Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 182

Chapter 182 Leo And The Virobane

Finished

Jonna nodded toward the house, wanting to conclude the trade before anything else went sideways. “Let me but the supplies down on the back porch for you.”

She walked toward the steps, unzipping the heavy backpack to lay out the bread, canned meat, and jerky. As she approached the wooden deck, her eyes sharpened and her entire body tensed.

Planted tightly against the foundation of the house was a small, protected garden bed. Inside, three low, dark-leafed bushes rattled in the freezing wind. But it was the center of the bed that stopped her dead in her tracks. There was a fresh, empty hole gouged out of the soil between the plants.

Joanna stared at it, her heart thumping against her ribs in sheer shock.

Was that the Virobane bush?

She paused, leaning down closer to the foliage, her fingers brushing the unique, ridged leaves. It was an exact match. It was the Virobane bush! Joanna’s mind raced, connecting the dots in a sudden flash. She was willing to bet everything that the empty hole in the dirt was exactly where the Virobane bush currently sitting in her own storage space used to be planted.

Dr. Anderson had gotten his research sample from right here on Leo’s farm.

Joanna stood up slowly and forced a friendly smile. “That is a really nice bush you have there. What’s the name of it?”

The young man stood awkwardly, completely still as the cold wind whipped past his bare skin. After a very long pause, he finally replied in his shaky voice, “Auntie’s favorite bush.”

Joanna nodded, keeping her expression perfectly neutral as she walked up to the back porch steps. Using the bulk of the backpack as a cover, she pulled items directly from her spatial storage, making it look like she was just digging deep into the bag. She laid out canned meat, canned fruits, and preserved vegetables. Next, she produced two fresh loaves of bread and a hefty stack of Jolie’s homemade turkey jerky.

Not wanting to make the sheer volume of food look too suspicious, she turned to the team. “RJ, give me your bag.”

She took Rachel’s backpack and pretended to rummage through it, pulling out bags of rice, dry pasta, and six packs of instant ramen. Leo looked so dazed that he didn’t seem to be paying attention to where the

food was coming from anyway.

“Is this enough?” Joanna asked.

The shirtless man just stared down at the massive pile of food on his porch. Rachel stepped up and nudged Joanna’s shoulder slightly, giving her a pointed look. Joanna rolled her eyes, reached back into her storage space under the cover of the bag, and pulled out a thick, warm winter coat and a flannel shirt.

Trying to sound completely casual, Joanna looked back at Leo. “Thanks again for the trade.”

Leo bent down immediately. His hand blurred with that terrifying, awakened speed, snatching up a piece of Jolie’s turkey jerky before his body anchored back into slow motion. He lifted it to his mouth, took a slow bite, and started chewing.

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09:52 Wed, Oct 7 F MO

Chapter 182 Leo And The Virobane

“Mmm,” he muttered, closing his eyes as he kept eating.

Finished

you’re willing to trade again, I’ll come back tomorrow,” Joanna said, watching his reaction closely. “I would really like to trade for that bush. I can bring a lot more food for you. Is that okay?”

Leo said absolutely nothing. He just stood there in the freezing air, shirtless, slowly chewing on the jerky.

Giving Leo a final, awkward wave, Joanna turned on her heel and led her team away from the farmhouse. The walk back across the barren, wide-open property was a strange sight. Caleb walked with a stiff gait, nervously clutching a flapping duck to his chest, while Jolie carried the second one with practiced ease. Rachel walked alongside them, casually leading the docile goat by its rope as the frozen ground crunched under their boots.

Joanna kept her eyes scanning the open perimeter, her mind completely racing. The discovery of the Virobane bushes right next to a high-speed anomaly who kept a zombie aunt as a pet changed the situation a lot. Dr. Anderson must have discovered this place weeks ago. Caleb was right and it was good they came

here.

As Joanna approached the heavy tactical beast, she could practically feel the waves of irritation rolling off the two men. Julian was leaning against the passenger door, his jaw tightly clenched, while Briggs stood a few feet away with his arms crossed over his tactical vest, looking completely unfazed.

Walking straight up to Julian, Joanna stepped slightly into his personal space, her posture playful but aggressively teasing. She leaned in, a cute smirk playing on her lips, and patted his arm. “Aw, Julian, what’s wrong? Is the big bad Commander being mean to you again? Do I need to put him in time-out?”

Julian’s eyes flared with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, his face flushing as he opened his mouth to reply.

Before he could speak, Briggs spoke up. His face remained deadpan, completely cold and stone-faced as he glanced from Julian to the livestock the team was carrying.

“Careful, Joanna,” Briggs said, his voice dropping into a dry, flat monotone. “If you upset the billionaire, he might accidentally static-shock the ducks. Then we’ll have to explain to the core crew why dinner is already pre-cooked.”

Julian shot a murderous glare at the commander, sparks practically flying from his eyes, while Rachel and Jolie choked back laughs, trying to hide their amusement behind the goat and the flapping ducks.

Julian huffed, rolling his eyes, and climbed back into the vehicle without another word, clearly done with Briggs.

Joanna rolled her eyes at the lingering drama. She turned to the livestock, waved her hand, and swept the goat and the two ducks directly into her spatial storage space. At least the weird trip had earned her another meeting tomorrow. Maybe next time I should bring Warren along, she thought. The scientist might actually be able to figure out what makes those Virobane bushes tick.

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