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.

"Anyone injured, disinfect

submarine. From the fishing boat's draft, he deduced there had been more 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

filled with pre-catastrophe stock. The wounds were

We never expected to encounter these sea pirates. Not only was the fishing boat taken, but the survivors

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

countries or turned to 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

cursed,

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

affected by the ancient virus weren't as hideous as these humans, suggesting there must be another reason. Stella made a startling suggestion, "Maybe they drank too much

nuclear waste water cast a shadow over them all-it was radioactive, after all. Hans had intended to investigate further, but now

specific. Once back on the submarine, Stella and Jasper discarded their clothes and took a calming pill, exaggerated but necessary when dealing with such ill fortune. Physically and psychologically, they

benevolent. The next day, Stella stayed in bed, half-asleep when the submarine began

As the submarine surfaced, Stella picked up the megaphone and asked, "How are the comrades who were injured yesterday? Any fever or vomiting?"