18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 87

Stella had a worried expression, and Jasper comforted her, "Don't worry. Cooper is extremely intelligent and is man's most loyal companion. I trust he'll be fine."

Stella wasn't convinced, after all, the harsh winter lasted a year, and Cooper had only managed to save her from a deadly attack for three months of it. Back then, all he wanted to do was to protect her. He was so determined that he'd have rather died than let go of her. The scene was too gruesome for Stella to recall. All she could do was hold Cooper tightly. This time, it was her turn to protect Cooper.

Sensing her tense emotions, Cooper nestled into her arms, thinking, "What's wrong with you, human?"

"Don't worry, I'll train him well."

Train him? Cooper grumbled. Hadn't he graduated already?

Jasper petted him. "Training is a lifelong practice. As long as we're alive, we need to keep learning."

Cooper snorted, whatever!

Back home, Stella measured Cooper's height and weight and recorded all his data. Not just him, but Smoky and Snowy too. After checking them over a few times, she couldn't shake off the feeling that they'd somehow changed and were becoming braver. Over the next few days, Stella made over two thousand arrows, and her crossbow skills were improving. Unsatisfied with the distance in the corridor, they all went to the rooftop to push their limits. In the freezing -40 degrees weather, they bundled up like bears in hibernation.

Everyone wanted to rest, but no one dared, fearing that they might never get the opportunity to stand up again. But it was really too cold, and their hands were shaking like they had Parkinson's.

Cody saw how steady Stella was and couldn't believe it. "Stella, how do you do it?"

She was less bundled up than him, but she seemed unaffected by the cold. This was beyond his understanding!

Stella shot him a glance. "I'm not frail, nor weak, and I have a heart full of passion."

Stella, even in a post-apocalyptic world, you don't forget to throw shade. What did I ever do

was frail? Even Angela said he was doing great

gotten used to being outmatched, Lukas and Cody gave up resisting, especially since Stella had Jasper as her private trainer. Her skills were becoming

be soaring. Not only were her skills constantly improving, but her physical fitness seemed to be

the deal with this weather? The damp cold air seeped into their bones, making them feel as

look at Stella,

wearing far less than

compete, and they couldn't afford to be injured. They had to focus on improving their

of rest, Jasper challenged Stella to spar.

As

bit naughty. She still retained some integrity and honestly didn't attack his weak points, even deliberately avoiding

time, his independence

opportunity to ask her for help or give some

said nothing. He resolved everything himself. This made Stella sigh with

had asked, she would have helped, but she intended to keep her distance from

for a favor, he must've had an ulterior motive, and it was probably

all over again, she wouldn't help but be suspicious of everyone's intentions. Moreover, she was privy to Arcadia's secrets, and she couldn't afford

her mood a mix of joy

got jobs without a hitch, with a monthly salary of fifteen pounds

successfully applied for the lowest-tier job of corpse collector. It may have sounded like a grim job with low pay, but

but it included one meal a day. The meal wasn't enough to fill them up completely, but it was enough for a hard day's work, and

elimination rate was high, and the chances of Amber getting hired were slim. Katie was a cunning old woman. She had her daughter-in-law secretly give two pounds of wild kudzu flour to the interviewer, and just like that, Amber got the job. "Stella, if any of you want to apply

using connections or giving gifts.