18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 564

When Stella walked in, Daniel's face lit up with a warm smile. "Stella, you're back."

Stella nodded, "Yeah."

There was a brief, awkward pause before Daniel continued, "You've lost some weight."

Team missions often meant you couldn't just feast all the time.

But Stella was upbeat, "I'm doing alright."

She led him inside and asked with genuine concern, "How have you been feeling lately?"

"Your Aunt Sue has been giving me acupuncture daily, and the medicine you left has kept me in check. I'm almost back to my old self."

Stella took him to Arcadia for a follow-up. The CT scans showed the pneumonia was gone, but some damage was irreversible. They'd have to be careful moving forward.

After running all the necessary tests and treatments, Daniel couldn't hide his good mood. "How was your trip?"

"Eventful but safe."

Stella gave a brief rundown of the mission, including how they'd salvaged 26 crates of fabric.

The fate of the 21 trucks' worth of essential supplies they'd collected before the land sank would depend on how the military handled these materials. Deciding whether to hand them over could wait.

Daniel had returned early, so the special team's salvage report hadn't reached him yet.

But it was clear that these supplies were key for Australia's recovery. Whoever collected them deserved generous compensation, including those who gathered resources on land.

Over the past month, his workload had lightened, but his concern for his daughter and son-in-law had only grown.

Seeing Stella safe now, he could finally relax.

Not one for emotional displays, Daniel said, "I've learned to cook a few dishes. Come over for dinner tonight."

Stella didn't argue, "Do you need anything? I can bring it."

"No need, Rosie drops off supplies every few days."

the question, "Dad, Bran hasn't been too much of a

much of a

her toes curling in embarrassment, "he can be

He's quite measured in his words. He's a

Measured?

Stella stood silent. What on

returned from

rushed over, hugging

the scent

like sunshine, utterly warm and

work on

tough at first, but I'm

you work the fields

I have to set

last conversation. Rosie was

wouldn't easily respect her, not just for a few

but also

made for a difficult

age, she worked as hard as anyone, ensuring no one

and out, challenging the old hands

five acres of greens. We're also growing potatoes, cotton, sweet potatoes, and corn. Everything's sprouted, and we've already harvested the greens once. We've traded the excess

20-acre greenhouse might seem large, but for the base, it

optimized planting cycles, integrating greens with root crops like sweet potatoes, corn,

could harvest greens twice

of her venture, Rosie's eyes shone with excitement mixed with a hint of anxiety. "Sis, I've made a decision without consulting

remained calm, "What

want a stake in it, offering land and maggots and help constructing a breeding

caused a stir across the base. Ordinary survivors could only envy, while the military, who

greenhouse, and the prospect of live poultry,

strange if they weren't

military-operated, presenting them with an excellent

thought for a moment, "Have

"I spoke with Uncle Daniel. He's in favor, but I need to

share with the

wasn't just Daniel's to