18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 555

Two days flew by in a blink, and the pair reported for duty right on schedule.

This batch of new recruits barely scraped together a hundred folks. Apart from Stella and Jasper, who had aced their exams, the rest had only made it in due to relaxed entry requirements.

On site, groups were being formed as different departments came to claim their new members. Jasper and Stella were already pre-selected; today was just a formality. But to their surprise, the one welcoming them turned out to be an old friend-Cole.

Their eyes met, and a whole conversation passed between them in that glance. Cole extended a hand with a smile, "Welcome aboard, you two."

The newly formed special unit didn't even have a proper office yet; they were temporarily housed in a military tent. When the trio arrived, eleven soldiers were already waiting-nine men and two women, all around Jasper's age.

Cole took the lead, introducing himself, "Hey everyone, I'm the deputy commander of our little special squad..."

Once the introductions were over, and about five minutes had passed, an older officer, roughly Daniel's age, arrived. His stern, square-jawed face made everyone snap to attention and salute.

"Good day, everyone. I'm Reagan, and I'll be overseeing your department," he said.

After a brief self-introduction and a few fiery military speeches about brotherhood and duty, Reagan addressed the group, "From now on, your commander Jasper will lead you in the search for the lost Kindle Chests, working towards a brighter future for Griffith."

After the applause, Jasper stepped forward. Stella was both surprised and not.

Once the formalities were out of the way, Reagan handed Jasper a classified document and left, saying, "Come up with a detailed plan and report back to me once it's ready."

ove a hundred locations listed, but only dozen had been successfully recovered; the rest

they would have to see whether these chests now stood

coordination. Jasper didn't make decisions

Stella's Arcadia to cheat with, couldn't be retrieved in one go.

huge; we'll need transport ships, cranes, and other

to start with the nearest ones and plan our routes accordingly. If the waters are tricky, we'll have to adapt on the

then drew a map, marking

listed the supplies needed for long voyages. After double- checking everything, Jasper and Cole went to seek approval from their superiors. The discussion alone took a day, and Stella spent her time at home lounging and snacking on watermelon. Jasper returned

with the sub and Arcadia as backups in case of emergencies with the

was on board as a favor, and the smooth approval of the plan showed his compliance with Daniel's arrangements. As long as the official support was in place, everything else

mused, "Do you

"Dad wouldn't

he arranged it, it's likely solid. We'll play it by ear, and if

part of

him a thumbs-up,

the supplies, Jasper was out early and back late, hustling with his team. The

sounded; even though she had previously cleared out items like glass and fuel, it was still a tight squeeze. Stella turned into a master packer, stacking everything like building blocks,

they were quick, half a year if not.

called out as her brother appeared on time. She was used to his sudden appearances by now. As per tradition,

Rosie. She offered, "There are plenty of clothes on the ship, many are old but still wearable after a wash. If you don't mind, you can take them and deal with them as you see fit. There's also a lot of useful stuff in