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."

was surprised something hadn't happened already. Thankfully, he hadn't tried anything, or she would've had to give him a piece of

heat, and the light was particularly intense. By six in the morning, the temperature felt like

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 Celsius. The heat was not only unbearable but also

she decided to rely on the air conditioning for

new day began with milk,

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

that if the other party tried

moment before

put Austin in a difficult position; and second, Aqua Base's reputation was questionable. If they lost their ship and their people and still

Aqua Base had breached their contract, Stella thought Jasper had

trade at 10 o'clock and decided to set out early

they couldn't afford to let down their guard or

Jasper, you've been living in

been raised by 50 pounds of

explained apologetically, "There's nothing we can do about it. We're just following orders. There's been an influx of

to find a 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 body was taken away. Things are chaotic out there. If you guys

passing day since she arrived a month ago. People were everywhere, and fights

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 give up a beachfront villa to

bit darker and the light not as dazzling as before. The unpredictable weather of the apocalypse had honed her senses. She looked up and was shocked by what she

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

cloud, Jasper's face

gas pedal, and the car drifted on the spot

who was left in a cloud of exhaust fumes,

the winding mountain road, his expression