The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 849

Chapter 849

The first light of dawn brightened the eastern sky. Ian stood on deck, taking one last look across the open ocean.

Henry approached with a steaming cup. “Captain Carroll, the doctor made this from the herbs. Drink it while it’s warm.”

“Can he use everything they sent?” Ian asked.

“All of it. Don’t worry.”

The doctor was overjoyed. Their mysterious rescuers provided exactly the herbs he needed most. At last, he could treat his patients instead of watching helplessly as they grew worse. If the supplies arrived a little sooner, he might have saved more of them.

Still, their luck finally seemed to be changing.

With everything aboard, the crew waited for Ian’s order to leave.

“Sound the horn,” he said. “Let’s thank them.”

Henry hesitated. “The Ardelonians might hear us.”

Ian repeated himself. “Sound the horn. Let’s thank them.”

The horn’s deep blast carried across the water in the gray morning light.

Black smoke rose as the engines started, and the cargo ship slowly got underway, heading toward the

coordinates.

This time, they knew where they were going.

In the submarine’s control room, Nicole and Zeph watched through the periscope until the ship began to recede into the distance.

Their stockpiles of food and herbs were smaller, but neither could remember the last time they felt so at peace. They would keep traveling, but helping those survivors reminded them that they were still part of something larger than themselves.

After sunrise, Poppy got up to make breakfast and found them by the viewing window, smiling at each other.

Then they leaned in, slipped their arms around each other, and kissed.

Poppy immediately turned around and headed back to her room.

Cola poked his head around the doorway to see what he was missing.

“Woof!”

Poppy caught him by the ear and quickly ushered him back inside.

Despite the sleepless night, Nicole and Zeph weren’t quite ready to collapse. Nicole took out breakfast for Poppy and Cola before heading to bed.

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Chapter 849

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“I’m gonna get some sleep. Keep watch, and wake us if anything happens.”

Once she lay down, she fell asleep almost immediately.

Zeph tucked the blanket around Nicole. Her brow was relaxed, and a faint smile lingered on her lips.

He smiled at the sight and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Beneath all her defenses, she still had a tender

heart.

She couldn’t stop the disasters, but she could help people survive them. Giving away those two boatloads of supplies brought her a measure of peace.

Whether she did it for the survivors or for herself, it was worth it. Zeph hoped that, in time, she could leave the pain of her past behind.

Two hours later, the submarine began to rock again. Since Poppy didn’t sound the alarm, Blue was the likely culprit.

They got up and found the whale nudging them along, apparently tired of waiting.

Poppy scowled, her cheeks puffed out. She looked ready to grab the megaphone and scold Blue for waking them.

The short nap left Nicole refreshed, though, and she wasn’t annoyed. She checked the surface through the periscope. Once she was sure no one was nearby, they set off after Blue.

The conditions changed constantly as they traveled. Strong currents gave way to calm water, then picked up again, while sea life thrived around them.

The area offered a promising location for a base. The shallow seafloor could support an artificial island, and the powerful currents farther out would make it harder for intruders to approach.

Before long, submarine 2688’s sonar picked up something ahead.

It was still too far away to identify in the dim water. Through binoculars at the viewing window, they could see only a massive dark shape.