The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 246

Chapter 246

As a handler, dealing with a dog like Cola was easy for Zeph, but he chose patience instead.

Nicole couldn’t help laughing. She got up and called for the dog. “Cola, let’s go home.”

Even at the doorway, Cola still turned back to glare threateningly at his handler.

Zeph, who had now been threatened by the dog too many times to count, fell silent.

When Hughie’s group rotated shifts and returned carrying their bedding, the 18th floor finally became lively again.

Nicole sent them 30 pounds of cold-resistant potatoes.

The three of them had more room to breathe financially now and refused to take things for free.

Beatrice shoved ten pounds of dog food back into Nicole’s hands. “Nicole, how about we eat meat

tomorrow?”

Nicole couldn’t exactly tell them she already ate meat regularly. She still kept a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, but that secret stayed buried.

“Sure,” she agreed easily. “What do you guys want to eat?”

“Anything with enough grease in it.”

Jeremy had managed to trade for several frozen cured sausages and immediately nominated Zeph to

cook.

Zeph casually dropped a bombshell. “Nicole and I are treating everyone tomorrow.”

Beatrice froze for a second, but Hughie reacted instantly. His grin turned downright smug. “Finally! I’ve been waiting for this meal forever.”

As he spoke, his gaze bounced meaningfully between the two of them.

Nicole frowned. Something about his expression felt deeply impure.

Well, whatever.

Now that things were official between her and Zeph, it was probably better to admit it openly than wait for the others to catch them and force the confession out themselves.

As for the future, who knew? They would take it one day at a time.

She was just about to leave when Hughie deliberately found an excuse to keep her behind. The second Zeph got sent away, Hughie shut the door.

“So?” he asked eagerly. “How far have you two gotten?”

Nicole stared at him speechlessly. Did he think everyone moved through relationships as recklessly as

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he did?

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Beatrice immediately kicked him.

“Babe…” Hughie clung to her shamelessly.

Beatrice shoved at him in disgust before turning back to Nicole. “Your taste in men is at least a hundred

times better than mine.”

As a friend, Beatrice truly felt happy for Nicole. This time, she had genuinely struck gold. The two of them together were basically a power duo.

“Babe, you seriously can’t stand me now, huh?”

“Yep. I absolutely picked the wrong guy back then.”

And there they went again.

Nicole fled faster than Cola escaping bath time. 1

Jeremy, trapped there with nowhere to run, sat in silence.

Seriously. What unforgivable sin had he committed in life to deserve this? 2

The next day, the dinner gathering officially kicked off, with dishes made from cold-resistant potatoes, peanuts, cured sausage, and dried cabbage.

Now that the relationship was out in the open, Hughie and the rest no longer had to pretend not to notice.

Hughie raised his cup first. “Here’s to Nicole finally finding someone good for her, and to Zeph for finally winning the girl.”

After a couple of drinks, Jeremy got a little emotional.

“Zeph, your taste really is incredible,” he said, voice thick with alcohol. “Nicole was always the toughest person in our orphanage. Best at making money, best at fighting, and best at surviving. She looks cold, but she’s actually soft-hearted. You’d better treat her right. If you ever hurt her someday, Hughie and I won’t let you off easy!”

Zeph nodded calmly. “Nicole’s amazing. Meeting her was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Nicole secretly elbowed him under the table, telling him to stop showing off. People who flaunted their

relationships always ended badly.

Zeph only smiled and placed a piece of pork into her bowl.

Immediately, a black dog shoved his face into view.

Zeph handled it smoothly and gave Cola two pieces, too. 1

After more than a month of constant surveillance, Cola finally relaxed a little. Seeing that Zeph remained the same and Nicole still loved him just as much, he slowly lowered his guard.

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He stopped obsessively monitoring Zeph every second and switched to random spot inspections

instead.

Sometimes, he even dragged Poppy around to show off his rabbit underlings.

Eventually, the temperature stabilized at -98 degrees. For an entire week, it didn’t drop any further.

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