The Apocalypse Survival Manual (Three Days Before Doomsday, I Stockpiled Billions) novel Chapter 894

Chapter 894

hospital was short on almost everything, and much of the work involved figuring things out as they went

That evening, Zeph came to meet Nicole at the hospital.

With so much to sort out in her new role, she didn’t finish until 8 p.m.

She asked Mitchell to come with them, worried about him making his way home so late. Only then did she team the hospital had rooms for its staff.

The next ferry wasn’t due for a while, so she and Zeph took their inflatable raft and paddled home.

It was past 9 p.m. when they arrived. Poppy and Cola were still up.

Cola was clearly unhappy about being left alone all day. One look at him told Nicole she had some making up to do, and it took a while to win him over.

Getting the hospital running smoothly took work. Surgical drugs were scarce, and patients weren’t recovering as well as Nicole hoped. She spent hours discussing options with Mitchell, along with ways to grow a wider variety of herbs and improve their quality.

She requested a room in the staff quarters where she could eat lunch and rest during the day. When Zeph had time, he joined her for lunch or stopped by to wait until she finished.

The days were exhausting, but Nicole found herself enjoying the work.

A month went by.

Supplies were still limited, but the hospital was beginning to function more smoothly. With each case they handled together, Nicole and Mitchell got better at combining herbal remedies with conventional treatments.

Just as they settled into a routine, another assignment came in. They were asked to find treatments for the

residents of Platform F.

The platform housed survivors with severe mental illnesses, physical abnormalities, or both.

Some developed their conditions during the disasters; others suffered lasting damage from whatever they did to survive. The platform had a reputation for violence, and its residents were difficult to care for.

Nicole turned down the assignment immediately.

To her surprise, Mitchell planned to accept.

“Dr. Chapman, someone over there turns violent almost every day. Several staff members have already been hurt. We’re counting on you to help get medical care back on its feet. If anything happens to you, think how many people will lose the help they need.”

Mitchell knew about the attacks.

“They’ve increased security. The residents are being kept in separate rooms under mandatory isolation.

“If we’re dealing with prion diseases, there may be very little we can do. But there could be other causes we can treat. We won’t know unless we try.”

Starvation drove many survivors to eat mutated sea creatures. Some developed serious physical changes over time, but that didn’t necessarily mean their conditions were rapidly fatal or untreatable.

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Chapter 894

+25 BONUS

Researchers found a way to make croaker safe to eat despite its mutations. Studying these patients might lead to a breakthrough of its own.

Mitchell had made up his mind, and Nicole knew she wouldn’t talk him out of it.

He was still her mentor, and she couldn’t let him take that risk alone. She decided to go with him.

She found time to stop by her submarine and pick up two protective suits. “I stocked up on these a while back. Better safe than sorry.”

They boarded the ferry to Platform F with several other medical workers.

Military guards patrolled the platform, which housed more than 300 survivors. Like the others, it was divided into four sections.

The residents had a range of serious conditions.

Some struggled with severe mental illnesses and were quick to lash out. Others watched everyone around them with wary, suspicious eyes. Some developed lumps, growths, and other physical abnormalities after viral infections.

Most could no longer work, and many had more than one illness.

Barriers divided the communal areas to keep residents from attacking one another.

Mitchell wasn’t there to treat psychiatric conditions. He wanted to examine the patients whose bodies had changed after viral infections.

Two sets of metal bars separated the examination area from the residents to protect the medical staff.

Once the administrators heard the team was there, they chose more than a dozen patients whose symptoms represented the conditions seen across the platform. Soldiers escorted them over one at a time.

Some had swollen, misshapen joints. Others were covered in lumps or rashes. In some patients, damaged organs were beginning to fail.