18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 118

Facing the baffling questions from the crowd, Mikey was at a loss, his face etched with worry and confusion.

"Perhaps in ten years, twenty years, or maybe fifty or sixty years. Nobody knows for sure."

The anticipation that usually accompanied Christmas was dampened by Mikey's words. It felt like a punch to the gut.

Stella voiced her concern. "Are we all facing this extreme cold weather globally?"

"With different geographical locations and different latitudes, disasters won't be the same. But according to scientists, due to unstable weather, various disasters will only intensify. That is, droughts might become more severe, floods more widespread, and in some places, deserts might even turn into oceans."

Deserts turning into oceans? Chills ran down everyone's spine.

Stella was surprised. "Was this from Griffith Agricultural Institute?"

This was a development that had not occurred in her previous life. In the past, researchers were chasing after natural disasters, and many had died from exhaustion trying to keep up with them. Could it be that the letter she sent out was really taken seriously?

"The Griffith Agricultural Institute is overwhelmed. It is a joint development by the coastal cities."

All the cities were working tirelessly, sharing technological achievements, joining hands to fight against natural disasters, hoping to survive this ordeal.

Stella was slightly moved. None of these had happened in her previous life. Maybe they had tried, but were not successful, or maybe they succeeded, but it was beyond her reach as a commoner.

Either way, once she got her hands on the cold-resistant experimental seeds, she would know if they worked after trying to plant them.

Katie comforted the young ones. "Our country is strong, and you're all still young. As long as you strive to live and don't give up, prosperity will return."

Katie's optimism comforted the anxious Angela and others.

"Here's to Granny's good words, things will get better."

"No matter what happens tomorrow, let's first enjoy our Christmas Eve dinner today." Katie stood up with a smile. "I wish you young ones happiness. May you have a full meal every time, with meat on every plate." "To Granny's good health and long life."

After seeing off Katie, everyone temporarily set aside the Christmas Eve dinner to discuss how to plant the cold-resistant potatoes. It was not feasible for the three households to plant separately and supplement light individually.

"How about you plant them, Stella? We don't have the experience and will take care of generating electricity. You have the plant pot and soil, and you can supplement the plants with light at night. If there is a harvest, you can take the lion's share?" Stella weighed the potato in her hand. Though it was small, it had quite a few buds; one potato could be cut into five or six pieces.

"I have the plant pot and soil, but I can't fit them on my balcony. Plus, I have a dog and rabbits at home, they might end up digging them up."

"You can use my balcony to plant them." Jasper chimed in. "You can come over to check on them from time to time, and if there's a problem, you can deal with it in time."

And just like that, it was happily decided. While the people from 1803 prepared dinner, Stella and Jasper would plant the potatoes.

Once back home, Stella took out the Arcadia plant pot and harvested the second batch of potatoes. Then she went to Apartment 1801 to place the plant pot on the balcony.

The windows of Apartment 1801's balcony were also covered with one-way peeping film. It wasn't clear from the outside, but if the lights were on, they could still be spotted. Jasper thought for a moment. "We can supplement the light during the day, or install blackout curtains."

Either way, he could handle this small issue.

The two of them emptied all the soil from the plant pot, sprinkled it with antifreeze, and mixed it evenly with a shovel. Incredibly, the soil did not freeze and even felt a bit fluffy. Stella took out a knife and taught Jasper how to cut the potato buds.

The potato skin was thick and hard to cut. The inside was rich in starch, but the coarse veins were visible to the naked eye. It would certainly fill you up, but the texture would definitely not be good.

Stella teasingly suggested, "You should try it."

Jasper actually cut a piece and tasted it, then frowned.

"You're so cute. When I told you to taste it, you really did." Stella burst out laughing. "How does it taste?"

"It's very hard, rough, and fibrous. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth." Jasper shot her a glance. "It's not as tasty as the ones you grow."

Ah, why did she suddenly feel a bit embarrassed hearing this?

To her surprise, Jasper took the knife from her, lowered his head, and started cutting the potatoes into chunks.

Stella adjusted the medicine water on the side and placed the cut potato chunks into the pot to soak. They needed to soak for three hours. The two of them went to Apartment 1803 to help out. Thinking about their upcoming roles as chefs later, they decided to simply start practicing in the living room.

Yes, even on Christmas Eve, they were practicing non-stop.

When it was about time, Stella taught Jasper how to plant the potatoes. The usually reticent Jasper suddenly asked, "Stella, it seems like you know how to do everything?"

Stella paused, then gave a bitter smile. "Children without parents have to run faster than others. They have to outrun normal people to survive."

Jasper wanted to comfort her, but didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing." Stella chuckled sardonically. "I was sad when I was young, but now I'm grateful. Living alone is carefree and unrestricted. I don't have anyone to hold me back."

"In fact, you're not alone. There are people who care about you."

"Yes, as friends, Cody and the others are great. They're able to tolerate my bad temper."

Jasper was puzzled. "Bad temper?"

Stella countered, "Don't you think I have a bad personality?"

"Why would you think that?" Jasper's eyes landed on her, with a subtle smile in his gaze. "I think you're pretty good."

With no outsiders around, Stella ventured, "Don't you think it's selfish of me not to share the firewood and vegetables from Arcadia with Lukas and the others?"

"That's your exclusive chance. Whether you want to share it or not is up to you."

Jasper pondered. "People can be ruthless. If things continue to deteriorate, even cannibalism wouldn't be surprising. How can you ensure that people won't change their hearts? Your Arcadia can cultivate crops. Sharing them with Lukas and the others might not be a big deal, but when the weather gets bad and they want to take shelter and rest in Arcadia, while you want to save for future use, what will you do then?"

Jasper didn't think Stella did anything wrong. "You're doing just fine."

Just fine? What did that mean!

Stella couldn't read him and wondered how to respond.

"Don't worry, I won't reveal your secret." Jasper suddenly looked up at her. "Everyone has secrets. If I tell you my secret, will you stop being so wary of me?" Stella was taken aback and didn't say anything.