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Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Apocalypse Survival Manual: Kabanata 461 - Kabanata 470

882 Kabanata

Chapter 461

Before bed, Nicole took out a blanket for Poppy. "Use this tonight if you get cold."The radio had been broadcasting updates on schedule. They hadn't heard Alex over the loudspeaker, probably because the radio had died, so Zeph relayed the message. "The weather agency says polar day's here. The temperature's going to swing hard between morning and night."A moment later, the loudspeaker crackled back to life, reminding everyone to layer up and use blankets so they wouldn't get sick.It wasn't an empty warning. If someone fell ill and their body gave out, that was it.Nicole slept through the night. When she woke, a blanket had been tucked over her.She glanced at the thermometer on the wall. Sixty-eight degrees.The spot beside her pillow was empty. Zeph was already up.She pulled the curtains open. As expected, she found him on the terrace working out with Cola. Even Poppy was out there.Right. She had gotten lazy.It was 68 in the morning, 99 by noon, and 64 at night. Th

Chapter 462

Woodworking took time and effort. Once the cost of tung oil was included, Tom asked for eighty pounds of sweet potatoes.Nicole pretended to think it over before nodding. "Alright."Two days later, she drove over in a truck and unloaded the timber at the entrance to Building 3. "My friend wants wooden boats, too, plus buckets and basins."As things kept changing, it was getting harder to bring out anything high-tech. She had to rely on old-fashioned supplies to keep up appearances.Another 160 pounds of sweet potatoes were enough to make Tom grin from ear to ear. He called his son over right away to help.They agreed to deliver the order in two batches, the first in two weeks and the second in four.Nicole had to admit the boats were well made. The planks were thick, the structure was sturdy, and the finish was smooth. Even the oars had been sealed with tung oil.She tested them in her storage space. Not a drop leaked in.So she went back to Tom. "My friend resold the boats a

Chapter 463

Nicole heard Zeph out, but she didn't back down. "The conditions were terrible back then. Even if it used to grow there, it might have died off."Things were different now. After so many waves of disaster, the world had finally been given a little room to breathe. Even wild greens had started growing along the Westbridge River.Even if they didn't find that specific herb, they might find others. The trip wouldn't be wasted.After all, the medicine she and Zeph had stockpiled was limited. It couldn't cover every possible illness. Sickness didn't wait for a convenient time. What if they got sick one day and needed something they didn't have?Besides, lying around every day had gotten old. They could go out, look for medicine, and stretch their legs at the same time. Why not?Zeph agreed.There was no point waiting for another day, so they left right away.Nicole opened the rabbit hutch. "Do you want to come with me or stay home?"Maybe she was imagining things, but ever since s

Chapter 464

"Alternative medicine research?" Nicole looked surprised. "Then you must know a lot about medicinal herbs."Mitchell shook his head. "Some. More than most people."Zeph had spent the past few months buried in books on medicinal herbs. If he brought these people over, he had probably already tested them.Even so, Nicole wasn't about to trust them blindly. "We're here looking for medicine, too. A lifesaving herb for some wealthy clients. I think it's called white ridgeflower. Do you know what it does?"It wasn't a common plant. Anyone who didn't truly understand medicinal herbs wouldn't be able to answer."White ridgeflower, also known as ridgeking. The root is mainly used for bruises, venereal disease, arthritis, tuberculosis, whooping cough..."Mitchell didn't just list its effects. He explained how it was used, where it grew, and what kind of environment it preferred.Nicole listened for a while and could tell he knew his field.The group had come out here on pure determinatio

Chapter 465

Traveling with Mitchell's group slowed Zeph and Nicole down, but it also made the trip much more productive. Zeph thought it over for a moment before saying, "We still haven't found everything. We'll head back tomorrow."The group continued up the mountain at an easy pace.Halfway up, Mitchell's eyes suddenly lit up. "Zeph, this is it! The white ridgeflower you're looking for!"There was only one seedling, smaller than half a palm. It was still too young to use as medicine and needed at least another six months of careful cultivation.Mitchell dug it out with extreme care and handed it to Zeph, explaining how to raise it as he worked.They rested when they got tired and added or removed layers whenever the weather shifted. By the end, it looked less like hiking and more like they were doing quick changes backstage.At noon, it had been close to 104 degrees. Now, before night had even fallen, the temperature had dropped to nearly freezing.The herbs were too valuable to risk, a

