Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 132

Chapter 132 A proposal from the Commander

Briggs reached down and popped the heavy latches of a standard military briefcase. Instead of pulling out a modern tablet, he drew out a thick, physical manila file and a neatly folded tactical map. It was completely old-school, a stark reminder that in a world where technology was rapidly failing, paper was the only thing that couldn’t be hacked.

He unrolled the map across the central coffee table, weighting the edges with his heavy hands

“Right outside of Eldon,” Briggs began, pointing a gloved finger at a heavily secured compound just beyond the city limits. “The regional pharmaceutical distribution hub. It’s called Pharmatec. Before everything went sideways, it was fortified as a secondary medical supply depot. It contains high-grade antibiotics, specialized surgical kits, and life-saving drugs that our settlement desperately needs to survive the upcoming months.”

He looked up at her, his chiseled face expressionless. “The facility itself is concrete and reinforced steel. It’s secure, and getting to the perimeter shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Joanna leaned back, her eyes narrowing into a sharp, calculating stare. The explanation was too clean. A military unit of his size wouldn’t need outside help just to drive to the edge of town and load up boxes. Her suspicion flared instantly.

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“And what does this have to do with me?” Joanna asked, her voice dropping to a skeptical, guarded note.

Briggs didn’t answer immediately. He looked at her, truly looking at her, how beautiful and fragile she looked at first glance yet the reports described her as anything but. “Look around us, Joanna. The world ended just a week ago, and civilization has completely crumbled. Society disintegrated overnight. I’ve already seen things that defy standard physics, so I am not surprised to hear rumors that you and your team possess several kinds of… extraordinary power.”

He tapped the manila file on the table. “My intelligence reports show that the automated security is down. The facility has a decent amount of undead wandering the grounds, but they aren’t the real problem. My men can handle a standard crowd.”

His icy gaze locked onto hers, completely deadpan. “It’s because something else is there. Something that has taken out everyone I sent before. It’s significantly stronger, drastically faster, and it’s smart. It’s hunting inside that building.”

Joanna let out a low, humorless laugh, leaning back and resting her hands on the arms of her chair. “So, you want me and my team to act as pest control for a hyper-lethal threat your trained soldiers couldn’t kill. What’s in it for me?”

Briggs didn’t blink. He straightened, his massive linebacker frame casting a long shadow across the tactical map.

“Come with me, and we split everything fifty-fifty,” Briggs proposed, his low baritone voice steady and resolute. “My soldiers will handle the horde outside and get you there safely, and your team neutralizes anything inside. We will also supply the armored transport to carry your entire haul.”

A faint, sharp smirk broke across Joanna’s face. He clearly had no idea about her level 13 storage space or what she was truly capable of.

“How about I get sixty-forty, and you keep your transport,” Joanna countered smoothly, her voice laced with absolute confidence.

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Chapter 132 A proposal from the Commander

Finished

She didn’t need his trucks; she had a pocket dimension that could swallow the entire stock whole anyway.

she wasn’t about to tell him that. One thing was certain, the pharmaceuticals inside that building could man the absolute difference between life and death in this brutal new world.

Briggs let out a sharp, grunt-like exhale, his icy eyes searching her face for any sign of a bluff. Seeing only absolute certainty, he gave a single, terse nod. “Sixty-forty it is. But my men still secure the perimeter and get us there.”

He tapped the manila folder, his tone shifting back to a rigid, military cadence. “One more thing. We leave here tonight with a small team but the whole operation is moving out tomorrow. Our main/operating base is set up in Evercrest. We will move the supplies directly there once the facility is cleared. There is safety in numbers. Your crew can leave with the rest of the base tomorrow if you want.”

Joanna offered a calm, steady nod. “Understood.”

She leaned against the edge of the kitchen counter, her eyes narrowing as she shifted the topic. “Before we finalize this, did William tell you about Eldon?”

Briggs didn’t answer right away. With effortless precision, he began folding his tactical map back into perfect, sharp creases, sliding it neatly into his briefcase alongside the file. He snapped the heavy latches shut with a crisp, echoing click.

“He told me you mentioned the main mall packed with survivors,” Briggs replied smoothly, lifting the briefcase. “We plan to redirect a recon unit there for supplies afterward. Our current intel says there are not many survivors holed up in that area.”

Joanna looked him dead in the eye, her voice dropping to a dangerously flat tone.

“Your intel is wrong.”

Joanna looked down at her hands for a second, a rare shadow of gravity crossing her face, before looking back up into the commander’s frozen eyes.

“Send a small team in if you don’t believe me,” she said, her voice dropping to a low, intense warning. “But whatever you do, do not send them in uniform. That mall has a massive underground parking structure. The survivors are living down there, holed up in the hundreds. If they look up and see the military taking supplies instead of helping them, things will turn ugly fast.”

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