The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 393

Chapter 393

Zeph didn’t dodge the question. After a moment, he said, “Next time you have class, you can play with them. Half an hour. That’s it.”

Poppy’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Zeph!”

“When you’re with them, don’t talk about anything at home, especially what we eat or how we live. If they keep asking or steer things that way, stop talking to them.”

Poppy nodded. “Got it.”

They washed up and sat down to eat.

The heat made it easy to get sick, so Nicole made a simple meal: bean soup, meatballs, and vegetables. Everything had been cooked earlier, so there was no need to use the stove again.

Zeph had only worked half a day and spent the afternoon resting at home.

During their nap, he brought up his assessment. “From what I saw today, they’re lacking in skill, but overall, they’re decent. They work together.”

Nicole agreed. “That’s because of Alex.”

If things held, this would become their new home.

They woke after 3 p.m. and made a list of what they still needed.

Nicole planned to head to the trading street that night and try to fill the gaps,

Thinking about trading made her think of Weasel and Sven.

Weasel moved around a lot, but the tsunami had come without warning. There was no way to know if he had been near Grayport when it hit.

As for Sven, they had planned to meet at the time. He was much more likely to have been by the coast. If he had run into the wave, what were his chances?

Nicole felt a flicker of regret. Without his help, her storage space would never have grown this fast.

But this world worked like that. One moment, someone was there, and the next, they were gone.

As the sun went down, Nicole got ready to leave.

Zeph hesitated. “Want me to come with you?”

She shook her head. “It’s not far. Less than an hour by bike. You stay and rest.”

Rest meant training Cola and teaching Poppy how to read.

Zeph walked her downstairs. “Be careful.”

“Don’t worry. If I can’t win, I’ll run.”

She got on the bike and rode off.

The trading street was about ten miles away. Even with temperature-regulating clothing, it was still hot, but manageable.

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As the sun dropped, the danger came with it.

Two men suddenly rushed out from behind a tree, swinging sticks at her back. If she hadn’t caught that, she wouldn’t have survived this long.

Nicole pushed hard on the pedals, and the strike missed, nearly throwing one of them off balance.

They had been close, and seeing her speed wasn’t that high, the two men chased after her.

Victor’s bike was sturdy and easy to handle. Nicole shifted her pace, speeding up and slowing down as she pleased, while the men behind her grew more and more exhausted.

Even after sunset, the temperature barely dropped, the air still burning like a hot pan.

Running only made it worse. With every step, pressure built in their chests. Before long, one of them collapsed. Whether he got back up, Nicole didn’t check. No one followed after that.

By the time she reached the trading street, it was fully dark.

There were more people than before. It had been the right call not to bring the Hummer. That would have drawn too much attention.

She slipped into a quiet corner and used the darkness to store the bike.

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