through various packages. They had found plenty of clothes—high-end sneakers, jackets, even some designer brands from before the world fell apart. But food? That was a different story.

Hana picked up a shoe and waved it at him. "Great, if we ever get hungry, we can boil this and make some shoe soup."

Qiu Yue didn’t even look up. "I hear leather has protein."

"Ha ha." Hana rolled her eyes and continued searching.

After another few minutes, they gathered everything they had found into one pile: a large box of energy drinks, a few jam bottles, and the chocolate bar Qiu Yue had already eaten half of.

Qiu Yue ran a hand through his hair, his expression dark. "This isn’t enough."

Hana nodded grimly. "There are seven of us here. How are we supposed to make this last?"

Hana clenched her fists. "Then what do we do? Just sit here and starve?"

Qiu Yue exhaled, rubbing his temples. He was the logical one, the one who kept a cool head, but even he felt the rising panic clawing at his chest.

"We ration," he finally said. "Small portions, just enough to keep everyone going."

Hana grimaced but nodded. "And after that?"

Qiu Yue’s gaze flickered toward the boarded-up windows, the faint moans of the undead echoing from outside.

"After that," he murmured, "we figure something out. We have to."