Apocalyptic World: Surviving with my husband and my cute little babies-Chapter 44: Paradise

While Ethan and Grandfather Caldwell engaged in a serious discussion, Elena found herself in little Mia’s colorful playroom, surrounded by an array of dolls. Each doll had its own unique outfit and personality, and Mia was eager to introduce them.

"Sis Ele, look at my dolls! Awen’t they bewtiful?" Mia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Wow, they’re so pretty!" Elena replied, smiling at the vibrant display.

Mia held up a doll dressed in a sparkly gown. "This is Pwincess Spawkle! She loves to dance and thwow gwitter ebweywhere!" With that, Mia twirled the doll, pretending it was dancing.

As Mia continued to introduce her dolls, Elena noticed her yawning and couldn’t help but smile.

"Wow, it’s sparkling everywhere! Is this your favorite doll?" Elena asked.

"I like them all! Look at this one," Mia said, picking up a doll with glasses. "This is Doctor Smarty Pants! She can fix anything and always knows the answer to all my questions." Mia adjusted the doll’s glasses with pride.

Seeing that Mia was on the verge of falling asleep, Elena gently scooped her up and laid her down. Within moments, Mia was fast asleep.

Elena’s heart ached as she remembered the time’s little Mia would ask where her parents were. Grandpa would always create an alibi, saying they were on a mission far away and would return one day. But that day never came, and little Mia had matured quickly in the harsh realities of the apocalyptic world.

Little Mia, I hope you’ll be happy and carefree in this life, Elena whispered softly, brushing a strand of hair from Mia’s face as she watched her sleep peacefully.

******

"So you’re saying the world will soon be in chaos?" Grandpa Caldwell asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Ethan met his grandfather’s gaze, understanding the old man’s bewilderment. "Grandpa, what I saw in Willow Village is enough to hint that everything is indeed heading in that direction."

He then used the space to store the chair beside him. "Do you still doubt me?"

Grandpa Caldwell grasped the gravity of what Ethan was saying. Ethan proceeded to share everything he had experienced and their preparations.

"Grandson, I’ll contact my suppliers to stock up on materials," Grandpa Caldwell said, now convinced.

"Please gather all antiques and jades that you don’t really use. Just leave behind the things you deem important," Ethan instructed.

"Hmmp," Grandpa nodded in agreement.

After their discussion, they left the room and found little Mia sleeping peacefully while Elena watched over her.

Seeing this, Ethan felt a strong desire for children of his own. He knew Elena would be a perfect mother, but with the apocalypse looming, time was not on their side. He sighed.

"Wife, let’s have dinner," he suggested.

"Okay, but let’s put little Mia in her bed first," Elena replied.

Afterwards, they sat down for dinner, discussing the preparations that lay ahead. Grandpa planned to find military equipment, including guns, explosives, vehicles, and gadgets. He also intended to acquire helicopters, jets, and other flying equipment.

"Grandpa, we’re planning to visit Seafood City to buy aquatic livestock while checking for cruises, boats, jet skis, and other forms of water transportation. After that, we’ll head to Emerald City for jades and antiques in the market. We’ll be gone for almost a month. Once we’re done, we can return together to City A. It’s best if you don’t stay in the military anymore. We can face tough times together," Ethan explained.

Grandpa Caldwell hesitated for a moment. Being a military officer had been his calling, but the thought of his grandson and daughter leaving without him weighed heavily on his heart. Staying alone in the chaos would be unwise. He resolved to take care of his family now. Having served the country for most of his life, he believes he has already done his part.

"Then I’ll wait for you while I gather military equipment," he decided.

Elena then summoned the Golden Tablet for formality. A heart-shaped mark formed, and she introduced Grandpa Caldwell to the space.

"Grandpa, it’d be best if you were the one to convince Aunt Liza about the medical equipment," Ethan requested.

"Hmmpp, I will." Grandpa Caldwell agreed.

After a brief tour, he added, "Let’s have a meeting in space four hours after I call my subordinates."

"Go ahead, grandson. I’ll stay here for a moment and check out the space," Grandpa Caldwell replied.

Elena and Ethan returned to their rooms. Ethan immediately contacted Oslo and Xander.

"Chief, the farming machines have arrived at the warehouse, and we’re currently arranging them," Oslo reported, pausing to summarize his activities for the day. "The SupplyLink Broker has already transported most of the products to another warehouse, which I’m now waiting to store in the space late at night." freewёbnoνel.com

"Good. We’ll have a meeting four hours from now inside the space," Ethan instructed.

"Yes, chief," Oslo replied.

Ethan then dialed Xander’s number, but the call couldn’t be connected. He tried three times, but the result remained the same.

Elena watched her husband dial and redial, then asked, "What happened?"

"Xander’s phone can’t be reached," Ethan replied, frowning.

"Let me try. I can use the [Telepathy] skill from the Golden Tablet," Elena offered.

Ethan nodded, and after a moment, he heard Elena speaking to herself.

"Sister-in-law, the signal here is not good. Just tell the chief about it."

