Semua Bab The Apocalypse Survival Manual: Bab 621 - Bab 630

Nicole's heart nearly stopped. She immediately started checking Zeph for symptoms.It didn't make sense. In his previous life, he hadn't gotten sick until much later. And ever since Nicole came back from Grayport, she made both Zeph and Poppy wear masks whenever they went out on patrol.As soon as they came home, they had to spray down their clothes with rubbing alcohol, change immediately, and soak what they had worn in disinfectant.Cola didn't have a mask that fit properly, and Nicole figured it was better to be too careful than not careful enough. For the past few weeks, she didn't let Cola go out on patrol at all. Even when Dumbo came by looking for him, she refused to let him leave."Ah! Hahaha! It's daylight! It's daylight! The sun's out!"Someone outside suddenly started yelling at the top of his lungs and running around in excitement. He wasn't alone. A whole crowd had poured outside.Rich kids, socialites, families who had lost everything, men and women, young and o

The only response was silence and the thick smog hanging in the air.The officers moved closer and cautiously opened one of the black bags. Inside, they found medicinal herbs.They exchanged confused looks. What was this supposed to mean?Still, no one lowered their guard. For all they knew, explosives could be hidden among the herbs. They called in several off-duty officers and started checking the bags one by one.The situation was strange enough that word soon reached Jasper.The herbs were hauled back to the station. Jasper, dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, nearly froze when he saw the courtyard piled high with them. A thought struck him. "Get someone from the alternative medicine research institute over here. Now."The officers didn't waste any time. They drove out that same night to bring the experts in.Back in his office, Jasper asked, "Did anyone get a good look at who dropped them off?""No. It was dark, visibility was terrible, and the smog made it

Nicole watched for hours before she finally saw several people in white protective suits come out of the station. Jasper, wearing a mask, walked with them, along with several police officers.Experts from the alternative medicine research institute had come to inspect the herbs, but there was no way to tell just by looking whether they were contaminated. The safest choice was to take everything back to the institute for testing.After years of natural disasters, doctors had become harder and harder to find, and most survivors had little choice but to tough out whatever illnesses came their way. Two truckloads of medicinal herbs had arrived at exactly the right time.Jasper hadn't worked with the institute before, but given how important the herbs were, he made a point of reminding Mitchell, "Dr. Chapman, these herbs were anonymously donated by someone in Westbridge specifically to treat the smog-related illness. I hope they'll be used for that."Mitchell shook his hand. "Don't worr

Nicole and Zeph prepared carefully this time, so there was a chance neither of them would get sick. Going to the research institute, however, was another matter entirely.Of course, Nicole was afraid of dying. If she wasn't, she never would've risked so much to gather medicinal herbs or spent years carefully growing them.The smog didn't just arrive unnoticed during polar night. It was also far more toxic and contagious than before. Zeph and Poppy wore masks whenever they went outside, but at home, they still opened the windows for fresh air.If one person got infected, the rest of the household could easily catch it, too.Nearly everyone staying in Weasel's villa already showed symptoms, more than a dozen people in total. On the neighborhood channel, Nicole heard plenty of residents coughing between sentences.By now, a large portion of the neighborhood was probably already infected.Nicole had a bad feeling that sooner or later, someone in Villa 50 would get sick, too.The s

Despite driving there as fast as they could, Nicole and the others were still too late.Outside the alternative medicine research institute in Grayport, crowds of sick people had gathered in the smog, desperate for medicine and treatment. Coughing erupted from every direction, sending droplets into the air.Soldiers had set up a security perimeter around the main entrance, and no one was allowed through.Nicole immediately turned the car around and headed for the back entrance.She explained their situation honestly and asked to be let inside. But without authorization, the staff at the entrance refused to admit anyone. Nicole had no choice but to say, "I'm one of Dr. Chapman's students. He personally asked me to come. Could you please let him know I'm here?"The institute employee guarding the entrance still refused.Nicole smiled, stepped out of the car, and discreetly pulled a five-pound bag of rice from beneath her oversized coat. She handed it to him. "Please, just help