The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 297

Chapter 297

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Nicole stood there in a daze, watching Hughie’s group carry their things off the 18th floor and disappear down the stairwell step by step.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally lost the fight with herself and hurried to the stairs.

“Jeremy!”

The three of them stopped and turned back.

“If things don’t work out in Halloway, come back.”

Hughie and Jeremy both nodded. “No matter where we end up, you’ll always be our friend.”

She didn’t walk them out after that. She simply stood there watching until they finally disappeared from

the 18th floor and even their faint footsteps faded away.

Cola let out soft whines, brushing against Nicole from time to time.

An hour later, Zeph returned. Seeing Nicole sitting quietly on the couch, staring off into space, he walked

over and sat beside her.

“You don’t need to worry so much. They can handle themselves. I already warned them to stay alert on

the road.”

The two vehicles were supposed to keep about fifty yards between them at all times. If the lead car got ambushed or ran over spike strips, at least the second vehicle would still be operational long enough to escape or fight back.

They knew how to use crossbows, they carried guns, and they had plenty of experience working security patrols. Ordinary bandits wouldn’t be enough to take them down.

Nicole leaned lightly against Zeph’s shoulder. “I know. They’ll be alright.”

Zeph wrapped an arm around her. “Even if Jeremy and Hughie are gone, you still have me, Cola, and Poppy. We’re not going anywhere.”

In a world wrecked by natural disasters, separation and death had become almost routine.

Even so, Nicole barely slept that night. She tossed and turned for hours without the slightest trace of

drowsiness

She stayed downcast for two or three days before finally returning to normal.

Still, she couldn’t quite get used to it. The 18th floor felt too quiet now.

No more Hughie and Jeremy fooling around and laughing at the top of their lungs. No more pounding sounds from Beatrice practicing her punches.

One evening, Gabrielle came up to the rooftop to collect water. “I haven’t seen Hughie and Jeremy

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around for days. Where’d they go?”

Nicole didn’t hide it. “They left for Halloway.”

“The base?” Gabrielle looked startled, and more than a little envious.

A base was good. There were soldiers there, and supposedly, no shortage of water.

She wanted to go as well, but they required every person to hand over 50 pounds of food just to get in.

And according to rumors, the military base screened people aggressively. They didn’t just accept anyone.

The city government had even started encouraging ordinary residents with fewer resources to head toward the Jazenville base instead.

Gabrielle had lived long enough to sense the difference between the two places.

The Goodmans were scholars at heart, the kind who spent their lives bent over research in offices and laboratories. If they went to a base and failed to find suitable work, they would end up doing hard labor.

She was old, and the younger generation wasn’t made of steel either.

After thinking it over again and again, she decided staying in Westbridge made more sense. Derek and Victor worked around the clock on research projects, but at least the government still valued their expertise, and the compensation remained decent enough.

At the same time, news spread that the city government had started taking over Steelport, machinery plants, glass factories, construction material plants, and more.

In short, abandoned factories were seized outright. Privately owned ones were forcibly requisitioned.

As for compensation, ordinary people had no idea what that even looked like anymore.

Nicole found it surprising how quickly the government moved. Were they already preparing for the

massive earthquake still to come?

They weren’t just stockpiling construction materials and taking over factories. They were requisitioning farmland as well, planning to build large greenhouse facilities and expand food production on a massive scale while recruiting huge numbers of farmers and laborers.

Seeing the government act so aggressively reignited hope among the survivors.

The extreme heat was miserable, but people still believed their homes could someday be rebuilt.

Large crowds rushed to apply for jobs. Some carried hope for the future. Others simply wanted enough food and water to survive. Maybe they wouldn’t eat well, but at least they wouldn’t starve to death.

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