The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 861

Chapter 861

“Kale, lettuce, and cabbage.”

+25 BONUS

Nicole immediately got out the drone. With the sea calm, Zeph flew it over the ship to take pictures.

Sure enough, vegetables grew in battered jars and old bottles. Despite the makeshift planters, the plants looked surprisingly healthy.

Joshua let out a sheepish laugh as the last of his suspicions eased. “You should’ve led with that.”

The little garden was a reassuring glimpse of home. Even out here, the survivors found a way to grow their own food.

Joshua finally shared the coordinates of the new settlement.

The weather held, and his years of naval experience helped him spot trouble early enough to steer them clear of several approaching storms.

After more than 20 days at sea, they were just over 200 nautical miles from their destination.

The seabed rose steadily beneath them, and the currents became easier to navigate. Sonar showed a depth of just over 1,000 feet, compared with the nearly 30,000 feet of water beneath them a couple of weeks earlier.

During a stop for fresh air and rest, a fighter jet roared overhead.

People aboard the ship jumped to their feet.

“A fighter jet! It’s one of ours!”

Cheers broke out across the deck. The settlement was real, and they finally had a place to call home.

The jet circled twice, then climbed and flew away.

The crew of submarine 0945 surfaced to join the celebration. Aboard submarine 2688, the mood was quieter as they continued toward their destination.

They encountered more survivors the closer they got.

Then a much larger vessel came into view: a nuclear attack submarine, one of the most formidable weapons in Yorwyn’s fleet even before the disasters.

Zeph knew enough about military hardware to recognize its hull number. “That one was with the Northern Fleet. No idea which base it belongs to now.”

They brought submarine 2688 to the surface and continued slowly forward.

In the distance, towering structures rose from the sea.

supported each one, anchored deep in the seabed.

Waves crashed against the columns, but the structures held firm.

Each platform supported seven octagonal levels, with rows of shipping containers welded into place around open-sided walkways. Massive construction vessels surrounded them, their cranes lifting more containers into position.

As they approached, Nicole counted eight doors along the side of each container. Partitions must have divided the interiors into individual rooms.

The rooms looked small, but the platforms themselves were enormous. Each could probably

accommodate several thousand people.

Six stood about three miles apart, all under construction at once.

The scale of the project left little doubt about what the country’s builders could accomplish. If they

promised housing for 100 thousand people, they meant at least that many.

Cargo ships, aircraft carriers, and warships filled the surrounding waters. Huge construction vessels worked alongside them while helicopters carried loads overhead.