Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 229 They Want His Baby. At Any Cost.

After weighing the risks, they chose to rest during the day and move at night. It wasn’t ideal - mutated bats and rats were tricky to deal with in the dark - but at least they didn’t have to run into those massive, terrifying chickens, ducks, and geese that roamed during daylight.

Magnus had only slept three hours in the past two days. After saving Lana and the others, he finally went back to his room to rest. Sarah and Ashton didn’t disturb him - they knew he needed the sleep.

From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., over a thousand vehicles sat motionless on the highway. No one dared step outside. Nobody wanted to waste a Fire Crystal unless it was absolutely necessary.

In the luxury motorhome, Sophia, Emily, Liana, and Lana stayed quietly in the lounge. Luckily, Liana had prepped a large stash of steamed buns per Magnus’s orders, so no one went hungry.

Every vehicle - including the sleeper buses and infantry transports - had a standard setup: some water inside, steamed buns and flatbread in backpacks, and gas stoves for warmth. They had just enough food and water to last three days. The catch? No lights. Each vehicle was pitch-black inside. Talking had to be kept to a whisper. Only light movement was acceptable.

On one sleeper bus, Isla lay under a thick quilt, curled up in bed. The heater had been out for hours. The squad leader hadn’t added more Meteorite Earth, probably hoping they could tough it out longer.

She wore only a cotton pajama set. The quilt was warm but without heat, it wasn’t enough. She trembled slightly and buried herself deeper under the covers, leaving just a small gap around her nose to breathe. It had already been nearly two days like this - restless, hungry, lying in the dark, waiting.

At the foot of her bed, she kept a large backpack. It was mostly filled with grenades, ammo clips, and food. All the snacks were long gone. Only a few rock-hard buns and two even tougher flatbreads remained.

Each bed had a crate of bottled water - rations for the group. One bottle per person, per day. That was the rule. Eat a few bites of bun when hungry, drink sparingly, then lie back down - or wrapped in the thick blanket, get lost in thought, half-awake.

Once the fire was lit again, she figured she might be able to stretch her legs, chat a bit...

Suddenly, the curtain beside her bed pulled open. Victoria stepped in, wearing a long heavy down coat. She sat next to Isla, shrugged off the coat, and draped it over the quilt. Then she shut the curtain again and slid into the bed beside her.

A cold wave hit. Isla shivered and shifted away slightly. Victoria ducked under the covers and murmured, "Just hold me for a bit. We’ll both warm up like this."

She moved closer, wrapping her arms around Isla. Her body was cold - enough to make Isla flinch again - but she didn’t stop her. It wasn’t the first time, after all.

With someone to hold, it was better than being alone. Still, it felt strange - awkward even - being this close to another woman. They lay curled together under the quilt, breath warm, air stuffy.

Isla tugged the cover down a bit to let her head out, exhaling softly. Victoria followed, resting her arm across Isla’s chest. Uncomfortable, Isla gently shifted her arm down to her lower abdomen.

Victoria didn’t seem to care. She turned her face toward Isla’s and whispered in her ear, "Still no chance yet, huh?"

"I just can’t get used to this... and I won’t." Isla lay flat on the bunk, her wide eyes dull as they stared blankly at the ceiling above.

"I’ve already shown you, haven’t I?" Victoria shifted her arm up a bit, voice casual. "Hooking a man? That’s something we women are born knowing. Just gotta bring it out. Want me to go through it again with you?"

"No!" Isla shot back quickly.

Last time Victoria had "taught" her, she’d ended up playing Magnus while Victoria played her, and that whole hellish roleplay still made her face flush just thinking about it.

"I don’t get it... Why are you helping me with this? Just because you want a baby?"

"Yeah..."

At the mention of a child, Victoria let out a quiet sigh, pulling her arm back. She turned to look at the ceiling too, her voice low. "You know what happened to my daughter, don’t you? Whatever. I try not to think about her anymore. Every time I do, I end up dreaming about her... seeing her crushed to death right in front of me..."

Isla’s heart ached. She reached out under the covers and gently held Victoria’s hand.

Victoria chuckled softly, turned over, and planted a soft kiss on Isla’s lips. Isla was caught off guard, this time she didn’t dodge, only blushed.

"I’ve pinned all my hopes on you now," Victoria said, laughing at herself. "Captain doesn’t want me, I know that. So this is my detour plan. Get what I want, just not the usual way."

Isla looked confused. "But back in that underground grain depot, didn’t we have plenty of male prisoners? Why didn’t you choose one of them?"

"That’s different..." Victoria replied, half-smirking as she looked past her. "Think about it. Carrying the Captain’s kid and carrying some prisoner’s - how’s that the same? And besides, Sophia had her eyes locked on those prisoners like a wolf on meat. No one got near them. Not even me."

"Enough about that." Victoria turned her head back again, fixing her gaze on Isla. "Just remember - if you get your hands on that little blue vial you mentioned, I swear, you, me, and Fiona... we’ll all get pregnant. No doubt."

"What about Chloe? You giving up on her?"

"Her?" Victoria gave a small smile. "It’s not that I don’t want to help her. Truth is, she never really wanted a kid. She puts up a strong front, but... deep down? She’s fragile. Still hasn’t walked out of the shadow from that teammate’s death. She’s as broken as the rest of us, really... just hiding it better."

*****

At 7 PM, Magnus sat up in bed and ran both hands over his face. The vehicle was off, so no heater, but it wasn’t cold either. Ashton had come by while he slept and lit a small stove. It kept the room decently warm.

He stood, changed into his last clean set of clothes, and stepped into the lounge. Sophia and the others were draped across the sofas, looking drained.

Ashton and Sarah had taken up Magnus’ usual seat, dozing against each other. When they saw him, they immediately stood up. Ashton quickly poured him a cup of white liquor - something to warm the gut.

He gave them a smile, then tipped back the entire cup - 58-degree vodka, about two and a half ounces. Burned down the throat, but settled warm in the stomach.

Sarah handed him a small pack of sausages. Magnus chewed on one as he moved to the couch, lit a cigarette, and sat down. Tonight’s mission was clear - head to Hanford City and dig up those meteorites.

First things first, Magnus needed to figure out if he could get the team a decent meal. They’d need the strength. After that, it was all about working out how to dodge those damn mutated beasts out there, so they could focus on the dig without dropping dead.