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

the resources, it

was a no-brainer. Living near the rich meant a higher standard of living and less worry about others with ill intentions.

it here, we can

it was a good idea, but there was no rush. She had stocked up a lot of hay,

supplies. After all, there were no entirely safe places in the post-apocalyptic world. As more and more refugees gathered on the coast, their villa could become

pounds of fresh goods each day. The bounty was

sea urchins, oysters, scallops, mussels, snails, and more. There were many other exotic seafood

continued to stock up on food. They tried every recipe they could with the abundant ingredients,

a month had passed. They had stocked up enough

sea breeze, sipped on beer, and brought out the barbecue to the rooftop to feast. Just as they were starting to eat, Austin showed up again. Rosie quickly hid the food and even helped wipe the dog's

quick-witted, and Stella almost burst out laughing. Still, they saved some oysters for Austin. They didn't dare give him any fruit though, fearing it would give

in. "Austin, it's rare for you to visit. Is

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

looking out for us, Austin. Is Warren looking for medicine

of any other reason

but this time it's not for Warren. It's for

"Aren't

"In our line of work, we're neutral. We don't favor anyone as long

likely we are to get exploited. They have plenty of trading materials, while those at the bottom are more dangerous.

here, they had to show some courtesy. Stella was somewhat curious. "What kind

"Insulin."

sugar. Someone still needing it after so

days for someone completely deficient, requiring about 60 units per day.

not easy for Aqua Base to get the medicine back. They're temporarily reaching out to their contacts