"Okay. How is the portable house deal going?" she asked.

"Sister-in-law, they already have 40 available; the remaining 60 will be delivered in 25 days."

"Great! After the deal is done, try to communicate with your chief assistant, Ramon, to see if he needs help, especially with gasoline and other materials. There will be a meeting four hours from now inside the space. Be there."

"Yes, sister-in-law," he replied.

Elena then relayed the conversation to Ethan.

"Good, now we have portable houses in the space," he said with a suggestive tone.

Elena rolled her eyes at his comment.

Ethan then called Ramon for updates. "How’s the progress on my stocks, businesses, and houses? Have you sold them, Ramon?"

"Sir, someone bought your stock from InvoTech for 80 billion green coins. I sold three of your businesses for a total of 180 billion, and five houses in City D for 800 million green coins. The rest still needs time for evaluation," Ramon reported.

"Transfer the funds to my account, and try to communicate with Xander about the rest of the instructions I gave you. We urgently need to buy construction materials soon."

"Okay, sir, but what is really happening?" Ramon asked, concern evident in his voice. He feared that his job would be at risk once all the businesses and properties were sold. His boss was good, the salary was generous, and he enjoyed flexible working hours.

"I’ll be gone for a month. We will meet once I have processed everything on my side," Ethan assured him.

"Okay, sir," Ramon replied, still uneasy.

Once the calls ended, Elena and Ethan discussed their plans for when they arrived in Seafood City. After four hours, they entered the space, and Ethan was bewildered to see stockpiles at the entrance of Central Haven.

There, he spotted his grandfather watching Oslo flash in and out of space, confusion etched on his face. Moments later, Oslo appeared, with the large farming machinery.

Elena couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. She waved her hands, and all the products from the SupplyLink Broker vanished. "Each member can have a small inventory inside their temporary core, allowing them to store only basic items. You saw Oslo flashing in and out, right?"

Ethan nodded, still trying to grasp the situation.

"This big machinery can’t fit into their [Inventory], so he has to store it inside the space manually. Afterwards, he’ll move it to the Southern Inventory, especially for goods that expire sooner."

"I see. So the [Inventory] given to us by the Golden Tablet is limited, and we can only store larger items manually in the space," Ethan concluded.

Elena nodded and said, "By the way, I decided to call this space Paradise."

"Well-suited name, Paradise it is then," Ethan replied indulgently.

Just then, they saw Xander appearing with a portable house beside him. Upon noticing Elena and Ethan, Xander greeted them.

"Sister-in-law, Chief," he said, then continued, "This portable house can’t fit in my [Inventory], so I tried to put it inside this space while I was outside, but it wouldn’t budge. Then I entered the space with it, and here we are."

"That’s what I was about to explain to Ethan," Elena interjected. "You can only store things outside in your own given [Inventory]. You can’t store anything directly inside Paradise; it has to be with you when you enter. Plus, it should be non-living things."

"Paradise?" Xander asked.

Ethan replied, "We name this space Paradise."

Xander finally understood and nodded.

Elena then continued, "Any living things you want to bring into Paradise need my permission first."

"I agree. Create a rule for that, wife," Ethan said.

"Done already. Now, let’s not disturb Xander," Elena replied.

With a wave of her hand, she teleported the portable house to the community section of Central Haven. After an hour of moving and transporting, everything was finally settled in its respective area.

"It was truly incredible," Grandpa Caldwell said, his eyes wide with amazement.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then they shifted their focus to the next agenda for the month.

"After this, Oslo will help Ramon modify the Camel Tower building. It needs to withstand natural disasters; it will be our hideout outside," Ethan explained.

"Yes, chief," Oslo confirmed.

Ethan then assigned everyone their tasks. After instructing them, they left the space.

Elena summoned the Golden Tablet to check the Reserve Energy Tab status. Noticing that it had diminished by 2%, she quickly used some jades to restore it to full.

"We really need a lot of jades and antiques for spiritual energy. Once the core is available, it will be easier to maintain Paradise," she said.

"I agree. Let’s amass a lot when we go to Emerald City," Ethan replied.

With that, they both exited the space.

Ethan watched as Elena prepared their bed. "Wife, tomorrow, let’s go to Seafood City. I have already contacted the seafood vendors there and told them we’d arrive by noon."

Elena raised her brows, recalling the fate of his aunt if she went to the mountain next month. "You haven’t seen your aunt yet? Don’t forget about my dreams."

"I already told Grandpa about this, and he will convince Aunt Liza to decline the mission," Ethan assured her.

"As long as you know what you’re doing," she replied, a hint of concern in her voice.

Elena then bathed and got ready for bed, but Ethan, the bad wolf, watched her with piercing eyes.

"Wife," he called softly.

Annoyed by his antics, she replied, "Not today; we have a long journey tomorrow."

She turned her back and closed her eyes, trying to ignore him.

Ethan could sense that she wasn’t in the mood, so he let it go for now and whispered sweet confessions of love.

Elena couldn’t help but smile at his words, feeling the warmth spread through her before drifting off to sleep peacefully.