The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 839

Chapter 839

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Chapter 839

After a full day and night of chasing Nicole’s submarine, the Ardelonian crews were exhausted and starting to lose their composure.

Several times, they accelerated and tried to ram submarine 2688 from behind. Each time, Zeph and Nicole steered clear, leaving their pursuers increasingly frustrated.

Then the submarine detected a sudden change in the currents. Warning lights flashed across the controls.

Zeph’s expression tightened. “We’ve got trouble. I think there’s a vortex ahead.”

Sawyer once warned Nicole about underwater vortices. When powerful currents met under the right conditions, they could create a swirling mass of water capable of dragging a vessel off course.

Their strength and size varied enormously. Some measured less than three feet across, while others stretched hundreds of feet wide.

Getting caught in a large one could be catastrophic. Regions like the Blackwater Triangle were notorious for unexplained disappearances, with hundreds of ships and planes reportedly lost in those waters.

The tectonic collision reshaped the seafloor, leaving the ocean even more treacherous. The farther they traveled, the less predictable the currents and weather became.

Above them, thunder rolled and lightning flashed through the gathering storm. Below, powerful currents collided, feeding the growing vortex.

The alarm shrieked. Zeph watched the controls, his jaw tight.

“We need to turn now, or it’ll pull us in.”

Poppy shouted from the stern. “Zeph! Nicole! They’re speeding up again! They’re gonna ram us!”

The Ardelonians were desperate enough to risk it.

Nicole was ready to take a gamble of her own. She gritted her teeth.

“Keep going!”

Whatever happened next, they would face it together.

Zeph trusted Nicole and steered straight toward the vortex without hesitation.

The current seized submarine 2688, wrenching it out of their control. Alarms screamed around them.

They were barely 15 feet from the vortex when the Ardelonian vessel charged toward their stern. Then submarine 2688 vanished.

In the forward cockpit of the pursuing vessel, the exhausted pilots pushed their engines to full power for another ramming attempt.

Their orders were to capture the people aboard and bring them back for research, all in service to their country. Neither the storm nor the risk of their vessel breaking apart was enough to make them abandon the chase.

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Chapter Bay

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Unlocking that secret could give Ardelon a future.

One moment, submarine 2688 filled their view. The next, it disappeared, leaving an enormous underwater vortex directly in their path.

They knew about the storm and the turbulent currents, but with the submarine blocking their view, they failed to spot the danger ahead.

Now the swirling water filled their windshield, threatening to swallow them whole.

“No! Stop! Stop!”

Shouts and screams filled the cockpit as the pilots scrambled to slow down and turn away.

All six control systems responded at once. The vessel slowed so violently that the men tumbled to the floor. 1

A little over 100 feet from the vortex, they finally stopped moving forward under their own power. The strain of

the maneuver shook the entire vessel.

But they weren’t clear. The current still dragged them toward the vortex.

Ignoring their injuries, the men scrambled to their feet and tried to turn the vessel around. That was when they discovered the controls no longer responded.

Their reckless charge triggered critical warnings and a system-wide lockout. They needed time to reset it, and the vortex was drawing them closer by the second.