The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 542

Chapter 542

The mastiff refused to give up and came back every day.

Cola already had plenty of followers, and Nicole had drilled the rules into him.

“Cola, you’re not allowed to leave the house without permission. Someone could lure you away or poison you. Then you’d never get to eat meat or play with us again.”

No matter how persistent the mastiff was, Cola never crossed the boundaries Nicole had set for him. He occasionally sparred with the other dog, but he always knew when to stop.

As long as the mastiff didn’t provoke him, Cola played fair.

One day, Nicole took Cola out for a walk, and the mastiff eagerly trailed after them. He was the very definition of a devoted lackey.

“Nicole.”

A voice suddenly called out from behind her.

Irene stood a short distance away, watching her hesitantly with a complicated expression.

Nicole frowned. “What do you want?”

Irene took a deep breath and asked nervously, “Did you grow up in an orphanage? Did you have a crystal pendant?”

Nicole stared at Irene, her gaze turning sharp and cold. The intensity of that stare made Irene deeply uneasy.

“Woof!” Cola bared his teeth and lowered himself into an attack stance.

“Woof!” The mastiff immediately followed his lead, looking ten times more intimidating than Cola.

Irene went pale and stumbled back several steps.

“Once you say certain things, there are consequences.” Nicole’s voice turned cold. “If you can’t handle them, then some secrets are better taken to the grave.”

Irene stared after her in shock, her mouth hanging open.

Nicole turned away and strode off without looking back.

Irene clutched her chest. It felt as though a dull blade were slowly sawing through her heart, leaving her barely able to breathe.

She watched Nicole disappear into the distance.

As the days passed, Nicole gave Beatrice several more doses of medicine.

Once Beatrice’s condition improved, she went back to work.

She still tired easily, and Nicole considered telling her to rest a little longer. But staying cooped up alone in that cramped apartment all day would only make her depression worse, so Nicole said nothing.

Instead, she asked Sven to find her a pair of boxing gloves.

The moment Beatrice saw the brand-new gloves, all the emotions she had kept bottled up finally burst free. She threw her arms around Nicole and broke down sobbing.

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Nicole patted her on the shoulder. “It’s alright. We have to keep moving forward. We’ll make it through these disasters.”

Nicole didn’t know whether Beatrice had survived in her previous life, but she hoped she would make it to the end

this time.

At first, Beatrice was treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. Later, medicinal herbs were used to help her recover, and the damage caused by the miscarriage gradually began to heal.

The herbs were technically added to her tab, but compared to what a middleman would’ve charged, Nicole was practically giving them away.

Hughie and the others no longer had to trade large amounts of supplies for medicine, so they were able to save the extra income they earned from patrol duty. Their difficult living conditions improved quickly.

Before long, both couples moved out of the slums and found better housing.

They relocated closer to the center of the new district. The rent was three times higher, but each couple had their own apartment, finally giving them some privacy. They no longer had to hug or kiss in front of the other couple, much less do anything more intimate.

Their apartments were still right next door to each other, so they could continue looking out for one another.

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