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?"

out of bed. Their dogs had been out early, playing, and had brought

checking them over carefully, Stella was relieved to find no injuries. The snake wasn't big, and they couldn't identify its species, but

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

was surprisingly clean, free of silt. Stella found fish bones nearby, figuring survivors had landed there but couldn't make it on

celebrate, but instead found themselves facing an endless

like the pristine sands from later times; it 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

feast; they just ate what was available in

Year's Day, they took out a helicopter to cross the sands. Stella piloted with Jasper assisting. It took over two hours, but

scorching sun and pelting rain. With no end in

stops, everyone had slimmed down and tanned a bit. Passing a ravine, their dogs suddenly perked up, alerting them to danger. Cautiously, they

like the living dead. After three

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

They quietly got up to leave, but the others noticed and gave chase, shouting and wielding their sticks. The dogs prepared to defend, but their owners could run faster

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

looked at each other, and despite

It was

or the others fleeing. Those who had survived this long were either incredibly lucky or exceptionally skilled. Wherever

winter to

in her thoughts as before. When they found a source of water, Rosie would plant a few trees. "Brother, sister-in-law, maybe one