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?"

had been out early, playing,

couldn't identify its species, but it didn't have

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

was sure the dogs weren't poisoned, the family continued their journey and soon stumbled upon an abandoned fishing boat. The inside was surprisingly clean, free of silt.

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

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

the road, 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

to cross the sands. Stella piloted with Jasper assisting.

times scorching sun and pelting rain. With no end in sight, they didn't know how long they'd

the third month of their journey, despite frequent stops, everyone had slimmed down and tanned a bit. Passing a ravine, their dogs suddenly perked

sticks, looking like the living dead. After three months of harsh travel, they finally saw other

to engage. Stella remembered a harsh saying: refugees are no longer human. Having seen darkness, she felt no need

and wielding their sticks. The dogs prepared to defend, but their owners

their frail appearance, the pursuers were surprisingly fast, keeping up for half an hour. After a long time without running,

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

laugh. It was a

journey was desolate, but they occasionally encountered other survivors. It was either Stella's group running or the others

mountains, traversing deserts, and fording rivers, they wandered for half a year, from winter to late spring, astonishing even

When they found a source of water, Rosie would plant a few trees. "Brother,