18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 467

People naturally gravitate towards those they click with.

Stella raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised. "We're not soldiers. Why should we go to a party?"

"Parties are a good chance to bring family or friends. I went to a bash at Central Base a couple of days ago. More friends, more opportunities."

Stella wasn't one for crowds. "No thanks, you go and have fun."

Bran didn't push it. He planned to invite others instead, leaning casually against the doorframe with a grin. "Hey Dottie, how'd you make that dipping sauce last time?"

Rosie, generous with her secrets, spilled the recipe. "Ginger, green onions, garlic, chili, oil..."

The first few ingredients were easy to come by, but the oil was a hassle.

Might as well play it cool and just go with the flow when it came to meals.

After sending everyone off, Stella retreated to her room to lie down and read.

On the night of the party, Bran took extra care to wet his hair, slicking it back into a cool, stylish look, and donned his cleanest outfit.

He'd thickened his skin and begged his brother-in-law for some clothes. Surprisingly, the man was generous, giving him several pieces. One of them was a brand-new floral shirt that fit him perfectly, as if tailor-made for him, ready to be flaunted come summer.

In addition, his sister had given him a pair of sandals. They were the kind you'd wear in the shower, the kind that would've been dirt cheap before the disaster, maybe even part of a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Forget that price; he wouldn't have been caught dead in them before. But now... well, they seemed to be of decent quality, likely to last a few years.

All in all, his sister hadn't let him down!

Bran mused, wondering if he could score a pair of sunglasses or some pomade if he clung to his sister's leg and wept next time. Speaking of which, his underwear had developed a couple of holes. Maybe his brother-in-law could spare a couple of new pairs? Preferably boxer briefs-they had style.

But that was beside the point. The gathering was mostly folks from South Base, but there were plenty who brought family, hometown pals, or friends.

fifty people came together for a long-missed celebration-making

middleman. There were no meat fillings, but the vegetarian options were pretty good. They had fillings of leeks, cabbage, and a mix of potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. There

fare was something many hadn't tasted

yarns, the men often come out on top. They talked

story about a haunted pair of red heels by a campus lake was interrupted by another scoffing at its shallowness. "That's nothing. The real spooky stuff happened to me

up.

Triangle." Thinking of his past experiences, he still felt a chill. "We were adrift at sea for ages, never expecting to

crowd was baffled. "I thought that ship

did sink, but they didn't all go down with

were blindsided when their boats encircled

the moment to fight the pirates on our ship, throwing every last one of them overboard. We were

heard that tall tale before. Almost had me

you almost

was well-known-a lot of the crew had gone mad and hallucinated, seeing mirages like those

the man grew agitated. "I swear

to prove his point. "That sea area is cursed, unpredictable weather, brutal storms. We nearly capsized several times. It took us days to navigate out of there using the coordinates for Hope

Hearing the coordinates, Hans

his brow. "We've

hundred nautical miles away and it was some time ago. That area is indeed strange, probably due to the complex ocean currents. We

pirates but had been attacked by diamond-shaped underwater craft. Thankfully, they had the strength

We weren't lying

he accidentally bit his tongue. It was a bad bite,

to the hospital? The ferry was

up. "I've got some herbs that should help stop

his room and returned with a bag. No Yunnan Baiyao or clotting powder, just some dried herbs. Hans picked one out.

mouth,

man pressed his hand to

was broken, and someone shifted the topic to the herbs. "Can