18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 544

Stella squinted in the direction he pointed, barely making out a patrol boat skimming the ocean's surface.

The crew seemed to be wearing uniforms from the Southern Base. Sure, there were patrols in these waters, but they were still over ten nautical miles from the dock. With fuel being so scarce, expanding the patrol area this much wasn't standard procedure.

Had something gone wrong?

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Gunshots echoed, and several crew members dropped into pools of their own blood.

One of them, clutching a sharpened ice pick, was lunging toward Stella's back...

Jasper fired his gun.

Stella spun around, quickly drawing her weapon, and took down the crew members scrambling toward the cockpit.

Did they really think they could pull one over on her? She had just let them dig their own graves.

The captain, terrified, stumbled backward, frantically trying to explain himself. Stella raised her gun and sent him to meet his maker.

The patrol boat was closing in, and if they got much closer, they'd spot the cargo ship.

Without hesitation, Jasper took over the controls to stop the ship, while Stella dashed to the hold, releasing all the packaged glass and camouflaging it properly.

Up on the third deck, she released other supplies: steel rods, plates, several hundred pounds of aged grain, and medications.

This was a scavenger's pirate ship; nothing was out of the ordinary.

After setting everything in place, she hurriedly slid down the rope and launched the fishing boat into the sea, struggling to hook the two vessels together with the cargo ship's large iron hook.

Climbing back aboard, she saw the patrol boat even closer, gradually slowing to a stop.

One of the patrol soldiers picked up binoculars and began to scrutinize the scene.

About ten minutes later, the patrol boat approached the freighter and started hailing through a megaphone.

"Attention to the folks on the cruise ship, you have entered Griffith Base's territorial waters. If you are not survivors from Australia, please leave immediately."

the scene to look like she and Jasper had just survived a brutal fight against marauding pirates. She walked to the bow

patrol boat got closer, they were surprised to

who was on the ship, he waved excitedly, "Sis,

of five soldiers. Bran, climbing up eagerly, asked, "How'd you manage to

ask," Stella grumbled, wiping sweat off her forehead with her blood- stained sleeve. “Your brother-in-law and I went out scavenging for supplies. We stumbled upon pirates hijacking a

instinctively drew their guns.

half of them before we were captured. But they started infighting, giving us a chance

and bullet

"Sis, the boss is in trouble. I came out here under the guise of a patrol to find you.

heart skipped a beat. "What's

and he's been unconscious

about chaos at the base. Aunt Shu hasn't made it public yet, but the hospital is out of the needed meds, and it's

buzzed, nearly losing her footing, but Jasper

her, "You go back immediately; I'll

Chest, the base wouldn't take a cut

onto the patrol boat, and Bran instructed his soldiers to escort the couple back, then to send for a few who knew how

whipping past Stella's

sat stiffly, her lips pressed tightly

they left, Daniel's health hadn't been a

succumbed to a lung infection and fallen into

from mild to severe,

hand, finding it

only forty minutes away

if not for Jasper's quick reflexes, Stella might

worry too much. There will be a

sat silently against

quickly at the

Vanessa and the hospital director were

eyes reddened when she saw Stella. "Stella,

lips trembled. "What about

been waiting

medication available at the hospital, the

it was a miracle he had held on for

the right medicine, it would've been too

been on vigil for days, both her body and spirit on the

return, she couldn't hold back her

said nothing, her face set

they instinctively followed, Jasper stepped ahead, "Stella

his complexion ashen and