18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 497

The gasoline fire spread like wildfire, turning the base into a blazing furnace. Flames hungrily consumed the circuits and surveillance systems.

In some control room, over half of the large monitors flickered and then went dark.

The boss was about to blow a gasket, cursing up a storm. "Get me that damn wolf!"

Explosions, flames, scorching heat, thick smoke, suffocation...

Base members flooded in non-stop. They navigated through the inferno-some aiming to attack Stella and Jasper, others choking on the smoke, and a few making a break for the outside.

Unity had never been their thing; they were a ragtag bunch held together by selfish motives. None had expected to miss out on the spoils while taking all the hits.

No one in their right mind would put anything above their own life.

And now, with the boss's legs chopped off, who was left to cling to?

Not to mention, this wasn't even the real boss, just one of his many stand-ins-a sub-leader who'd gotten separated from the main fleet during a massive storm at sea.

Separated? Who knew the real story?

After all, this fleet was under the command of the China National Defense Department, specifically tasked with transporting critical tech assets.

Despite the boss's formidable military might, internal strife within the faction was intense. The two parties would have gladly seen each other dead, while the sea, air, and land branches wracked their brains to swindle budgets from the congressional bigwigs. How else could you explain the exorbitant price tags on coffee cups and toilets?

Each department was its own little kingdom, with heads so powerful they wouldn't even listen to the head of state.

So it was very possible that this stand-in boss had intentionally gone AWOL with valuable assets in tow.

After all, why let someone else play king when you can sit comfortably on the throne yourself?

As the saying goes, once one starts running, others follow.

In the chaos, Stella and Jasper switched outfits, making sure to don gas masks.

The base was a melting pot of ethnicities, with plenty of Eastern faces, so in the confusion, those with slower wits failed to recognize the two.

Those who did recognize them, were swiftly dealt with.

They nabbed a high-ranking guy, trembling like a leaf. "Please, don't kill me, they're on sublevel three."

a life-or-death moment, he spilled

the grunts, the second for mid-ranking members and holding cells, and the third was the plush digs of the high-ranking officials, complete with entertainment areas and an armory. "Take us

an iris scan to

and threatened to end

I can

escape at one point, only to be shot in the thigh by Jasper.

are several checkpoints to get to

the iris

man didn't even know the password; he was

gun to send him to meet

the holding cells," the man pleaded,

cells? Stella thought of what Ivans had mentioned and

demanded icily. "Take us

play any tricks and obediently led them to the

massive and divided

was segregated by skin color and gender, while the outer section had individual cells. Union Base members would randomly pick prisoners for their cruel amusement when they were bored. Their games were diverse, involving physical, psychological, and

being taken out

she found some members still indulging in their sick entertainment, with the

opened one of the doors

corner, clutching himself silently. Despite the chaos outside and the unlocked door, he

had

a familiar face, yet lifeless

sharply, and she sent the man to his God with a swift stroke of her

claimed to believe in God, right? What

continued deeper into the prison, guided by

and flung the

bed, her clothes torn and body stained

painfully clear what had transpired

Monsters!

Seeing the newcomers masked, the woman's initial fear turned to desperate pleading.

made her belly appear all the more prominent, blue veins visible

Stella's numb expression flickered with

karma; she never expected

was emaciated, her eyes sunken, scars marring her face and

Goldbridge base to the Arctic, only to end up imprisoned and tortured at Union Base. Stella

she studied Julia's face for a moment, then turned to