18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 492

Red-eyed gators were quick-too quick for Stella and Jasper to even think about dodging. In a desperate bid to avoid becoming prey, they ducked inside the Arcadia, barely making it in time.

The red glow outside intensified, and the rustling sounds grew louder by the second. Lookouts aboard the warship sensed something was wrong and started sweeping the area with spotlights. They didn't spot any people, but fortunately, the gators recoiled from the yellow light, instinctively shutting their eyes when caught in the beam.

Despite the high beams revealing nothing unusual, the outside commotion grew louder, prompting armed sentries to step out into the darkness. One of them noticed flashes of red in the snow. At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but after blinking and focusing again, he saw even more red dots moving rapidly.

When he finally realized what was happening on the snowy ground, his face turned pale, and he shouted, "Fire!"

At his signal, the lookouts opened fire, unleashing a storm of bullets into the darkness. The rapid gunfire lasted a solid half-minute until the first round of ammo was spent. They felt confident-surely, not even steel could withstand such an onslaught, let alone flesh and blood.

They waited another two minutes for the dust to settle before opening the door to check outside. What they didn't realize was that half an hour of continuous gunfire had left their eardrums buzzing, masking the ongoing rustling sounds. As soon as they opened the door and took a few steps out, a colossal shape lunged at them.

Screams echoed through the night as the snow turned crimson with spreading blood, yet more red-eyed gators surged forward. Stella timed it carefully, staying inside the Arcadia for 20 minutes before emerging. Gunshots and screams continued, now coming from the rear of the warship, while the ground beneath their feet remained a bloody mess.

Many red-eyed gators lay dead on the snow, evidence that their camaraderie had helped them breach the first line of defense. Donning balaclavas and night vision goggles, and armed with guns, Stella and Jasper moved cautiously forward. They weren't in any rush to head to the front lines. Climbing to the warship's lookout point, they saw only chaos and carnage, with body parts strewn everywhere.

up weapons, made sure the coast was clear, and ensured there were no survivors outside to avoid being ambushed later. One unlucky soul had hidden in a cargo hold during the gator attack and didn't dare come out. Hearing silence

inside. They locked what they could from the outside, using padlocks or jamming steel pipes across the doors. For automatic doors, they twisted a few

moved quickly to the second and, to their surprise, found three shoulder-launched armor-piercing missiles. Stella couldn't help but chuckle. Did they really think she had the strength of a

repeating the process to clear the second warship of danger. Standing atop the warship, they spotted the entrance to the Union Base. The entrance, over ten meters long, resembled a kitchen extractor fan with

Base lay in wait,

of people in the snow to confront Stella's family. They never imagined they'd be facing a horde of ferocious gators instead. As they fought the gators, they

The seabed fortress was their most formidable stronghold,

conditions, where temperatures often plunged below fifty degrees. Even the toughest materials would degrade over time in such an environment. But she had a concern. "Do you know how to fire

to act! Stella kept watch while Jasper aimed at the base's door and fired. The missile soared and struck, creating a hole in the specially

in the door larger. After three blasts, the base's door had a gaping hole. By then, the team members at the door had been massacred by the red-eyed gators, which

gators died, about a hundred or so survived. Soon enough, anguished and eerie screams echoed from within. Stella and Jasper didn't rush to enter through the main door; instead, they maneuvered between the warships and transport vessels. A cunning rabbit has three burrows, and Union Base

Sure enough, behind an

mercy, Stella retrieved

them from