The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 225

Chapter 225

Zeph and Nicole spent five straight days making ravioli.

They worked out of Zeph’s apartment, splitting the ingredients evenly between them. To keep the dough and filling from freezing solid, the charcoal stove stayed burning the whole time.

Zeph supplied the charcoal, Poppy enthusiastically helped assemble the ravioli, and Nicole contributed spinach, ricotta, parsley, and celery for the filling.

Zeph handled chopping the filling while Nicole secretly prepped the vegetables out of Poppy’s sight. Everything was minced fine, mixed into the meat with seasoning, then wrapped one by one.

Poppy was only six. Smart for her age, sure, but not nearly sharp enough to figure out where all those fresh vegetables kept coming from.

And somehow, they actually pulled it off.

By the time they finished, each household had well over 100 pounds of frozen ravioli stocked away, enough to last a long time.

Nicole stored hers inside the storage space to keep them fresh.

Zeph left his out on the balcony for an hour. By the time he brought them back inside, they were harder

than rocks.

There was no need for refrigeration anymore. They could just toss them into containers and cook them whenever they wanted.

Nicole briefly considered stocking up on homemade calzones too, but the cold was so brutal that the dough barely rose, so she eventually gave up on the idea.

Life repeated itself day after day: reading, playing with the dog, pulling weeds, tending the crops, training.

Every day felt like a copy pasted over the last.

The longer Nicole spent around Zeph, the more she realized he wasn’t just skilled in combat. He genuinely loved learning.

Lately, he had been reading automotive repair manuals with surprising interest.

Nicole herself was a decent driver, but she knew almost nothing about vehicle repair.

“You actually read stuff like that?” she asked curiously.

Honestly, she still felt bad about his armored vehicle.

Even if the flood hadn’t washed it away, months submerged in water followed by brutal deep-freeze conditions would’ve destroyed the materials anyway. At this point, it was basically scrap metal.

Such a waste.

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Once the floodwaters finally receded, almost every vehicle out there would probably be ruined. Getting another car later wouldn’t be easy at all.

“I’m just browsing,” Zeph replied casually. “Kills time.”

Nicole didn’t buy it for a second.

People with military or police backgrounds never did anything casually.

The days crawled by slowly, yet somehow passed fast at the same time.

She still hadn’t managed to gain any healthy weight back, but at least her abs had finally started showing. All those relentless sparring sessions with Zeph were paying off.

Over the past six months, her physical stamina had visibly improved. Even using her mind to till soil and pull weeds no longer left her exhausted or nauseous afterward.

A month later, the potato seedlings had grown thick and lush, their leaves bright green and thriving.

Poppy stared at them longingly and asked, “Can we eat the leaves?”

“No.” Nicole immediately seized the chance to educate Poppy and the dog. “Potato leaves contain

solanine. Eat too much, and you’ll get dizzy and throw up. In serious cases, it can even kill you.”

Poppy blinked. “What’s solanine?”

“Poison. The kind that kills people.”

Nicole figured any deeper explanation would go straight over her head anyway.

“Just remember. Don’t eat them.”

Poppy nodded obediently. “I don’t want to die. I still want to stay with Zeph, you, and Cola.”

After successfully scaring the two little ones, Nicole left in a very satisfied mood.

She found herself thinking about Beatrice’s group. They had been gone for an entire month without sending any news back. She had no idea how they were doing.

Still, judging by the schedule, they should be getting time off soon.

Early one morning, Nicole was still half asleep when loud banging erupted at the door.

Cola instantly went feral, clawing at the entrance nonstop. Nicole opened the inner door, and the vicious- looking dog suddenly started wagging his tail wildly.

The moment the outer door opened, Cola shot outside like a bullet.

Hughie’s voice rang through the hallway. “Cola! Did you miss us?”

The three of them had finally returned as promised, carrying bedding and spare clothes on their backs.

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