18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 410

They had grand plans, but before they could even act, the staccato of gunfire shattered the silence...

Bullets sprayed back and forth, relentless.

Blind in the darkness, they stood no chance against Stella and her crew, who were armed with night vision goggles, taking them down with deadly precision. They didn't even have time to draw their weapons before they fell, one by one.

Stella pushed open the electronic gate, her samurai sword gleaming as she stepped out.

Several lay writhing, begging in horror, "Lady, I ain't ready to die, please spare me!"

Under the cloak of night, Stella stood amidst the swirling dust, her cold laughter echoing like a harvester of souls.

No loose ends; she made sure of that with her blade, leaving no room for future threats.

She didn't return to the RV; instead, she headed for the camp a mile away.

Jasper walked alongside her in the dark.

They weren't far off, and even with the howling wind, the sound of gunfire had reached them.

Panic ensued at the camp, voices of men and women frantically blaming each other, "What do we do now? What the hell do we do?"

Stella had given them a chance, considering the survivors who'd made it through the Plate Tectonic Collision and the efforts of the official bases over the years. But they hadn't cherished it.

Strike once and be done; there would be no third chances.

From behind a tent, Stella opened fire, then lobbed an incendiary grenade...

The gasoline burned long into the night before it finally died down.

Stella counted heads, making sure no one was missing before she left.

with the bodies outside, she headed back to wash

found Jasper had already cleared the bodies, unceremoniously dumping them back at

the fierce winds meant there was no worry

hope at the sight of the RV, only to be met

to settle, but at the sight of the wind-dried skeletons,

the constant use of humidifiers and air purifiers. The land was sinking, wooden stakes drove easily into the ground, sometimes feeling soft even with

unmistakable. Sometimes, a

her electric bike over the stony, arid terrain. Initially, the rough ride

a green sprout among the

yet there

plucked the sprout and brought it back to her

his rich survival experience, examined the plant gravely, "Stella, this place is going to sink

nodded, "We need

rare high-altitude landscaping grass, combat desertification and conserve

the end of

they were, sprouting in the driest

had fallen, but the soil was damp enough to germinate

must be forming beneath, releasing

the

later, Stella noticed a faint stench

a chill tinged with the scent of

her time living by the ocean in Swan Hill; it

reeked of the sea, the sinking was

RV, noting how its weight had slightly

to one thing: they couldn't afford

Stella packed the RV into Arcadia and pulled out the escape pod, along with four life jackets that they wore at all times, never to be removed. Cooper's unique physique meant his life jacket needed custom adjustments, which

the sinking's timing unknown, the trio and their dog set up a tent, taking turns keeping watch by day and sheltering in the

was nudging the ground with his