18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 411

Stella's head was spinning, and she was grateful for the seat belts that cradled her; without them, she would've been tossed around like a salad at a summer picnic. The centrifuge-like gravity mechanism finally clicked into place just as she felt her stomach threaten revolt. Darkness enveloped them, and their only window to the outside world was through the porthole. The hatch opened upwards, and Stella craned her neck to peer out. The chasm was deep, so deep that only a sliver of light from far above made its way down to them. It had

to be at least two or three hundred meters to the top.

"Well, shoot, we'd need wings to get out of this one," Stella commented with a wry chuckle, turning to Jasper. "Looks like we might just retire in this crack in the earth, Jasper."

Jasper, ever the unfazed one, replied calmly, "I'll be right here with you."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than another quake hit, sending a cascade of mud and stones raining down upon them. The impact from such a height was unimaginable. Their escape pod took a hit, and they seemed to plummet a few meters further down. Thankfully, aerospace-grade materials had gone into its construction, preventing it from being flattened by the hail of debris. The deluge of earth continued until, several minutes later, it began to subside. Then, the already dim light snuffed out completely... Instinctively looking up, Stella saw the sky being obscured by something. At first, it was transparent, but it thickened with time, dimming the light until... When she realized what it was, Stella's eyes widened in disbelief, and she threw up her arms to shield her head, ducking to the side.

Tidal waves! They came rolling in, swallowing the vast plateau, descending with the ferocity of a waterfall plummeting straight down into the earth's fissures. The vertical onslaught of water battered the escape pod relentlessly. Although they were safe within, the visual impact felt like repeated punches to the heart. The pod shook violently amidst the torrent. Stella's eyes were glued to the glass, half-expecting it to shatter at any moment. But the pod stood firm, unyielding despite the chaos, a testament to the resilience of its construction. As the water continued to pour in and the earth beneath them sank, the water level rose rapidly... The escape pod bobbed upward as if riding a hundred-meter wave. Turns out, Stella wasn't fated to grow old trapped in a crevasse. Her choice was vindicated; taking refuge in the escape pod had been the right call. Tectonic shifts had loosened the soil of the highlands, creating countless fissures that allowed an underwater reservoir to surge upwards. Even if the pod had fallen into the crevasse, the fracturing and sinking of the plate would trigger a tsunami, whose massive impact would churn the soil, allowing the pod to escape on buoyancy alone. Jasper must have suspected as much; otherwise, with a sister to look after, he wouldn't have entertained the notion of growing old with her in the depths of the earth. Men and their sweet nothings!

like a leaf on the water, unable to control their destiny. The light flickered, and Rosie, dizzy from the motion, groaned,

pod into darkness. The curtain was her own modification, insisted upon and manually installed by Jasper. Next, they blinked into Arcadia for refuge. Stella handed Rosie a sour plum candy, "Suck on this, close

a remedy for nausea, one for each of them. Dizzy and disoriented, unsure if it was their bodies or their souls swaying, the tart sweetness jolted their senses back to clarity, and

not panicked. He lay sprawled on the floor, tongue lolling out. After resting for half an hour, they felt much improved. Stella sensed the mess-the pot of rice she'd thrown together in

waves. Stella drew back the curtains, and bright light flooded in. The peak of the tsunami, triggered by the sinking land, had passed, and all that met their eyes was an endless expanse of ocean, with waves and winds as far as the eye could see. Stubbornly, Stella scanned the horizon with her binoculars. For half an hour, she searched, but there was no sign of land or mountains. Even at such high altitudes, no place was safe; the earth might... be devoid of land forever. And if there was any land left,

waves roared, and the wind howled, with no end in sight. As darkness approached, Rosie lost her appetite, eating less

fever. Her heart rate and blood pressure were elevated, likely due to stress and seasickness. "Do you

weakly, "Yes,

used to it. Don't worry too much, just try to rest. We'll get through this." Rosie obediently closed her eyes but

effects of seasickness herself, took the pod back into Arcadia. The rocking was unbearable, even for her. With everyone out of sorts, Stella fought the urge to be sick as she climbed upstairs to rest. Jasper carried his sister to bed and lit a calming incense to help her sleep more peacefully. After a quick shower and changing into pajamas, he lay

think