The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 470

Chapter 470

If they ran into danger, Nicole could pull everyone, rope and all, into her storage space at once.

They climbed over rocks, crossed streams, stepped onto soft ground, and watched loose dirt cave in while stones tumbled down the slopes. Two tense hours later, they reached the depths of the valley without any real danger

Compared with five years later, the valley looked withered and desolate, with almost no green in sight.

Zeph grew worried. Finding the herb five years later didn’t mean they could find it now. It might not have sprouted yet.

He searched the area, but found nothing.

Nicole scanned the ground as well. “Don’t rush. We’ll take our time.”

They used trekking poles to push through dead leaves and weeds, searching for tiny green shoots that would be easy to miss.

Two hours later, Nicole spotted a short seedling that looked almost exactly like wyrmleaf.

After checking it again and again, she and Zeph were sure. It was wyrmleaf, a seedling that had only recently broken through the soil.

Nicole took out a small shovel and dug it up with the surrounding soil.

“There’s one here, too!” Poppy’s voice brightened with excitement.

“Woof, woof!” Not to be outdone, Cola barked at a patch of weeds.

They searched the valley carefully and found 12 wyrmleaf plants in total.

Too bad Mount Graypine didn’t have any. Otherwise, Nicole could have given half to Mitchell’s team.

Of course, she hadn’t forgotten the real reason they had come to Mount Cedar.

Back then, Zeph’s team had found wyrmleaf without much trouble as well, but real danger came afterward.

The other herb grew near the summit, where clouds and mist lingered year-round.

Mount Cedar stood about 6,500 feet high. The climb was steep and dangerous. Even before the apocalypse, a strong hiker needed eight hours to reach the summit by trail.

That was before the earthquake.

Last time, it had taken Zeph’s team two full days to climb up. Since they were already here, turning back wasn’t an option.

Zeph was even more tense than he had been last time. These were the most important people in his life. He couldn’t let anything happen to them.

He led the way, with Poppy behind him, then Nicole, then Cola.

The trail ended without warning. A whole stretch of path had collapsed.

The slope ahead was almost vertical. They took out a grappling hook, secured it around a dead tree, and climbed carefully.

None of them were weak, but the climb still drained them. They could only make progress a little at a time,

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stopping often to catch their breath.

Every stretch of the climb brought a new hazard. After an entire day of climbing, they had only made it halfway up the mountain.

Nicole brought out a lavish spread, packed with enough calories to keep them going. They had just finished eating and were about to move on when Cola suddenly let out a sharp bark.

Something was tearing down the mountain above them.

Zeph’s expression changed. “Falling rocks!”

Nicole looked up. She still couldn’t see anything, but the rumble was getting louder, rolling toward them fast.

“Move!”

The last time, one of his team members had been crushed in a rockslide. Zeph reacted on instinct and grabbed Poppy beside him.

The rockslide hit almost instantly.

At the last possible second, Nicole pulled all of them, rope included, into her storage space.

Zeph reacted just as quickly, pressing Poppy’s head against his chest. “It’s okay. Close your eyes.’

Poppy was used to obeying him. Her eyes snapped shut.

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