The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Nicole didn’t just stop at bamboo. She pulled up wild grasses, dug out fruit seedlings, and even grabbed medicinal weeds.

There was still time, so she moved on to the wooded area and started cutting trees.

She didn’t bother trimming branches. Whole trunks went straight into her storage space. Once they dried out, the branches would make good firewood.

Nicole cut down dozens before the light started fading. If it hadn’t gotten dark, she probably would’ve kept going.

Her whole body ached, like it was about to fall apart. Upon looking at everything she had gathered, she felt a quiet sense of security.

Before heading back, she picked up half a bundle of firewood to make it look normal, then took Cola and

drove the motorboat home.

The moment she stepped onto the 18th floor, the door flew open.

Poppy ran straight at her, beaming. “Nicole, I sold fish today!”

Nicole opened the door wider and let her in. “Really?”

Poppy nodded hard. “Yeah, I sold three fish!”

Nicole smiled. “That’s amazing.”

Poppy twisted her fingers together, then hopped excitedly. “Zeph said I did a good job, too.”

Nicole wiped off the rain, changed clothes, and put on a cartoon to keep Poppy busy. Then she noticed the scratches on Poppy’s face.

“What happened?”

Poppy’s smile faded a little. “I was eating candy, and someone ran over and grabbed it out of my mouth.”

Nicole frowned. “They took your candy?”

Poppy nodded, eyes starting to well up. “The boy pulled it right out. His hand was dirty, and he smelled bad. He knocked me down, too.”

She rubbed her backside. “It still hurts.”

“Where was Zeph?”

“He was watching from the side.”

Nicole blinked. “And?”

“The guy shoved the candy in his mouth. Zeph told me to take it back.”

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Chapter fin

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Poppy hadn’t wanted to, but she didn’t want to disappoint him either, so she rushed in to grab it.

The boy refused to give it back and even raised his hand at Poppy. That pushed her over the edge. She fought back and beat him down, leaving him bruised and battered without much effort.

It was the first time Poppy had ever hit someone. In the end, she pried the candy out of his mouth and handed the saliva-covered piece to Zeph.

He didn’t take it. Instead, he patted her head. “You did great. From now on, you have to protect what’s yours. Don’t let anyone pick on you.”

She only half understood, still shaken. She hadn’t expected praise from him at all.

“Remember, I can’t protect you forever. If you don’t protect yourself, it won’t just be candy they take. They’ll take all your food. And then you’ll end up like them, with a big head and a skinny body. You’ll be filthy and starving, begging on the streets.”

It wasn’t that those kids wanted to be that way, but in a disaster like this, things were just cruel.

Zeph told Poppy to look at the boy’s eyes.

The beaten kid’s eyes were bloodshot, filled with raw hatred.

Poppy didn’t understand. He tried to steal her candy. That was wrong. So why wasn’t he sorry? Why was

he still so fierce?

“Poppy, when people are starving to death, there’s no right or wrong anymore. If they think they can beat you, they’ll take what you have.” Zeph picked her up and carried her away, patiently explaining, “Do you know why he looked at you like that?”

Poppy shook her head.

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