The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 197

Chapter 197

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Nicole glanced at Zeph without drawing attention. He looked composed as ever, steady and unreadable, while Poppy rested in his arms, eyes moving everywhere as she took it all in.

As if he felt it, Zeph turned his head.

Nicole immediately looked away, acting like she hadn’t been watching at all.

Still, in that brief moment, she caught a faint trace of amusement in his eyes.

Was he reacting to what was about to happen to the Drakebane Guild, or was that look meant for her?

Before she could figure it out, Cola pushed into her arms, as if telling her to hold him the way Zeph held

Poppy.

Nicole wrapped an arm around him. He felt warm and solid, like holding a heater.

Beside her, Hughie was shivering. Ignoring everyone around them, he leaned into Beatrice. “I’m freezing.”

The two of them huddled together, holding on tight.

Jeremy, who had nobody to hold, stood off to the side. 1

Damn it. It wasn’t like he didn’t want a girlfriend! 1

The loudspeakers kept going. A steady, official voice listed crime after crime, each one backed with

evidence.

Time dragged. Before anyone realized it, an hour had passed. People shifted their weight, some crouching, some sitting, some standing again. Most weren’t paying attention anymore. They were just waiting for the end,

After the investigation, the number sentenced to death was confirmed at 386. A few were brought forward to speak, talking about how they had ended up here. They were crying, full of regret, telling everyone else to stay on the right path.

If they could start over, they said, they would never make the same choices again.

Nicole almost laughed. If they had another chance, they would do the exact same thing. 1

The final report followed. Authorities had recovered 160,000 pounds of food, shut down illegal operations, seized over 20,000 rounds of ammunition, more than 200 firearms, and countless restricted weapons. They had also rescued over 500 survivors, including more than 50 kidnapped women and over 20 children taken for ransom.

The list went on.

The 160,000 pounds of food would be redistributed to survivors through neighborhood distribution sites.

There were too many victims, too many missing records. Much of what had been taken was already

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used or wasted. Returning everything to each person wasn’t possible. The only option was to divide it evenly.

The crowd reacted quietly. Some sighed, but most accepted it. Getting anything back at all was already better than nothing.

Still, not everyone saw it that way.

A few who had stayed silent before suddenly found their voices.

One man pushed forward, shouting, “Why should it be split evenly? They took way more from me! You could investigate properly! Why should we be the ones to lose out?”

Officers moved quickly and pulled him back.

He kept yelling, as if he had been wronged personally.

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