Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 713

Chapter 713 The Fake Hope

Necko tightened her grip on the hem of Riley’s coat.

C.P. lay back down on the ground, its tail swiping irritably through the slushy snow.

“After a while, people started asking if you were ever coming back.” Joseph’s gaze stayed fixed on the camp map. “I can’t blame them. Most of the newcomers had never seen a major battle. Some of the farmers we rescued barely knew how to string a crossbow. Jack had to teach them on the spot.

“Monsters swarmed nonstop every night. Watching people drop dead beside you one after another… anyone would be terrified.”

Jack spoke up in a low, quiet voice. “Two people tried to run for the cast side. The monsters dragged them down before they got far.”

No one else in the wooden shelter said a word.

Joseph picked up an arrowhead from the table, brushing his fingertip over the cold iron tip.

“That night, C.P. had just fought off a massive wave. It was hurt too badly to even stand. Then Neeko walked out of the medical tent… and suddenly she looked exactly like you.”

He turned to face Riley.

“The resemblance was perfect.”

Neeko hung her head and mumbled softly, “I could only copy your appearance. My voice didn’t match at first. I almost got caught.”

“But the second everyone saw you standing on the wall, no one tried to run again.” Joseph shook his head faintly. “The old members remembered everything you’d done. How you led us through the blizzards, how you took us in, how you fended off the WarWolf and sealed the deep–layer monsters outside our borders.

“They trusted you. Once they calmed down, all the newcomers settled down too.”

Anna stood by the shelter’s edge, her eyes red–rimmed but her tone firm and steady.

“After that, we had Neeko show herself on the front lines a few times every day. She didn’t need to say much. She only had to stand there and tell everyone that we still had arrows and the walls still stood.

“Sometimes she even carried an axe and fought beside the defenses to lift everyone’s spirits.”

Tears still clung to Neeko’s cheeks. Her face flushed slightly, and she pressed her lips together stubbornly.

“I practiced really hard to get it right.”

TartKing’s heart softened. She couldn’t hold back any longer and pulled Neeko into a gentle hug.

“You did amazing, Neeko.”

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109 Fri, Sep 18

Chapter 713 The Fake Hope

Joseph finally voiced the heavy truth weighing on his chest, his eyes locked on Riley.

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“We’re basically out of everything now. We’re scraping by on handmade arrows from the tool shed. Our black fuel oil is almost gone, our firebombs are nearly depleted, and we’re running out of able–bodied guards to ran the walls.”

He paused, his throat so dry that his voice came out rough and faint.”

“You were the old residents‘ anchor. To all the new people, you were the only hope they’d ever known. We had no other choice. We let Neeko take your form, so the old–timers could lead the new ones and fight this last stand.”

Riley walked over to the map, her gaze sweeping over the crossed–out defensive lines stretching outward.

“How much food do you have left?”

The question instantly darkened Joseph’s expression.

Anna answered first.

“We only have enough edible rations left for 62 people to last two days. If we stretch every bite, three days

max.

“We’ve eaten almost all the potatoes and wheat we grew. We originally saved the last batch for planting, but the southern barrier nearly broke two nights ago. We boiled all of it just to feed the guards.”

She swallowed hard before continuing.

“Most of the meat now is trimmed monster flesh. We skip any pieces that are too toxic or heavily corrupted, but even the safe stuff is running low fast.”

TartKing frowned. “Eating that long–term will cause health issues.”

“We know,” Lily said, hugging an empty bottle and picking at its rim. “But we can’t let the men holding the walls fight on empty stomachs.”

Riley stayed quiet. She tapped her finger lightly on the outermost defensive line of the map.

“You said people tried to run?”

No one answered right away.

Outside, a crossbow bolt whistled past the shelter’s side and buried itself in a wooden stake in the distance, its tail trembling from the impact.

Jack stared down at the table and ground out his reply through tight teeth.

“They did.

“It started with a few newcomers. Even some of the old members wavered later on. It wasn’t betrayal. They just thought holding the camp was a losing fight.

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Chapter 713 The Fake Hope

No one could sleep at night with monsters howling nonstop outside the walls. The pressure was

bearable.

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