All Chapters of The Apocalypse Survival Manual: Chapter 251 - Chapter 260

Nicole was bleeding Weasel dry at this point.She teased him. "A hundred pounds."Weasel looked completely defeated. "Fine. You're the boss."Getting the goods together would take time, so they agreed to make the trade three days later.It was still early, so the two of them headed to the trading street by the department store to see if they could pick up anything useful for later.The temperature had started climbing, but at -58, the cold still cut straight through people. The few pedestrians on the road hurried along with their heads down.Wearing thick gloves, Zeph held Nicole's hand as they walked.She still wasn't used to being that close to someone. Instinctively, she tried to pull away, but he refused to let go.After that, Nicole stopped resisting.When they reached the trading street, they browsed stall by stall until they unexpectedly found a compact threshing machine about waist-high. It could process wheat, barley, oats, corn, and over a dozen other crops.Nicole

Nicole tossed the painting into her bag, then pulled it back out a moment later. "If this painting means that much to you, then maybe it belongs with you after all. Think of it as a gift."The man stared at her in shock. "But the food...""You don't need to pay it back."Nicole turned and walked away without another word.What he didn't know was that the painting was fake. The storage space hadn't absorbed it at all.Still, judging from his reaction, he had probably been duped himself rather than trying to scam anyone on purpose.Three hundred pounds of potatoes for two extra rooms was already an incredible deal.Giving the forgery back at least left him with something to hold onto emotionally."Wait." The man hurried after her. "I have a friend who collects fine porcelain. He wants to trade for food, too. Are you interested?"As a result, the two of them spent another three days running around outside.Those three days paid off enormously. The third floor of the storage vill

Hughie, Beatrice, and Jeremy looked completely stunned. "Extreme heat?"Nicole nodded. "A nonstop heat wave. Heat exhaustion would be the mild version. The real danger is heatstroke."That wasn't something to joke about. The body basically cooked from the inside out. Burning skin, confusion, organs shutting down as heat built up faster than the body could release it. Once the proteins and enzymes inside the body started breaking down, death usually came soon after.Jeremy felt his scalp go numb. "How reliable is this information?""It hasn't been officially announced yet, but rumors are already spreading outside," Nicole replied.She handed them the temperature chart she had been recording daily. "I don't think this is just gossip. You should start preparing now."The three stared at the steadily rising numbers on the paper, chills crawling across their skin.As a friend, Nicole spoke honestly, "If the temperature suddenly spikes one day, all this ice will melt fast. Westb

That night, the two secretly drank under the blankets.The deep freeze was miserable, but at least people had gotten used to it. If only things could stay like this forever.For Jeremy and Hughie, this job meant more than food or status. It proved they weren't weak, sickly men anymore. It proved they were real men who could finally stand tall.They had clawed their way up with so much effort, only for the world to collapse again before they even had the chance to enjoy it. The frustration sat heavily in their chests.Jeremy took a hard swallow of liquor and immediately started coughing from the burn."We'll rise again someday.""Damn right! Real men don't get crushed by a setback like this."The two drank too much and slept like the dead.The night before Hughie's group officially left, Nicole stopped by to remind them one last time."The weather's unstable. The state weather agency says around two weeks, but nobody knows exactly when the extreme heat will hit. Why don't you t

Zeph analyzed the situation for Nicole. "Maybe they're also waiting for the ice to finish melting before coming back. If you miss each other, it'll only get more troublesome."He had a point, so Nicole decided to wait a little longer.After lunch, she went back for a nap. She placed large blocks of ice nearby to cool the room while the air cooler and electric fan blew nonstop, gradually pushing back the suffocating heat.She woke up around 4 p.m.The sun still blazed viciously overhead without the slightest sign of weakening, as if it were trying to make up for the year it had disappeared by scorching every inch of concrete and steel rising above the floodwater.Nicole stepped onto the balcony to check the temperature. A wave of scorching air hit her face.It was 109 degrees.As she looked out across the city, the water's surface shimmered beneath the sunlight. The ice had completely vanished.Nicole pulled a sun-protection jacket over her temperature-regulating clothing. A hat