Doomsday Revenge: Payback Time (Josie) novel Chapter 210

The truth was, Josie was forgetting one thing.

Sure, the Lirio was a Primal, but it wasn’t leveling up this fast by magic. That was all her doing.

Every single Undead she’d slaughtered lately had gone straight into the Lirio’s mouth.

If the Lirio had to hunt for its own food, it would have taken forever to get from the Basic Tier to Intermediate.

That was the thing about Primals–the more powerful they were, the more energy they needed to rank up.

It was a win–win.

Josie kept it fed, and in return, the Lirio grew like a monster and looked out for her.

I mean, think about it–what Norm could afford to feed tens of thousands of Undead to a single plant? Nobody but her.

Lirio seriously lucked out with Josie. Only with her could it actually eat its fill.

If it had stuck with June? It’d be starving every damn day. Getting a full meal would’ve been a pipe dream.

It was pure fate.

After that little episode, things kicked into high gear. Everyone was slammed.

Josie didn’t get her hands dirty with the actual construction. She was the walking warehouse, cranking out supplies like a machine.

They asked for it, she produced it. If she didn’t have it on hand, she’d just hit up the main base for more.

As for the haul from Xavier City, she picked through it first. Once she grabbed her cut, she dumped the rest on the base.

The base didn’t even bother checking the math.

They were way too busy for that shit.

Everyone was scrambling to install heat walls and ventilation shafts before the freeze hit.

No one had the time or energy to nitpick over small change.

Honestly, they’d already braced themselves for her to keep everything. What were they gonna do? Fight her? Not a chance.

The fact she was sharing at all was a godsend. They weren’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Josie had promised the people at the base could trade Essence Cores for supplies, and she wasn’t bluffing.

She had a small shack set up right by the gate of her mini–base. Inside, rows of cards lined the walls, clearly listing the exchange rates–exactly how many cores it took to get what you needed.

For example, a pair of pure cotton socks would cost you one Tier–3 Undead Core–any element worked. Or, if you were low on high–tier loot, you could drop ten Tier–2s or a hundred Tier–1s.

Basic Undead cores? Worthless. She didn’t even want them.

The prices were listed clear as day. No haggling, no bullshit–you just paid the rate and moved on.

Josie put two old guys who used to work security at the Agri–Science Institute in charge of the trade booth.

Yeah, she picked the one with that thick Brooklyn accent–the guy who made her want to crack up every time he opened his mouth.

Josie figured he was perfect for the job. The guy just sounded friendly, like someone you could trust.

Turns out, she was spot on

Those two ran the booth like absolute pros, raking in a mountain of cores for Josie

You’re probably wondering why Josie wanted so many cores in the first place, right?

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Heh

It wasn’t like she could just absorb them directly.

To understand why, we have to talk about June’s future boyfriend.

Claim 50 Coins By Check in

Mars

His superpower–Devouring–was the only exception to the rule. He was the only person who could use Undead Cores directly.

With that Devouring ability, he could swallow any kind of messy energy you threw at him. The violent, chaotic energy inside a

core? Please.

That was nothing to him. He’d eat that for breakfast.

So, yeah–Josie was playing the long game. She was planning for the future.

The good days didn’t last. The sky began to darken, turning a heavy, bruised gray right before their eyes.

The Deep Freeze was finally here.

Everyone scrambled back to their shelters, slamming doors and locking windows. It was time to bunker down for the long haul.

osie looked up at her little base. No, it wasn’t just a base anymore. It was a fortress.

She was damn proud of it.

Honestly, sitting on the balcony with a warm breeze on her face while watching the snow start to fall? It was a total vibe.

Everything’s checked, Ms. Quinn! The furnace is ready to go!” the kid in charge of the boiler room shouted, waving her down. “I’m staying right here. Just say the word and I’ll light it up!”

Josie waved back at him. “Do it now. Get it preheated. I have a feeling this snow is going to hit hard and fast.”

You got it!”

She was right on the money.

Half an hour later, the sky turned pitch black. It looked mean, like the world was about to end.