18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 238

Stella returned to Apartment 5 early after a day's work, drawn to the verdant landscape that stretched before her.

The folks of Eastwood Eden were hard at work, tilling and sowing the land tirelessly for the past fortnight.

Corn was sprouting. Lush green vegetables promised a bountiful harvest in a week's time, but they were too precious to be consumed. Instead, the seedlings were carefully re-planted, nurtured to grow, and then sun-dried. The dried veggies could be consumed or traded for points.

The strength of the human spirit was evident in their toil. Not only did they cultivate the barren land within the neighbourhood, but they also ventured beyond its borders.

Patrol duties increased, but no one complained.

After two days of rest, Stella decided to gather firewood from the forest. The nearby woods had been stripped bare, forcing her to venture deeper into the wilderness. A round trip was no simple task.

They had to spend the night in the forest, returning only when she had gathered enough wood.

This time, she not only took the dog but also the rabbits.

She took only the first and second generations and the yet-to-grow babies. The fully grown rabbits that had reached a certain weight were slaughtered and stored in Arcadia.

She made sure not to do this in front of Snowy and Smoky. The deed was done in the next room.

Snowy and Smoky couldn't speak, otherwise, they would have protested against Stella. Damn it, they thought. They were always the ones to get the short end of the stick, while the dog was pampered and taken care of. She stored the important stuff in Arcadia, put the rabbits in the trunk, and drove the Hummer to gather wood.

After much consideration, she decided to go to Ivywood Estates at the city's edge. The forests along the way were bare. Ivywood Estates had been destroyed in an earthquake.

floor often came here to gather resources. The fish they stored in Arcadia

eight mountains with the rabbits, she was

she could see the vast dead forest in the distance. The outskirts were not safe, forcing her to venture deeper into the forest. After almost a day of trekking, she finally reached the uninhabited depths of the forest. The deeper she went, the more she could feel

chose a flat forest area and started working with her tools. Stella

the chopping, was sent to keep watch from a high ground with the

Stella then started gathering the chopped branches, storing them in Arcadia under the cover of dusk. The branches were also valuable, tied together and stored to be used as firewood later. It was dark before they finished working. They had originally planned to bring the trailer, but what if someone else was also gathering wood in the forest? Better

oil lamp and laid out a hearty meal to reward

rabbits were also rewarded with fresh

they sat in

eye on the tablet while his ears stayed alert to the sounds outside. Jasper had set up a tripwire outside the tent, with bells attached to

the night, Stella felt cold. Jasper covered her with a thin blanket, and then went to the next

day, had breakfast, and continued with the previous day's work. They didn't clear the entire forest,

were done with one area, they moved to the

passing a brook, Stella's eyes were drawn to a

Jasper asked, "What's up?"

"It's honeysuckle."

height, with its leaves still not fully grown. If she hadn't repeatedly read the medicinal herb book, she wouldn't have recognized it. Finding a honeysuckle seedling was a stroke of

was quite damp, with green buds sprouting among the large patches of withered shrubs and

Stella lost interest in chopping wood and started identifying the plants,

with herbs,

They weren't rare or widely used medicinal herbs, but

found more than a dozen types of herbs. At noon, she found a cool spot

a piece of grass with a smile on his usually cold face.