The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71

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However, even getting rejected by a dog didn’t shake Zeph. He bent down and spoke calmly to Cola.

“You’re smart, and you’re already strong. But the world out there is bad. If you want to protect yourself and the people you care about, you need to get stronger.”

Nicole rubbed Cola’s head, smoothing things over. “Yeah, Cola. You’ll protect me, right?”

Cola’s eyes flicked between the two of them.

He liked Nicole. He liked the people on this floor, too. They had just fed him pork stew earlier. If he didn’t get stronger, would he end up in a pot someday?

After a moment, he gave in. He leaned into Nicole, pressing his head against her.

He would protect her. She couldn’t abandon him!

Nicole smiled softly. “Don’t worry. We’re just one wall apart. You’ll still see me all the time.”

Back at her place, she grabbed half a bag of kibble and handed it to Zeph. “Cola’s smart, but he holds grudges. He’s stubborn, too. If he doesn’t behave, don’t hit him or yell at him. Just tell me.”

Zeph gave a faint, amused look. “What do you think I am?”

Nicole handed over Cola, while Zeph handed over Poppy.

The little girl was thrilled.

Cola… Not so much. He looked miserable.

After the exchange, Nicole went back inside and opened Poppy’s backpack.

Inside were children’s books, some basic learning materials, and a few drawing supplies. Everything looked pieced together.

“Have you ever been to preschool?” Nicole asked.

Poppy shook her head, fiddling with her fingers. “No.”

She was almost five, and she had never gone to school.

Poppy’s mood dropped the moment it came up.

“Nicole, am I dumb?” She lowered her head. “Everyone else goes to school. I don’t.”

Nicole shook her head immediately. “You’re not dumb. You’re really smart.”

She wasn’t a teacher, but she had been tutoring since middle school. She could practically recite the senior-year textbooks by heart.

She had never taught kids this young, but it wasn’t hard.

Nicole flipped through the books and started simple.

Numbers first.

One, two, three… All the way to ten, then eleven through twenty.

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Not just writing, but patterns, too.

Poppy caught on fast. She had never gone to school, but she had picked things up from TV and daily life. At her age, it didn’t take much. She sat there quietly, working through it.

Zeph had prepared well. There was a pencil case with everything she needed: pencils, erasers, all of it.

In less than half an hour, Poppy was writing numbers up to 100 from memory.

Nicole handed her a piece of candy. “Good job. That was great.”

After math came reading, starting with basic phonics.

Smart kids pick things up quickly.

After explaining it once, Nicole gave Poppy some homework and leaned back on the couch, reading up on hydroponics. She wanted to figure it out as soon as possible.

Poppy finished her work but didn’t leave. She stayed, petting Ash and Snowy while reciting sounds under her breath.

When Zeph didn’t come get her, Nicole made some instant noodles with hot dogs.

The kid was thrilled.

After a nap, Nicole vaguely heard the sound of a dog sprinting.

When she opened the door, Cola was sprinting back and forth down the hallway toward the rooftop stairs, moving so fast that he was almost a blur.

Zeph stood nearby, serious, giving hand signals.

Even when Cola wanted to run over to Nicole, the signals kept coming. So he kept running, back and forth.

Nicole frowned, worried Zeph might push the dog too far.

Fifty laps later, Zeph finally signaled him to stop. Cola stood there, panting hard, his tongue hanging out, but his eyes were bright.

“Don’t worry,” Zeph said. “This breed thrives on activity. They can run 30 miles a day. If you don’t let him burn energy, it’ll build up.

Then he crouched down and patted Cola’s head.

“Good boy.”

Since training was done, he offered a strip of jerky as a reward.

Cola didn’t eat it. He picked it up and carried it straight to Nicole.

He looked like he was saying, “Human, I earned this. It’s yours!”

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