The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 635

Chapter 635

Nicole handed Valerie the cough syrup.

“This helps with coughing. Have Dr. Jones try some.”

She was about to leave, but curiosity got the better of her.

“I’m Dr. Jones’s student. Are you his wife?”

Valerie froze for a moment, then quickly explained, “No, you’ve got the wrong idea. Dr. Jones is like an older brother to me.”

The answer fit the melodramatic situation almost too perfectly.

Nicole couldn’t help wondering whether Howard was supposed to be the devoted second lead or one of the many unlucky men destined to fall for Valerie.

For the sake of their teacher-student bond, Nicole briefly considered going inside and knocking some sense into Howard. Valerie clearly belonged with Jason, and getting involved with her could only end badly. 2

In the end, she kept those thoughts to herself and left.

Several days after recovering, Nicole, Zeph, and Cola still showed no signs of relapse, while Poppy continued to improve steadily.

They had gone into the illness well prepared, but it had still taken a toll on them. All of them felt noticeably weaker than before, and even light exercise left them short of breath. It would take some time for their strength to fully return.

Behind closed doors, they ate chicken soup, eggs, meat, and other protein-rich foods to help rebuild their strength.

The government had sent food supplies, but most meals were little more than watery soup with a few grains and dried vegetables thrown in. With new patients arriving every day, there was no telling how much of it actually reached the doctors.

The smog virus had already claimed many medical workers. Even those who survived were often left badly weakened.

Mitchell bent the rules to get Nicole’s family admitted and treated, while Wesley worked around the clock developing the medicine.

Remembering that, Nicole and Zeph drove out and returned a few hours later.

They came back with 200 pounds of stored rice, a supply of cured fish and meat, and several kinds of beans that had been ground into powder so they could be cooked more easily.

Nicole donated everything to the research institute in her family’s name as thanks for saving their lives. Whether the staff kept the food for themselves or shared it with patients was up to them.

It was simply her way of repaying them. If she had never met Mitchell, and if the institute hadn’t taken in her family, there was no telling whether any of them would’ve made it through this disaster.

She also set aside ten extra eggs each for Mitchell and Howard. She heard that Wesley liked whiskey, so she had Zeph bring him a bottle as well.

Poppy recovered, too. She still looked a little pale, but compared with most people, she was doing well.

1/2

She didn’t stay idle either and joined the volunteer team.

+15 Bgnus

Ben though the three of them now had antibodies, none of them relaxed their precautions. Protective gear was still mandatory.

Nicole continued performing autopsies, but after several days without any significant new findings, she suspended the work.

After countless rounds of treatment and observation, Wesley had largely figured out how the virus attacked the liver and lungs.

Every meaningful breakthrough had come only after countless failed attempts.

Nearly a month had passed since the smog outbreak began. Even though the government had spent years stockpiling supplies, medicinal herbs were being used up far faster than anyone had expected.

Without real clinical cases to study beforehand, the research institute was forced to grow medicinal herbs based largely on past experience.

But the two ingredients that proved most effective against the smog virus, wyrmleaf and catalyne, were both rare plants that couldn’t be cultivated artificially.

They finally perfected the formula, only to realize they were running out of the two ingredients they needed most, while the number of patients continued to climb.

Every minute, more patients were suffering, holding on in the hope that lifesaving medicine would reach them before it was too late.

Wesley took off his reading glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. For a moment, tears welled in them.

He didn’t allow himself to dwell on it. Instead, he made a difficult decision.

They would turn the medicine into a highly concentrated pill, strong enough to fight the virus in a single course of

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