Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 299: Oslo and Xander

On the other side, Oslo and Xander were having a hard time riding their motorcycle as the roads were littered with scattered debris and abandoned cars, making it nearly impossible to pass.

At one point, they were forced to walk several kilometers before finally finding a stretch of road clear enough to continue.

"How far away is Camel Tower now?" Oslo asked, taking a sip of cold water beneath the shade of a damaged building.

"About 110 kilometers from our current location," Xander replied. "That’s all we’ve managed in the past three weeks. It’s slow—but given the situation, it’s understandable."

For the first time, they truly saw the full extent of the devastation beyond their area.

They noticed that many buildings—especially once-renowned landmarks—had vanished entirely.

Ground-level structures were also completely obliterated, while skyscrapers still stood.

Even so, based on their observations, a strong push or another earthquake would be enough to send them crashing down.

Fortunately, there were still a few buildings that appeared stable enough to serve as temporary evacuation shelters if they ever needed to flee Camel Tower.

So, they carefully marked those locations before continuing their journey toward Military A’s main base.

Along the way, they encountered several groups of survivors living on their own, without any support from the government or the military.

Some had formed private bases ruled by a handful of powerful individuals, yet the people under them looked painfully thin—their faces gaunt, their eyes hollow and filled with despair.

Oslo and Xander didn’t pry. They simply shared the location of the military base at Camel Tower, offering them a sliver of hope for survival.

Whether those survivors chose to go there or not was no longer their concern.

They also came across residents braving the scorching heat, digging desperately for a secure source of water.

With the arrival of extreme heat, the land had turned barren, and many water sources had completely dried up.

Just like before, Oslo and Xander gave them directions to the military base before moving on.

While they did encounter some people who still seemed decent along the way, there were just as many who had turned bad.

More than once, Oslo and Xander were ambushed by groups trying to rob them.

Their upright posture and healthy appearance made them easy targets in this ruined world.

Unfortunately for the bandits, Oslo and Xander were ability users. These small fries were dealt with swiftly and without difficulty.

They also encountered humans who had resorted to cannibalism just to survive.

The sight left Oslo and Xander deeply shaken by the true extent of the disaster. With no help from the government or the military, some humans had turned into monsters themselves.

Yet who could truly be blamed? The world had changed, and survival of the fittest now ruled. Only those willing to take risks could endure.

Morals had become a luxury—often the last thing people could afford.

Even so, Oslo and Xander couldn’t stomach such actions. So, they dealt with them swiftly.

Aside from humans, they also ran into mutated beasts. They killed the weaker ones and retreated from those beyond their ability to handle.

Now, aside from Elena and Ethan, they too had grown proficient in their abilities, honing them through constant, daily combat.

"So, how far are we from the main military base if we take this route?" Oslo asked, scanning the surroundings.

"If we keep going straight on this road, we’ll need another hundred kilometers," Xander replied after doing a quick calculation.

"It’s actually quite close now. Still, it’ll take at least another three weeks to get there. But this route is far more feasible than the others we checked."

"Indeed." Oslo nodded. "Alright, let’s report back to Chief Ethan. I also promised Lydia I’d help her hone her ability."

He chuckled softly, clearly thinking of someone.

Xander glanced at him with open disdain. "What—are you two dating now?"

"How I wish," Oslo sighed. "I even courted her parents, and they seemed to approve. But Lydia’s always busy with her tasks and says she has no time for romance right now. Well, as long as she’s happy, I’m willing to wait."

"Maybe Lydia just thinks you’re boring, buddy. You should—"

Xander was about to offer more unsolicited dating advice when he suddenly froze, his eyes snapping toward Oslo’s side—as if he’d sensed something moving there.

"...Something’s wrong," he muttered. "It’s way too quiet here. And we haven’t encountered any mutated pests for a long time."

They exchanged a glance, silently reaching the same conclusion—there was a predator nearby.

Every place they had passed through still had traces of mutated pests. But here... it was far too quiet.

Soon after, a faint rustle from beneath the ground set them on edge. Both men shifted into combat stances, ready to strike the moment whatever it was revealed itself.

"Could it be a snake?" Oslo whispered.

"Shh... focus," Xander replied.

Before either of them could think further—

Whoosh!

A vine-like appendage burst from the ground, lashing out at them from multiple angles.

Each time Oslo and Xander dodged in opposite directions, the attack followed—striking again as if it already knew where they would land.

"Vines... no—" Oslo’s eyes widened. "Those are roots. A mutated tree, maybe."

Strike after strike erupted as they moved at full speed, barely avoiding the relentless assault.

"This isn’t good," Xander growled. "If we keep dodging, we’ll just get worn down. We need to counterattack—watch out!"

Suddenly, a root whip shot toward Oslo, moving far faster than before.

Hearing the warning, Oslo merely sneered.

In a blur, his ability activated, propelling him out of the danger zone at incredible speed.

In the next instant, sharp gusts of wind erupted around him as he retaliated, wind blades tearing through the roots bit by bit.

With that, Oslo revealed his dual abilities: Wind Element and Enhanced Speed.

But Xander wasn’t as lucky.

Roots coiled around his feet, tightening their grip and dragging him downward.

Yet instead of panicking, Xander remained calm.

Without hesitation, he activated his ability, turning his feet intangible.

Soon, the roots grasped at nothing, slipping through as if holding air.

Yes—Xander wielded density control ability.

He could harden parts of his body into something nearly indestructible as human standard—or reduce them to intangibility at will.

"Simply cutting the roots is useless. We have to find the main tree controlling them," Xander concluded.

No matter how many roots they severed, more immediately burst from the ground, regenerating at an alarming speed.

"Alright, buy me some time. I’ll scout the perimeter," Oslo replied.

In the next instant, he vanished—moving so fast he left only a blur behind.

Xander could only sigh as he braced himself for the relentless assault.

Although he was invincible while intangible, the spiritual consumption doubled during that state, rapidly draining his core.

Worse, he could only maintain it in fifteen-second intervals before his body was forced back to normal.

As if sensing Oslo’s absence, the roots grew faster and more vicious. More of them erupted from the soil, striking from every angle and gradually boxing Xander in.

"Buddy, you need to find it now," Xander sent telepathically, frustration creeping into his thoughts.

"I think it’s getting irritating that you’re gone."

But, no response came.

Gritting his teeth, Xander abandoned intangibility and instead hardened his body.

His density increased tenfold, making him as heavy and durable as steel.

The roots could no longer pierce him. Instead, they shifted tactics—wrapping around him, attempting to suffocate him through sheer restraint.

"Tch."

Xander then retaliated, grabbed the thick roots with his bare hands and yanked it with brute force.

A sharp ripping sound echoed as the roots were torn violently from the ground.

"Oslo, I can’t keep this up much longer," he sent again. "I’ve overused my ability—my core’s draining fast. Any results?"

This time, a reply finally came. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"You won’t believe this," Oslo replied, telepathically. "There’s a massive tree hidden inside a sinkhole. It’s isolated—eerily so—but it’s brimming with life."