18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 173

Stepping out from Arcadia, the night had already cast its dark blanket over everything.

Jasper docked the yacht close to the shore, not hurrying Stella to pull it back into Arcadia.

They were quite a distance away from the fishing village and the dock. It was unlikely anyone would be around at this hour, but out of caution, Jasper donned his night vision goggles and scanned the dark for a while, ensuring there were no issues. To avoid drawing attention with the motorboat, they paddled their rubber dinghy to shore.

Once ashore, they faced an incline leading to the coastal highway. There was no path, just brambles and reeds taller than a person.

Jasper led the way with his machete, shielding Stella behind him and flattening a path before allowing her to follow. "Watch your step," he cautioned.

After some time, they made it to the highway. Stella got into their car, flicking on the headlights. "Are you okay?"

Jasper was fine, save for a few scratches on his hands from the brambles and reeds. They were bleeding a little but were not serious. Stella took out an iodine solution to disinfect his wounds before applying band-aids.

In the darkness, they slowly drove along the highway. One drove, and the other kept vigil.

Upon safely returning to the villa, Stella's mood brightened. She took out some premium food from Arcadia to celebrate.

With the addition of a yacht, they felt more secure about potential sea survival scenarios.

The trip to the coast was worth it. They had been stocking up on dry goods and, with the 3,000 pounds they just acquired, they now had over 10,000 pounds of seafood.

Not only was it enough to last them a lifetime, but it could also be used for trading in the future.

Despite the abundance of seafood, they knew they couldn't eat it recklessly. Stella contemplated that it was time to stock up on fresh goods.

After dinner, the trio and the dog enjoyed the moonlight, stargazing and munching on watermelon on the rooftop.

propped on her elbows, marveled at the starry sky. "It's so beautiful here. I wish we could stay here

or the resources,

living and less worry about others with ill intentions. Walking the dog became easier too. Cooper could run up and down the stairs freely, getting plenty

objections. "If you guys like it here, we can stay. We

stocked up a lot of hay, enough for the rabbits to

more and more refugees gathered on the coast, their villa could become a juicy steak, and a few dozen security guards would be no match for

the next few days, they brought back 1,200 pounds of fresh

mussels, snails, and more. There were many other exotic seafood they had

up on food. They tried every recipe they could with the abundant

had passed. They had stocked up enough food to last for years and

sipped on beer, and brought out the barbecue to the rooftop to feast. Just as they were

some oysters for Austin. They didn't dare give him any fruit though, fearing it would

to

bet." Austin savored the oysters as he praised their cooking skills. "Your barbecuing skills are even better than those

Austin. Is Warren looking for medicine

from that, she couldn't think of any other reason for Austin to

but this time it's not for Warren.

been fair in their dealings. "Aren't you afraid of offending Odeberg International by finding

don't favor anyone as long

be as generous as Odeberg International, but the larger the organization, the less likely we are to get exploited. They have plenty of trading materials, while those at the bottom are more dangerous. In this post-apocalyptic world, no one can guarantee that there's no risk in doing business. If you guys have any reservations and don't want to

he was already here, they had to show some courtesy. Stella was somewhat

"Insulin."

needing it after so long in the apocalypse indicated a complete lack of insulin, requiring lifelong

units would last only a few days for someone completely deficient, requiring about 60 units per day. It might

heavily guarded, so it's not easy for Aqua Base to