The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 271

Chapter 271

However, the hospitals had run out of medicine long ago. Even if the couple got the child there, what were the chances anyone could still help?

Still, they had no choice. As long as there was even the slightest hope, no parent would give up on their

child.

Hughie had only been joking earlier. None of them expected to watch a real tragedy unfold right in front

of them.

And the kid might not be the only one who ate the giant cockroaches.

The cheerful mood in the room faded into something much heavier.

Nicole changed the subject. “Why’d you all shave your heads?”

“We had to. We sweat nonstop all day. Hair gets greasy and sticky fast, and washing it wastes too much

water.” 1

Sweat poured off them nonstop, and they had to keep forcing water down just to stay alive.

So, they figured they might as well shave it all off and save the water. The extreme heat had turned out way worse than anyone expected.

Without the temperature-regulating clothing, they probably would’ve dropped dead already.

And that wasn’t an exaggeration. Every day, people came down with heatstroke or dengue fever. Some made it to the hospital in time, while some didn’t.

Every evening, epidemic control workers showed up at the neighborhood gate on schedule to collect the

bodies.

Better not think too hard about it. If they could survive one more day, that was enough.

After leaving Hughie’s place, Zeph followed Nicole into her apartment like it was the most natural thing in the world and casually shut the door behind him.

Cola and Poppy were next door playing around, leaving them with a rare moment alone. 1

The two of them sat on the couch watching a goofy variety show, trying to lighten the mood.

After spending the whole day cleaning, Nicole grew drowsy.

Somewhere along the way, she ended up leaning against Zeph’s shoulder with her eyes half closed.

Zeph wrapped an arm around her, the corner of his mouth lifting before he realized it.

Compared to when they first met, she had relaxed around him a lot.

Then again, so had he.

1/3

+15 Bonus

Back when he moved into the 18th floor, Zeph had been prepared to face the same darkness he experienced in his previous life. 1

He wasn’t afraid of it. He had already prepared himself for the worst.

What he never expected was to meet Nicole and her friends.

From the very beginning, he suspected she had gone through something similar to him.

Because of his background, even after getting a second chance, Zeph stayed calm and restrained most

of the time.

But Nicole had only been an ordinary person. After surviving an apocalypse brutal beyond words, she still carried kindness inside her despite covering herself in thorns.

Especially around Hughie’s group. She still trusted them and quietly looked out for them without making

a show of it.

At first, he was confused by her. Then, he found himself drawn to her. Before he knew it, she was healing something inside him.

Yeah. Nicole was healing him.

Maybe she still had secrets, but that hardly mattered to him anymore.

Before the apocalypse, that kind of thing might’ve damaged a relationship. But this world was cruel. People changed with their environment. Plenty of kindhearted people eventually turned into monsters with blood on their hands.

Nicole’s caution wasn’t directed only at him. She treated her friends the same way, and she never lowered her guard around strangers.

Oddly enough, that reassured Zeph.

By the time Nicole woke up again, the sky outside was already turning dark.

She realized she had fallen asleep leaning against Zeph, and that he had been holding her the whole time. Embarrassment hit her instantly.

Zeph had drifted off as well, but he slept lightly. He opened his eyes almost immediately, his voice rough with sleep. “Are you awake?”

“Yeah.” Nicole quickly sat up. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Anything’s fine.” He wasn’t picky.

Cooking in this heat felt like torture, so Nicole pulled out creamy corn chowder, pepper steak, and sautéed vegetables from her storage space.

She called the other two back over, and the four of them settled into a peaceful dinner together.

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