Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 281: New world

Along the way, he saw many refugees running in the same direction as him.

Most of them were battered with wounds, painfully thin, and overly vigilant—completely devoid of trust toward other humans.

This disaster had truly changed them, turning them into cautious, calculating, and even savage individuals.

You could say they had survived, but they were still struggling just to live.

He might not understand exactly how they had endured for so long, but from his observations, these people had lived in danger every single day.

For their eyes alone told that story.

Seeing this made him decide to train his people even harder. Though his people were trained every day, it still wasn’t enough for him.

With how the world was now, they needed to adapt better. They had to become decisive, just like these survivors. Otherwise, they would be eaten alive by this new world.

Lost in thought, Ethan still carefully navigated the path, concealing himself as much as possible, for he stood out far too much among them—far too healthy, as if the disaster had never touched him.

Ahead of him, many people were rushing away from Building C, carrying unconscious individuals on their backs—most likely heading toward the military evacuation center.

It seemed the news had already spread everywhere, as crowds gathered there, clinging to the belief that the military had a solution.

Their propaganda was truly effective. After their repeated announcements about accepting those who had suddenly fallen unconscious, people rushed toward the evacuation center in a frenzy.

The only question now was whether the military could actually handle all of them.

He was about to turn left toward Building A—away from the military evacuation center—when he noticed an armed gang hiding farther up the steep path, completely out of the refugees’ sight.

They were clearly lying in wait.

Judging by the piles of supplies stacked beside them, they had already robbed and stripped countless people.

’Hmm... nicely planned,’ Ethan murmured. ’They’ve probably been doing this for a while, unnoticed by the officers.’

He glanced back at the refugees, unaware of the danger ahead. Anyone who passed through that path would be stripped of everything. At worst, they might even die.

He sighed. He had no intention of meddling in other people’s affairs.

But watching refugees struggle—only to fall into the claws of these thugs—stirred something in him.

Sympathy, perhaps.

Since he was already here, eliminating these gangs would ease the burden on the military. And doing a good deed might at least earn him some good karma—especially on the day his triplets had been born.

In short, he was in a good mood and felt like helping.

Without alerting anyone, Ethan slipped away and activated [Shadow Cloak], silently approaching the ambushers.

When he was already near them, he then used his skill [Shadow Forge], creating razor-thin shadow needles and sending them flying straight for their necks.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Bodies collapsed one after another, their deaths swift and silent.

"Urgh... help—"

The remaining men panicked, completely bewildered by the unseen attack. But it didn’t last long. One by one, they followed their comrades into eternal sleep.

It was effortless.

This was how easy it was for an ability user like him to kill ordinary humans—unless they were abbots with countless tricks, who demanded his full attention.

Ethan left the area immediately, disappearing before the refugees arrived, and continued toward Building A.

When the refugees reached the scene, they froze at the sight of bodies scattered across the ground.

But in this world, death had become routine. Some barely reacted at all.

Instead of curiosity, their attention shifted to the supplies piled nearby.

It didn’t take long for them to realize the truth—the armed men had been lying in ambush, and someone else had dealt with them first.

Whoever it was, they were grateful.

Without wasting time, they gathered the supplies and hurried toward the military evacuation center.

Ethan, on the other hand, was almost at Building A now.

Carrying his wife carefully in his arms, he slowed his steps and stopped at a distance to observe the surroundings first.

He needed to be sure no one else was lurking nearby.

However, what he saw instead was their loyal butler—hiding nearby with a tense expression, clearly waiting for him.

Ethan quickened his pace and soon reached him. "Butler Aki, what are you doing here?"

"Thank goodness, Master. You’re finally here," Butler Aki said with obvious relief. "I was waiting for both of you. Is Madam alright?"

"She’s fine," Ethan replied calmly. "We’re both okay. We ran into a few hiccups, but everything went smoothly in the end."

Only then did Butler Aki truly relax.

This young master of his—no, not young master anymore. Starting today, he will truly be called Master.

After all, there were now three little young masters sleeping peacefully inside the space, replacing his title.

Butler Aki hadn’t been able to see them properly yet, for he had been busy all day in the Southern Inventory sector after the Golden Tablet consumed a massive amount of spiritual items.

His current task was to replenish supplies through Building A’s shop and the military evacuation center.

Despite his exhaustion, just thinking about seeing the three little masters filled him with excitement.

As he looked at Ethan, Butler Aki felt as though he were gazing at his own grandson. After Ethan’s parents passed away, it had been him and the old master who raised the boy together.

Now, seeing how Ethan had grown into a good husband—and knowing that he would, without a doubt, become a good father as well—made every effort, every hardship, feel completely worth it. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Then, Master, let’s head inside," Butler Aki said respectfully. "I’ve already notified the personnel on guard duty today. And with Jetro’s backing, there’s no need for you to register."

"Thank you for your hard work, Butler Aki," Ethan said sincerely.

Soon after, both of them went inside Building A without interruption.

******

Meanwhile, in City D, the Heather family was left stunned—not by the sudden chaos spreading through the city, where people were collapsing one after another—but by the report brought back by one of their elders.

That elder had once again risked his life to peer into the future.

By sheer coincidence, he had performed the divination at the exact peak of the solar eclipse, allowing his vision to reach farther than ever before.

What he saw shook him to the core.

Three figures had appeared—completely different from anything the previous elders had ever foreseen.

These three would shape the coming era of ability users, and whoever managed to obtain them would gain unimaginable resources and influence.

So, they have to obtain it no matter what.

Inside the meeting room, the elder explained what he had seen and how the future had shifted from the previous predictions.

"We can’t do anything about it," the elder said weakly. "The future is subjective... it changes."

He had paid a heavy price for the vision, though the sudden surge of spiritual energy had barely spared his life force.

"You’re saying the woman from the last vision—the one we were supposed to find, the one that should have existed—has changed?" Jack asked urgently.

"Then what about the woman?"

"She’s still there," the elder replied in a low voice. "But only in the background. Something is wrong—deeply wrong—with this vision. I could only glimpse the most critical part. Compared to the three new figures, the woman no longer seems important."

After a brief pause, he looked straight at the patriarch, urgency burning in his eyes.

"We have to find it."

Jack let out a long, restrained sigh. "Find what, exactly?"

An object? A beast? A plant? Or a human?

Anger simmered beneath his calm composure. The future was slipping beyond their control—and if others claimed those advantages first, the Heather family would be left behind.