The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 220

Chapter 220

Zeph thought it over.

“We can add light during the day, or put up blackout curtains.”

That was simple enough. Nothing he couldn’t handle.

Together with Nicole, he dumped the soil out of the planting pots, sprinkled in the antifreeze solution, and mixed it thoroughly with a shovel.

Strangely, the soil didn’t freeze at all. It even felt loose, almost soft.

Nicole took out a knife and showed Zeph how to cut around the sprouting points.

The potato skins were thick and tough, hard to slice through. Inside, the starch content was high, but the texture looked coarse, with visible fibers running through it.

It would fill you up, no problem. It just wouldn’t taste good.

Nicole smirked. “Try it.”

Zeph actually cut off a piece and tasted it. His brows tightened almost immediately.

She couldn’t help laughing. “You really went for it. So? How is it?”

“It’s tough. Fibrous. Bitter,” he said, glancing at her. “Not as good as what you grow.”

That caught her off guard. For a second, she didn’t know what to say.

Zeph took the knife from her and continued cutting the potato pieces.

Nicole stayed beside him, mixing the solution and soaking the cut pieces in a basin.

They needed to sit for three hours. Since they would have to cook later anyway, they skipped going over to help Hughie’s group and started sparring in the living room instead.

Even on Christmas Eve, they kept at it.

When the time was up, Nicole showed Zeph how to plant the potatoes.

He rarely asked questions, but this time he did. “Why does it feel like you know how to do everything?”

She paused, then gave a faint, self-aware smile. “When you grow up without anyone looking out for you, you learn fast. If you don’t want to get left behind, you have to move. And you have to move faster than

everyone else.

Zeph wanted to say something, but the words didn’t come easily. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said lightly. “When I was younger, I used to feel bad about it. Now I think it’s not so bad. Being on my own means I can live however I want No one is dragging me down.”

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“You’re not really alone,” Zeph said. “There are people who care about you.”

“Yeah. Jeremy and the others are good people. They put up with me.”

“Put up with you?”

Nicole looked at him. “You don’t think I’ve got a bad personality?”

“Why would you think that?” Zeph’s gaze rested on her, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I think you’re fine.”

With no one else around, Nicole tested him. “I’ve got firewood and vegetables in my storage space, but I don’t share them. You don’t think that’s selfish?”

“That’s yours,” Zeph said. “Whether you share it or not is your choice.”

He paused, then spoke again.

“People change when things get worse. Friends, even family, it doesn’t matter. When survival’s on the line, things can turn ugly fast. How can you be sure people won’t change? Your storage space can grow food. Sharing now might seem fine, but what happens when conditions get worse, and they want to use it as shelter? What if you want to save it for later? What, then?”

There was no way to satisfy everyone. Conflicts would build over time.

Zeph didn’t think she was wrong.

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