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.

bodies outside, she headed back to wash off the day's grit and fall into a deep sleep in the

day, she found Jasper had already cleared the bodies, unceremoniously dumping them

wildly, and the fierce winds meant there was no worry of plagues. To any future survivors, this would stand

after, each filled with hope at the sight of the RV, only to be met

the sight of the

was harsh; the sun's ultraviolet rays were intense, the air dry and thick with dust, necessitating the constant use of humidifiers and air purifiers. The land was sinking, wooden

and sand, the basin stretching endlessly, its sinking land unmistakable. Sometimes, a jolt would awaken them

grew darker, even Rosie sensed it, patrolling daily on her electric bike over the stony, arid terrain. Initially, the rough ride left her sore, but now, the bike glided

landing on a green

dry season, yet there was

sprout and brought

examined the plant gravely, "Stella, this place is going to

"We need

high-altitude landscaping grass, combat

in the highland basin at the end of spring, when melting snow provides a

they were, sprouting

soil was damp enough

forming beneath, releasing a steady stream of

dug into the earth, finding the

a faint

dryness had lessened, replaced by a chill tinged with the scent of

ocean in

reeked of

the RV, noting how

pointed to one thing: they couldn't

along with four life jackets that they wore at all

and their dog set up a tent, taking turns keeping watch

days later, Cooper's restlessness couldn't be soothed, even by his favorite treat. He was nudging the ground with his nose, huffing urgently. He even growled