18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 109

Indeed, Max had always been the girl's pet. From a young age, the dog proved extraordinarily clever. When the girl was once threatened by a mugger during a nightly jog, it was Max who fearlessly fought the thug off, sustaining a serious knife wound in the process. Then there was the time this girl dated Hector. If Hector hadn't been allergic to dog fur and if Max hadn't shown such hostility towards him - even biting him once - they might have remained a couple.

But Hector was decisive. It was either him or the dog. She had no choice but to sell Max to a butcher shop, using the $800 she received to buy a shirt as an apology gift for Hector.

She regretted her decision immensely, often crying in secret. She even buried some of Max's toys in the park as a makeshift grave. Little did she know that Max was still alive and had found a new owner.

The girl was heartbroken, but she wasn't foolish enough to admit the truth in front of Officer Evan. Despite everything, Max was hers!

Stella didn't understand why the girl sold Cooper to the butcher shop, but she was sure it wouldn't be the last time if the dog was in her hands.

"Your dog? How are you going to take care of him?" Stella's eyes were icy cold. "I can see your intentions clear as day. You and your accomplices are all the same."

If Officer Evan hadn't been present, Stella wouldn't have bothered arguing with her. She would've taken her knife and ended the girl on the spot.

The girl was furious when Stella exposed her, her voice rising to a shrill pitch. "That's my business, not yours. Give me my dog back."

"Hold on," Officer Evan interjected. "Since neither of you can provide definitive proof of ownership, let's let the dog decide. Whoever he chooses to go to is his rightful owner."

The group was confident, and whatever was on the menu for the people living on the 18th floor, Cooper would eat the same. He was never treated differently, and he even got the most substantial share, not just in terms of meat but bones as well. Stella had to abide by Officer Evan's decision. What was meant to be hers couldn't be taken away by anyone else. If it wasn't meant to be, it would be useless to keep it.

Despite her reluctance, Stella knew that a forced relationship wouldn't be a good one. She was confident that Cooper, who risked his life to save her in his past life, wouldn't become a disloyal dog for his unworthy previous owner. So she let go of the leash.

But the other girl didn't play fair. She crouched down and reached out her hands to Cooper, calling out with affection, "Max, come to mama."

Cooper moved forward a couple of steps, then stopped and turned to look back, seemingly making a difficult decision.

Stella took a deep breath, cursing the disloyal dog.

Rosie was agitated, tugging at her brother Jasper's sleeve. "Jasper, I want Cooper."

Jasper patted her head. "Rosie, we have to respect Cooper's choice."

"Max." The girl's voice was full of emotion, almost on the verge of tears. Seeing Cooper slowly walking towards her, she finally felt at ease.

As for the crowd behind her, their eyes gleamed with greed, seeing not a lively dog, but a pot of succulent dog stew. Such a plump dog would provide them with several meals.

The disloyal dog walked away step by step, without looking back, even starting to run towards the end.

Stella couldn't bear it any longer, reaching into her pocket. The dog might be disloyal, but he had saved her life in her previous life. If he wanted to go back to his previous owner, fine, but it shouldn't be in the form of a meat stew. If he wanted to destroy himself, he would have to ask her permission first. Today, no one could take him away.

Jasper quickly grabbed Stella's hand, signaling her to calm down. Seeing Officer Evan's gaze sweep over her, Stella took a deep breath and pulled a piece of gum out of her pocket, starting to chew slowly.

Just as the girl started to smirk, Cooper suddenly jumped on her.

"Ahh!" Caught off guard, the girl fell hard on the icy ground.

Cooper lifted his hind leg and marked her face. She screamed as the pee splashed over her head and face, instantly freezing even though it was hot.

Evan, surprised by Cooper's audacious act, said nothing.

Cooper then sprinted towards Stella, who reached out and comfortably caught the whimpering dog. Cooper clung to Stella's neck, not giving the other girl another look: he had wanted to mark her for a long time.

The girl, covered in urine, was left stunned. Her friends were disgusted by her smell and moved away, none of them helping her.

The girl quickly wiped the frozen urine off her face, feeling both angry and humiliated. She wished she could disappear, having been tricked by Max.

Looking at Cooper, her gaze was filled with resentment, devoid of any affection from a pet owner.

Reluctantly, she wanted to take Cooper back, but Evan spoke up. "Enough. The dog belongs to this lady here. If you continue to make a fuss, you'll all be sent to the coal mines."

Stella then spoke up, her voice cold. "If anyone dares to touch him again, I'll kill them." Her words were filled with murderous intent.

The girl was defiant, looking at Officer Evan for justice. The dog was hers. She had the right to dispose of it.

But Evan remained unmoved. "If you guys don't want to leave, the truck transporting prisoners to the coal mines hasn't gone far. I can ask them to turn back."

In the end, they had no choice but to leave reluctantly.

The girl turned back one last time, looking at Cooper in Stella's arms with a complex expression. Once, Max's world revolved around her, even risking his life to protect her. Now, his eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth. She didn't know how things had turned out this way, that he had become someone else's pet.

When he jumped towards her, the girl felt a murderous intent from him. In the end, he only marked her, perhaps remembering their past relationship.

With a bitter heart, the girl's eyes teared up. If it wasn't for the disastrous apocalypse, she wouldn't have considered getting him back.

It was good that he found a new owner. It was for the best.

The girl felt like she had lost herself, not remembering when it became this way. Perhaps, it was when she abandoned Max.

Cooper didn't expect to meet his previous owner again, let alone her craving for his meat. Clutching onto his current owner with a resolve that wouldn't let go, he whimpered.

Evan turned to leave, but after a few steps, he found himself returning, managing to squeeze a smile onto his face, "This dog is really smart. Is he a police dog?"

Stella, soothing the insecure pup, wasn't keen on any further interaction with Evan, "No, he's just been trained."

"Would you be interested in coming to the police station?" Evan, having dealt with all kinds of people, could tell these youngsters weren't ordinary, "Not only are we short-staffed at the precinct, but we could also use dogs like him."