The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 734

Nicole and Zeph would each handle one side of the road. Poppy and Cola would take a back route and circle around ahead of the ambush, then Poppy would drive the truck they had hidden earlier toward them at the agreed time.

Everyone knew their role. Nicole quietly doubled back, slipped in behind the ambushers, and found a well-covered position.

Right on schedule, Poppy appeared at the far end of the road and slowly drove the truck toward them.

The people hiding on both sides immediately perked up.

"Dean, that's the truck. They're back."

The truck crawled along, and the bed looked loaded. They had obviously come back with another big haul.

If the Cyclone Crew pulled this off, the cargo would be worth a lot of points, enough to keep them supplied for months.

Life had only gotten harder. None of them had eaten a decent meal in months, and most of the crew barely had any strength left. Just thinking about getting their hands on that haul made them eager to move.

It was time. They were going all in.

Every pair of eyes stayed locked on the approaching truck. None of them noticed that while they watched their target, someone else was watching them.

Their backs were completely exposed, and anticipation showed on every face. None of them realized the trap had already closed around them.

At the agreed time, Zeph and Nicole opened fire at the same moment.

The suppressors muffled the shots to little more than soft pops.

Once Nicole made her move, she didn't plan to leave anyone behind. One by one, the men dropped as bullets struck them from behind.

Kai stared through his binoculars and suddenly frowned.

"Dean, I think the driver's a little girl. She's wearing a mask, and there's a dog next to her. Something's not right…"

Before he could finish, Dean collapsed against him, warm blood spilling down his body.

"Dean... Damn it, it's an amb…"

Once they were sure the road was clear, Nicole sent Poppy and Cola out to keep watch, then brought out the two trucks loaded with rare metals.

She also brought the bodies back out, removed anything that could identify them, and poured several buckets of acid rain over them.

She collected the acid rain back at the villa community. It was highly corrosive, and before long, the bodies were damaged beyond recognition.

The smell was unbearable, so they had to wear respirators.

Once everything was taken care of, Nicole and Zeph drove off in the trucks and picked up Poppy and Cola along the way.

The rest of the drive back was uneventful. Even so, none of them relaxed until they entered the military base's surveillance zone.

They tried to keep a low profile, but the base was full of scavengers. Two fully loaded trucks rolling into the trading center still drew plenty of attention, and eyes followed them from every direction.

People could be as jealous as they wanted. Inside the military base, no one was stupid enough to cause trouble.

The military didn't hesitate to execute anyone who broke the rules, and they had already made examples of plenty of people. That was exactly why the base stayed peaceful.