18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 179

Having tidied the room, the two, accompanied by their dog, sat down to lunch in their humble abode in Arcadia. Rosie, however, was still fast asleep in the room. Knowing that time in Arcadia was precious, Jasper didn't rest. Instead, he helped Stella harvest the green beans in The Garden.

The beans were not yet mature, still in the green bean phase. The leaves and beans bore a vibrant green hue.

Given the long days ahead, Stella decided to turn them all into pickled beans. She figured it would be a good pastime to munch on them alongside some jerky. Cooper, the dog, was not one to be outdone. He bit into the bean sprouts and pulled them out at a remarkable speed, albeit with a lack of precision.

He was really competitive!

Harvesting the beans, washing them, adding pickling spices, and cooking them was their routine.

After teaching Jasper the process, Stella returned to her room for a nap. Waking around five, she was about to roll over when she felt a hand resting on her waist. Jasper was spooning her, fast asleep. Had she been that sound asleep? She hadn't even heard him enter the room. Was she too relaxed, or was he just that stealthy? Stella nudged him, "Quit pretending, I know you're awake."

Jasper opened his eyes, only to pull her closer. With their bodies close and eyes locked, she could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. Stella felt her mind go blank, her gaze involuntarily shifted away. Suddenly, Jasper leaned in for a kiss. Stella froze for a moment, feeling her body betray her. She didn't push him away. And so, they found comfort in each other's presence.

He didn't push things further. He held her for a long while before his breathing steadied, "Stella, do you think the marriage office is still open?"

Stella considered, "Probably not."

"Once this disaster is over, we'll go and get our marriage certificate."

Stella threw a pillow at him, "I never said anything about marrying you."

Jasper gazed at her, "But I want to take care of you. Aren't you going to give me a chance?"

"Bark, bark, bark!"

Outside, Cooper was causing a commotion, calling for his trainer to start their practice. Jasper felt exasperated as his confession was interrupted.

so hard it

was incredibly patient with Cooper, starting their workout with a warm-up run, followed by twists, jumps, and crawls. In the end, Cooper collapsed on the grass, panting and unable to get up.

dinner around seven, Jasper initiated, "Stella, shall

to say that. Time was precious, and she didn't want to waste it. At

caressed her cheek, "Sorry, kiddo. All for

ready, they quickly

villa's rooftop. Otherwise, it would have rolled all the way down from the hilltop. The good news was that the tsunami had receded. However, the roar of the waves could still be heard in the distance. It seemed

out her night-vision binoculars, but the tsunami had destroyed everything. The sea was

was too far away, beyond their field of vision. Presumably, the sea hadn't

to return to the villa with

of people on the beach, it was likely that some had survived. As for what kind of people they were, that was another story. Jasper wanted to investigate. He handed Rosie over to Cooper, "Stay here with Rosie, and wait

task, staying

the flicker of firelight. Having lived there for a month, Stella knew her way around. She saw that the villa's front door was wide open. On the ground was a fire pit for light, and there were about almost twenty people, either sitting or standing.

by their appearances, they were the lowest

camouflage uniform, appearing to be a soldier. Stella took

had rarely interacted with soldiers since they arrived at the beach a month

the soldier who had distributed relief

stained with blood. His thigh was particularly bloody because of a tourniquet. His face was pale, indicating significant blood loss. Being injured to this

Jasper. She gently held his

"I'll go first."

man pulled out a rusty knife

scared and stuttered,

smiled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, "Kid, are you

shrunk back, retreating into the crowd without

man gripped his knife and stepped forward. The fire pit flickered,

her assault rifle,