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."

already. Thankfully, he hadn't tried anything, or she would've had to

sun rose early in the sweltering heat, and the light was particularly intense. By six in the

knocked out by the heat. Taking a reading with a thermometer, she

she decided to rely on the air conditioning for

with milk, bagels, and

meal. Stella asked, while sipping her milk, "Should we continue supplying Aqua Base

party tried to follow or

before deciding,

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

Base had breached their contract, Stella thought Jasper had a

o'clock and decided to

the ship, they couldn't afford to let down their guard or

Jasper, you've been living in the

rent had been raised by 50 pounds of

an influx of people coming to the coast. Many rich people

house. They had to rent a place 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

had noticed that the beach was becoming more crowded with each passing day since she arrived a month ago. People were everywhere, and fights broke out at the drop of

Base. If they were willing

sky seemed a bit darker and the light not as dazzling as before. The unpredictable

and sunny on their side, dark clouds were gathering at the end of the sea. Countless white clouds were moving and turning black at a visible speed, slowly forming into a mushroom shape. It was becoming hotter, and Stella felt like she could smell the

Jasper's face paled.

the spot before rushing up the

in a cloud

speed up the winding mountain road, his expression grave.