18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 178

Although Stella was not happy about it. She and Jasper almost had to go out by car every day, and she knew that unwanted trouble or deliberate refugee presence would be a losing game.

This was no joke. Just two weeks ago, a family in the neighborhood was robbed. The thief had come and gone like it was his own home, with no sign of forced entry. The family woke up the next afternoon to find all their belongings gone. They were flabbergasted. Everyone knew it was an inside job, but without a local police station to report the crime, their complaints fell on deaf ears.

Luckily, Stella was vigilant. Not only had she installed an electric fence around her property, but she had also politely declined the security guards' offers to help with moving goods and other services.

In these dire times, trust was a luxury they couldn't afford.

Moreover, during a previous conversation, Rob had mentioned that his family had perished in the harsh winter. So, where did this supposed parents come from?

He may have kids. Rob was rumored to have not only seduced local widows but also courted young women with gifts of salt and other goods. His targets always varied.

No matter how desperately Rob pleaded, Stella remained unmoved.

There were only three spots left in the escape pod, but a horde of desperate people were clamoring outside for them. Who should she let in? Who should she deny?

If she opened the door, she would not only lose the three spots in the escape pod but might also lose her own spot and pay the price with her life.

So, regardless of their pleas, tears, or the exorbitant offers they made, Stella remained steadfast.

Five thousand pounds of food was a tempting offer, but you needed to be alive to enjoy it. And why should she help someone who had abandoned his own family in the face of disaster? As the escape pod door remained closed, the crowd's pleas turned into anger.

safe inside while we're out here?" they roared, their

pound on the glass. Someone swung a baseball bat

swung high, incessantly

to tear them apart, but was restrained by

her a piece of toffee. "Don't be scared." Unfazed by the hatred and violence outside, Stella knew the escape pod's glass was made of aerospace material. It wouldn't break, not even if

grew more frantic, planning to push the

silently as the rich, who were usually on their high horses, showed their true colors

for earthquakes or tsunamis, the

collective efforts, the pod showed signs of movement,

the escape pod rolled backward, crushing several people who were unable

before a wave higher than

vanished without a trace. Even the escape

the tsunami to be so severe, effectively blocking her way out. In the blink of an eye, Stella had no choice but to bring everyone, along with the

was no tsunami or waves, just

seat belt, and Cooper, her dog, dashed out of the pod,

a sleeping Rosie, Jasper

taken aback. "What happened

a

will she

Rosie on the bed. "24

That was