The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 541

Chapter 541

Marcus waved dismissively. “A bet’s a bet. You don’t owe me anything else.”

Nicole almost rolled her eyes. “I never made a bet with you. Besides, your dog already paid the price.”

Accepting a favor meant owing one in return. Nicole wasn’t about to take something this valuable without making the terms clear. That would only invite trouble later.

As long as Marcus refused to name his price, she wouldn’t accept the suits.

“Come on. Is this really necessary?” Marcus asked, exasperated. “Do you honestly think my family needs anything from you?”

Nicole smiled. “Then why are you trying so hard to get close to us if you already have everything?”

“Now you’re making it sound weird. We’re friends.”

“Even close friends keep their debts straight. I don’t make friends with people whose motives I’don’t understand.

Marcus was left speechless, his face turning red.

After thinking it over for a long moment, he finally said, “You don’t have to give me any supplies. Just consider it a favor you owe the Robinsons. You can repay it someday if the opportunity comes up. If it doesn’t, then forget it.”

“No. What if you ask me to kill someone or set a building on fire?”

Marcus nearly choked. “We have plenty of bodyguards. If we wanted someone dead or a building burned down, we wouldn’t need you to do it!”

Nicole still wasn’t convinced. She closed the door and went upstairs to find Zeph.

After thinking it over, Zeph said, “The Robinsons probably don’t know about your storage space. They likely think we have powerful connections, so they’re trying to build a relationship with us and keep another option open.”

The apocalypse was brutally practical. If you were capable enough, people would naturally go out of their way to get close to you.

Sometimes, one useful piece of information or a small favor from the right person could bring enormous benefits or even save your life.

Nicole had come to the same conclusion. “So, should we take the radiation suits?”

“Yes,” Zeph said after weighing the situation. “If you refuse, the Robinsons will just find some other way to approach us. It’s better to accept the suits and put their minds at ease. It might buy you some peace and quiet, too.

“Alright. I’ll take your advice.”

Otherwise, the Robinsons would never leave them alone.

Nicole went back downstairs and accepted the radiation suits. “Thanks.”

Marcus smiled, oddly pleased.

Maybe he finally realized that every encounter with Villa 50 ended badly for him, because once he made the connection he wanted, he left unusually quickly.

1/2

+15 Bonus

What annoyed Nicole was that while Marcus stopped showing up on purpose, his dog started coming instead.

The mastiff appeared outside the gate every day and barked twice.

Dogs had different kinds of barks, and this one didn’t sound aggressive. It sounded more like he was calling for

someone.

Nicole couldn’t understand dog language, so she decided to let them work it out themselves.

She opened the gate and let Cola out.

Cola shot through the gate and immediately knocked the mastiff to the ground. 1

Despite his size, the mastiff didn’t fight back. Instead, he flattened himself against the pavement with all four legs tucked beneath him.

Nicole stared. “Did he come here to surrender and join Cola?”

It was the apocalypse. Even people banded together for protection, and dogs were naturally pack animals.

Zeph thought about it. “Probably.”

No matter how fiercely Cola growled or how hard he pawed at him, the mastiff refused to fight back. He even rolled onto his back and exposed his belly.

Nicole understood that gesture. It was a clear sign of submission.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify