The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 887

Chapter 987

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Chapter 887

Jacob wasn’t sure exactly what was missing. “I heard they lost close to 30 containers, all loaded with parts for automated cutter suction dredgers.”

Nicole remembered the Tidebreaker, a massive dredging ship that played a major role in Yorwyn’s artifical island projects in the southern seas..

“Apparently, the missing parts weren’t all that big. But with machinery like that, even one missing bull can bring everything to a halt.”

The artificial island project was on hold while the authorities worked on a solution. They kept the setback quiet, so most survivors had no idea.

After dinner, Jacob thanked them for the meal and got up to leave.

He lived nearby in Area B2. “Next time I get a day off, you’re coming over for dinner.”

Friendship took effort on both sides, and he intended to do his part.

Once he left, Poppy cleared the table while Nicole sat on the couch, thinking over what he told them.

The containers they recovered from the seabed could very well hold the missing dredger parts. They salvaged 26 in all, close to the number Jacob mentioned.

She couldn’t walk into an office and ask if anyone was missing some machinery, though, then explain that she pulled it off the ocean floor and tucked it away in her storage space.

The containers were sealed. Even if she broke them open, she wouldn’t know what she was looking at.

“Should we give them back?”

Zeph considered it. “Of course. We just need to figure out how.”

Patrol boats covered the waters for 100 nautical miles around Yorwick. This wasn’t some little private outpost. It was a military base with fighter jets, warships, and enough firepower to keep a close watch on its territory.

Leaving the containers inside that perimeter could lead the authorities straight to them. Leaving them outside it carried a different risk. Foreign survivors might find them first and demand something in exchange for their

return.

They wanted to return the equipment, but they couldn’t afford to put themselves in danger.

After some thought, Zeph said, “We don’t have to do it right away. We’re living here now. We’ve got time to find a way that won’t draw attention to us.”

Nicole agreed. Their safety came first.

If she found a safe way to return the containers, she would. Until then, they could stay where they were.

The days passed, and Nicole settled happily into doing very little. Poppy, meanwhile, was getting used to her first job.

It was a rough start. Some coworkers took her age as a sign they could push her around, testing her with pointed comments or laying on the flattery when they wanted something.

Poppy was new to workplace politics, but Zeph and Nicole taught her one thing well: don’t let people take advantage of you.

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Chapter $87

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That meant standing her ground over things that mattered, especially her belongings and supplies.

Afew snide comments wouldn’t hurt her, so she usually ignored them. If someone went too far, she knew how to push back.

She could deliver a sharp comeback with the sweetest smile, never swearing once, and leave the other Aeon with nothing to say.

After a few exchanges like that, her coworkers learned to back off.

Once they found out she lived in Area B2, their attitudes changed even more. Some went out of their way compliment her and win her over.

Poppy stayed friendly without letting anyone get too close.

A month passed before she knew it. One day, she came home with a little over a pound of fresh vegetables.

“Nicole, I passed my probation!”

Everyone on the maggot farming team received a bonus that day: about seven ounces of maggots for extra protein Her coworkers were thrilled, but Poppy wasn’t nearly as excited.

Luckily, someone from the vegetable-growing team spotted a chance to get a good deal. Poppy gladly traded her share for fresh vegetables.

Her coworkers laughed behind her back. They thought she was an idiot to trade something so valuable for greens and expected her family to give her an earful.

Those maggots were protein, as good as meat.