18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 406

The air raid sirens wailed, jolting the survivors awake. Some were still groggy from sleep, while others hurriedly geared up for work. Disaster had a cruel sense of timing, striking just when people were most vulnerable. Had everyone been at their workplaces, the scramble

to get back home would have been chaotic at best, tragic at worst, with families potentially torn apart in the rush to reunite.

At least in death, they could stay together.

In the distance, a convoy of massive trucks appeared on the horizon. These weren't just any trucks-they were colossal, stretching out of sight, easily numbering a dozen or more. It was clear these were loaded with cultural artifacts, gathered from across various states, intended for safekeeping in the Kindle Society's "Seed Vault."

But fate had other plans. Just as they reached the base, disaster struck. Even with a two-hour lead, there was no time to secure these priceless items for their journey across the sea. The drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles to save their own lives. An entire convoy, left deserted, with not a soul in sight.

When catastrophe looms, who has the time to worry about lifeless treasures?

As they neared the base entrance, everyone was retreating to the rendezvous point. Even the soldiers on gate duty had come to maintain order. So many relics of culture-books, seeds, machinery, antiques spanning millennia-were left behind.

Out of nowhere, Stella thought of Daniel. She stopped in her tracks and sprinted towards the trucks. Jasper didn't miss a beat, staying right beside her. As they approached, the giant trucks seemed to vanish into thin air. The three of them, along with their dog, sprinted so fast that the trucks disappeared as they passed.

seams. Stella had no choice but to stack them atop fields and medicine gardens. From their private courtyard all the way to the base gates, it took them an hour, even at their fastest pace. When they reached an open area, Stella quickly pulled out the helicopter. The trio and their dog clambered aboard, hurriedly strapping on parachutes. The process was cumbersome, but

if there was no time to bail out, they could whisk themselves into Arcadia. With preparations complete, the helicopter's blades began to spin, and they slowly ascended. As Stella and her group took off, a stream of fighter jets, transport planes, and

The Air Force, carrying fewer

1000 meters, 2000 meters, 3000

dark submarines sank into the vast ocean, disappearing below the surface. Then, numerous life pods spread across the water, orange and dark red, bobbing like ping pong balls. Although Lincoln wasn't on a tectonic edge, as a coastal city, it was vulnerable to tsunamis if an asteroid struck Earth. Earthquake-resistant buses wound away

her expression growing more solemn. Earthquakes or tsunamis could disrupt air currents. Jasper raised the

ground cracked, mountains collapsed, and a vast tsunami swept across the land. The aircraft jolted, and Stella's heart

Listening to the mechanical groans of the aircraft, Rosie broke

unfazed, his piloting skills unshakable. Braving the turbulent air, he climbed rapidly

down to see rivers severed and mountains crumbled, dust spreading across the wounded earth. The blue ocean churned, roaring angrily, as if

6000 meters. After flying for two hours, they spotted billowing smoke rising from the ground, spreading into the sky. Below the smoke, it seemed as though red liquid oozed and flowed. Rosie noticed too and exclaimed in shock, "What

studied it through her binoculars before

route, this should have been the coal capital, with its rich underground resources. Tectonic shifts had torn the city asunder,

Was the

Han Province. Before the world's end, Han was a hub of nine provinces, a land of