18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 126

Stella, having given her all, was met with an unexpected blow, and was left speechless. Rosie, clearly panicked, stammered, "Stella, I...I...I have a stomachache, I...I...I can't eat." Jasper, usually the calm one, couldn't keep his cool, "I'll get some medicine for Rosie."

And just like that, the siblings made their escape.

It was one thing for them to act like that, but even the dog, Cooper, backed away, shaking his head upon Stella's gaze. 'No thank you!!!!

Stella was furious, "You're going to eat, even if you don't want to." Not only was he going to eat, but he was also going to finish Jasper and Rosie's portions.

He was always fond of dragging her washbasin around, so she decided to give him the whole pot, "Eat, wasting is shameful."

Stella's bowl was the only one with pickles. The dog, trying to be courteous, tolerated it to some extent, but couldn't stand the smell. So he dragged the bowl onto the balcony and began munching away.

Eight rabbits came over to join the fun, competing with Cooper for the soup.

Rabbits, if they drank too much water, were prone to getting sick and becoming lethargic. However, probably due to a mutation, not only did they drink water, but they also consumed soup and often competed with the dog for food. Just then, they were slurping away at the noodles.

Especially Snowy, she was pregnant again, and her appetite had grown significantly.

Stella didn't bother with them and finished her entire plate of pickles with her soup. She was proud to have driven everyone away!

But after eating, she didn't forget to open the windows to ventilate. She brushed her teeth, rinsed her mouth and even changed her clothes.

She thought that Jasper had vacated, but to her surprise, he called in the afternoon, "Are we training today?"

Why not? He wasn't afraid of the stink of the pickles, what was there for her to be embarrassed about.

...

After careful nurturing, the frost-resistant potatoes finally welcomed their harvest. The leaves weren't lush, but the fruits were plentiful, as the pot was filled with egg-sized potatoes.

Stella pulled out a sprout, which surprisingly had over 20 potatoes. When she weighed them, they weighed a staggering 7 pounds. The other sprouts also had a good yield, most of them ranging from 4 to 8 pounds.

The three of them, along with Cooper, worked tirelessly and managed to harvest 300 pounds of potatoes, which was an incredible surprise.

They didn't cook lunch that day, instead, they steamed a pot of potatoes. The potatoes had thick skin, hard flesh and coarse fibers, and it took almost 40 minutes for the potato skin to burst.

They served it hot. As for the taste, it was quite starchy, but it had a slightly astringent aftertaste, making it somewhat difficult to swallow, leaving a lot of fibrous residue in the mouth.

It wasn't exactly delicious, but Stella had returned from the end of the world. She had even gnawed at clay, so for the survivors who were starving to the extreme, potatoes were definitely a blessing. She didn't waste any, and ended up eating three. Cooper had a big appetite. Though he had been pampered by his owner recently, his days of rumbling hunger on the streets had been seared into his bones, so he wasn't picky about the potatoes and chewed and swallowed them, skin, fibers and all. It was Rosie who couldn't bear it and spat out the potato in her mouth, "Jasper, it's really hard to eat."

Jasper, despite his love for his sister, was very strict when it came to food, "Rosie, there are many people out there who can't even get a bite of potato skin. Do you still want to starve?"

His words seemed gentle, but they were also firm and left no room for argument, seemingly triggering Rosie's unpleasant memories. She immediately wilted and lowered her head, nervously fiddling with her fingers, "I'm sorry."

"We can't waste food," Jasper gave her a lecture, "The potatoes that you can't swallow are life-saving food for others."

Rosie hadn't seen her brother this serious before; she was frightened and her body flinched a couple of times. Tears welled up in her eyes but she didn't dare let them fall.

"We're eating potatoes for the next couple of days. If you don't eat, you'll have to starve."

"I'll eat."

Rosie picked up a potato, which was hot and she dropped on the table. Jasper picked it up, peeled the skin off and handed it to her.

Little Rosie lowered her head and ate slowly, "Thank you."

She was only six years old, and the end of the world was too cruel. Raising her properly wasn't easy.

Stella sighed. Thankfully Cooper was sensible and not picky about his food, was much easier than raising a child.

Sensing Rosie's sadness, Cooper came over and offered his ears, nudging her with his head for comfort.

After managing to eat one potato, she ate another one, wiped her mouth and promised, "I won't waste any food from now on."

Jasper comforted her a little, and Rosie cheered up again, took Cooper into the room and started drawing.

Stella discussed with him about continuing the planting. The soil could be dug from Arcadia, which was fertile and loose, but they were out of frost-resistant agent.

The frost-resistant agent was developed by the Agricultural University, and neither of them had a way to get it. They could only hope that the Moore family had a way.

Besides, the beans and chemicals were given by the Moore family, so Stella planned to return 20 pounds of potatoes as a token of gratitude.

As for the remaining potatoes, the two of them didn't lack food now, so these potatoes could all be used for planting. If they were well cared for, they could at least harvest a thousand pounds next time.

"I want to keep 20 pounds, to feed Rosie now and then."

If it was before the disaster, it didn't matter if a child was pampered a little, but now it was the end of the world. Jasper was worried that if she was supplied with good food and drink, and didn't know the hardships outside, it would actually harm his sister. Stella had no objections, "I'll also keep 20 pounds for Cooper."

Even though there were only 200 pounds of potatoes left, there were a lot of sprouts, and it was a problem where to plant them.

Jasper thought for a moment, "If Cody and the others are not around, we can store it in the corridor and on the stairs, and if necessary, we can put it on the rooftop."

Stella had no objections, she took 20 pounds of potatoes and planned to go see the Moore family.

"Stella, I want to talk to you."

Talk? Stella was confused.

With a noticeable height difference, he, tall and straight, stood before her. His gaze was deep and gentle, creating an inexplicable sense of pressure on Stella. Standing too close, she instinctively took a step back.

"How long are you going to be on guard against me?"

What? Stella was shocked, but responded swiftly, "Did you misunderstand something?"

Jasper counter-questioned, "What do you think?"

Yes, he was a special police officer, his gaze could penetrate people's hearts. He was an expert in lip reading and micro expressions.

But Stella had no choice, sometimes she even doubted herself, let alone having her unspeakable secret discovered by him.

In these past few months, Stella hadn't relaxed at all, her nerves were tightly wound.

She knew she had post-traumatic stress disorder and was trying to adjust her mindset, but sometimes she just couldn't control herself.

Jasper shocked her with his words, "If I tell you my secret, would you be able to let your guard down?"

Stella was stunned.

No, she didn't want to know. Curiosity killed the cat.

But Jasper suddenly grabbed her hand and without a word, took her to the master bedroom door.

Stella tried to resist, but he was already opening the bedroom door.

Holy cannoli, the room was brimming with supplies, piled to the ceiling. The master bedroom, including the attached bathroom and walk-in closet, had an approximate area of 50 square meters, which was about 150 cubic meters filled to the brim with survival supplies. There were bags of flour and rice, canned goods, medical supplies, gasoline, propane tanks, and neatly stacked cardboard boxes with items wrapped in plastic. She couldn't discern what they were, but they were certainly valuable. "You..."

No wonder he'd risked going out during the hurricane. He was truly stockpiling for survival.

Jasper pulled her into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. In an instant, it was pitch dark.

"Stella, do you believe in second chances?"