18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 247

Having settled their nerves, they chose to continue their journey.

Jasper was meticulous in his caution, avoiding areas where landslides or rock falls had occurred previously. They encountered a few close calls, but they narrowly escaped each time.

Twenty-six hours later, after experiencing the variations of all four seasons in one day, they successfully reached the mountain's peak.

Below them, clouds rolled like a sea and upon the rocks, and sturdy pines grew. The mountain was wreathed in mist, which entwined itself around the peaks. It didn't appear like an apocalyptic disaster zone, but rather a breathtakingly beautiful landscape. Rosie, who had never seen such a sight before, was stunned. Cooper was equally entranced in the face of such beauty.

But there was no time to admire the view. Jasper scanned the area. Soon, his gaze locked onto a patch of green on the cliffside. Emerging from the base of a withered vine, it was only a few inches tall and looked incredibly fragile.

He gave Stella a tap on the shoulder, excitement poorly concealed in his voice. "Stella, we've found it."

Following his pointing finger, Stella squinted at the patch but was unable to identify it amidst the various herbs and plants.

No matter. They decided to collect it first and identify it later.

The cliff was dangerous and collecting the plant required careful skill. Jasper took out his climbing gear. "You guys wait here."

Stella quickly interjected, "The cliff isn't safe, and the rocks might not be able to support your weight. Let me do it."

"You're not experienced in climbing. It's riskier for you." Jasper decisively refused. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Besides, I've done this before."

He put on his protective gear and started towards the cliff.

Stella was extremely nervous, her left hand gripping the rope that Cooper and Rosie were attached to, her right hand resting on the climbing rope to prevent any mishaps.

Jasper, like a gecko, slowly and steadily moved forward, inching closer to the plant. The sound of falling gravel made Stella's heart leap into her throat. She even forgot to breathe. Rosie clasped her hand over her mouth, afraid that her gasps would startle Jasper.

the crevice and began to dig around the plant with a small shovel. Once the soil was loose, he

hugged him tightly, unable

mountain was not just volatile in

and it was uncertain if it would survive. They continued

have found it. Fortunately, this time was not as risky. With some effort, they successfully collected it. The roots were intact and Stella

emerged from the soil and the process of collecting them was too risky. They decided to take what they got back

came with risks, and not every

Jasper didn't insist further.

They descended the mountain.

original path in just ten hours. Once they had successfully retreated from the valley, they returned to their Hummer. They washed their faces

Beer, Sprite.

beef, fried fish,

the meal, and Cooper almost ate himself into a round

and Collin's various prescriptions

hearts finally lifted. As he was stretching their legs and waiting for their full bellies to settle,

don't we go there and see how

was a basic human instinct, and emotional connections were spiritual needs. Since they were already here, taking a detour

trio and the dog

the military base was much wider, and they even passed a few rundown cars going in the opposite direction. If their guess was correct, these were survivors from the base, scavenging

was smooth, and they arrived

distance, they could see the military base, built around Pearl Lake, with

300,000 people, was staggering in scale and layout. Even without seeing the full

about 5 miles from

vehicle didn't have a pass, signaled them to

window. "We're here