The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 668

Chapter 668

Life went on like that, with Villa 50 receiving about 2.5 gallons of water a day.

Nicole tested it with pH strips and confirmed that the reading was normal.

The water had a slight taste to it. It was probably groundwater the authorities pumped up, filtered, and then distributed to residents.

Jeremy and Hughie were on water-hauling duty that day and stopped to chat for a while when they dropped off the water.

Tanker trucks delivered the water to the municipal square, where residents went each day to collect their share.

The neighborhood divided the water by household. Since both Jeremy’s and Hughie’s families had men helping with the hauling, their households ended up with a little more water per person than most.

It wasn’t until after they left that Nicole realized Villa 50 had received twice its usual amount.

There was no way the authorities gave them extra. Jeremy and Hughie must have assumed the four of them needed more water and quietly given up part of their own share.

The weather kept switching between clear skies and rain. After getting burned twice, most survivors learned their lesson and refused to go outside until the authorities officially said it was safe.

Even when they had no choice but to leave, they carried plastic sheets or wooden boards over their heads or used makeshift umbrellas.

During one brief break in the rain, the neighborhood received notice that a government crew was coming through to treat the area. Every household was told to shut all doors and windows.

They called it disinfection, but it was really meant to neutralize the soil.

After eight years of research, the Halloway agricultural research institute finally developed a fast, effective way to reduce soil acidity. The formula was shared with local governments across the region in hopes of limiting the damage from acid rain.

Land was essential for survival, so no city could afford to ignore the problem. Crews were organized almost immediately.

The treatment came in grayish-white granules that looked a lot like fertilizer and had to be spread over the ground by hand.

As the granules reacted with the acid in the soil, they gave off a sharp, unpleasant smell that became nauseating after prolonged exposure.

In the middle of the night, a violent storm suddenly rolled in. Wind howled as rain pounded against the walls.

Nicole aimed a flashlight outside and carefully watched for any changes.

At first, things weren’t too bad. People could still stay on the first floor. But once those ceilings started corroding as well, everyone crowded into the basements until there was barely enough room to stretch their legs.

And if someone farted, everyone suffered.

But the other villas weren’t the only ones having problems. Villa 50 had issues, too.

After months of acid rain and several violent windstorms, the rooftop glass enclosure was starting to fail.

The glass itself was fine. The support frame and joints were not.

This was a serious structural problem, not something they could fix with a few replacement screws

Nicole frowned, then took more glass out of the storage space and laid it across the rooftop in three overlapping layers.

Acid rain could still seep through the gaps, but with three layers of glass covering the concrete roof, it should hold up for at least another six months.

The night after they finished, Nicole was sound asleep when a loud crack suddenly woke her, followed by the crash of something heavy hitting the ground.