The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 150

Chapter 150

The Malinois had incredible endurance. Once Cola let loose, he tore across the ice like the wind.

Strong and sure-footed, he moved with effortless grace, skimming over the frozen ground and neatly veering around the occasional frozen corpse in his path.

The only problem was that he didn’t actually know where Mount Westbridge was, so it was easy to head

the wrong way.

Nicole clicked her tongue at him. “It’s where we caught pigs last time.”

Oh, right, not just pigs. There were wild rabbits, too.

With that hint, Cola instantly adjusted direction and charged forward, reaching the base of Mount Westbridge in half an hour.

They had come early. There wasn’t a single person in sight yet.

The bamboo grove was halfway up the mountain. Not wanting to waste time waiting below, Nicole headed up with the dog.

Bamboo didn’t burn well, so survivors prioritized cutting trees.

In such a short time, the trees at the base had already been stripped clean. Every so often, they passed frozen corpses. Some had died fighting over firewood. Others had been killed in retaliation. Their bodies were coated in ice, eerie and stiff.

But what choice was there? Without firewood, people froze to death. Survivors had no choice but to risk

their lives.

The path up was slick with ice and packed snow, and dragging the sled made it even harder. It took some effort before they finally reached the bamboo grove.

The trees higher up had all frozen solid, their branches weighed down with ice.

The temperature-regulating suit kept Nicole’s body warm, but her hands, feet, and face still stung from

the cold.

She rubbed her hands together, tempted to pull out a chainsaw from her storage space and wipe out the entire grove before heading home to curl up under blankets.

But people could show up at any time. She didn’t want to take that risk, so she grabbed the steel saw Hughie gave her and crouched down to work.

Using a saw took technique. Otherwise, the blade could snap.

And this was the only one she had. If it broke, things would get complicated.

Not everyone had access to machetes or butcher knives. Most people only had kitchen knives. Those things couldn’t even handle crushing garlic, let alone chopping wood.

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Nicole crouched down, knocked the ice off the bamboo first, then started sawing slowly.

Cola seemed worried the bamboo might fall and hit her. He jumped up and hugged the stalk with his

paws. 1

Annoyed, Nicole pushed him away. “Don’t help. Just stand guard. Make sure no one sneaks up and cracks my head.”

The dog refused. He could guard and hold the bamboo at the same time.

“If you don’t move, I might saw your belly open, too.”

Emotionally hurt, Cola whimpered.

Nicole cut down two bamboo stalks, trimmed off the branches, and sawed each into about six-foot sections for easier transport. By then, other survivors had started climbing the mountain.

“Hey, a dog!”

Shock turned into excitement as they rushed over, voices rising. “That’s a big dog!”

Cola barked, offended by the word “big.”

That was muscle, you punks!

Seeing only a young woman in the bamboo grove, holding a steel saw, they got even more excited. If they could take the saw, they would never have to worry about firewood again.

And that big dog had to weigh at least 70 pounds. That was a lot of meat.

Watching them approach, their eyes full of greed, Nicole stayed calm. She pulled out her blade and gave them a soft smile. “Take a guess. Why do you think I’m alone and still able to keep a dog this well-fed?”

That question made them pause.

Yeah. So many people were starving. How could she keep a dog in such good shape?

Nicole didn’t say another word. She just smiled at them.

A chilling smile.

Her cold gaze swept over them, sizing them up like she was deciding which part had the most meat.

That killing intent, that look of a predator eyeing prey, sent a chill straight down their spines.

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