MasukThe residents had kept their word. Every potato was in good condition, and the sizes were remarkably consistent.Including the seed potatoes, Nicole and Zeph received a total of 2,000 pounds of fresh potatoes.After checking everything over, Nicole returned the solar generator to Oakhaven Gardens.Just as they were about to leave, Alex stopped them. "The villas in the new district are almost finished. I was at the work center yesterday handling the grain payment paperwork and happened to see some wealthy people quietly picking out their houses."There are only 50 villas in the first phase, and building materials are in short supply. No one knows when phase two will even start. You two should get over there and choose one as soon as possible."Nicole froze. She had been too naive, waiting for the government's official announcement.The government could build villas when construction materials were so scarce because it had confiscated factories, land, and supplies from wealthy fa
Nicole watched the entire battle through her binoculars. In the distance, dust clouds rose above the ruins.The cornfields ran red with blood, but the residents defending their homes had won.Quite a few people were injured, but the battle had been completely one-sided. Not a single thug got away.The remaining scavengers near the ruins were thoroughly shaken. No one dared push forward again, and they all fell back. Two hours later, they finally gave up and dispersed.By then, there wasn't a soul left in sight.Only after working up the courage did Alex lead a team to the ruins. What they found left everyone frozen in place. Then, one after another, they turned aside and vomited.After forcing themselves to regain their composure, they cleaned up the scene and collected the bodies scattered across the cornfields.Late that night, the radio crackled to life.Whether Zeph and Nicole cared to hear it or not, Alex wanted to thank them on behalf of everyone in Oakhaven Gardens.Kno
There was a traitor. Someone had sold them out.A fourth shot rang out.Then a fifth.Only after the scavengers fell back to the distant ruins did the gunfire finally stop.For a beginner like Nicole, this was no easy assignment.Zeph lowered his rifle. "Let them catch their breath."Poppy and Cola had been watching from behind them. The little girl, especially, couldn't hide the envy in her eyes. "Zeph, I wanna shoot, too!"It wasn't that Zeph didn't want to teach her. Sniper rounds were limited, and she was still too small to handle the rifle properly. "No rush. Next time, I promise."The rifle was fitted with a suppressor, and the shots came from so far away that when the first man dropped, Alex hadn't even realized what had happened.Then a second fell. Then a third...By then, even an idiot would've figured it out.Watching the mob retreat for the time being, Alex couldn't help marveling. Once again, Zeph and Nicole had saved Oakhaven Gardens almost single-handedly.It
"We're heading out in the next couple of days," Nicole replied. "We'll pick them up while we're out."Isaac nodded. "Alright. Just don't wait too long. I'm worried they might stop handing them out."That evening, Zeph came out of the study. "There are more people outside. They might make their move tonight."Polar day meant there was no night, but most people's body clocks hadn't adjusted. By this hour, they were naturally getting sleepy, making it the perfect time to attack.Nicole went to bed and had Cola keep watch from the balcony.Around 3 a.m., Cola nudged her awake."Woof!"The moment she pulled back the curtain, she saw chaos unfolding outside. A steady stream of armed people was converging on Oakhaven Gardens.Nicole quickly grabbed her binoculars. Men, women, old people, and even children were among them. Their clothes were filthy and ragged, and their expressions were blank but greedy.One look at their condition told the story. They had started out as refugees be
By the time Nicole woke up on her own, it was already 10 a.m.After washing up and eating breakfast, she picked up "The Herbal Canon" again, but no matter how hard she looked, she still couldn't identify the two herbs they had brought back from Mount Cedar.What exactly were these plants? How could they be so mysterious?Unwilling to give up, she dug through the pharmacology references she had downloaded before the disasters, only to end up even more frustrated.Forget it. The important thing was keeping them alive. Sooner or later, she would find out what they were.Since she only had two specimens, Nicole treated them like priceless treasures and carefully transplanted them into the black soil garden.She also planted the 100-plus medicinal herbs they had collected from Mount Graypine, grouping them by type before recording each one's medicinal properties in her notebook.Collecting a large variety of herbs didn't mean they had every remedy they might need.Nicole made a list
It was a harsh reality, but reality often was.The military base was humanity's seed base. It accepted only the most capable survivors with the fewest dependents.That made the population easier to manage and gave humanity the best chance of surviving whatever disasters came next.Nicole accepted Zeph's explanation. "Maybe they're doing just fine at a government-run base."Whether she was comforting herself or refusing to believe the worst, it was easier to hold on to that hope.Now that they had found the herbs, they turned the Hummer around and headed back to Westbridge.The vehicle climbed mountains, crossed rough terrain, and plowed through every obstacle in its path. Six hours later, they arrived safely back at Oakhaven Gardens.They had been gone for several days. She couldn't help wondering whether the rabbits had survived.The moment she opened the door, she found them alive and well. Better yet, they were nothing like the aloof rabbits she had left behind. Every one of
Just after midnight, the timer refreshed. One hundred thirty minutes remaining.That meant time could stack.Nicole nearly laughed out loud. Seconds mattered. During crucial moments, even a minute could mean the difference between living and dying.She decided that unless it was absolutely necess
Nicole jolted, then immediately checked with her mind.The storage space was still there. The supplies were still there, too. She tested it; she thought of an item, and a coal briquette appeared in her hand.Sweeping the space again, she noticed the glowing timer had reset to zero.That was when
After paying the deposit, Nicole drove straight to the largest outdoor gear store downtown.The outdoor gear market was fiercely competitive. The store was in full clearance mode, shutting down with brutal discounts. Some items were marked down to 20% of the original price.Perfect timing.Nicole
"Ah!"Nicole Floyd jolted upright in bed, gasping. Sweat streamed down her forehead, her eyes unfocused and hollow.The sight in front of her cut through the haze in her mind.This was her old apartment, the one from before the apocalypse.Ding, ding…Text alerts kept chiming. She grabbed her p