Chapter 466

The weather had turned cold. After a quick good night, everyone ducked into their tents to sleep.Nicole wasn't in a rush, but camping could never compare to home. The sooner they finished, the sooner they could leave.After two hours of sleep to recover their strength, everyone packed up their tents and went back to searching for herbs.The higher they climbed, the fewer herbs they found.Near the summit, they saw the crater lake left behind by a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. Everything around it was withered and barren.Years ago, when the water level was high, this place had hosted an international parade every other year, drawing tourists from around the world.Now, only dead branches and fallen leaves remained. The world no longer looked anything like it had before.They reached the summit. An old building stood there, but it had long since crumbled, leaving broken stone scattered across the ground. In every direction, all they saw was ruined land.Mitchell stoo

Chapter 467

Good thing the glass was bulletproof. Otherwise, Nicole would have died right there.Mitchell and the others shouted in panic, but Zeph never took his eyes off the road. His calm was almost unsettling.The Hummer had been modified from top to bottom. The windows were bulletproof, and even the tires had been reinforced against spikes and gunfire.Of course, if Mitchell's team hadn't been in the car, Nicole probably would have told Zeph to stop. She would have sent those robbers straight to hell herself.Gangs were everywhere now. The researchers and the herbs mattered more, so there was no point in picking a fight.When they reached Grayport, the once-thriving megacity had been reduced to rubble. Aside from a few fortress-like high-rises still standing, all that remained were broken walls, collapsed buildings, and sunlight glinting off shattered glass.Grayport had suffered no less than Westbridge. No photo or description could do the devastation justice.Everywhere they looked,

Chapter 468

Nicole eased onto the brake and picked up the binoculars.Well, damn. The spike strip stretched more than ten feet across the road, every inch bristling with sharp steel teeth. Not a spot of rust on it, either. It had clearly seen plenty of use.Bang!Something struck the side window hard, leaving a bullet mark in the glass.So they weren't just ordinary highway robbers.Nicole's temper snapped. She pulled weapons and explosive packs from her storage space. If they insisted on doing this the hard way, they couldn't blame anyone but themselves.Annoyed as she was, she stayed clearheaded and waited in the car.Cola was getting worked up, licking his chops as he watched the people outside.Poppy had gone on alert as well, quietly drawing the gun Zeph had given her.The standoff dragged on for 20 minutes. They stayed in the car, waiting to see who would lose patience first.These people had gone to the trouble of laying a spike strip. If they wanted her out, they could come get h

Chapter 469

There was no time to run. Some were blown apart, others thrown into the air, bodies scattering like fireworks.The group behind the Hummer saw everything. Shock held them in place for one brief second before they scattered like startled birds.The Hummer rolled forward and stopped smoothly in front of the spike strip.Once they were sure no one nearby was watching, Nicole and Zeph put on bulletproof vests and steel helmets before getting out.The spike strip was well made. It would make a useful trap back home.Nicole couldn't bring herself to leave it behind, so she and Zeph lifted it onto the roof together and tied it down tight.Then, they kept driving.They ran into two more groups along the way, but neither had many people or heavy weapons. Once they saw the Hummer bearing down on them like a war vehicle, they hesitated for a long time and never dared to surround it.Mount Cedar was about 20 miles from Halloway.After leaving the highway, they drove slowly toward the moun

Chapter 470

If they ran into danger, Nicole could pull everyone, rope and all, into her storage space at once.They climbed over rocks, crossed streams, stepped onto soft ground, and watched loose dirt cave in while stones tumbled down the slopes. Two tense hours later, they reached the depths of the valley without any real danger.Compared with five years later, the valley looked withered and desolate, with almost no green in sight.Zeph grew worried. Finding the herb five years later didn't mean they could find it now. It might not have sprouted yet.He searched the area, but found nothing.Nicole scanned the ground as well. "Don't rush. We'll take our time."They used trekking poles to push through dead leaves and weeds, searching for tiny green shoots that would be easy to miss.Two hours later, Nicole spotted a short seedling that looked almost exactly like wyrmleaf.After checking it again and again, she and Zeph were sure. It was wyrmleaf, a seedling that had only recently broken th

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