Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 79: Fuel, Firepower, and Farewells

"I swear, that toolbox of yours is some kind of bottomless treasure chest," Tony said with a sigh. "It's like you can pull anything out of it."

Mariella flashed a neat smile, her tone casual. "I'm just working for a big shot. Naturally, their inventory is well-stocked."

In reality, she had broken into a mid-sized auto parts store while diving and secured a massive haul of repair components.

Most of the parts had been sealed against moisture, so they hadn't been damaged by the flood.

Mariella handled supplying whatever parts they needed.

Tony and Chandler worked like a perfectly synchronized machine. Not a single unnecessary movement, not even half a second wasted.

Watching them, Mariella saw the hallmark of military discipline—swift, decisive, efficient.

After more than two hours of work, over a dozen vehicles were successfully repaired and restarted.

Mariella brought out a large bucket, turned on the tap, and let them wash their hands. Then handed over a bag of detergent.

Tony scrubbed his hands and grinned at her. "Ma'am, you really know your stuff. With grease like this, nothing cleans it better than detergent."

Mariella just smiled without replying.

Chandler pressed his lips together.

He was older than her, and yet this guy was calling her Ma'am? Seriously?

Of course, Mariella knew her way around such things, and she had learned some basic car repair in her previous life.

She could handle changing tires with a jack, patching leaks, topping up fluids, and replacing oil and air filters.

But anything involving complex internal components? That was beyond her.

Once they cleaned up, Mariella handed each of them a large cup of rich, aromatic latte.

Tony accepted it with both hands, his eyes practically sparkling with golden stars and pink hearts. The more he looked at her, the more she seemed like some kind of angel.

After the coffee, she handed them each a slice of chilled watermelon.

Tony completely caved. "What do I do? I kind of don't want to go back to the military anymore."

Before he could finish, Chandler lightly kicked him. "Your country needs you."

Tony took a big bite of watermelon and sighed. "Gosh, fine."

After finishing, Chandler locked each vehicle one by one, and the three of them boarded the helicopter again.

This time, their destination was the nearest military base to Jaranda.

...

The storm, floods, and disaster had thrown the entire country—and even the world—into chaos.

Government departments were overwhelmed, juggling self-rescue efforts while trying to maintain basic living conditions. The military was stretched even thinner. They had to handle their own crises while responding to widespread emergency rescue operations.

Critical facilities—food reserves, weapons depots, chemical plants—had to be secured first.

There simply weren't enough soldiers.

So the military issued an emergency recall for retired personnel.

As a former soldier, Tony had received the message.

At a time when he felt completely trapped, that notification was like a light in the darkness.

Unfortunately, he had no transportation, and the military couldn't spare anyone to pick him up.

Chandler piloted the helicopter and personally delivered him to the nearest base.

As they hovered overhead, the military questioned them. Only after confirming they were transporting a recalled veteran were they granted permission to land.

Chandler took Tony's key-cutting machine, while Mariella filled his now-empty backpack with food and drinks.

Carrying the heavy pack, Tony kept looking back, reluctant to leave. He was even waving goodbye with teary eyes.

Watching his comrade go, Chandler lifted the helicopter back into the air.

Mariella stored the key-cutting machine in her storage space, and they flew back toward the mountain valley where the vehicles were parked.

The helicopter landed smoothly. All the vehicles were still there, untouched.

The area was remote, and no one could have moved over a dozen vehicles even if they found them.

Mariella had Chandler insert each newly made key into the corresponding driver's door, saving time for future use.

Once everything was set, she stored all the vehicles in her storage space.

Just as they were about to board the helicopter again, Mariella's phone rang. It was Kieran.

His efficiency and connections were as impressive as ever. "Got the aviation fuel. Only two tons. You'll have to pick it up yourself from the Jaranda Fuel Depot. Can you manage that?"

Under normal circumstances, aviation fuel costs around six thousand per ton. Now, over eighty million had only secured two tons. The price was outrageous.

But with floods everywhere and helicopters becoming essential for transport, fuel prices had skyrocketed.