Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 133

Chapter 133 If you don’t believe

believe me, fine!

How many men do you have?” Joanna asked, her voice tight and analytical.

“A little under a hundred.” Briggs answered, keeping his stature rigid and professional.

Finished

“There are at least two hundred and fifty people living in that garage,” Joanna countered flatly, watching his expression carefully.

Briggs gave a slow, somber nod as the heavy math sank in. “If that’s true… we couldn’t handle that amount of people. An evacuation or a confrontation of that size would cause massive operational issues for my squad.”

Joanna leaned in, locking her eyes directly onto his icy gaze. “Think about it, Commander. If your unit pushes into their territory to take those supplies, and a fight breaks out between your men and two hundred and fifty desperate civilians, what do you think is going to happen next?”

Briggs just stared at her, the silence stretching between them as he studied her.

“The noise alone would draw every single zombie within a mile,” Joanna said, her voice dropping to a flat tone. “Before you could even secure the perimeter, your people would be turned into a localized zombie buffet.”

Briggs’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing into frosty slits. “Every piece of intelligence we gathered before the grid went down says that location is mostly empty,” he argued, his voice tightening with rare frustration. “Only twenty people, maybe thirty at the most, are supposed to be holed up there. The inventory in that mall could supply the base for months. We can’t just abandon it based on a rumor.”

Joanna didn’t blink. She held his intense stare with absolute, unyielding indifference. “If you don’t believe me, fine,” she repeated, her tone dropping to a dangerously flat line. “Go find out for yourself. But keep William’s team out of it.”

A flicker of genuine irritation crossed Briggs’s handsome features-a rare crack in his stone-cold armor- but he instantly reined it in, maintaining his disciplined, absolute control. He stood at his full six-foot-five height, towering over her, while Joanna stood her ground like an immovable wall.

The air between them crackled with electricity. They remained locked in a heavily charged, silent standoff, neither willing to give an inch.

Briggs broke the standoff by letting out a long, measured breath, deliberately cooling the room’s temperature. He shifted his weight, his demeanor turning almost conversational as he smoothly changed the subject.

“I heard you paid a visit to Aegis Defense Solutions yesterday,” Briggs said, his icy eyes tracking her expression for any micro-reactions. “Moore reported that his squad crossed paths with you there, right after you and your team helped pull him out of a massive zombie horde.”

Joanna leaned back against the counter, a dry, sarcastic smirk playing on her lips. “Yeah, well, William has a real gift. The man is basically a pied piper for zombies. If there’s a crowd of undead within five miles, he’ll find a way to march them right to his front door.”

A tiny, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Briggs’s chiseled mouth before his face flattened back into a mask of pure curiosity.

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Chapter 133 If you don’t believe me, fine!

Finished

That facility had a massive stockpile the last time I visited it before the collapse,” Briggs continued, his tone dangerously casual. “We’re talking the absolute best tactical weapons and high-grade combat gear in the

ire country. But the funny thing is…” He paused, looking directly at her. “…Moore reported that the entire warehouse was completely, utterly empty. Not a single crate left. Do you happen to know anything about that?

Joanna subtly widened her eyes, playing dumb with absolute, flawless precision. She tilted her head, letting out a soft, sympathetic sigh.

“Wow. Really? Completely empty?” Joanna mused, shaking her head in mock disappointment. “Man, this wasteland moves fast. Looters must have picked that place clean the second the power grid failed. It’s a shame. We barely managed to scavenge a few scraps ourselves before we had to clear out.”

Briggs stared at her for a long, silent moment, his icy gaze heavy with skepticism. He knew she was lying, and she knew he knew, but without proof, the missing stockpile remained just another mystery of the collapse.

“Looters,” Briggs repeated flatly, his deep baritone dropping an octave, rich with quiet amusement and disbelief. “Right.”

He picked up his briefcase, but instead of immediately turning to leave, he took a slow, deliberate step closer and around the table. His massive six-foot-five frame hovered just inside her personal space, his imposing height forcing her to look up, though she refused to step back. The air between them instantly shifted, growing heavy and thick with a sudden, unexpected heat.

Briggs looked down at her, his cold, observant eyes tracing the sharp lines of her face, lingering for a fraction of a second on her mouth before locking back onto her gaze.

“We’re done here,” Briggs murmured, his voice low and intimate against the quiet of the room. “Prepare your team. We roll out in five hours. Don’t keep me waiting, Joanna.”

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