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.

came together for

vegetarian options were pretty good. They had fillings of leeks, cabbage, and a mix of potatoes,

something many hadn't

the men often come out on top. They talked about natural disasters,

a haunted pair of red heels by a campus lake was interrupted by another scoffing at

up. "The Devil's

of his past experiences, he still felt a chill. "We were adrift at sea for ages,

crowd was baffled. "I thought

all go down with

were blindsided when their boats encircled

air, and the pirates aboard were tossed into the sea and devoured by sharks. We seized the moment to fight the pirates on our ship, throwing every last one of them overboard. We were out of ammo and supplies, expecting we wouldn't make it out of the

heard that tall tale before. Almost

almost had

transport ship from Shandong was well-known-a lot of the crew had gone mad and hallucinated, seeing mirages

the disbelief, the man grew agitated. "I swear it's

unpredictable weather,

Hearing the coordinates, Hans

brow.

was some time ago. That area is indeed strange, probably due to the complex ocean currents. We faced several disasters

had been attacked by diamond-shaped underwater craft.

weren't lying or

he accidentally bit his tongue. It was a bad

they take him to the hospital? The ferry was still a

herbs that should help stop the

clotting powder, just some dried herbs. Hans picked one out. "Lucky I still

powder, instructed the man to open his mouth, and applied the powder to the wound. "Press on that for

his hand

atmosphere was broken, and someone shifted the topic to