18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 527

At the southern base of Kindle Chest, no one could open it without sensors and the code, making it a useless treasure to outsiders, yet it was a civilization built with the blood, sweat, and tears of Australia. If they hadn't stumbled upon it, it would be one thing, but now that they had, Stella and Jasper were determined to secure it. Safety always comes first. They layered up with thermal clothing, strapped on bulletproof vests, and topped it with tattered jackets, smudging their faces to blend in.

As for their wolfish guile and dogged determination, well, some things just can't be hidden. It was a two to three-mile trek on foot. As they neared their target, caution painted their expressions. Snowflake was sly, circling with Cooper for a flank attack. Trusting this instinct, Stella had Jasper lead the animals on a detour while she and Rosie drew the attention head-on. Roles were set; places taken. Disguised as weary travelers, they trudged along sluggishly.

"Look, there seems to be a chest up ahead." They hurried over, Stella noting a scattering of footprints but nothing too unusual. Just as they approached, a man with a battered hat and a gun in hand burst from the side. "Hey, I found it first!"

He sounded fierce, but it was only a verbal threat; no shots fired. A foreigner, speaking English. Blond hair, a hawkish nose, a lean figure. Stella raised her hands, speaking in broken English, "Don't shoot, we mean no harm."

The man insisted, "I found it first; the chest is mine." No sooner had he spoken than Jasper knocked him down from behind with the butt of his gun. The man hit the ground with a thud, crying out in pain but not knocked out. Jasper picked up the man's empty gun. Now it was Stella's turn to aim at him, "You seem quite interested in this chest."

The man quickly raised his hands, his voice tinged with panic, "Don't kill me, we can split the reward." Stella was puzzled, "Reward?" At her confusion, the man explained, "I'm a bounty hunter, out here looking for the chest."

Stella's mind buzzed, "Who sent you to look for the chest?"

bounty, find the chest and get a load of food, or become a citizen of the base." Griffith? The trio was stunned. Stella lowered her weapon, taking a deep breath to calm herself, her

mean no harm." Seeing the man's confusion, she

was established by the Australian military, about

report back and the military would come to unlock it and transport the goods. They were lucky to find the chest, but fearing someone would beat them to it, they left Koss to guard it while the others rushed to report. It had been over ten days, and

had established Ocean Point Naval Station, but who then had built Griffith? She remembered Peter mentioning that one of the five Kindle Society leaders had died, leaving two unaccounted for. Daniel was one, and the other was the leader of the Northwestern Kindle Society. If it was the Northwestern Society, why choose such a coincidental name? But if it was Daniel,

Jasper snapped her back to reality. Jasper opened his backpack

contest the chest's,

but how do we get Griffith?" Koss, having not eaten in days, gleamed at the sight of the jerky. As a bounty hunter, he had met

So, many camped just

of envy in his voice, "Being Australian, you guys should have an easy time getting in." Stella handed him another bag of jerky, probing for more specifics about Griffith Koss's team lived outside the city walls; inside info came from fellow bounty hunters who were Griffith residents. Griffith housed about ten thousand people, more than half were soldiers, predominantly from the southern military, the rest were common survivors. Among these survivors were those

"I admire you Australians. They say the city has stone and brick houses while we live in ragged tents that can't withstand rain or snow." Now his hopes rested on the