18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 324

The air was heavy with smog as the officers cautiously approached the mysterious black bag. Upon opening it, they found it to be full of herbs. Baffled glances were exchanged - what could this possibly mean? Nobody took the situation lightly; for all they knew, the herbs could be a smokescreen for something more sinister, like a bomb. Calling in an off-duty colleague, they meticulously checked each package. The incident was so bizarre it quickly caught the attention of Detective Evan, who was awakened in the dead of night to find the precinct's yard overflowing with the mysterious herbal haul, leaving him utterly flabbergasted. With a moment's thought, Evan instructed, "Get an expert from the Institute of Herbal Medicine over here, pronto."

The officers wasted no time and drove through the night to fetch the expert.

Back in his office, Evan inquired, "Did anyone get a good look at the people who dropped off the herbs?"

"No luck," admitted an officer on duty. "The visibility was poor, and the smog didn't help. They stayed in their vehicle and were pretty much unrecognizable."

The officer paused, then added, "They were wearing gas masks though, looked almost like skulls at first glance. Gave me quite a scare, I thought we were under some sort of biochemical attack."

Evan shot him a look. "You've been watching too many movies, haven't you?"

"Evan, I'm dead serious. People are on edge; lashing out at society is becoming all too common. If this smog virus turns into an epidemic, who knows how many might become carriers. We need to be ready." Evan's gaze was sharp. "Mask up."

The officer clutched his mask tighter, "Evan, should we track down those trucks?"

Evan pondered over the two letters that had almost worn thin in his hands over the years. What use was there in tracking down trucks, only to lock them up?

he decided, "No, let's wait for the expert's

envisioning Jasper coughing up his lungs into a basin until it overflowed. Not just him, but Cooper was also afflicted in her dream, clawing at his mouth and gasping, "Human, I can't breathe.

with a start, only to be met by Jasper turning on the bedside lamp, asking,

dream," Stella patted her chest,

the intercom. "Stella, Dylan's got a fever with a cough, his breathing is rapid and he's all hot and cold, is it an infection?" Stella commanded over the intercom,

"Almost 40."

the pills to lower his

a couple years ago and he was afraid to give them to his son at

sponge bath with lukewarm water," Stella instructed through the static. "Use mugwort for his foot

same issue; his kid was sick too. It seemed to be no coincidence - the smog virus was spreading rapidly, and

from the backyard with a grim look. "The poultry seem affected. Some are gasping

maybe just physical discomfort, but the risk was too high. After much deliberation, Stella made

Rosie had poured her soul into raising each bird, and the thought of killing them was devastating. Nevertheless, they were all bagged up and stored in sealed containers in the Arcadia, sanitized and packed away in case of future necessity. The

smog rolled in, she thought, she

the medicine being misappropriated. Secondly, she was worried that if a large amount of unidentified herbs suddenly appeared, they might alarm

undeniably understood the purpose of the herbs and would also potentially assist in maintaining the deception. Given his acuity, she had a hunch he had inferred her intent but chosen to remain

personally witnessing Evan handover the herbs to the research institute, Stella could not be

herbs at Austin's villa. She instructed the father-son duo to try