18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 42

The snub from the dog didn't discourage Jasper He leaned over to Cooper, "You're smart, and you've got a good fight in you. But the world out there is pretty rough right now. You're going to have to get stronger to protect yourself, and the people you care about."

"Yeah, yeah," Stella said, scratching Cooper's head to lighten the mood. "You're going to protect me, right, Cooper?"

The dog glanced back and forth between them, visibly torn. He liked his current owner, and he liked the people on this floor. He had just enjoyed a bowl of their pork stew. If he didn't become stronger, would he be kicked out? After giving it some thought, he finally gave in.

Cooper nuzzled into Stella's embrace, as if to swear allegiance to her. She couldn't abandon him now!

"Don't worry," she reassured him. "We're just separated by a wall. We can see each other anytime."

Back in the apartment, she found half a bag of dog treats and handed it to Jasper. "Cooper's smart and holds grudges. He's also stubborn. If he misbehaves, don't hit him or scold him. Just tell me, okay?" Jasper chuckled, "What do you take me for?"

He handed over Rosie, while Stella handed over the dog. Rosie was thrilled, while Cooper seemed a bit downcast.

Once they were back inside, Stella opened Rosie's backpack. It was filled with a variety of children's books and art supplies, which looked hastily gathered.

"Rosie, have you ever been to preschool?" Stella asked.

Rosie shook her head, fiddling with her fingers. "No."

A nearly five-year-old child who had never been to preschool. The mention of preschool seemed to deflate Rosie. "Am I dumb, Stella?" Rosie hung her head low. "All the other kids go to preschool, but not me." "You're not dumb, Rosie. You're the smartest," Stella reassured her.

Stella wasn't a teacher, but she had been tutoring since middle school. Those high school subjects, she knew them like the back of her hand.

She had never taught elementary school students, but it didn't seem difficult. After flipping through the books, she started planning lessons, starting with counting in English, 1234567. From 1 to 10, then 11 to 20, she taught not only how to write the numbers but also the patterns in numbers.

never been to school, but had watched TV and interacted with

everything; he even prepared a pencil

an hour, Rosie had learned to count to 100. Stella rewarded her with a

they moved on to English

then sat on the couch, leafing through information about hydroponic vegetables, hoping

but continued practicing her English songs while petting Smoky and

at the usual time, Stella made some instant noodles

saw Cooper sprinting from the hallway to the

to Cooper with a serious expression. Even though Cooper

of

finally let Cooper rest. Cooper kept

would

'Here, this is my treat. I

"Okay, I'll save it for

returned to Jasper's side, standing at attention, signaling

the handover, Jasper asked, "How is Rosie doing in

100 and

heard a commotion downstairs, getting louder and louder, so they looked down from the stairwell. It seemed like some people had returned from the shelter and wanted

constantly on guard against theft, and the

unhappy. They were already dealing with a natural disaster, and now they had to put up with new occupants in the hallway, who ate, drank, and did

in at any moment. Who wouldn't be scared? After all, this kind of thing had happened more than once

to accommodate the newcomers, so they kept moving

these people on the 17th floor were smart. They

403 knew that everyone on the 18th floor was tough, but they had no choice. They knelt on the ground and cried, "Please let us stay