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.

stack them atop fields and medicine gardens. From their private courtyard all the way to the base gates, it took them an hour, even

to bail out, they could whisk themselves into Arcadia. With preparations complete, the helicopter's blades

sea. The Air Force, carrying fewer

1000

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

growing more solemn. Earthquakes or tsunamis could disrupt air

mountains collapsed, and a vast

were disrupted. Alarms vibrated constantly, and warning lights flashed. Listening to the mechanical groans of the aircraft, Rosie broke out in a cold sweat, and Cooper, sensing danger, whimpered into

scarcely daring to breathe. But Jasper was unfazed, his piloting skills unshakable. Braving the turbulent air, he climbed rapidly to 9000 meters, evading the initial assault. The alarms soon

crumbled, dust spreading across the wounded earth. The blue ocean churned, roaring

from the ground, spreading into the sky. Below the smoke, it seemed as though red liquid oozed and flowed. Rosie noticed

it through her binoculars before

with its rich underground resources. Tectonic shifts had torn the city asunder, and the heat had set its coal seams ablaze. They burned and spread, eventually engulfing the city that stretched for thousands of kilometers-a civilization lost in an

Was

Six hours later, they finally reached Han Province. Before the world's end, Han was a hub