18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 425

Stella felt a pang of regret for rushing off so quickly that day. If only she had taken a moment to check things out first.

Jasper chuckled at her thoughts, "You know, you can actually train to hold your breath underwater."

Most people can manage a minute or two underwater, but world record holders can last up to 22 minutes. It's amazing what humans can do when pushed to their limits.

You can also train for speed while free-diving, with the best reaching speeds of a hundred meters per minute. So, Iran's ability to stay underwater for long periods wasn't all that surprising. Stella couldn't help but marvel at the world's wonders. The sea stretched endlessly, and the sky was painted with the fiery hues of a sunset.

Tired of being cooped up in the submarine, the trio and their dog decided to enjoy a meal in the open air. They had been living on bland box lunches, so they opted for a spicy hot pot instead.

They set up a folding table and chairs, placed a portable gas stove on top, and laid out plates of thinly sliced beef, lamb, meatballs, mushrooms, seaweed, winter melon, tofu skin, and an assortment of greens. The broth bubbled fiercely, its spicy aroma carried away by the sea breeze.

Jasper popped open a bottle of red wine, and the glasses clinked in the golden light. Rosie laughed, "To my favorite brother and sister-in-law, cheers!"

Cooper, who couldn't handle the spice or the wine, barked pitifully, pawing at the ground and turning away from his bowl of chicken breast and bones. He glanced longingly at the ocean, drool betraying his discontent.

him, gave him some freeze-dried treats. After the fiery meal, they felt refreshed, the gloom lifted, their

fix. Full

another day of serene weather. After Blue Blue finished scratching an itch and seeing

flowers, while Cooper dashed up and down the decks

in the weather, which

The pair went down for a nap, and Stella told Jasper to take

face mask, lounging in a beach chair and scanning

last time? Impossible, Jasper was meticulous about cleanliness. She grabbed her binoculars and scanned the area with heightened alertness. There was a boat! Upwind, a small vessel appeared, drifting slowly with the wind. The stench was

A few more looks, and she recognized it - wasn't that a Thai fishing

boat and the ongoing stench nearly made

nose picked up the scent, and he barked twice before rushing out. Jasper and Rosie, hearing the commotion,

her gaze locked on the

around it. A dark current? No, the winds weren't strong enough to spread such a thing so quickly. It was moving too fast, catching up with the fishing boat, swarming around it, and climbing up its sides in a frenzied

were black, beetle-sized creatures swarming so thickly they looked like a dark tide, making even Jasper, who had no fear of insects, shudder. Lowering the binoculars, he wanted to tell Stella they needed to flee, but Rosie's scream cut through the air,

while they were fixated on the distant boat, a dark mass of insects had climbed aboard from the opposite side. They were swarming up the yacht at an alarming pace, so many that their movement created a rustling sound. With

lead her family to safety inside Arcadia, and she had already grabbed Jasper's hand when she realized her mistake. If they brought the bugs inside with them, the whole vessel would be infested. What were these monsters? Stella wasn't sure, but their eagerness for the fishing boat meant they were carnivorous. Leaving the luxurious yacht would be like amputating a limb to survive. She