Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 136

Chapter 136 The one I can leverage

# Fillighed

Caleb leaned baek, his eyes darkening as he weighed the question. “Briggs was meant to be set up by Jax- the other commander-and Elliot in Eldon,” Caleb explained. “They sneak a small team in to draw the zombies. One survivor is actually one of Elliot’s men, planted in the mall even now. When the soldiers arrive tomorrow, he incites panic in the civilians.”

Joanna’s eyes flashed with dangerous precision as she nodded and filled the rest in. “The mole stirs up the crowd’s anger, while Jax’s team draws the zombies in to surround the mall. Briggs and his men get trapped in a cage of civilians and infected, completely wiping them out.”

“Exactly,” Caleb said, his jaw tightening. “But if Briggs goes there unprepared, he could still get killed.” Joanna stared at Caleb, her mind dissecting the logistics of the trap. “If Elliot and Jax bring the zombies in, why kill them there at the mall?”

“Because they want the mall’s supplies, and they don’t want the people still trapped in the mall,” Caleb replied. “Jax wants to eliminate Briggs, and Elliot wants the supplies.”

Joanna gave a cold, calculating smile. “What a neat and tidy package. If I can lead Briggs to the same conclusion, I wonder what he would do to his enemies?”

Caleb shrugged, his expression growing tense. “I will say this. I can’t get a read on Briggs. I know he is dangerous, cunning, and very lethal. Jax would never be able to touch Briggs in a fair fight. With Jax setting up Nightshade Base, Evercrest is naturally able to compete for resources. You need to be careful. I won’t be able to know more until we know if Briggs survives this.”

A shadow of worry crossed Joanna’s face. “If I help Briggs and he eliminates Jax, could I be setting myself up to be killed by Briggs later?”

Caleb looked away, his posture stiffening with frustration. “I don’t know. For some reason, all emotions and thoughts are blocked when I try to learn more about him. I can’t help you more with this timeline.”

The silence returned to the room, heavier than before, leaving Joanna to weigh the risk of turning a lethal rogue commander into a temporary ally.

Joanna stood up, her cold, lethal focus snapping fully back into place as she dusted off her clean tactical uniform. The momentary worry vanished from her face, replaced by the sharp, analytical edge that kept her core group alive.

“I’m going to have to stay sharp,” Joanna said, her voice dropping into a low, authoritative tone as she looked down at Caleb. “It comes down to a simple tactical choice. I either get the enemy I know, or an unknown.”

Jax and Elliot Jensen were known quantities-vicious, predictable in their greed, and already actively plotting. Briggs was a volatile, lethal wildcard, but he was a wildcard who currently owed his survival to her warning.

“And which one are you leaning toward?” Caleb asked, looking up at her.

“The one I can leverage,” Joanna replied flatly, a dangerous glint in her eyes. “Let’s get moving. If you get any new information, pass it along to Kailee. I will watch out for her tonight.”

Caleb nodded silently, stood up, and left the quiet apartment.

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Chapter 136 The one I can leverage

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Finished

Once the door clicked shut, Joanna let out a slow, heavy sigh, centering her mind. She took the next half hour absorbing cores. Three hundred level one cores were a lot, but Joanna started absorbing multiple cores Reach hand. Finally! Level 3 slammed into her body and she practically vibrated with strength. She smiled and dusted her hands off. With a practiced, effortless flick of her wrist, the air around her distorted for a fraction of a second, and she stepped directly into her storage space.

Inside the space, Joanna immediately saw that the warehouse had been completely taken over by Jolie. She was standing at a central terminal, a large digital tablet screen up as she efficiently set timers and reminders for the cargo.

“Boss! This warehouse keeps a complete, live inventory,” Jolie called out, her face lighting up as Joanna approached. “If we ever run low on something, it will show up right here!”

Joanna smiled, impressed by the rapid organization. “Well, I figured you are the prepper goddess, so this is definitely something you should be in charge of.”

Jolie nodded excitedly, tapping the device. “I love how the screen can attach and detach like a portable tablet! Do you think I can take this out of the space?”

“Let’s test it,” Joanna said.

Reaching out, she gripped Jolie’s arm and pulled her out of the level 13 space. A fraction of a second later, they were both standing back in the empty second-floor living room, Jolie still holding the glowing digital tablet.

“This rocks!” Jolie beamed, looking around the physical room.

“Try to pull something,” Joanna instructed, curious about the limits of the system.

Jolie was already pressing buttons like crazy on the detached interface. A second later, a heavy bag of rice materialized out of thin air, dropping onto the floor.

Joanna’s brow lifted in surprise. “I even felt it getting taken from my storage space. That’s awesome. So if we split up and you need anything, you can now get it directly through the warehouse.”

“This is so cool,” Jolie murmured, her fingers still flying across the screen. “I already worked with Uncle Nate on the feed supply and the automated meat processing. Once an animal gets assigned to the meat processor inside, the yielded stock is automatically updated and put into the warehouse inventory. It’s amazing!”

Joanna smiled, her chest tightening with a deep sense of relief.

“Uncle Nate even found out about the lock screen,” Jolie added, tapping the glass proudly. “Only the team can open it. No one else! Isn’t that perfect?”

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