Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 77: A Deal in the Air

She had collected quite a few vehicles, but unfortunately, most of them had no keys, and many had been submerged in water.

Chandler glanced at her and said honestly, "Those cars you salvaged from underwater will need major repairs. Flooded vehicles are prone to constant breakdowns."

But Mariella already knew that. "Once the floodwaters recede, vehicles will become extremely scarce. As long as they can be fixed, they'll be valuable for trading supplies."

"True. At least they're relatively clean with no mud or debris. That helps," Chandler replied. "I can repair them, but duplicating keys requires a specialist. I have a former military buddy who's very skilled at that."

"Is he still in the military?"

"He's retired, but I should still be able to reach him." Chandler contacted his old comrade right in front of her.

He learned that his friend was in a neighboring city called Jaranda, where the disaster was even worse. The man had lost his job and wanted to rejoin the military to assist with disaster relief, but he had no way to get there.

Chandler said, "My boss has a batch of vehicles that need new keys. If you agree to help, we'll come pick you up immediately. Once it's done, we'll take you to the military base for free."

His friend sounded stunned. "The whole place is flooded. How are you supposed to come get me?"

"By helicopter," Chandler replied seriously.

There was a brief silence. "All right. I'll send you my address. Can you get here quickly?"

Then, he couldn't help complaining, "I live on the sixteenth floor. I've run out of food and water. Yesterday I risked diving just to grab a pack of instant noodles, and I'm still starving."

"Got it. We're heading out now," Chandler said, adding, "Bring your gear."

After hanging up, he turned to Mariella. "Should we take the smaller helicopter?"

Mariella didn't hesitate. "Yeah. Let's take the small one."

...

Harvey's bodyguards had spotted Mariella's pickup truck.

When the report reached him, he froze in shock.

"Mariella is still alive? And she left Celestine Ridge with that bodyguard?"

The news hit him like a bolt from the blue.

She's alive? Then what about Kingston?

Roxanna grew anxious as well. "Where's Kingston?"

There was still no word from the team sent to find him. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

A chill crept down Harvey's spine, a deep, bone-level fear spreading within him.

Ever since Mariella slipped out of his control, everything had started spiraling in an increasingly worse direction.

"Follow her immediately," Harvey ordered. "Find an opportunity to capture her and make her talk. I want to know what happened to Kingston."

...

Chandler was driving, and Mariella, sitting in the passenger seat, quickly noticed they were being tailed.

She casually pulled out an AK and shot out the tires of the car behind them.

As chaos erupted behind them, the pickup sped forward.

The road ahead was blocked by floodwaters. Mariella stored the pickup and pulled out an inflatable boat from her storage space.

The two of them boarded and headed toward a nearby office building.

Fifteen minutes later, a small helicopter lifted off from the rooftop, following the GPS coordinates toward Jaranda.

Inside a residential building in Jaranda.

Due to its terrain, the flooding there was even worse.

Tony Walters lived on the sixteenth floor. Though the water hadn't reached him yet, he had completely run out of food.

Luckily, he was a strong swimmer. He had risked diving into the floodwaters to retrieve some packaged food, barely holding on until now.

The moment he heard the sound of helicopter blades, he rushed to the window with a heavy backpack and waved a red bedsheet.

The helicopter approached and hovered steadily outside. The cabin door opened.

Seeing the familiar figure of his former comrade, Tony's eyes instantly filled with tears.

Chandler tossed a rope into the window. Without hesitation, Tony grabbed it and climbed aboard with practiced efficiency.

"This feels like a dream. I can't believe you actually came!" Tony grinned and pulled Chandler into a tight hug.

Mariella quickly reeled in the rope while Chandler introduced them.

"Tony, this is my boss, Mariella Townsend. Ms. Townsend, this is my former comrade, Tony Walters."

Mariella shook his hand gracefully, smiling. "Nice to meet you."

Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a fragrant, piping-hot roast duck, handing it to the stunned man. Her voice was light and pleasant. "Just a small welcome gift, please accept it."

A steaming, fragrant roast duck was suddenly right in front of him.

Tony's eyes widened, and drool instantly formed.

How could there be a hot roast duck right in front of him? He must be starving so badly that he was hallucinating.

Chandler said calmly, "It's from Ms. Townsend. Take it."