The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 751

Arthur's eyes warmed at Nicole's concern.

Maybe because he seemed so approachable and sincere, Nicole added without thinking, "Don't brush it off. You need to stay healthy if you want to keep serving the country and its people."

She genuinely admired people like him; people who devoted their lives to serving their country.

The base was enormous, practically the size of a county. Keeping a place like that running wasn't a responsibility just anyone could handle.

There weren't many people Nicole truly admired. Alex, Mitchell, Wesley, and now, considering how well Arthur ran the base, probably Arthur, too.

Arthur nodded. "Alright. I'll get myself checked out."

Nicole paused. Something about the way he said that sounded a little strange, but she couldn't figure out why.

She opened the door and left.

Seeing that Zeph, Poppy, and Cola were all perfectly fine, Nicole finally relaxed.

Trevor escorted them downstairs, where an instructor from the submarine unit was already waiting. The instructor drove the four of them away.

When Trevor returned upstairs, he found Arthur standing by the window, watching Nicole and the others disappear into the distance.

An important meeting was coming up, so Trevor reminded Arthur about it before mentioning a personal matter.

"Commander Hunt, Ms. Wallace contacted me earlier to ask about your health."

Arthur looked thoughtful. "Just my health?"

"She said the weather's been unpredictable lately and worried you didn't have enough clean clothes. She wanted to bring some over, but she was afraid she'd get in the way of your work."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her you were in a meeting and would be inspecting the military factories afterward, while I handled the scavenger commendations for you. Family members aren't allowed into restricted military areas without prior approval."

Arthur didn't say anything else. He turned and headed out for the meeting.

Then, remembering what Nicole had said, he added, "Make me a doctor's appointment. I want a physical."

Trevor froze.

"He did. My family, how I grew up, my background, things like that."

Arthur had also said something strange. He told Zeph that he and Nicole seemed like a good match and hoped they would keep looking out for each other through the apocalypse.

Knowing Zeph had been questioned too made Nicole feel a little better, but something still felt off.

"He asked if I wanted to enlist," she said. "When I said no, he gave me his private contact information."

If anyone else had acted that strangely, she might've blamed the apocalypse for making people a little weird.

But Arthur was a senior officer of the military base. Why would someone in his position say things like that?

Being approachable was one thing. This felt different.

Nicole wondered if he was still suspicious of her. Maybe all that concern and friendliness was just an attempt to get her to lower her guard.

But Arthur had been through more crises than most people could imagine, and the emotion she saw in him seemed genuine.

That was what made the whole thing even harder to understand.