18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 136

Stella took a swift kick, sending the man tumbling down the staircase, unable to rise from the heavy fall. She descended the stairs, her expression blank as she stepped onto his throat without releasing for a while. Exiting the office building, she arrived at their designated meeting spot. Jasper was already waiting, "Is it done?"

Stella nodded, "I took care of it, and you?"

"Yeah, no loose ends."

They had managed to gather all the supplies they needed and, unless something unexpected happened, they wouldn't need to venture out before the extreme heat arrived.

By the time Cody and the others returned from their break, the temperature had already risen to over 40 degrees below zero.

They were shocked to see several water towers stacked in the hallway, "Stella, we seem to have enough water towers."

They had dragged back seven water towers to the rooftop, only for the extreme cold to abruptly hit, freezing all the pipes.

Now Stella had brought back even more, not only filling the hallway but also placing several on the stairs. Were they collecting junk?

Lukas and Angela were slow to react, but Cody figured it out, "Stella, are we stockpiling water?"

"Exactly, it wasn't easy to get these, we were waiting for you guys to come back and set them up."

Thankfully, the temperature had risen by nearly 30 degrees. If the survivors didn't react soon, it would indeed be a matter of life and death.

Stella was just ahead of the curve. Already, rumors were circulating that the extreme cold was coming to an end. Some were filled with joy, while those with access to information were secretly stockpiling supplies. Katie came up the other day, stating that there was a 70-80% chance of extreme heat in the future and advised them to prepare as soon as possible.

For the sake of survival, she and Jasper had nearly broken their legs dragging water towers up the stairs the previous day. They didn't hold back this time and shared two water towers with the Moore family as a reward. Katie was thrilled, "You guys are so resourceful, we couldn't replace any water towers even when we asked others."

She insisted on exchanging food for them, but Stella declined, "If you ever get seeds that can withstand heat and drought, just give us a share."

It wasn't just Katie. Other survivors in the community also saw the 18th floor as a weather vane. They had learned their lesson and began to gather water towers after seeing the 18th floor doing the same.

The people from the 18th floor were doing so well, they must be well connected. Or maybe they had gotten some secret information. Anyway, it was right to follow their lead.

Suddenly, water towers became hot commodities.

Monkey, constantly being asked for water towers by customers was speechless.

He was now seriously doubting everything. Stella had traded so many supplies from him with a hundred pounds of potatoes, and there were several water towers among those traded items.

He was going crazy!

He had just been pleased with himself for getting rid of the junk, and now people were offering twenty pounds of potatoes for a water tower.

What to do, this was agreed upon by the boss, but the boss was always capricious, and Monkey was sure he'd get beaten to death.

Ah, Stella had tricked him again!!!

"A-choo!" Stella sneezed several times in a row, rubbing her nose fiercely.

Jasper handed her some hot water, "Got a cold?"

"No." Stella's eyelids twitched, "I feel like someone is cursing me."

Jasper chuckled, ruffling her hair, "Don't think too much."

Stella stood up, "I'm going to 1803."

He didn't go with her, instead preparing dinner for the three of them and the dog.

When Stella arrived at 1803, she didn't beat around the bush, "The temperature has been rising, and it's getting faster. The Moore family has some inside information. Rumors from the meteorological bureau suggest that the extreme heat might be on its way. I've been out and about, gathering supplies before anyone else. If you guys need anything, you can come and pick it up."

All three of them were stunned, "Extreme heat?"

"It means a continuous heatwave. Heatstroke is the least of it; the real fear is heatstroke disease."

Heatstroke was no joke. The body became like a fried egg-skin burning, impaired consciousness, inability to dissipate internal heat, and changes in protein and enzyme activities. Once affected, it almost spelled death.

Cody's scalp tingled, "Is this information reliable?"

"It's not officially announced yet, but there are already rumors."

Stella handed over the temperature chart she had been recording daily, "I don't think this is a rumor, and it's best to prepare in advance."

The three of them looked at the rising data on the paper, their scalps tingling.

As their friend, Stella sincerely suggested, "If the temperature suddenly soars one day, the ice will melt quickly. Then Griffith will be flooded again. There are so many corpses and stinky garbage in the water, if there is a heatwave, there is a high chance of a plague outbreak. I suggest you quit your jobs, wait out this disaster and then make plans."

After all, being alive was the priority.

The three of them looked at each other, Lukas took a chance, "Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"

Before the break, the captain had just spoken to him, praising his excellent performance and promoting him to squad leader, with a raise in wages and provisions.

In his twenty years of life, apart from his looks, Lukas had never been so affirmed and praised. This was a glory and medal he had never had before.

"The day the extreme cold hit, it dropped over forty degrees overnight. Do you think it's possible that the extreme heat could rise over forty degrees overnight?"

Lukas was stunned.

Stella realized that the three of them cherished their jobs and didn't want to resign. She couldn't force them, and she had done what she could, "This is just my suggestion. You guys can consider it."

After chatting for a bit, she got up and left.

When she returned to 1801, dinner was ready. Rosie set the table, "Stella, let's eat."

As the three of them and the dog ate, they noticed she looked pensive. Jasper asked, "They don't believe in the extreme heat, and they don't want to quit?"

They definitely didn't want to quit. Cody had been promoted to the squad leader a few months ago by bribing the leaders. Lukas had worked his way up to officer with his own abilities, and Angela had been promoted to area leader by the captain.

During their time on the job, the three of them had raked in a lot. Just the food alone was enough to last two years, not to mention many other supplies. The future was foreseeable, so who would be willing to quit?

"You've done all you could. Moreover, their situation is different from ours, any ordinary person wouldn't easily give up their job. There's no need to force it."

Stella took a deep breath, "Let's eat."

Although she said that, she didn't sleep well.

She was not heartless. She had only wanted to take care of herself and Cooper after being reborn, but Cody and Lukas were her only friends, and Angela had even saved her once. They had fought side by side for over a year. How could she just abandon them? Whether it was a plague or heatstroke disease, it was not a joke.

Just as she was about to rise from her bed, the loud knocking sound echoed through the room.

Lukas was out in the hallway, not just knocking on her door, but also on 1801's door.

Hmm, he had just made a bet with Cody, asserting that the two were coming out from 1801 and not from 1802, but alas... innocence prevailed.

He lost, and owed Cody a Hershey's bar.

Facing his meaningful gaze, Stella asked, "Did you get dirt in your eyes or something?"