18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 526

No matter what's inside the Kindle Chest, brute force ain't gonna crack it open. Crafted from some kind of special material, crowbars, power saws, and drills are useless. Only the military brass has the remote control and the codes.

If you're lucky enough to never come across one, great. But if you do, there's no ignoring it.

Stella tucked 1037 into Arcadia. She probably never guessed it, but the arrival of 1037 had everyone, including the dogs, in high spirits, leading to a celebratory seafood feast that night.

That night, Stella had a dream. She was leaving Griffith for the Kindle Society when a military vehicle blocked her path, and a guard motioned for her to stop. Daniel stood beside the vehicle, looking all serious and stern, but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw her step out. In that moment, he knew exactly who she was.

Stella woke up in the middle of the night to the soft sound of rain tapping against the window. Jasper stirred beside her. "What's up?"

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Had a dream."

"What about?"

"Something from a long time ago."

Sensing her mood, Jasper pulled her closer. "Good or bad?"

Stella thought for a moment. "I guess... it was good."

They slept in until they woke naturally, only to hear Rosie yelling from outside, "Cooper, where did this dead snake come from?"

dogs had been out early, playing, and had brought back a snake, tails wagging

carefully, Stella was relieved to find no injuries. The snake wasn't big, and they couldn't identify its species, but it didn't have venomous fangs. It must've been a sea snake that came ashore after

their way onto land. Stella felt an unprecedented premonition: maybe the natural disasters were over, and the ecosystem was slowly

the family continued their journey and soon stumbled upon an abandoned fishing boat. The inside was surprisingly clean, free of silt. Stella found fish

whipped up a cake loaded with fruits for New Year's Eve. They planned to celebrate, but instead found themselves facing an endless desert. But

looked more like a high plateau basin formed from severe drought, with dried mud crusts here and there. They came across marine skeletons and the ruins of collapsed cities—once bustling metropolises now

Stella didn't bother cooking a New Year's feast; they just ate what was available in Arcadia. After watching the evening's entertainment and winding down, they slept in

the sands. Stella piloted with Jasper assisting. It took over two hours, but they made it back

faced sandstorms, other times scorching sun and pelting rain. With no end

a bit. Passing a ravine, their dogs suddenly perked

of ragged people with brown skin was babbling incoherently, clutching sticks, looking like the living dead. After three months of harsh travel, they finally saw other living people,

dog, looked at Stella as if to ask whether to engage. Stella remembered a harsh saying: refugees are no longer human. Having seen darkness, she felt no need to challenge the hungry for their humanity.

gave chase, shouting and wielding their sticks. The dogs prepared to defend, but their owners could run faster than rabbits, shattering

an hour. After

of them looked at each other, and despite the disarray,

was

next few days, they traveled by vehicle. The journey was desolate, but they occasionally encountered other survivors. It was either Stella's group running or the others fleeing. Those who had survived this long were either incredibly lucky or exceptionally skilled. Wherever

a year, from winter to late spring, astonishing even Stella with their endurance. Every day was fresh, whether exciting or

lost in her thoughts as before. When they found a source of water, Rosie would plant a few trees. "Brother, sister-in-law, maybe one day we'll come back and they'll have