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.

headed back to wash off

day, she found Jasper had already cleared the bodies,

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

each filled with hope at the sight of the RV, only to be met by Stella's icy, merciless

scout around for a spot to settle, but at the sight of the wind-dried skeletons, they'd hastily decide to

the air dry and thick with dust, necessitating the constant use of humidifiers and air purifiers. The land was sinking, wooden stakes drove easily into the ground, sometimes feeling

and sand, the basin stretching endlessly, its sinking land unmistakable. Sometimes, a jolt would awaken them in the night, a sensation like twitching a leg in

Rosie sensed it, patrolling daily on her electric bike over the stony, arid terrain. Initially, the rough ride left her sore,

a green sprout among the

this dry season, yet there was new

the sprout and brought it

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

nodded, "We need to

rare high-altitude landscaping grass, combat desertification and conserve water

but only sprout in the highland basin at the end of spring, when melting

here they were, sprouting in

had fallen, but the soil was damp enough to germinate

be forming beneath, releasing a steady stream

into the earth, finding the soil wet just thirty

noticed a faint stench in

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

from her time living by the ocean in Swan Hill; it was unmistakable.

the entire basin reeked of the sea, the

the RV, noting how its weight had slightly indented the

pointed to one thing: they couldn't afford to

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 Stella did with needle

dog set up a tent, taking turns keeping watch by day and sheltering in the

be soothed, even by his favorite treat. He was nudging