The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 259

Chapter 259

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Zeph analyzed the situation for Nicole. “Maybe they’re also waiting for the ice to finish melting before coming back. If you miss each other, it’ll only get more troublesome.”

He had a point, so Nicole decided to wait a little longer.

After lunch, she went back for a nap. She placed large blocks of ice nearby to cool the room while the air cooler and electric fan blew nonstop, gradually pushing back the suffocating heat.

She woke up around 4 p.m.

The sun still blazed viciously overhead without the slightest sign of weakening, as if it were trying to make up for the year it had disappeared by scorching every inch of concrete and steel rising above the

floodwater.

Nicole stepped onto the balcony to check the temperature. A wave of scorching air hit her face. 1

It was 109 degrees. 2

As she looked out across the city, the water’s surface shimmered beneath the sunlight. The ice had completely vanished.

Nicole pulled a sun-protection jacket over her temperature-regulating clothing. A hat and mask were mandatory, too.

After dropping Cola off at Zeph’s apartment, she prepared to leave.

Zeph still looked worried. “Stay home. I’ll go get them.”

Nicole shook her head stubbornly. “No. I’ll handle it myself.”

If they weren’t her friends, would Zeph even make this trip?

She appreciated the thought, but she didn’t want to become the kind of person who depended on him for everything until she turned useless on her own.

Besides, with the temperature-regulating clothing, she didn’t have to worry about heatstroke.

Seeing how determined she was, Zeph stopped trying to persuade her. “Be careful out there.”

Carrying the heavy motorboat on her back, Nicole headed downstairs to the seventh floor.

The temperature there felt noticeably cooler.

The smell, however, hit like a punch to the face.

All across the water floated bloated trash bags and things better left unidentified. Stare too long, and you’d lose your appetite for life.

Nicole pulled on a second mask, lowered the inflated motorboat into the water, and skillfully started the

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engine.

The loud roar immediately drew the attention of survivors inside the apartment building.

The 18th floor again!

Their own inflatable rafts had frozen brittle and exploded the moment they tried inflating them. So why was Nicole’s motorboat still perfectly intact?

People burned with envy, jealousy, and resentment, but nobody dared target the 18th floor openly anymore. At most, they cursed them in private.

The heat outside was brutal, though the floodwater absorbed some of it. Too bad the smell was

unbearable.

Nicole had guessed correctly. Along the way, she barely saw any other motorboats or rafts.

Most equipment had been ruined by the freezing temperatures due to poor storage.

And most survivors had spent the deep freeze hiding under blankets. Nobody expected the world to switch into extreme heat mode overnight, so few people dared leave home unless absolutely necessary.

Still, some survivors remained stranded by the floodwaters. As Nicole passed, they desperately waved

and shouted for help.

She ignored every single one and sped straight past them.

Avoiding floating corpses and drifting garbage, Nicole raced across the flooded streets and arrived at Jeremy’s security patrol station about half an hour later.

To her surprise, a huge crowd had gathered outside. The moment they spotted the motorboat, everyone started waving frantically.

Nicole slowed down and stopped roughly 100 feet away.

Several dozen people packed the entrance. Some were patrol officers, while others were nearby survivors stranded by the flood. Voices immediately exploded around her.

“Miss, we’re trapped here. Can you give us a ride?”

The city would eventually send rescue teams for flood victims. The problem was nobody knew when.

If Nicole actually tried ferrying people back herself, there was no guarantee either she or the motorboat would make it home safely afterward.

Seeing her stay unmoved, several people instantly grew irritated.

“What the hell’s her problem? It’s just giving us a ride! It won’t kill her.”

Others sounded more polite.

“Miss, I’ll pay half a pound of grain if you take me home.”

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