18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 456

Stella recounted the ferry incident, "I swapped a bottle of nitroglycerin for three houses, plus six months' rent-free."

With all the eyes on them, the family of three, all in the flesh, had already caught the attention of several survivors. Most were just envious, but she couldn't rule out those with ulterior motives. Moving to Area B2, where they'd be living among active-duty military personnel, should mean fewer problems.

They decided to move quickly, to avoid any complications. The three of them, along with their dog, had been crammed into a tiny space of just over a hundred square feet. It was far too cramped. Stella wouldn't mind making their lives a little better if the opportunity arose.

Jasper laughed, "Riding on my wife's coattails again."

Stella gave him a playful glare, "Good that you know. From now on, you're in charge of household chores."

Jasper, ever the charmer, said, "No problem, honey. Your wish is my command."

They didn't have much to move, a few trips back and forth did the job. The rooms were the same size, but combining two made them feel much more spacious.

Stella and Jasper took one room, Cooper had the living room in the middle, and Rosie got the room on the end. The sliding steel plates could be left open for a communal feel, or closed when privacy was needed. The larger space lifted everyone's spirits.

After cleaning up, Stella and Jasper went downstairs to fetch water, unexpectedly running into Cole in the corridor.

The reunion of master and apprentice was joyful, "Mr. Cristian!"

Cole had returned from a mission and learned from Hans, who was on duty after his leave, that Stella and her family had safely arrived at Hope Point.

He wanted to look them up after finishing his work and was pleasantly surprised to run into them.

Had it not been for the catastrophic plate collisions and the sinking of the land, a meeting between master and apprentice at South Base might have been a simple exchange of greetings.

and having faced so many separations

shared a warm

about what had happened since they last saw each

national nuclear submarine, carrying

disasters, but Cole's exceptional courage and the submarine's robust systems had seen them

echelons? Stella's heart skipped a beat, feigning curiosity, "With the plate collisions and global oceanization, submarines seem relatively safe.

been selected by the higher-ups to teach Stella and Jasper the art of submarine

one to gossip, but he could guess the

safest escape equipment. A lot of times, it's about

head instructor for the navy's submarine group, Cole had been involved in the survival planning

hand in formulating the escape plan, and now that Stella had inquired, he didn't conceal anything, "The base is divided into sea, land, and air. The higher-ups need to manage all three, and they'll evacuate last. If all goes well, after the evacuation is complete, they'll leave by helicopter and eventually land on a naval ship at

invited Cole over for dinner, "Mr. Cristian, if it weren't for your generous guidance, our submarine might have been swallowed by

times, food was life,

inviting you for a simple meal, but the

and Cole found

Arcadia hidden. She stir-fried green beans, steamed salted fish, wilted

also brought out a bottle of cheap liquor,

Cooper before, so Stella didn't hide

"Here, Mr. Cristian, try this local specialty. This salted fish has been aged

times, there was nothing she wouldn't taste. If it didn't kill you, it was fine, and today's spread was a veritable

fiery liquor hit Cole's throat, nearly bringing tears to

in any little shop during peacetime. Now it was a rarity, the original production sites long submerged. Even if white spirits could be distilled again, the glory days were gone. Cole couldn't help but drink a little more than

they ate and chatted, Stella steered clear of unpleasant topics, "Mr.

"Sort of."

the small subs designed for the Seed Project, built to withstand disasters, with