The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 730

Going solo wasn't realistic, so Marcus swallowed his pride and joined a scavenger team.

He thought he had picked a strong group, only to find out there was always someone tougher and even more desperate. People were willing to risk their lives over piles of scrap metal.

His team eventually got into a fight with another group. If Marcus hadn't dropped to the ground and played dead, he probably would've been stabbed to death.

All over a pile of worthless junk.

Once, he bought private planes and yachts without thinking twice. He even spent seven figures on a pink diamond without blinking.

Now, he was risking his life over scrap metal.

"Haha... Hahaha..."

The absurdity of it suddenly hit him, and Marcus started laughing. Before he knew it, the laughter turned into tears.

Marcus couldn't believe he had actually broken down crying in front of Nicole. The embarrassment only made him feel worse.

But disasters didn't care that he was once the son of the richest man in the city. Without Eric's protection, he went from living at the top to struggling at the bottom like everyone else.

No matter how hard the fall was, he still had to find a way to get back on his feet.

Sometimes, Marcus wanted to just lie down, close his eyes, and give up.

But then he remembered what Eric told him, and he couldn't bring himself to die.

He wasn't living just for himself anymore. He had to keep going for the Robinsons.

The problem was, he had no idea where to go from here. No matter how hard he tried, a decent life still felt impossibly far away.

Finally, overwhelmed and at a loss, Marcus blurted out, "What am I supposed to do?"

Nicole looked at him and felt a headache coming on.

His car was sitting right inside her storage space. She couldn't exactly stand by and watch him get himself killed.

Still, Nicole told herself this would be the last time she helped him. If he brought up that damn car again, even she wasn't sure how much patience she would have left.

She took a deep breath and pushed the irritation aside.

"Scavenging doesn't suit you, and you're not cut out for heavy labor either. Later, I'll have Zeph give you some private training so you can pass the military assessment.

"Your best chance of surviving the natural disasters is to join the military and become part of the Ark Project. If Eric were here, I'm sure he'd want the same thing for you."

Once Marcus joined the military and spent every day getting worked to the bone, maybe he would finally stop obsessing over that stupid car.

Rich kids really did know how to work an angle.

Still, she already offered to help. She couldn't take it back now.

Zeph could show Marcus what to do, but the rest was up to him. Zeph had no patience for anyone who couldn't keep up, so if Marcus fell behind, that was his problem.

Nicole pointed to several boxes in the corner.

"That's the extra medicine you gave me back then. I'm giving it back to you. Don't forget to take it when you leave."

He had already gotten a free meal out of them. She had no intention of letting that become a habit.

And if he brought up that damn car again, she really was going to lose her temper.

Marcus stared at the boxes.

He gave the medicine away, and now, he was taking it back. It was humiliating.

But his life was a mess, and he genuinely needed it.

Back then, he left the villa district early but still got caught in the sandstorm. Luckily, he wasn't directly in its path. Otherwise, both he and his vehicle might have been swept away.