The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 526

Chapter 526

Although the two new districts were working to rebuild ties, they were still some distance apart. The area between them remained unstable, and traveling back and forth came with plenty of risks.

Mitchell knew what Nicole was capable of, so he readily accepted her offer.

The Grayport alternative medicine research institute was much larger than the temporary center in Westbridge.

As the Hummer pulled up outside, Nicole saw someone leaving with an armful of medicinal plants/Their cooperative growing program seemed to be going well.

“Nicole, we never would’ve come up with this approach if you hadn’t gotten things started.” Mitchell was in high spirits. “I spend most of my time here, so whenever you need anything, you can come straight to the institute.”

“Thank you, Dr. Chapman. I’ll probably be coming by often from now on. I just hope you don’t get tired of seeing

me.”

Mitchell would never mind. In fact, he wished there were more people like Nicole.

Training a highly skilled practitioner of alternative medicine took years. The apocalypse had already claimed the lives of countless doctors, and few things were more alarming than the possibility of losing an entire generation of medical expertise.

He pulled an old book from his bag.

“My mentor gave me this many years ago. It’s been out of print for decades. It contains records of rare and difficult illnesses treated by alternative medicine over the centuries, along with the methods used to treat them. I’m lending it to you so you can study it carefully. Take good care of it.”

The thick volume had yellowed with age. Its worn pages showed how often it had been read, making its value even more obvious.

Nicole was deeply honored. “Thank you.”

Mitchell’s mentor was probably the elderly professor who had developed the treatment for the liver and lung infections caused by the smog. Nicole hoped she would have the chance to meet him someday.

After waving goodbye, Nicole drove back toward Westbridge.

She had barely crossed into Westbridge when someone suddenly darted into the road.

There was no time to brake. The Hummer slammed into him with a heavy thud and sent him flying. He hit the ground and lay motionless.

Seriously? Were people still staging accidents for compensation during the apocalypse?

The impact left Nicole slightly shaken, but she didn’t get out to check on him. Instead, she drew her gun and cautiously scanned the surrounding area.

A man came sprinting toward her from nearby. He moved with remarkable speed, wore an armband identifying him as a security patrol officer, and carried a riot baton.

He froze when he saw the man lying in a pool of blood, then crouched beside him to check for signs of life.

The man was barely breathing and clearly beyond saving.

The patrolman took the cloth bag still clutched in the man’s hand, dragged the body to the side of the road, then

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turned to Nicole and motioned for her to get out of the vehicle.

The moment Nicole saw the man standing outside her window, her mind went blank.

Their eyes met, and they both froze.

Nicole opened the door.

The man’s face first lit up with joy, then filled with a complicated mix of emotions. A moment later, he rushed forward and pulled her into his arms.

“Nicole!”

Nicole never expected to run into Hughie under circumstances like these.

She almost failed to recognize him. After two years apart, Hughie looked like a completely different person.

His once-pale, delicate skin, softer than most girls’, had become rough and deeply tanned. A scar now ran along one side of his face. His once-pretty features had hardened, giving him a rugged appearance.

Nicole, by contrast, barely changed. If anything, she was even more beautiful than before. Her clean, confident appearance now carried an added hint of glamour and sensuality.

They once started out in the same place, but now that they had met again, the distance between their lives seemed impossible to measure.

“What are you doing here?”

Nicole was still overwhelmed with joy at seeing him again.

“Zeph and I went to Mount Cedar a few months ago. We even looked for you at the military base, but they said they had no record of you. We thought you might’ve gone to the government base in Jazenville,” she said.

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