The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 458

Chapter 458

Each plant was spaced out, given enough room to grow and spread.

Nicole paid special attention to the wyrmleaf Zeph had identified, watching closely for any signs of mutation as it matured.

In less than a month, it felt like Oakhaven Gardens had stripped the Westbridge River bare through sheer effort. Every few days, trucks came to haul away sand.

Stone wasn’t worth transporting that far. The fuel cost was too high. Most survivors near Pinewood gathered it locally, breaking it down and carrying it to the construction sites with wheelbarrows or handcarts.

The scavenging teams had already picked the surrounding area clean. Now they had to push farther out, and more than once, it had nearly led to fights.

Without moving as a group, some of them might not have made it back.

Alex made a trip to Pinewood himself. Construction had already begun. Everywhere he looked, people were working, the whole place moving with purpose.

The government was recruiting heavily. Not just refugees, but anyone with construction experience, or simply young people willing to put in the work.

If scavenging stopped paying off, people could switch to construction to earn more points. Food and lodging were included.

The recent stretch of hard labor had paid off. They had already earned several thousand points. There was truly strength in numbers.

Construction would take at least six months, but they needed to get moving now.

Nicole and Zeph couldn’t turn in everything at once. It would draw too much attention. They agreed to spread it out, delivering materials in batches under different accounts.

A villa cost 50 thousand points. They would register that under Nicole’s name. Zeph and Poppy would each work toward getting the two-bedroom units.

With Cola riding with Nicole and Poppy with Zeph, they drove their cargo trucks to Pinewood.

Plenty of others were out collecting as well, some aiming for housing, others just trying to stay alive.

Materials were sorted by type.

Nicole handed over a full truckload of coiled steel. The metal had been soaked, then left in the black soil garden until it rusted. To make it look more natural, she had sprayed it with diluted mud using a pesticide sprayer.

Rust and dirt covered everything, making it look rough. Still, people nearby watched with envy.

The staff was surprised by the haul, but they didn’t question it. They had seen far bigger hauls before, sometimes seven or eight truckloads in a row. Those usually came from wealthy families or former business owners.

Judging by the way Nicole carried herself, the staff assumed she came from the same background.

Nicole went through the process: registration, account setup, weighing, and point calculation.

The staff member smiled. “Keep your card safe. Don’t lose it.”

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4

+15 @grius

Nicole stored it in her storage space and drove over to the tile drop-off area to meet Zeph.

Tiles were harder to unload. They had to be handled with care.

The packaging was torn and caked with dried mud, but once cleaned up, the tiles underneath were still in excellent condition. Before all this, most people wouldn’t have been able to afford them.

A warehouse worker recorded the count. “Got more? I can set aside a section for you.”

“Yeah, about three more truckloads,” Zeph replied.

The worker’s expression brightened. “Bring them in soon.”

The account setup went smoothly. The service stayed friendly. “Next time, just come straight to me. No need to wait in line.”

“Thanks.” Zeph had no intention of skipping the line.

After finishing the drop-off, they drove out to a quieter spot and had lunch.

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