18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 176

Based on the direction of the gunfire, Jasper pushed back the underbrush, revealing two corpses sprawled on the ground.

Stella shone a flashlight on them, illuminating two blood dots in the middle of their foreheads. From the way they had fallen, one had been shot dead on the spot, while the other had attempted to flee in panic. He was fast, but not faster than Jasper's bullet. To land a headshot in the pitch-dark night required an extraordinary level of marksmanship, and Stella was awed that Jasper had pulled it off without a hitch, making her own anxiety seem superfluous.

Jasper dumped the bodies into the ocean and wiped away any traces of the crime scene before carrying Stella and continuing their ascent.

Once they reached the coastal road, Stella didn't rush to get down. Instead, she leaned over and kissed Jasper's cheek, whispering, "Thanks for everything today." Without him, getting a hold of that cruise ship would have been impossible. Jasper looked surprised. "Do we really need to thank each other?"

Stella simply smiled, not answering as she fetched the car from Arcadia. Feeling utterly drained, she hopped into the passenger seat and started munching on a granola bar to replenish her energy. Jasper tilted his body to fasten her seat belt for her.

On the way back, they collaborated in the same way, with one driving and the other keeping watch. Once they passed the security booth at the villa district, Stella finally allowed herself to relax. "I'm tired. I'm going to take a nap."

By the time they parked at the top of the hill, she was already fast asleep.

Jasper turned off the engine and carried her out of the car. Cooper wagged its tail and greeted them with a worried whine, looking up at Jasper.

Jasper signaled the dog to quiet down, murmuring, "She's fine. She's just sleeping."

Barely awake, Stella was roused by the morning light filtering through the curtains. She instinctively rolled over, only to bump into a warm and solid form. Startled, she shot up and almost went for her knife, only to realize that it was Jasper. Talking about overstepping boundaries.

Jasper was a light sleeper, and Stella's movement woke him instantly. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Stella stowed her knife back into Arcadia. "Why are you sleeping here?"

"I didn't want to leave you alone last night. I was worried something might happen."

surprised something hadn't happened already. Thankfully, he hadn't tried anything, or

and the light was particularly intense. By six in the

air conditioning, but when Stella opened the door to the balcony for fresh air, she was almost knocked out by the heat. Taking a reading with a thermometer, she found that it was 59 degrees

the door, she decided to rely on the

new day began with milk,

their meal. Stella asked, while sipping her milk, "Should we continue

the trade that if the other party tried to follow or double-cross them, the deal

for a moment before

position; and second, Aqua Base's reputation was questionable. If they lost their ship and their people and still didn't get the medicine, they

breached their contract,

at 10 o'clock and decided to set

couldn't afford to let

in their car, Rob came up to greet them. "Mr. Jasper, you've been living in the house for a month now. Time to renew

dismay, the rent had been raised by 50 pounds of food. An increase of 50 pounds? That

orders. There's been an influx of people coming to the coast. Many rich

in the fishing village and were robbed in the middle of the night. They were even stabbed. I heard that the eight-year-old boy was stabbed to death and even his body was taken away. Things are chaotic out there. If you guys don't renew the lease, there will be plenty of others

Stella had noticed that the beach was becoming more crowded with each passing day since she arrived

or not to renew the lease was something Stella hadn't decided yet. First, she needed to see the attitude of Aqua Base. If they were willing to trade the medicine, renewing the lease might be worth considering. After all, who would

about to say that she would consider it, she noticed that the sky seemed a bit darker and the light not as dazzling as before. The unpredictable weather of

and turning black at a visible speed,

Jasper's

the spot before rushing up the

left in a cloud of exhaust fumes,

up the winding mountain road, his expression grave. "Stella, the weather