The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 283

Chapter 283

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More than a year had passed since the disasters began, but Beatrice had never once talked about missing home.

Still, people with families always did, whether they admitted it or not.

Now that the floodwaters were dropping day by day, she had probably already decided to return to Halloway. At some point, she must have talked it over with Hughie, too.

Hughie was an orphan. He had no family left and nothing keeping him here. If Beatrice left, of course, he would go with her.

As for Jeremy, realistically speaking, trying to survive alone probably wouldn’t get him very far.

So sooner or later, he had to make a choice.

The problem was that whether he stayed or left, he somehow still ended up feeling like a third wheel.

Nicole actually hoped he would remain in Westbridge, but Jeremy had always been more sensitive because of his background. Compared to Nicole and Zeph, who both kept people at arm’s length, Hughie

and Beatrice were easier to relax around.

Still, Westbridge was home. Before the disasters, moving to another city would’ve been no big deal. Now it meant uncertainty, danger, and a future nobody could predict.

If Jeremy followed Hughie and Beatrice, he would basically be tagging along.

Out of the three of them, Jeremy was the most conflicted.

Honestly, Hughie didn’t really want to leave either. If there were any other option, both he and Jeremy would rather stay together with everyone else and enter a base as a group.

Beatrice felt the same way. She liked what they had now. Even if she made it back to Halloway and found her family, they would still end up entering a base sooner or later.

However, she understood one thing clearly: Nicole and Zeph were different from ordinary survivors. The

two of them had real skills, which meant they had choices most people didn’t.

In the end, they still had to decide.

The answer never changed.

Hughie’s group would head for the bases, while Nicole and Zeph would stay behind.

Once the floodwaters disappeared completely, the people of the 18th floor would part ways.

Even so, Hughie still looked uneasy about the future.

“Zeph,” he asked, “what do you think’s better? Government bases or military bases?”

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They did have food stockpiled, but not enough to feel comfortable. Paying 50 pounds of food per person just to get through the gates of a military base hurt like hell.

“That depends on what you want,” Zeph said. “Government bases give you more freedom. Military bases are safer. Both come with trade-offs.”

He couldn’t make the choice for them, but as a friend, he still offered a warning.

“Once the floodwaters are down, you guys should get a vehicle before heading out. There’s no way you’re making it to the bases on foot.”

Now that the base announcements were public, survivors with supplies would start moving everything they owned.

As long as people stayed holed up at home, nobody knew who actually had supplies. Random break-ins rarely got much. Once survivors started packing up and heading for the bases, though, it was a different

story entirely.

The looters caught on fast. By now, groups were already staking out the roads leading to the bases, waiting to strip desperate survivors of everything they brought with them.

Even Beatrice had forgotten about that.

The reminder instantly darkened all three of their expressions.

Jeremy frowned. “After the floods and the deep freeze, most cars sat underwater and frozen solid for over a year. Are there even any usable vehicles left?”

Zeph couldn’t promise anything. For Nicole’s sake, he had already said as much as he could. Beyond

that, their decisions were their own.

“We’ll deal with it when the time comes,” Nicole said quietly. “Trying to raft your way to a base right now is even worse. The water’s full of garbage and corpses. One infection could kill you. If robbers puncture your inflatable raft, you won’t even have a way to run.”

She had seen it happen in her previous life. People fled Westbridge carrying everything they owned, only to crawl back empty-handed and covered in grime.

Some got robbed the moment they left the city.

The lucky ones met bandits who only wanted supplies. The unlucky ones never made it back alive.

The mood in the room turned heavy.

After a while, Hughie’s group quietly got up and left.

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