The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 748

Nicole tried to shake off the feeling. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

Back at the house, Zeph started going through the submarine manual.

It was a mid-sized submarine built to handle rough conditions in deep water. It had a docking system and multiple control stations, and in a major emergency, two people would need to work together to operate it properly.

There was no guarantee they would always stay together, especially during a disaster. Nicole made up her mind right away.

"Since the training is included, Poppy and Cola are coming, too."

Cola barked in agreement.

Zeph read through the manual several times, pulled out the key instructions and safety precautions, then went over everything with Nicole, Poppy, and Cola.

The submarine was docked at a deep-water port inside a restricted military zone, well beyond civilian access.

That meant they had to schedule each training session in advance, and the military would send someone to pick them up.

They got up early, ate breakfast, packed some food for the day, and headed out with Cola.

At the entrance to Zone B, they waited about ten minutes before a military SUV pulled up. The window rolled down, revealing Simon, whom they had met before.

Simon smiled. "Hello, Mr. Dawson, Ms. Floyd."

Zeph frowned. "You're here to pick us up?"

"One of the submarine instructors was supposed to come," Simon explained, "but after you brought back all that rare metal and helped solve the shortage at the factories, Commander Hunt decided he wanted to thank you himself."

Nicole frowned. "It was a trade. You gave us points, and we gave you the metals. There's nothing to thank us for."

Simon didn't argue. "Get in. I'm just following orders."

Of course. The exact thing Nicole had wanted to avoid had happened. They had drawn attention anyway.

Her good mood disappeared. Apparently, keeping a low profile was harder than it looked.

So while she still had a place in his family and people still saw her as his woman, she needed to get Camila married. At least then, they would have someone else to rely on.

She had barely stepped outside when Camila came rushing toward her.

Irene frowned. "You're a senior officer's daughter. Can you at least try to keep your composure in public?"

Camila ignored that and pulled her back inside. "Nicole just got into Dad's personal SUV!"

Irene froze. "What?"

"Dad's car. It came all the way to the neighborhood entrance just to pick her up, then drove off with her."

Irene stood there stunned for several seconds before pulling herself together. "Calm down. She's only been at the base for a few days. How could she already know your father?"

Camila was nowhere near calm. "He's always been distant with us. What if he already knows the truth?"