The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 121

Chapter 121

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Zeph probably had deep psychological trauma from last time. His body froze for just a split second, and that was all Nicole needed. She flipped him straight onto the mat.

She pinned one of his long legs down and twisted his arm behind his back, locking him in place.

Their bodies tangled together, but Nicole clearly had the upper hand.

Zeph let out a helpless laugh. For once, he didn’t counter with anything brutal. “Not bad. Guess you can

even take down your own teacher now.”

Nicole immediately let go and got up, a little embarrassed. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

She had gotten carried away and pulled a dirty move again. It wasn’t exactly something to be proud of.

They kept sparring. Two hours later, both of them were drenched in sweat.

Nicole’s face was flushed, her breathing uneven, her whole body soaked and aching in the best way

possible.

Poppy came back, hugging her doll, clearly starving. “I’m hungry. What are we having tonight?”

Zeph glanced at Nicole.

Nicole paused. Were they asking for her to cook again? She had been half planning to sneak off with Cola and have something good from her storage stash instead.

Zeph had helped her so much that saying no felt wrong. Still, she really didn’t feel like cooking.

“Ravioli?”

Poppy clapped instantly, eager to avoid Zeph’s disastrous cooking. “Yes! Yes! Your raviolis are the best!”

Same food, different styles.

They’d had boiled ravioli at lunch. For dinner, she went with pan-seared. The ground pork ones tasted especially good that way.

Nicole went back to her place to change, then returned to show Zeph how to pan-sear them.

The smell alone was enough to drive anyone crazy.

Golden, crispy bottoms with tender pasta on top. The filling stayed juicy inside. One bite, and the savory richness burst across her tongue.

Good thing they were on the 18th floor, and it was raining outside. Otherwise, that smell might’ve caused

trouble.

Poppy ate until her lips were shiny with oil. She patted her belly proudly. “Look! I’ve got a baby in here.” 1

Zeph’s expression stiffened.

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Chapter 120

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Nicole couldn’t help laughing. Kids really did say whatever came to mind.

Seemed like he would be giving her another “talk” later.

After dinner, Zeph took the dishes right out of Nicole’s hands. “I’ve got it.”

Once Nicole helped Poppy check her homework, she said goodbye and headed back.

She had just opened her door when Hughie stepped out at the same time. “Nicole, come have dinner. We made ravioli.”

“I’m good. I just ate.”

Watching the siblings eat earlier, she had ended up stuffing herself, too.

Hughie’s gaze drifted toward Unit 1801, and he suddenly smiled in a way she couldn’t quite read.” Alright. Come by if you want more.”

Something about that look felt off.

Nicole couldn’t quite figure it out, but she felt a flicker of guilt anyway. Probably because she had been eating separately from them. Still, Zeph hadn’t said anything, and it wasn’t her place to invite others over.

But those raviolis really were good. It was definitely worth stocking up more next time.

The next few days passed comfortably.

Nicole stayed in, reading, working out, and sewing clothes for the animals at home. The ten baby rabbits had all survived, and when she picked them up, they felt surprisingly heavy now.

She weighed them. The biggest one was already around three pounds, almost ready to be butchered.

Snowy had given birth again. This time, there were 12 babies, even more than before. However, the timing was bad and their chances of surviving were slim.

Gabrielle had paused her treatments for a few days, then came back to continue the needle therapy. With better food, she looked noticeably more energetic.

She pulled out a bag with about three pounds of white powder inside and lowered her voice, clearly pleased. “This is wild arrowroot flour. I brought it up for you to try.”

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