18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 17

If Arcadia were to grow by a hundredfold, Stella would not waste a single second scouring the expanse of this city. This was better than helplessly watching precious survival resources go under, and people resorting to brutal fights over a moldy loaf of bread.

The reality was harsh, and Stella had to look out for herself.

She gathered her thoughts and continued her race against the flooding waters.

Milk, yogurt, powdered milk, goat milk, soy milk powder, cereal, sugar in all its forms...

The water had reached her thighs, and she didn't have time to read labels or be picky. Her hands swiftly swept the shelves, grabbing whatever she could. Even if it wasn't her favorite, it was better than letting it go to waste.

Canned goods, dried fruits, chocolates, energy bars, biscuits, cheese, chicken legs, wings, beef jerky, lamb bites... Arcadia filled up at an alarming pace.

After grabbing a heap of pasta, Stella headed to the instant food section. Instant noodles, condensed soup, instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal, instant pudding - you name it, they had it. But due to the storm, the stock had dwindled.

In her past life, she had to gnaw on tree bark and consume clay to survive. Towards the end, she even had to use a stick to dig a pit for a makeshift toilet.

the bigger bottles that took less space when it came to mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, and vinegar. There were dozens of brands lined up on the shelves. She had swept them

came across something she liked, she even scooped it up from the

felt the chill seeping in, making it difficult to move. But this was her last chance to hoard goods. The more she could gather

sinking or floating on the surface. Collecting supplies had become more difficult, but luckily, Arcadia was already filled to the brim, even the toilet was almost stuffed full. Just as she was about to scoop up some snacks floating on the surface, a beam of light swept across the nearby area. Stella was

had no idea how many people were there, and it would be difficult to fight in the water. Plus, she had already cleared the second floor of its valuable goods. If Arcadia was discovered... Stella couldn't take that risk. She took out a portable diving mask from Arcadia, put it on, and quietly swam towards the fire exit. The floodwater seeped into her waterproof suit, making her body feel extremely heavy. She held her breath as she swam and stripped, only surfacing when she couldn't

only one person. Stella let out a sigh of relief, exerted a great deal of effort to push open the fire exit door, and headed

and ate some chocolate to replenish her energy. Only when the feeling of dizziness subsided did she continue her barefoot journey to

took one last look at the Hummer she had her eye on in the parking lot. It was the same model as the one from room 1801. Not only was it high

instead. She patted the hood of the car, feeling as if she was

cars would all be submerged and then swept away by the

away. Stella had no choice but to

waterproof lamp was limited. She could only move slowly through the water. The inflatable raft was easy to operate, but the noise from the motor could easily alert others. Luckily, the storm had just subsided, and the government was actively carrying out rescue operations. Even if people nearby heard the noise,

to her apartment. Instead, she raced against time to another

away, and due to the darkness, it took her half an hour on the inflatable raft. She reached a six-story electronics commercial building, three floors of which had already been flooded. Stella used a window breaker to smash the fourth-floor window and climbed in, heading straight for a solar

a promotional flyer before the storm. The latest model of a type of solar generator had caught her attention. It had high-efficiency solar panels, off-grid power generation, flexible frequency inverters... you could either use it for efficient, concentrated power generation or use city electricity for fast charging. Most importantly, it had a storage battery box with a capacity of up to 100 degrees. A whopping 100 degrees, enough to power several air conditioners

afford it, but she remembered where the retail store was. Compared to it, other generators were mere trash. After making sure there was no one in the mall, she took out a crowbar and started prying at the roller shutter door.