18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 557

Years of surviving natural disasters had made everyone experts in staying alive. Stella, feeling her strength return, examined the seaweed closely. There were no signs of abnormal growth.

"Why don't we give it a try?" Amelia suggested.

No one objected; in fact, they were eager to try. They chose the healthiest-looking strand, washed it thoroughly, chopped it into pieces, and blanched it in boiling water for ten minutes. Then, they added a generous amount of salt and let it stew for a full hour.

An hour should be enough to kill any virus.

But when it finally came time to eat, there was a palpable hesitation. Jake, one of the team members, stood up decisively. "I'll go first."

With a bravery that bordered on recklessness, he grabbed a forkful of the seaweed and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing determinedly.

"How does it feel?" the others asked nervously.

Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Even if there were any viruses, they'd be dead by now. At worst, you might get an upset stomach, and I've got medicine for that. Don't worry too much."

Relieved, Amelia added, "Right, Stella's our medic."

After half an hour with no ill effects, Jake helped himself to another generous forkful. Another half hour passed, and he ate even more. After two hours without any sign of discomfort, Jake went for a whole bowl.

Stella finally intervened. "Moderation is key. Let's not actually ruin your stomach."

That night, Jake slept without any adverse reactions, and the group decided to have seaweed soup for breakfast the next morning. True to their plan, Stella and the others enjoyed a hearty seaweed soup the following day.

proposed they collect seaweed as a supplementary food source. Most of the seaweed

return. Jasper

team members dove into the sea while

wet seaweed dried down to about four ounces, they ended up with roughly a thousand pounds of dried seaweed after all their

tired of it, the seaweed was a welcome change to their diet and provided many of the nutrients their bodies

hundred nautical miles away.

whenever their captain flaunted his sweet relationship, feeling like they were at a live 'rubbing-salt-in-the-wounds' show. Even in the face of disaster, the sweetness between the couple made everyone else yearn for a

and Cole was particularly helpful in providing cover for everyone. During casual chats, Amelia and some of the others even speculated about the potential benefits the collected Kindle Chests could have

of a hundred or so coordinates. I

to search for the undiscovered ones as

agreement. "Good point. The

the seabed was manageable, but the sonar indicated

a chest and struggled to pry it free from the mud's strong suction. After several attempts, she succeeded, but the

they struggled against the pull of the rope. Receiving the distress

various sea creatures, the two men guided Stella to the surface. As the pressure eased, Stella's strength started to return. She clutched her oxygen mask, taking deep breaths. Once back on the submarine, Jasper instructed her to rest and slipped her some chocolate to

to find they had already left the vicinity of the third set of coordinates. "Why

Chest fell 3,000 meters deep. Even the best diving gear couldn't reach it,"

to the Arcadia for a feast to reward herself. As she opened her door, she was met with the worried gazes of her teammates. They crowded around

had come to accept the existence of "special abilities,"

Regardless, they admired whit