18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 218

Stella had given him barley seeds, fresh and well-preserved. Barley was pretty easy to grow, requiring far less water than rice. Monkey was thrilled, knowing the seeds could be sold for a good price.

Storing the seeds in Arcadia, Stella rode back home on her bike.

When she got back, she relayed all the information she had gathered from Monkey to Jasper, "It seems not just the middlemen know about the mutation of seafood, but many wealthy folks are in the know as well. They just keep quiet to protect their own interests and safety."

Jasper nodded in agreement, "In these times of disaster, everyone is just trying to survive. They aren't going to worry about others."

Leaning on his shoulder, Stella asked, "We've stocked up on so much seafood, should we still eat it?"

With his arm around her, Jasper replied, "Haven't we been eating it for months now?"

That was true, but they decided to be more cautious in the future, avoiding anything that looked abnormal.

Despite the extreme heat, the sweet potatoes on the large terrace had managed to survive under the shade and regular watering.

Rosie had been taking care of them enthusiastically. Though she was still recovering from her concussion, she was always finding things to keep herself busy.

The terrace's sweet potatoes were just a cover, though. If they had to rely on them, they would have starved.

Stella expended a considerable amount of mental energy, and the six acres of cornfields in Arcadia were finally planted.

While they were having lunch, the radio announced the latest city government news, advising people to stop consuming mutated seafood.

Due to the extreme heat catastrophe, the melting of polar ice caps, and the contamination of the oceans by ancient viruses, sea creatures underwent mutations. Mutated marine products grew rapidly, expanding in size several times or becoming deformed. Not only seafood, but seaweed was affected as well. The safety of sea salt was still being researched, and it was also not recommended for consumption.

infection, etc., mainly spreading through food. The government urged citizens to be

repeated the message over the loudspeaker, reminding

news was bound to cause a stir, cutting off the survival route of many coastal survivors. Life was only going

a large, fat crab when Mark's announcement about the dangers of seafood made him drop the

reassured him, "Ours is safe. Don't eat what others give you.

resist the temptation

peaceful lately. Mark had put past grudges aside, helping villagers find locations to dig wells. After half a month of hard work, they finally found a water source not

gracious, "It was just a misunderstanding. We're all just trying to

their ancestral craft. If one well wasn't enough, they

of water and our crops are dying. Now that we know how to dig wells, why don't we dig for other villages in exchange

mayor glanced at him, "Mark is so smart, why doesn't he

dumb. If it were me, I wouldn't

the dumb one. Your head's

why are

I insult? Wake up, or you won't even

a lot of supplies, but who had an easy

right now. They could be killed after digging the well, and wouldn't even get their promised supplies. Even if they managed to get the supplies, could they protect them? Everyone around was starving, but they were well-fed. Who wouldn't

them just to

keep your mouths shut about our water source. Whoever leaks it, get

someone came to steal, they'd be the first to

temporarily resolved, but Jasper was still restless. He frequently drove out, trying to find a

they hid in Arcadia during the earthquake, they could

Sometimes she would be lost in

had even made friends in Eastwood Eden. This was good for Rosie, but it increased the risk for

Jasper finally found a