The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 286

Chapter 286

The next destination was only an hour away.

Under the blazing sun, however, it felt endless.

The 120-degree heat stalked them like a killer that refused to back off. Even with temperature-regulating clothing, sweat kept pouring from their bodies. The heat trapped itself against their skin until both of

them felt drenched and half-boiled alive.

Luckily, Zeph’s sense of direction held up.

Before long, the top floors of a four-story factory emerged from the receding floodwater.

The building sat taller than the surrounding structures. The company logo on the rooftop reflected sharp

metallic light beneath the sun.

The two climbed onto the roof, then pried open the rooftop access door with pliers and a crowbar.

The water had dropped over three feet, exposing stained ceilings with peeling paint. Huge stacks of finished goods and raw materials piled all the way to the upper floor.

The company had clearly tried to save what it could. Employees must have organized emergency transfers and hauled the most valuable inventory upstairs before the floods swallowed everything, but it

still hadn’t been enough.

Zeph wasn’t interested in the finished products, anyway. What he wanted were the raw materials: lithium, beryllium, titanium, tungsten, and other rare metals like them.

In manufacturing, metals like these were considered critical additives. Even small amounts blended into ordinary alloys could dramatically improve heat resistance, durability, hardness, and wear resistance.

In the future, resources like these would become priceless. Bases would eventually send scavenger teams out specifically to hunt for rare metals.

As long as Zeph and Nicole could bring them into the open through legitimate channels later, the supplies could support them for years.

The extracted metals had been sealed into powder form inside massive cylindrical containers the size of

oil drums.

The first label they found read “Beryllium.”

This was exactly the kind of material Zeph wanted to stockpile.

After exchanging glances with Zeph, Nicole immediately stored the containers away.

Rare metals already cost a fortune before the apocalypse, and this company clearly had money to burn. Nicole collected dozens of the massive steel drums in one sweep.

The trip had been absolutely worth it.

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+15 Bonus

After roughly sorting through everything, they counted more than a dozen different rare metals. If they ever did end up entering a base someday, this stockpile alone would become their survival card.

As for the other manufactured goods, Nicole’s storage space was running low on capacity again and badly needed expanding. 1

There would always be more supplies out there than they could possibly take. Even if they grabbed the best stuff, they still had to leave something behind for other survivors.

By the time they left the factory, sunset had painted the sky gold and orange. The heat eased slightly as they climbed back onto the motorboat and headed home.

Night had just fallen when they returned to the apartment complex.

Hughie and the others had spent the entire day roasting in the heat. They had taken Poppy and Cola up to the rooftop for fresh air. The second they spotted Zeph and Nicole returning, they hurried downstairs.

Then, they immediately stopped short.

“Whoa, where’d you two go?” Hughie asked, pinching his nose as he backed away.

The smell of sweat clung to them so heavily that it could’ve peeled paint.

Cola, meanwhile, couldn’t have cared less. He launched himself happily at Nicole.

The second Nicole closed the apartment door, she disappeared into the storage space for a shower,

scrubbing herself clean from head to toe.

After resting long enough to recover some energy, she brought out a lavish dinner of chicken, ribs,

spinach, and rice.

“Come eat,” she called to Zeph and Poppy.

The moment Poppy tasted the food, her eyes curved into happy crescents. “Nicole, this is so good!”

Cola immediately puffed out his chest proudly, knowing his human cooked way better than Zeph ever did.

After dinner, Nicole secretly slipped Poppy and Cola slices of watermelon.

“Take it into the room,” she whispered. “Don’t let anyone see.”

The two obediently trotted off and shut the door behind them, perfectly content.

On the way back earlier, they had passed a professional salvage team loaded down with supplies. Their motorboats and inflatable rafts were piled high with mud-covered goods.

Judging from the shapes, most of it looked like clothing and fabric. They had probably raided a garment factory

Which meant tomorrow’s supply run couldn’t wait. They needed to stay ahead of everyone else.

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