It was almost the end of December, and the snow felt every day. Klaye happily went out to help to shovel. He was really bored to help out in the kitchen. He volunteered to join the guarding team, but Vincent refused him. He was a noncombat ability user. For him, it was more suitable to do some supporting tasks. He could help to sort out some documents or wrote reports, yet most of the time, he couldn’t leave the villa.

After lunch, Klaye washed the plates and sighed. He always felt that this life was unreal. Was it really an apocalyptic world? It was too easy!

He fought on the battlefield, where every day, he desperately tried to survive. That trilling and fear... He thought that this world would be the same too. Every day, running and hiding... Then having a desperate life in the institution. Day after day, slowly feel how his body would be torn apart until he couldn’t feel anything at all...

Klaye shuddered. He shook his head and continued his work. If Vincent’s wish to pamper him, then he would live a pampered young master’s life!

During the afternoon, Klaye chose to go to the hospital to visit Edward. He went there once or twice a week. They became good friends, but that man never left his laboratory. It made Klaye sad. He wanted to go out and play, but the other had a lot of things to do. He knew he was in the way. Developing new medicines were important in recent time, but he was welcomed so warmly when he went over. He couldn’t stop himself and went again.

He walked into the hospital but couldn’t become used to the lively atmosphere. Compared to the old times, the patients were energetic and happy. Because of the fast development of the zombie virus’s antidote, they didn’t need to be afraid of them. Their injuries were caused by evolved plants and animals.

The city was attacked 2-3 times a week, but the biggest team only had 20 animals. And there wasn’t even a single zombie attack. It made everyone confused. Sometimes a patrolling team could run into some. They attacked them and tried to lure them closer to the city, but after a while, the zombies turned back and left. As if there was something in the city that frightened them.

Klaye went underground and reached the laboratory. From the book, he knew this city was destroyed. There wasn’t anything that was useful against them.

He knocked on the door and went in. He looked at Edward and sighed. The only difference was this dazed ex zombie king in front of him.

Edward didn’t notice him. He sat in the corner and watched the wall with unfocused eyes. He was deep in thought. His right hand was placed on his stomach and sometimes moved it a little.

Klaye watched him for a while, then walked over and waved his hand in front of his eyes. „Hey! Are you okay?”

Edward looked at him, and his eyes slowly focused. „Oh, good morning!”

„... It’s already afternoon.”

Edward looked at the clock on the table. „...really...”

Klaye looked at the dossier on the coffee table. He was sure it contained the thing that caused Edward’s confusion. He was curious, but he didn’t want to peek into other’s things.

He sat down next to the doctor and patted his shoulder. „There’s a problem with the medicine?”

„No.” Edward uncertainly stretched out his hand and touched the documents on the table, then pulled back as if it was burned. „... Today, there was a special patient... He took part in a fight against some animals, and he was hit... There wasn’t any injury, yet he hugged his stomach and felt pain...”

Klaye narrowed his eyes. He knew the time would come when they notice it. He understood it was scary to realize the virus didn’t just give ability or cause death, but it even changed the human body.

„When the doctor examined him, he couldn’t believe what he found. He called over others, but it was the same... No one thought a human could be hermaphrodite...” Edward sighed. „The man and the fetus are okay. He just bled a little because of the forced movements...”

Klaye listened in silence. This change in the men’s body couldn’t see from the outside. It didn’t cause any pain or discomfort. If they didn’t go to the hospital and ask for an examination, they could live their whole life without knowing it.

And the virus was extremely mysterious. It could change the body after 2-3 months or hide for years. It didn’t come together with the ability, and it was unavoidable...

In the women’s case, it was rarer. Their change was easy to notice, but it needed more than a year to happen. Not to mention, their surviving rate was lower. In the beginning, there was one man from a thousand and one woman from 7 thousand. Years later, it was one man from a hundred, yet one woman from 4 thousand.

Klaye touched his stomach. He was one of them, but he didn’t know when his transformation happened. It was later when the researchers noticed it...

