18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 209

Mark was elated, "Stella, we've reached an agreement with the neighboring village. We're going to teach them how to drill wells."

Had it not been for their impressive display of strength that day, it would have been impossible to bring the village's arrogance down a notch and negotiate peacefully.

After the discussion, they had come to believe that the Eastwood Eden community genuinely wanted to help them drill wells.

Stella admired Mark's approach. Instead of resorting to brute force, he had chosen to negotiate the issue even when they held the upper hand. He might look weak physically, but he knew how to use his wit.

"Good job," Stella said, her joy undimmed. "Just remember to stay safe."

"We wouldn't have been able to turn things around so quickly without your help."

Stella smiled. "Mark, you said it yourself - once you join Eastwood Eden, you're family. No need for formalities."

She later shared the news with Jasper.

Jasper wasn't surprised. "In a post-apocalyptic world, it's survival of the fittest. It's rare for someone like Mark to choose kindness over retaliation. We can not blame the villagers for being skeptical. We took our time before deciding to join Eastwood Eden too." By helping the villagers secure a water source, they could put their safety concerns to rest.

But what about after the earthquake? With buildings collapsing everywhere, the living conditions were rapidly deteriorating, and Stella couldn't help but worry. "Do you know what happened to Eastwood Eden after the earthquake?"

Jasper shook his head. "We'll have to wait and see. If it's too dangerous, we'll leave."

Stella agreed. There were no safe havens in a post-apocalyptic world.

time to pick up their supplies,

Eastwood Eden, she had specifically chosen an open truck. Upon reaching the agreed-upon location, Monkey was

hanging from his

fine. We were worried about Aqua Base acting up, so we left an hour early. Just as we were reaching the foot of the mountain, we noticed the weather changing. We decided to leave immediately, and that's how

mused, "What doesn't kill you makes

for iodine tablets. He knew her supplier

arrested following a tip-off.

to tap into this supply line to earn some supplies. Not willing to give up, he asked, "Can you think of any other way to get

for my previous supplier's strong connections, he would have been dead by now. Water

"My clients

if you're caught,

didn't push

to pick up the water truck the next day, and Austin would have it delivered that night. Austin readily agreed to find iodine tablets for her, "But it's not a common medication, so

I'll trade you some

skeptical. "It's been two years since the disaster. It won't be easy to find such seeds, and

the water tower into Arcadia, and the rest

water, Stella stopped going out. She spent her days seemingly lounging at home, but in reality,

thrice-weekly classes, they spent their time digging up soil from the ground beneath the building and transferring it to the rooftop. With the iron gate installed and the

her, "What do you

to plant sweet potatoes, peanuts,

the heat,

some seeds and asked Jasper to teach her how to plant them, only to find out that neither of them knew

plants in such high