18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 127

Stella had anticipated it, but she feigned surprise nonetheless, "What are you talking about?"

"I've died once, and now I've been reborn."

No, no, no, this was not something she could handle. It was dangerous!

"This house belonged to my grandma. She passed away some years back, leaving the property to my mom. But both my parents died in a car accident, leaving young Rosie behind."

The nature of his special job meant that Jasper couldn't go home, so he had to have Rosie lived at his uncle's house.

Finally, when he was able to get some time off, he bought a ticket to return home to visit Rosie, but a superstorm hit and the train had to stop at Griffith for safety. No one could have predicted that this storm was the beginning of a great disaster.

As soon as he was sure he couldn't get home, he didn't hesitate to join the disaster relief efforts in Griffith. He saved people during the storm, transported supplies during the floods, and fought against the crime syndicates in the freezing cold.

In the negative seventy-degree cold, he finally made it home after enduring numerous hardships.

But there was no Rosie, just a clean, picked-over skeleton that hadn't been disposed of in time.

Despite experiencing such heart-wrenching pain, he still believed that not all survivors were monsters. Being a military policeman, he suppressed his grief and chose to stand with the nation.

He persisted for ten years, unable to count how much food he had given away, or how many people he had saved.

Initially, people were grateful to him, but later they complained about the lack of food and poor living conditions. How did he die?

After working tirelessly for 12 hours straight in the flood rescue operation, he saved a large group of people and was so exhausted. But he got slashed by a metal object submerged in the water.

When he got to shore, people gathered around him, expressing concern for his well-being. Later, as he developed a high fever and became delirious, their expressions began to change. They went from hoping he would recover, to hoping he would die quickly. Some, who were more impatient, even kept fiddling with the knives in their pockets.

Stella's head was buzzing; she thought her life was tragic enough, but his story... no wonder he was so ruthless when he fought.

"Stella, I've been given a chance to make up for my regrets, and I won't be greedy for the chances of others." Jasper's voice was heavy, "I'm telling you all this and showing you the supplies, just to get you to lower your guard."

But she had to admit, when she saw his over a hundred cubic feet of supplies, she indeed felt a sense of relief.

Having survived for ten years in this post-apocalyptic world, he had witnessed every kind of natural disaster. Given the chance to start anew, of course he was better prepared than she could even imagine.

Stella chuckled, "You're telling me this, aren't you afraid I'll steal your supplies into Arcadia and run away?"

Jasper retorted, "Would you do that?"

"I'm not a good person, but as long as others don't covet what's mine, I won't covet their belongings."

Both of them had laid their cards on the table; they were even now.

Stella reached out to open the door, but he suddenly grabbed her hand. "Stella, can you give me a chance?"

Stella was a little dumbfounded, her mind in a daze.

"I've fallen for you." And he was replaceing it hard to control himself.

Stella was a little embarrassed, "Didn't we agree to be friends and neighbours?"

"Yes, but I still want to fight for a chance." Jasper had his reasons, "Plus, I don't think you feel nothing for me. You're just worried about Arcadia being coveted."

Stella was rational, "I think it's more appropriate for us to be neighbors and teammates than lovers."

He was so persistent that it seemed even those two roles wouldn't be suitable anymore.

"If you didn't care about me at all, why did you take me into Arcadia at the risk of your own life?"

"You're my teammate, and you saved me when the storm hit. Shouldn't I save you in return?"

"If a stranger had discovered your secret, would you have spared them?"

His questions left Stella speechless. Whether she took him into Arcadia or spared his life afterwards, it was mainly because of her trust in his character.

The most unpredictable thing in the world was the human heart. She saved him but was wary of him, and the two were not contradictory. But it was undeniable, that if it was a stranger, she would have struck them down already. Feeling torn, her actions felt restricted.

"Stella, there's no need to rush to reject me. Go home and think it over. If you really have no feelings for me, then you can reject me."

Jasper had his persistence, "Don't worry. Once you've made up your mind, I won't pester you."

Fine, since he had said it like this, anything more from her would be too harsh.

With her mind in a daze, Stella forgot to take the potatoes and walked home.

When she got home, she tossed and turned in bed, feeling restless. Was she attracted to Jasper? How could he be so sure?

Stella thought about it, but something didn't feel right.

He was different from Cody and Lukas. He felt like a great partner, someone she could trust. But when they were dealing with The Chaos, he pulled her behind him twice, and when they were chased to the top of a building in such a dangerous situation, he chose to let her escape first.

And he had taken a brick for her.

She could have dodged it in time, but he willingly tooka brick for someone else in a world where order had collapsed.

He was good-looking and capable. He was indeed a high-quality boyfriend, making it hard for anyone not to be attracted. If it wasn't for the end of the world...

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She didn't expect that he had done so much for her.

If she really had to reject him, they would still have to see each other often, and it would be awkward.

Upon reflection, Stella just wanted to survive in this post-apocalyptic world, and love was not that important. But how could she let him give up?

After a restless night, she lazed around in a daze until her walkie-talkie rang. Jasper sounded as casual as ever, "Want to come over for a meal?"

Stella had a sudden inspiration, "I eat a lot, and Cooper is a real chowhound."

"That's okay."

"So, I- I need some more time to think. Are you sure you want me to join you for breakfast?"

Jasper laughed, "Sure."

After hanging up the walkie-talkie, Stella got up and cleaned herself up. "Cooper, let's go mooch some food from next door."

Mooching food? Cooper's eyes lit up and he dragged out his largest bowl: 'Let's go!'

Jasper was sincere. He made green beans stewed with pork and potatoes with chili sauce. Despite being a disaster in the kitchen, he had managed to graduate from her tutelage and the food tasted decent.

Nobody brought up the event of the previous day; they ate and drank as usual. Rosie chatted with Stella from time to time, making the atmosphere not too awkward.

After they finished eating, she didn't even need to do the dishes. Rosie took over the task of cleaning the table and washing the dishes. Cooper supervised the dishwashing from the side of the sink, directing Rosie.

Stella lugged a sack of potatoes down to the 17th floor, just as the Moore family father and son were taking a break.

The Moore family was also harvesting potatoes. The soil, brought in from outside, wasn't as fertile, so their yield wasn't as great as those from the 18th floor. However, they planted over half of the area with potatoes and had a harvest of over a hundred pounds, which made Katie absolutely gleeful.