18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 600

Around mid-afternoon, Stella's convoy stumbled upon something unexpected: a military base. But it wasn't just any base; it was a coalition, with several national flags waving alongside China's.

Concerned about being spotted, Stella swiftly guided their vehicles into the dense cover of Arcadia. They scoped out the area, estimating there were a few dozen soldiers armed to the teeth with heavy weaponry.

Stella's eyes were drawn to a makeshift structure in the distance, resembling an igloo with black smoke billowing from it. Nearby, soldiers were loading oil drums onto trucks.

Putting the pieces together, Stella realized China had struck oil and was already refining it. The blackened wasteland ahead must be an open-pit oil field, and those primitive setups were likely basic distillation units.

The Chinese were known for their industriousness, but this was impressive.

Jake and the rest eyed the oil fields with envy, itching to take the site for themselves. Such a resource seemed wasted on China.

However, they remembered their primary mission: securing the Kindle Chest. The oil could wait.

They skirted around the base, planning to retrieve their Humvees once they were at a safe distance. By dusk, they were on track to reach their coordinates by the next morning. Stella was about to suggest a rest stop when suddenly, the lead vehicle plunged into a sand trap.

Jasper acted fast, slamming on the brakes and reversing. The Humvee, built for desert terrain, managed to escape the trap, but they had to quickly prepare for an ambush.

These seasoned veterans could pinpoint the origin of the

out of the sand, seeking cover. Stella, in her bulletproof vest, jumped

without the Kindle Chest. The armored

irony. But surprisingly, the

in response, and as the dust settled, a group in tattered desert clothing retreated hastily,

was dumbfounded; these weren't

the side of caution, they didn't wipe out the retreating figures but instead closed in with

Vehicles. The group

quicklycornered, and under the

defiantly at their

megaphone, in English,

surrender and you

be harmed."

response was a

a gaunt but tall woman

heavily accented.

They looked