18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 380

The tarp was yanked back, revealing a truck bed filled with weathered barrels caked in mud and rust. Each container looked like it had survived a bombing raid, dented here and bulging there. The warehouse worker couldn't help but wonder-what on earth was inside?

He scrubbed off the mud, chipped away at the rust, and finally, the emblem on one of the barrels came into view Titanium?

He cleaned a few more, revealing Tungsten, Beryllium...

"My God, these were rare metals-the kind the base had been scouring the earth for, with no luck. Production at the factory was hanging by a thread.

The worker's jaw nearly hit the floor. "All of this, in both trucks?"

"Yep." Stella wiped her dirt-streaked face, her voice tinged with urgency and anxiety. "Buddy, are these any good to you? We busted our backs and bet the farm to trade for these. If they're useless, we're done for." Considering the barrels' shabby state, the worker wasn't sure whether the contents were still intact.

"I honestly don't know." He got caught up in Stella's dramatic demeanor and grew nervous himself. "Hold tight, I'll get some folks from the research and testing department over here."

He dashed into the office and radioed for assistance.

After briefing the situation, he reminded them, "Yes, yes, it's two trucks full-send someone quick."

These metals were like industrial MSG-a pinch in the mix and you're golden. And this-this was a motherlode!

Twenty minutes later, a vehicle rolled up, unloading a few uniformed personnel.

As they caught sight of the two trucks' worth of barrels, their jaws dropped in shock.

The team leader, snapping out of his amazement, commanded: "Let's move, get these unloaded and sampled for testing."

The trading hub's staff scrambled to help.

Stella hurried over. "Hey, where are you taking our stuff? You haven't even weighed it yet. You aren't thinking of swiping it, are you?"

smile. "Don't worry, we're not thieves. Rare metals just need special storage. The last few years have been rough, and

first, should take about three hours to get results. If it's all good,

weren't taking the cargo,

pried off the lids, revealing

certainty about the condition of the metals, but scientific testing

hours, the trading center's staff needed to clean all the

fresh, so the metals couldn't be bad, but that wasn't something Stella could explain to the testers. All she could

trio and their dog weren't idle either, joining the workers in the

value of the metals, the staff handled each barrel with extreme care. When Stella and Jasper were a bit rough, causing the barrels to roll on the ground,

lunch, focused on meeting the testing department's demands, cleaning everything as

spread like wildfire throughout the trading center, attracting lone scavengers and groups eager for news. Seeing the haul, they

bounty could secure a lifetime's worth of necessities if

Jasper with feigned camaraderie. "Buddy, where'd you score this loot? Let me in on

more personal services. "Hey miss, need a strong arm or a loyal companion? Whether you want a beefcake or a delicate flower,

face darkened.

was frazzled. "Get

hopping mad, declared, "She's

his teeth with a growl.

crowd lingered until Jasper, without another word, drew his gun

trio and their dog, the group

it get to you. You'll get used to

but with scavenging growing

exception, endlessly

with these nuisances was

trio and their dog retreated to their truck to rest and grab

results came in fresh from the lab, and the

ecstatic, quickly arranging for Stella and Jasper to weigh their haul and log the metals. "The ones that just passed the test will be converted into credits for you. The rest, you'll get your results in two days. Just bring your receipt to claim your points." Stella was fine with that-credits with a string of zeros were easily