Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 321 - Chapitre 330

Nicole and Zeph had barely gotten any sleep after coming home when Sven showed up again.Nicole checked the time. It was a little after 5 a.m.By noon, more than 24 hours would have passed since Fred got hurt. Plenty of people had gone looking for the vaccine, but every lead had come up empty.With no better options, Sven had no choice but to come back to Nicole. "Well? Any luck?"Nicole yawned. "We found some. The problem is, the man holding it isn't easy to deal with. He's willing to let it go, but the second he heard Tomlinson Enterprise needed it, the price got ugly."Sven's eyes lit up. "If Jake can afford it, we can talk."Nicole hesitated. "He wants a yacht."Sven had expected an outrageous price. He just hadn't expected that.Before the apocalypse, a tetanus shot cost almost nothing. A yacht could run into the tens of millions.Nicole saw his expression change and didn't push. "I don't think it's a fair trade either, but it's his last dose. He wasn't planning to sell

The young man didn't die.The man beside him did. The bolt had gone straight through his heart. He was in his fifties and hadn't said a word the entire time, but Nicole had noticed the way the others kept glancing at him before making a move. The real leader had been easy to spot.Someone shouted. "The mayor's dead!"The crowd erupted. People shouted and tightened their grips on their weapons, looking ready to rush her.Nicole didn't move. She tossed the crossbow onto the car seat, then bent down and pulled a submachine gun from her storage space in the same motion. Her finger settled on the trigger without a hint of hesitation. "If you're that eager to die, I'll send you after him."Everyone froze.None of them had expected someone driving a beat-up car to be carrying a submachine gun. They stopped so fast that they nearly tripped over one another, then stumbled back.Nicole smiled coldly. "I don't have many bullets, but I have enough for all of you."A moment ago, they ha

It sounded like Nicole was asking Zeph, but maybe she was asking herself, too."We're only at the beginning," Zeph said. "We'll live long enough to see the end of it."We.Nicole thought about that and realized he was right. She was only in her early twenties, and Zeph was only a few years older. If they kept fighting their way through each disaster, maybe they really would live long enough to see a new world.She turned in the sunset and wrapped her arms around him.For the first time, she reached for him first.Zeph lowered his head and kissed her forehead. The golden light stretched their shadows across the deck until they blurred into one.The heat was still brutal. Holding each other for too long felt like standing too close to a grill.When Nicole saw him lower his head again, this time clearly aiming for her mouth, she pushed him back and turned her face away, barely holding in a laugh.Zeph caught her hand and led her into the cockpit. "There may come a day when you ne

Other than medicine, Nicole couldn't think of anything important enough for Sven to come in person."It's medicine," Sven said, "but not for Jake this time. It's for the director of Seaborn Base."Nicole frowned. Seaborn Base had never seemed trustworthy to her. "You're helping them find medicine? Aren't you worried about crossing Tomlinson Enterprise?"Sven shook his head. "In this line of work, we stay neutral. Trade is trade. As long as the price is right, we don't pick sides."Seaborn Base isn't as decent as Tomlinson Enterprise, that's true. But the bigger the group, the less likely they are to rob us outright. They have resources. It's the smaller crews you have to watch out for."This is the apocalypse. There's always risk. If you're not comfortable dealing with them, then just pretend I was never here."Since he had already come all this way, Nicole couldn't just brush him off. She let a hint of curiosity show. "What kind of medicine are they after?""Insulin."Insuli

Since Sven had put it that way, Nicole laid out the plan she and Zeph had worked out. "We won't have any direct contact with Seaborn Base. You'll handle the transfers in batches. The cruiser has to be anchored at the designated waters, and someone will take it over when the time comes. Also, we want two containers of fresh seafood as a finder's fee. What do you think?"They would start by handing over two insulin pens. Seaborn Base would place the containers at the agreed location. Once Nicole confirmed receipt, she would give another fourteen pens, then head to the designated waters to take possession of the cruiser. The next morning at 10 a.m., after the cruiser was secured, the final fourteen pens would be delivered.Throughout the deal, Seaborn Base wasn't allowed to send anyone to track them. If they broke that condition, the trade would be canceled.There was always risk in business. Sven couldn't help but admire how cautious they were. "Alright. I'll talk to them and