Edward suddenly laughed and pulled Klaye’s thought back. „You know, recently I feel nausea during the morning, and there’s some food I can’t eat... I thought it was just a little sickness, but after I heard this story, I thought ’it couldn’t be...’. But I went to do an examination...” he looked down and patted his stomach. „Three months! Hahaha! Can you believe it?! I can’t feel anything! But I have that bastard’s child in my stomach!”

Klaye was stunned. He knew Howard slept here every night, but Edward couldn’t believe in him. It wasn’t surprising. He loved to play around, it couldn’t change suddenly... Even Klaye couldn’t believe it at all...

Edward sadly smiled. „You don’t need to care about it. I’ll educate this child perfectly! I won’t let it learn any bad things from that bastard! He can go and play with others! Now I have my own family!”

Klaye smiled. Edward was right. He could raise a child alone without problems. He had the power to do it. He touched his stomach. Could he have one too?

As if reading his thought, Edward stood up. „Let’s go and see if you are the same as me! It will be good if my child can have a playmate!”

Klaye was reluctant, but Edward held his hand and pulled him. Seeing his gentle smile, Klaye could understand why Howard was so crazy about him. It’s easy to be fascinated by him. He was sure if he met with him earlier than with Vincent, he would fall in love with him.

„Doctor Lensar!”

Edward’s shout awakened Klaye. They were already in the corridor of the maternity ward.

Edward pulled him over to a 50 years old doctor. „Can you help me to do another examination?”

Lensar smiled. „What is it? Can’t you still believe it? I know it’s surprising, but this is the truth! You need to accept it!”

„... No. I just escorted a friend.” Edward smiled embarrassedly. „Aren’t you want to test a lot of people? Maybe his body changed too.”

Lensar eyes shined. „Perfect! Come in, come in! Hahaha! The more the better! Let’s see what kind of mystery is hidden in your body!”

Klaye’s body shook. He felt that the old doctor saw through his body without any equipment. He really wanted to turn back and go home.

Edward held Klaye’s hand and led him into a room. He stayed with him and paid attention to everything. When Lensar wanted to draw his blood for some tests, he stopped him. Klaye’s blood contained too many secrets, it couldn’t be given to anyone.

After doing the body check, Klaye lay on a bed, and the doctor used fetal ultrasound to see the changes in his stomach.

Lensar watched the monitor and happily smiled. „He has it! He has it!”

Edward’s eyes lit up. „How old?”

„... What?”

„... The child. Didn’t you mean that?”

„No... I mean, he has a womb too. I didn’t check if he’s pregnant or not...” Lensar awkwardly scratched his head.

Klaye’s lay on the bed in silence. Somehow he felt that Edward’s smile was dangerous.

„... Oh. It’s around a month old.” Lensar nodded. „Congratulation!”

Klaye was shocked. He looked at the doctor with wide eyes. He only came back to his senses when Edward caressed his hair.

„Hehe! We’re the same!” he smiled.

Klaye was speechless. He didn’t know what to say. Edward was depressed the whole day because of his pregnancy, yet he was so happy because of Klaye’s.

Lensar told them a lot of things they needed to pay attention to. He was happy because Edward finally listened to him. It made him proud.

Klaye listened and listened but couldn’t memorize anything.

The doctor noticed this. He understood Klaye couldn’t accept the fact about pregnancy and in the end, he gave him a book.

Klaye felt that he needed some fresh air. He said goodbye to Edward and left.

On the street, he walked slowly. He didn’t know how to tell this to Vincent. Would he be happy? Could he accept it? He chose to hide it first. He would try to ask him if he liked kids. If his attitude was positive, then as a new years’ present, he would tell him the news.

In this world, Christmas didn’t exist. But during the New Year’s, the family members would gather, ate a big dinner, and with good wishes, they would give gifts. Somehow, they mixed the two holidays.

Klaye was used to this. Every world had differences.

He was deep in his thoughts and didn’t notice, a car followed him. When it stopped, the street lights went out.

Klaye looked up, but before he could understand anything, he felt pain on his back of the neck and lost consciousness...