The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 616

Chapter 616

Mitchell’s office was simple. His clothes and bedding were piled in one corner, and the room was a little cluttered, making it obvious that he practically Hved there.

Nicole hadn’t brought only medicinal herbs. She also brought him a bottle of well-aged whiskey.

Whiskey kept for years as long as the bottle remained sealed, but she deliberately scuffed up the label and box to make it look like it had been stored away for a long time.

Knowing Mitchell might refuse it, Nicole had already prepared an excuse.

“Dr. Chapman, I never gave you anything when I first started learning from you. Consider this a long-overdue thank-you, so don’t try to give it back.”

Whiskey couldn’t fill anyone’s stomach, but it was still a rare luxury. Mitchell knew exactly how valuable it was and immediately tried to refuse.

Nicole waved him off. “It’s not a bribe. It’s just a gift from a student to her teacher. Save it for a special occasion, or have a little when you finally get a chance to relax.”

It was a full-size bottle, enough for Mitchell to share with a few colleagues if he wanted.

Mitchell couldn’t talk her out of it and finally accepted. He hadn’t seen whiskey this good in years. That particular label was expensive even before the apocalypse. Now, it was practically impossible to find.

The last time Mitchell had tasted whiskey was two years ago at his mentor’s place, and even then, it was cheap stuff. Now that he had something this good, he was already thinking about saving some to share with the old man.

Mitchell led Nicole and Zeph to the records room so she could copy the materials she needed.

The disasters had struck so suddenly that although the institute managed to save a large amount of valuable research at first, much of it had been lost as conditions steadily worsened. If Nicole hadn’t given them that scanning pen, they wouldn’t have preserved nearly as many digital copies as they had.

Even so, the computers were battered and barely hanging on, looking as though they might die for good at any moment.

It was rare to meet someone who wasn’t completely consumed with day-to-day survival and still had the energy to study.

Mitchell was happy to give Nicole whatever he could. Every extra copy meant one more chance that the knowledge would

survive.

Nicole had come prepared with several high-capacity flash drives. If the institute was willing to share the files, she was more than willing to take everything they had.

The battered computer froze over and over, but eventually, every one of her drives was full.

To thank them, Nicole pulled a gently used laptop from her bag.

“Dr. Chapman, I had someone find this for me. It still works pretty well, and I figured the institute could use it, so I brought along.”

The institute genuinely needed it, so Mitchell accepted it without much argument.

Then he took her to meet Howard Jones, the colleague who worked as a surgeon before the medical system collapsed.

Howard wasn’t particularly old, only in his thirties. Back at the hospital, his coworkers jokingly called him the Fat Angel.

Surgeons worked brutal hours. Emergency cases, complicated procedures, or several operations in a row could keep them on their feet for ten or twenty hours at a stretch. Meals happened whenever there was time, so no matter how hard Howard had tried, he was never able to lose much weight.

1/2

Now, he was almost painfully thin.

+15 Bonus

The moment Howard heard that Nicole had been teaching herself surgery, he was immediately interested, and the two of them started talking shop.

An amateur might not know what to look for, but a professional did.

When Howard learned that Nicple had stitched wounds, removed bullets, and even performed an emergency C-section, he nearly winced. She had exactly the kind of nerve that came from not knowing enough to realize how dangerous some of those procedures were.

She clearly understood the fundamentals, just not much beyond them.

Still, the more Howard listened, the more impressed he became. She hadn’t made any serious mistakes. She was daring, but she was careful, too.

He decided to test her suturing skills on the spot and handed her a piece of cowhide.

Given how dangerous the outside world was, Nicole always carried a basic surgical kit for emergencies. She took it out without hesitation and began stitching the cowhide right there.

After years of practicing on pork, the movements had become second nature. She could practically do it with her eyes closed, and the stitches she produced were neat and even.

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