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.

seasoned veterans could pinpoint the origin of the shots. They

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

leaving without the Kindle Chest. The armored vehicles flanked the

irony. But surprisingly, the expected barrage of return fire never came,

shot rang out, hitting the weapon mount. The impenetrable steel stood firm. They fired a long-range rocket in response, and as the dust settled, a group in tattered desert clothing retreated hastily, brandishing a

dumbfounded; these

didn't wipe out the retreating

Vehicles. The group

quicklycornered, and under the

heavy fire, they stopped, glaring defiantly at their captors, refusing

military megaphone, in

surrender and you

be harmed."

was

a gaunt but tall woman seemed

heavily accented.

They looked