18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 67

Jasper, on the other hand, was likely grappling with the shadow of his past. His body involuntarily stalled and, in a blink, Stella over toppled him. She pinned him down with her long legs and twisted his arm with force. Their bodies were entangled like a pretzel, but Stella clearly had the upper hand.

Jasper, however, found it amusing and, surprisingly, did not retaliate. "Not bad, you could defeat me with your wild punches."

Stella, feeling a bit guilty for using underhanded tactics, awkwardly got up. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

They continued to spar and after two hours, they were both soaked in sweat. Stella was flushed and panting. She felt exhilaratingly exhausted.

Rosie, clutching her rag doll, came back with her stomach rumbling. "I'm hungry. What are we having for dinner?"

Jasper looked at Stella and, oh great, was she supposed to cook again? She had plans to eat out with Cooper in Arcadia. But Jasper had done so much for her, and she felt embarrassed to refuse. As much as she didn't want to cook, she suggested, "How about pies?" Rosie, not wanting to be subjected to her brother's notorious cooking, clapped her hands in excitement. "Yes, yes, your pies are the best!"

They had chicken pies for lunch, and for dinner, they had fried apple pies.

Stella went to change her clothes and then taught Jasper how to cook fried apple pies. She had to admit, the pies smelled heavenly.

The crispy golden crust and the juicy filling were mouthwatering. Luckily, they were on the 18th floor, and it was raining outside, otherwise, they might have attracted unwanted attention. Rosie, with a greasy mouth, patted her belly and boasted, "Look, I have a baby now."

Jasper grimaced.

"Kids," Stella thought, trying not to laugh. Looked like Jasper had to give Rosie another lesson on biology.

After dinner, Jasper took the dishes from Stella. "I'll handle the cleaning."

After helping Rosie with her homework, Stella bid them goodnight and headed home. Just as she opened her door, she ran into Lukas. "Stella, join us for some pie?"

I just

when she saw the two enjoying their

1801. "Well, if

left them out of their dinner plans,

delicious. She thought she could stock up

she stayed home, reading, exercising, and making clothes for her pets. The baby rabbits had all survived and were growing heavier. The largest one

birth to a second litter, a whopping twelve babies. Unfortunately, their chances of survival were slim

health had improved significantly from the good food. She took out a bag filled with about three pounds of white powder and was beaming. "Stella, this is wild kudzu powder. I brought it especially for you to try." Stella hesitated to accept this precious gift. "Let's

straightforward, kid..." She was truly grateful, but she also knew that

they then washed to extract the kudzu powder. They estimated they could produce more than a hundred pounds of powder. If it weren't for the apocalypse, this would've been a highly sought-after product, but now, filling their bellies was the priority. The kudzu powder had many health

hoping the 18th floor could accept an exchange of

pondered. "What's

pound for one pound, what do you

promises. "I'll ask around

doesn't work, I'm

seemed like the Moore

willing to exchange new rice for kudzu powder? Only wealthy women who had sufficient food

brewed some kudzu powder. The taste was average, slightly sweet, and bitter, with an

wasn't particularly tasty, it had many health benefits. It was

kudzu powder. Instead, she split it equally between the neighbors in the 1801 and 1803 households and told them about the Moore family's request. None of them

lamenting the loss of the fish in the reservoir, "It's such a shame. Monkey came to

were so disappointed and repeatedly reminded us to contact them if we get more." The next day, Stella informed Katie that they agreed to exchange broken rice for kudzu powder, but the quality had to be guaranteed. As the apocalypse progressed, people's health would deteriorate,

had prepared a hundred pounds of wild kudzu powder and gave Stella an extra five pounds as a token of