18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 412

Rocking gently, Stella kept her eyes shut and continued to sleep. Jasper pulled back the curtains, revealing a world swallowed by darkness. But if he craned his neck, he could make out the distant stars twinkling faintly. The stars were beautiful, but the world was in a terrible state.

After tucking Stella in with a warm blanket, Jasper closed his eyes to rest. They awoke in a haze, greeted by the faintest hint of dawn. Cooper, perched on the windowsill, gazed curiously into the distance, letting out an excited, "Woof!"

The sea was calmer today, the boat rocking less. Stella unbuckled her safety belt and joined Jasper, looking out at the thin mist hovering over the water like a mysterious veil. The sun, a fiery red orb, shimmered with golden light, slowly piercing the fog and painting the sea and sky in hues of red.

It was beautiful, yet utterly cruel.

After a good sleep, Rosie seemed much refreshed, quietly eating her breakfast sandwich and sipping on warm oatmeal. Stella muttered softly, "The waves are still pretty rough. Guess both yachts and cruise ships are out of the question. Can we use a submarine?" Jasper shook his head. "Subs are meant for the deep sea. With the land just submerged, we don't know the depths. We could easily run aground or damage the vessel."

With no other options, they settled for watching a comedy, munching on popcorn as they slowly lost track of time. When Rosie got up to stretch and peered through the glass at the world outside, her gaze suddenly fixed on a distant point. "A mountain! There's a mountain!" Human beings aren't exactly cut out for ocean survival, so the mention of land was thrilling. Stella joined her, and sure enough, there was a faint outline of a mountain in the distance.

A mountain standing alone in the midst of the ocean.

The sun cast its light upon the peak, giving it an ethereal glow. Feeling a call to the divine, Stella grabbed the binoculars to take a closer look. The mountain seemed massive, oddly familiar as if she had seen it somewhere before. Good Lord, I was the "Roof of the World"!

heralding a storm. As expected, wave after wave began a frenzied display. Every so

countless pieces, a cycle of destruction against the mountain. Glaciers

World" was hacked into innumerable fragments by the merciless hand of a demonic force. First came the violent tremors, then the explosion of rock. Ancient stones tumbled down in a

Creating monstrous waves.

fierce as a moth to flame, were valiant but futile. The backbone of the Earth was effortlessly broken and silently

stabbed in the heart. She had never climbed the "Roof of the World," but for humanity losing its land, this mountain was a

expectations, Stella still harbored a flicker of hope, which was now extinguished. She stared in

...

Rosie started to feel queasy again but kept it to herself. She saw a survivor, a person clutching a makeshift raft adrift at sea. From this distance, it was hard to discern their complexion, but it was clear they were weak, and it

in the company of her brother and sister-in-law, was incredibly fortunate. She didn't voice her thoughts, knowing she couldn't save the stranger. Rosie turned away, unwilling to add to

rest. Over the years, she had pondered whether to reveal the truth to Rosie. Although they had been cautious, with Jasper always there to cover, Rosie had grown up and was very smart. Facing this dichotomy of

Rosie might already know the truth but simply chose not to speak of it. Despite Rosie's soft-spoken nature,

was a wolf in sheep's

likely to be deceived, but she was also the type to turn the tables on others. Stella, however, harbored a nagging concern. Currently, the three of them shared