18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 536

Jack was hauling the most this time, given they needed materials for building a house and swapping land. Arcadia was abundant, and it just so happened to be exactly what the base desperately needed.

They had scrounged so much Arcadia that their storage was bursting at the seams, and even Stella had lost track of the full extent of her wealth. With some free time on hand, she enlisted Jasper to help sort it all out.

While taking stock in the Union Base warehouse, Jasper vaguely remembered stumbling upon a solar panel kit but had only given it a quick glance. After what felt like an eternity of rummaging, he finally found it. The old stuff was too conspicuous, so they naturally upgraded to American-made kits and snagged a couple of sets.

Vehicles were essential for getting around, and until they had a clear understanding of the big boss's position, they couldn't use the plunderers anymore. Stella set her sights on a fleet of top-of-the-line military Humvees-five in total, each with performance rivaling an off-road armored command vehicle. These American beasts were solid, except for their thirst for fuel, which meant they had to stock up on plenty of gas.

The submarine couldn't fit a Humvee and barrels of fuel, so after much deliberation, they decided to stash them on a fishing boat. It was a vessel from the Arctic; having a submarine and a fishing boat didn't seem excessive, right? Luckily, the fishing boat was no minnow; it could just about fit everything. One Humvee, several tons of fuel, all covered with waterproof tarps.

Sorting through supplies was exhausting, and Stella fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Waking up refreshed the next day, the two had brunch by the observation window. There were no sharks in the nearby waters, but other fish were still plentiful. It had been ages since they'd spent time underwater, and the once tiresome view had become a feast for the eyes.

After satiating their hunger, they checked for any gaps and crammed everything they might need onto the submarine and fishing boat. Of course, they prioritized the goods pilfered from Union Base. When that was done, they promptly replenished their food stocks. After all, they were about to live under close scrutiny, and even if the boss was loaded, they couldn't have the smell of delicious food wafting for miles in a place where everyone was as poor as church mice.

Generosity had to be strategic, not wasted on trivialities of daily living. Stella steamed rice and assorted pastries, while Jasper took care of frying and sautéing. Once a kitchen disaster, Jasper had become a proper five-star chef-oh, how time flies.

Traveling thousands of miles, the quickest trip would still take around four to five days. This was a true two-person world, without Rosie or Cooper; they could do anything they wanted. Perhaps the unpredictability of their new life reignited their fighting spirit and passion, suddenly becoming intense...

After half a year of no communication, they were like lovers reunited on a magpie bridge, or as if they had crossed oceans just to see each other. When a tempest met a hurricane, lightning clashed with thunder, they unleashed themselves completely. Several times, Stella nearly swooned from ecstasy, drifting between sleep and wakefulness until noon the next day, her body sore and devoid of energy, too tired to even curl her fingers. Jasper, on the other hand, was busily harvesting fruit in the fertile Black Earth.

head home. Stella observed the currents, which conveniently flowed toward Griffith Harbor. On a pitch-dark night, Stella emerged from the submarine and released the fully laden fishing boat into the sea. The boat, heavy with cargo, slowly drifted with the current. The submarine, with its engine at the lowest setting, followed behind at a snail's pace. With only about a hundred kilometers to Griffith, even at a slow drift,

With a 360-degree view and no sign of life on the loaded fishing boat, the sentry wondered if it was the legendary ghost ship. As confusion set in and they were about to lock the boat in their sights, something slowly emerged from the sea... A whale, perhaps? Uncertain, they waited to see. As they zoomed in, to their surprise, it was a submarine. And not just any submarine, but one

two years since Griffith was established, several dozen submarines had come. The coastal sentry point quickly signaled. Trained for such moments, Stella and Jasper

water. The fishing boat, with its shallow draft, could dock at the shore. After communicating through gestures and signals, the fishing boat was allowed into the bay. Docking the submarine, the

Griffith," Stella explained to the surprised soldiers. "We came earlier to get a feel for the base, and now we've

aback, realizing that these weren't members of the Seed Project, and asked

radios to check with the information center and indeed found the couple's names, and their

was immense, and transporting it back to the city was no asy feat. Seeing some military trucks in the distance, Stella approached the soldiers with a proposal, "Comrade, can we rent

a tough spot. The truck was not the issue; it was the gasoline, more precious than life itself. Their comrades had to trek over a thousand kilometers to transport Seed Project supplies on foot.

he declined, "We have wheelbarrows and hand carts at the dock that

use."

long would it take with such primitive tools? Stella sensed his hesitation, "What if I pay for the truck rental

wary and surprised, "Where did you get

Stella stated plainly, not hiding

bases of all

soldiers climbed aboard and lifted the aged tarps made to look old by Stella, astonished by the sight of the supplies. With base security at stake such a large quantity of gasoline couldn't be brought into the base unless the couple had the proper authorization papers.

the gasoline, the shift

of soldiers took

what are you doing here?" a voice