18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 307

Facing Shane's inquiry, Stella was not about to spill the beans. "I have no clue, but I wouldn't have taken the job if I didn't have some level of confidence," she replied with a nonchalant shrug.

As Stella parted ways, she didn't forget to leave Shane with a sharp reminder. "Mr. Shane, while rescuing Bran, don't forget to catch the mole."

He had two other sons, for heaven's sake. What if they decided to take turns getting into trouble? The mere thought made Shane's blood pressure spike. Once he got the ungrateful brat back, he was seriously considering cutting the cord on their father-son relationship. Leaving the Porras mansion, Stella and her quartet headed back to her villa, where she brought up the need for a plane and fuel.

The team looked at her in disbelief. "A plane? What for? Cool as it might be, we can't afford to maintain one."

Stella laid it out plainly. "Food and meat are easy to come by, but who knows what disasters lie ahead. If a more severe earthquake hits and there's nowhere left to run on land, we might just need to take to the skies."

Kitty didn't see an issue. "Owning a jet is pretty awesome. Fancy a trip, and you're off."

If they could pull this off, they'd be living the high life for quite some time.

This was an unexpected boon, and Cody and Lukas had no objections. It had been ages since they'd fought side-by-side with Stella and Jasper.

The memories of life on the 18th floor were resurfacing, but unfortunately, they were too inexperienced at the time. When danger arose, it was always Stella taking the lead, with Jasper covering the rear. Thinking back, it was quite embarrassing actually. They hoped that this time around they could tap into their full potential.

Jasper, once a SWAT officer, was unmatched when it came to tactical planning. He shot down Kitty's original plan. The kind of folks who could thrive in this post-apocalyptic world, subsisting on kidnapping and ransom, were not to be underestimated in their ruthlessness or capability.

Kitty and Angela, if caught, would be searched immediately, stripped of all weapons. A strong fist was no match for a loaded gun, and there was the looming threat of being drugged or worse at the hands of those men.

Too many risks were at play. Any resistance or slip-up could trigger their suspicions, possibly putting their lives on the line.

can't gather intel on the inside if we

way to communicate, any intel on their layout is useless if it can't be shared in real-time. You'd be sitting ducks if they decided to use you as leverage against us." Stella shared the details of her deal with Shane. "The Porras family will pay a ransom with supplies. That'll draw some of them

large stronghold, they could probably grab a lookout for questioning and get the lowdown on the cave's interior

fold and agreed to cooperate fully with the seasoned

24 hours to Shane's ransom drop, Stella suggested they head out early to scope out the

Rosie, she

on par with Cody and Lukas, but she's just a kid. Even in her disappointment, she managed a smile. "Take care, guys. I'll be waiting for your safe return." Jasper

was safely settled next door, the team set

the cave's abundant supplies, they knew their Hummer wouldn't carry much.

a truck elsewhere. We'll park it near

behind at a suburban junction while Stella and Jasper

later, the two returned in the vehicle. Wearing night-vision goggles and keeping the headlights off to avoid detection, they stopped

the way as they trekked into

peaks in the dark, they edged closer

the paths most traveled by the enemy under the new high-definition night-vision goggles, skillfully avoiding any likely encounters. Kitty was silently impressed. She had taken several trips to master the lay of the land, and yet Jasper could call it out after a mere

early for the scheduled trade, and if they took out the

for caution, they circled around, taking over two hours to sneak within two hundred meters of the cave entrance.

the entrance. Stella observed the mountainous terrain,

keep

to accompany them for safety, but Jasper declined, "Just Cooper, Stella, and I will

set out along the mountain's contours in search of alternative paths. Thankfully, the terrain wasn't too treacherous, or their task would have been significantly riskier. Stella instructed Cooper to sniff out any human scents. The dog weaved through the