Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 163

Chapter 163 One More Stop

Finished

Jonna looked down at the atrium, then back at Briggs. Her smirk widened, a cold gleam of appreciation in her eyes. She hadn’t expected the commander to be quite so cutthroat, and she liked it.

“Ruthless. Who knew you held grudges so well,” she whispered, her voice laced with genuine approval. “Let’s

starve him out.”

Briggs nodded wearing his standard cold demeanor again and checked his watch, the glowing face showing the minutes ticking down ruthlessly toward dawn. “We have less than twenty minutes before the light hits the street.”

They split the remaining two wings with lethal efficiency. Joanna flickered from store to store like a ghost in the dark, her hands brushing past the high-value inventory. Within minutes, entire rows of hunting gear heavy winter boots, and rows of thermal outerwear vanished into her pocket dimension. She bypassed the small storefronts, leaving the crumbs for the local survivors, but stripped the main hubs completely bare Every essential survival asset disappeared in absolute, chilling silence.

As she slipped back into the main corridor, a sudden scuffle of boots echoed from the western stairwell. A lone guard emerged into the hallway, a rifle slung over his shoulder and a flashlight cutting through the gloom. He swung the beam toward the empty storefronts, his brow furrowing as he noticed the sudden, impossible void where massive inventory displays had stood moments before.

Before the guard could raise his flashlight or shout a warning down to the atrium, Briggs struck.

He materialized from the shadow of a concrete pillar behind the man. Moving with the terrifying, silent speed of an apex predator, Briggs clamped a gloved hand violently over the guard’s mouth, cutting off his shout. In the same fluid motion, his right forearm locked around the man’s throat, executing a flawless rear- naked choke. He squeezed with precise, overwhelming force, pinching the carotid artery.

The guard thrashed wildly for a brief second, his fingers clawing uselessly at Briggs’ tactical sleeve, before his eyes rolled back and his entire body went completely flaccid. Briggs caught the weight of the unconscious man and his rifle before they could hit the tiled floor, dragging him into the pitch-black recess of a service alcove without making a sound.

Joanna stepped up beside him, her eyes tracking the sunrise glowing faintly through the skylight. “That’s the last of the big loot,” she whispered, gesturing toward the exit. “We’re out of time. Let’s move.”

They turned down the final corridor, the very hallway that led to the service exit, when Joanna suddenly froze mid-stride.

Briggs snapped his rifle up, his eyes darting frantically across the shifting shadows. He looked back at her, his voice a tense, jagged whisper. “What is it? Did you hear something?”

Instead of answering, Joanna held up her hand. A faint ripple distorted the air, and a large, empty canvas duffle bag materialized out of nowhere into her grip.

“One more stop,” she whispered.

Briggs lunged forward, grabbing her firmly by the arm. “No. The sun is breaking, and the scouts are already awake downstairs. It’s too risky. We leave now.”

Joanna completely ignored him. She ripped her arm away from his grasp and broke into the storefront

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Wed, Oct

MO

Chapter 163 One More Stop

directly to their left.

Finished

ggs hurried after her, stepping through the shattered glass entryway, only to halt dead in his tracks. Of all theplaces to risk their lives for, she had broken into a high-end jewelry store.

He watched helplessly, his blood boiling with tactical frustration, as Joanna swept her hands across the velvet-lined glass cases. Gold necklaces, diamond rings, and raw gemstones vanished into her duffle bag in an absolute, rapid silence.

“Are you insane?” Briggs hissed, his jaw tight as he kept his back to a pillar, watching the hallway. “Is this really the best time for pointless fashion? It’s the apocalypse, Joanna! We came here for winter parkas and rations, not accessories!”

He didn’t understand. To Briggs, the world was measured in caliber sizes and thermal layers. He had no idea that a mountain of diamonds and raw gold was the one thing Joanna could not afford to skip. Fabric and food filled the space, but precious, high-density gems were the literal catalyst she needed to feed her pocket dimension-the crucial energy source required to upgrade her spatial storage and expand its boundaries for the fortress they were building.

“Shut up and watch the door,” Joanna shot back in a fierce, low whisper, her hands moving like lightning as the last of the diamond displays dissolved into the dark canvas bag. “This fashion is going to save our lives.”

Ignoring the noise, Joanna ripped open a large safe to discover an absurd, one-foot-tall statue crafted from gold, rubies, and emeralds. While Briggs hissed for her to hurry, she quickly shoved the valuable, custom- ordered relic into her duffel bag alongside other treasures.

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