The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 857

Chapter 857

Chapter 857

+15 Bonus

The display showed what looked like civilization vaults, but there were far more than Nicole expected. Their outlines overlapped so much that she couldn’t get an accurate count, though there were clearly more than three

or four.

The sea lay calm beneath clear skies as submarine 2688 crept forward for a closer look.

Nicole studied the containers through the viewing window as they approached. She counted more than a dozen, each roughly half the size of a civilization vault.

They were shipping containers, much larger than the ones used before the disasters. A cargo ship must have lost them in a storm.

Judging by their size, someone built them after the disasters began. Ordinary survivors wouldn’t have had the resources to manufacture anything like them, so they probably came from a government-run base.

Nicole thought of the 21 trucks in her storage space. These containers might hold important supplies, too.

Zeph noticed her studying them. “Wanna try salvaging them?”

The weather was clear, the water was calm, and the terrain below looked easy enough to navigate. There were no dangerous sea creatures in sight, either.

As Nicole looked at the containers scattered across the seabed, her thoughts turned to Arthur, Hughie, Jeremy,

and the others.

After Hughie’s group joined the naval submarine program, they spoke with newfound confidence, their pride evident in everything they said and did. She wondered how they were doing now.

After a moment’s consideration, Nicole nodded.

“Let’s give it a try.”

They had nothing else to do, and the containers might hold something useful. Whatever people chose to take with them during an evacuation was likely worth keeping.

They brought the submarine to the surface and checked the surrounding water for danger. Then they left Poppy and Cola on watch while they put on their diving suits, strapped on their air tanks, and adjusted their full-face

masks.

With their tether lines secured, Nicole and Zeph slipped into the water and began their descent toward the scattered containers.

The seabed lay about 650 feet below the surface. That was well within the submarine’s range, but for a diver, it was an extreme depth.

All four of them ate well and got plenty of exercise every day, which kept them in good shape.

Nicole led the descent while Zeph kept watch for danger. Even with professional-grade equipment, both were breathing harder by the time they reached the containers, roughly 650 feet below the surface.

They had little time to spare. Nicole would put the containers in her storage space and deal with whatever was

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Chapter 857

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inside later.

The containers were enormous, and her storage space was already crowded. She managed to fit a dozen or so

before she ran out of room.

They retreated into the storage space, where Nicole rearranged the haul. She stacked the containers and placed the trucks on top to make room for the rest.

Once they caught their breath, they went back out and quickly collected the remaining containers. A search of the surrounding seabed turned up five more, and they returned to the surface only after checking that nothing remained.

Poppy lowered a rope, then hurried to help them aboard.

Back inside the submarine, they showered, changed, and had something to eat before entering the storage

space.

Nineteen containers stood in neat stacks. A thick layer of silt coated them after their long stretch underwater, hiding their original color.

Poppy fetched water and a broom and got to work scrubbing off the grime.