Lu Shiyan gently carried Su Wan into the car and settled her in the back seat.
The intense cramping in Su Wan's lower abdomen, after reaching its peak, strangely diminished, replaced by a warm sensation.
A faint glow emanated from the skin of her abdomen, beneath her clothes, initially weak, then gradually becoming clearer.
Xiao Han suddenly looked up in the rearview mirror, his body uncontrollably leaning slightly forward, his Adam's apple bobbing.
What was that? How could it be glowing?
"That..." Xiao Han's voice was dry, and he was about to speak almost instinctively.
A large, well-defined hand suddenly covered his mouth.
Lu Shiyan's extremely low voice carried an imperceptible solemnity as his gaze swept over the glow on Su Wan's abdomen, then glanced at Xiao Han: "This child... I'm afraid he's not ordinary."
Xiao Han's heart lurched.
Could it be... this child also...? He widened his eyes in fear, looking at Su Wan's abdomen.
Su Wan again developed a high fever.
The situation was exactly like when she was at the villa, coming on fiercely, her body temperature terrifyingly hot.
Lu Shiyan quickly found a relatively safe abandoned cabin.
Su Wan's current condition made it impossible to continue traveling.
The high fever lasted for a day and a night.
Su Wan remained unconscious, occasionally letting out painful moans.
Lu Shiyan stayed by her side, not moving an inch, his brow tightly furrowed, repeatedly wiping her hot forehead and body with a wet towel.
Xiao Han, being perceptive, did not mention the glow again, only silently keeping watch over their surroundings, though his eyes occasionally drifted towards Su Wan, carrying a hint of curiosity and unease.
At noon on the third day, Su Wan's long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision went from blurry to clear, and the first things that came into view were Lu Shiyan's bloodshot eyes and the dark stubble on his chin.
He was still guarding her bedside, and seeing her awaken, his tense expression slightly relaxed.
"Lu Shiyan, what happened to me?" Su Wan's voice was hoarse, carrying the weakness of someone recovering from a serious illness.
She felt as if she had been taken apart and reassembled, aching all over.
Lu Shiyan reached out and felt her forehead; her fever had broken.
He asked in a deep voice, "Does your stomach still hurt?"
Su Wan subconsciously touched her lower abdomen; the life-threatening cramping was gone.
She gently shook her head, frowning as she felt herself, only to find herself sticky and uncomfortable all over, her clothes soaked with sweat and clinging to her body.
"It doesn't hurt anymore, it's just... I feel so uncomfortable all over."
Lu Shiyan hummed in acknowledgment and got up to prepare hot water and food.
Su Wan grabbed his hand.
"Lu Shiyan..." Her voice was very soft, yet every word was clear, "I feel like the child isn't quite right; when I was at the research institute, I was thrown twice by the Mutant/Variant, such a huge impact..."
A suppressed sob escaped her throat.
"The child... the child didn't react at all."
Tears slid down uncontrollably, hitting the back of her hand, scalding hot.
"For a normal pregnant woman, he would have... he would have been lost already."
"But he wasn't, he was just so quiet, so quiet that it was... terrifying."
"And," she took a deep breath, "I always get fevers for no reason, and every time I have a fever, my stomach will... will have that sharp pain..."
Lu Shiyan looked at her bloodshot eyes, her face still slightly flushed after a long period of fever and cooling down, looking so haggard it made one's heart ache.
This woman, carrying his child, was now filled with fear.
He suddenly pulled her into his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Don't be afraid, it's okay."
He gently patted her back, comforting her trembling body.
"I suspect the child, like me, has an ability."
"After that light appeared, I had a suspicion.
When you had a fever, I tried to investigate, and the energy within the child was very active."
Lu Shiyan's tone was calm, "While in his mother's womb, he doesn't yet know how to control his power, which is why he hurt you."
"It's okay, it will get better."
He paused, his voice dropping a few more octaves, carrying a strange tenderness.
"I've already tried to establish a connection with him, trying to guide him to control his power, but it might still take time."
Su Wan's body stiffened, and she suddenly looked up, her eyes misty with tears, staring at him.
Shock made her temporarily forget to cry.
Ability? Child? Communication?
How... how was this possible?
Lu Shiyan looked at her stunned expression, and his eyes softened.
He reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks with his thumb.
"He's very special."
Lu Shiyan spoke again, his voice firm, "Try to communicate with him."
Communicate?
Su Wan subconsciously lowered her gaze, looking at her still flat, only slightly curved lower abdomen.
It had been almost four months, and there were barely any signs of pregnancy, which was why she often overlooked the existence of this little life.
Try... to communicate?
Su Wan took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly with tension.
She closed her eyes, trying to block out all external noise.
She focused all her thoughts on that tiny spot in her abdomen.
"Baby..."
She whispered in her heart.
"Can you... hear Mommy talking?"
Time passed, minute by minute.
Just as she was about to give up—
An extremely faint, yet incredibly clear fluctuation came from her abdomen.
Very light.
Very soft.
With a kind of... moist intimacy.
Su Wan suddenly opened her eyes, her breathing abruptly quickening!
It wasn't a delusion!
There really was a response!
Although it was so faint as to be almost imperceptible, she truly felt it!
At this moment, an indescribable shock and euphoria swept through her entire being.
She clutched her lower abdomen, tears again streaming out.
Excitement.
Disbelief.
And even more... a true connection of blood.
It turned out there really was a vibrant little life here.
Su Wan trembled with excitement, tears blurring her vision, and she suddenly grabbed Lu Shiyan's arm, her voice changing pitch.
"Lu Shiyan! Baby... baby, he responded to me!"
Her voice was filled with unbelievable joy, every word trembling.
Lu Shiyan turned her hand over, holding it, his palm warm and dry, carrying a comforting power.
He lowered his head, his deep eyes gazing at her, the corners of his mouth curving into a gentle smile.
"I felt it."
His voice was deep and pleasant, like the strings of a cello brushing against Su Wan's heart.
"He likes you very much."
Su Wan's heart pounded, and joy overwhelmed her like a tide.
She cried and laughed, incoherent.
"He really... he really..."
Lu Shiyan raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks with his thumb, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a fragile treasure.
"Don't think too much for now."
"You've just expended too much energy; you need to rest."
Saying that, he helped Su Wan slowly lie down, then tucked the blanket around her before getting up to prepare hot water and food.
Outside the door.
Xiao Han and A Mo heard the conversation inside clearly, and both were greatly shaken, gasping sharply.
They exchanged glances, both seeing the profound horror in each other's eyes.
The child... has an ability?
Able to communicate with his mother while still in the womb?
This is... this is still a baby in the womb!
How much crazier can this world get?