18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 423

It took a few minutes, but eventually, everything was settled.

Meanwhile, not too far away, a fishing boat was caught in a skirmish, punctuated by the sound of gunshots. Stella couldn't see what was happening due to the obstructed view, but the fight dragged on for nearly twenty minutes before it finally stopped. Hans was sprawled at the bow of the boat, retching for minutes before he waved to everyone, his face pale as a ghost. "It's all taken care of," he managed to say.

He wasn't the only one feeling queasy; several of his comrades were also throwing up. Sensing something was off, Stella started searching for bodies near the submarine, but the masked corpses had already been carried away by the current. Hans ordered the fishing boat closer to the submarine, stopping it between 1926 and 2688. Stella and Jasper paddled over in a dinghy, braving the choppy waves to board the fishing boat. The deck was a chaotic mess, covered in blood and bodies. Seeing the corpses up close made Stella lean over the railing, fighting the urge to vomit. Acid churned in her stomach, but nothing came up. Jasper quickly put on a mask, his brow furrowed as he examined the dead. Their faces were unrecognizable, covered in boils and pustules-some the size of thumbs, others like ping-pong balls, many ruptured and bleeding. They were everywhere. These weren't humans anymore; they were monsters.

The man who had hailed the submarine looked relatively normal except for the multiple stab wounds in his chest; he was dead. Stella noticed several katana swords and old wooden sandals scattered on the deck, her eyebrows knitting together in concern. Hans joined her, his expression grave and angry. "These beasts, damn them."

"Eight-legged walk!" a body nearby suddenly turned over, struggling to get up, shouting furiously at them, "Eight-legged walk!"

A few soldiers grabbed ropes, intending to tie him up for interrogation. Stella immediately warned, "Careful, he might be contagious."

She couldn't believe that after all these years, these beings hadn't died off and were still causing trouble. The monster spat curses as he lunged at the soldiers. Jasper raised his hand and ended the creature's struggle swiftly. Hans had wanted to interrogate him, but it turned out he was the last one.

injured, disinfect your wounds

people inside than the mere seven the fishermen had claimed. Noticing the enemy's trajectory, Liu Cheng signaled his team members discreetly. Medicine was precious, and Hans had only brought an empty medicine chest on board. The base's disinfectant wasn't as good as pre-catastrophe supplies, and going back and forth

supplies, "Use mine." The bottles from the base were filled with pre-catastrophe stock. The wounds were disinfected repeatedly, sprinkled with antiseptic powder, and

with a heavy heart, "This ship is from Thailand, with over fifty people on board. We never expected to encounter these sea pirates. Not only was the fishing boat taken,

often encountered people from neighboring countries, so I picked up bits

piracy, committing robberies and treating survivors from other nations like sheep for slaughter. The Thai survivors, captured just over ten days ago, were reduced to a few, who were then used by the pirates to lure other survivors aboard under the guise of needing assistance, only to be killed for food. Hans didn't mention the several corpses at the bottom of the boat, victims of that

as he cursed, "These animals, worse than

wasn't accustomed to such brutality; the shock was understandable. Stella was outraged by the pirates but more concerned about what had turned these people into

as hideous as these humans, suggesting there must be another reason. Stella made a startling suggestion, "Maybe they drank too much nuclear waste

consume to mutate like this? Either way, the very thought of nuclear waste water cast a shadow over them all-it was radioactive, after all. Hans had intended to investigate further, but now

dinghy, powered up the vessel, and put some distance between them-100 nautical miles, to be specific. Once back on the submarine,

today's events, Stella felt that Hans was cautious and not overly benevolent. The next day, Stella stayed in bed, half-asleep when the submarine began to sway once more. She opened the observation window, and as expected, it was... Blue Blue, showing deep affection from a whole 100

As the submarine surfaced, Stella picked up the megaphone and asked, "How are the comrades