18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 137

Lukas didn't catch the hint in Stella's question, "No, I had a couple of drinks with Cody last night and didn't get much sleep."

"What's up this early in the morning?"

Lukas' smile was more like a grimace, "Stella, we're thinking of quitting our jobs."

As much as they didn't want to, their lives were more important.

Stella was undeniably resourceful. Whether it was storms, floods, or extreme cold, she was always better prepared than them, and even lent a hand when needed.

And then there was Jasper, as stoic as a rock in the face of catastrophe.

The Moore family had their sources within the system, always more informed than the average Joe.

Good advice is a feast.

They had made it through before, and they would do it again. With careful rationing, the food they had would last about four years, so they decided to follow the crowd. However, quitting their jobs would take time, so they had to move fast. All hands on deck at 1803, helping Jasper haul the horizontal water towers to the rooftop.

Including those they had brought back before, there were now 14 water towers, each capable of storing 2 tons of water. Two of them were for the Moore family, which meant that the 18th floor could store 24 tons of water. Even with careful rationing, 24 tons of water would only last three to four months at most. What then?

Stella tried to reassure them, "If it gets extremely hot, and even if the city's drainage system collapses, the floodwaters would evaporate in two to three months. The city council will come up with a solution then."

"Stella's right," Cody chimed in, "before we had running water, we used to drink well water."

Angela voiced her concern, "But what if the temperature gets too high and the water can't be stored for long? What if it spoils?"

"I've got the water filters, just throw them in the water towers when the time comes."

"Stella, you're amazing."

Stella shrugged off the compliment, "I don't actually know much. It was Jasper's idea." Lukas was quick to flatter, "Jasper's the real MVP here, a true survival expert." Caught in the spotlight, Jasper shrugged, "I just happen to know a bit."

Just as they finished setting up the water towers, Katie came up to shovel snow.

When they learned that she had brought back two large water barrels, Cody and Lukas offered to help her shovel snow and carry them downstairs.

With the rest of the Moore family away, they were worried about Katie slipping and falling. They decided to fill up the Moore family's water towers first.

With that done, there wasn't much clean snow left.

Angela was a little worried, "What if it doesn't snow again, or if the temperature suddenly rises and we run out of stored water?"

Stella tried to reassure her, "That's unlikely to happen. Besides, the seven water towers we had before are full. If we use water sparingly, we'll be fine. You all should quit your jobs as soon as possible. In the meantime, we'll keep collecting snow to make sure that all the remaining water towers are filled."

She had never planned on using snow water. Why not fill the tanks with Arcadia's water once 1803 had left?

Fine then, they had more survival experience than people from 1803. It was better to follow their lead.

At noon, Lukas was making porridge in the kitchen when Cody suddenly yelled from the living room. Startled, Lukas rushed out with his ladle, "What's wrong?"

"Quick, the meteorological station's broadcasting a message."

The radio crackled to life as a weatherman relayed the latest news: according to current temperature trends, a rapid rise in temperature was expected in about half a month. Residents were advised to prepare for a possible heatwave.

"Stella and Jack are like prophets. Their prediction is spot-on, even more reliable than the experts at the weather bureau."

Despite their relief, they couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. The extreme cold was barely over, and now they were about to face a heatwave. When would it end?

Even the weather bureau was predicting a heatwave, making their decision to quit their jobs a certainty.

That night, they secretly shared a bottle of whiskey in bed. The extreme cold was tough, but they had gotten used to it. If only it could stay this way. For Cody and Lukas, it wasn't just a job. It was a testament to their strength, a symbol of their masculinity. They had fought hard to get to where they were, and just as they were about to flex their muscles, their strength seemed to wither away.

Frustrated, they took a couple of hard swigs of whiskey, which made them cough violently.

"We'll rise again."

"A real man doesn't let setbacks get to him."

After a few drinks, they fell into a deep sleep.

The night before the people from 1803 were set to leave, Stella came over to remind them, "The weather's unpredictable. Even though the weather bureau predicts it'll be about half a month before the heatwave hits, no one knows exactly when it'll happen. Maybe you should take a rubber raft with you. In case the ice melts into water, you won't have to swim back."

Thinking of the dirty things in the water, their faces paled and they immediately dug out the rubber raft.

Thankfully, they had heeded Stella's advice and wrapped the raft in warm materials to prevent it from hardening.

Two days after 1803 had left, the temperature suddenly soared to minus 10 degrees.

Air conditioners, electric fans, and the like had long since been frozen and rendered useless in the minus seventy-odd degrees.

Extreme cold at least allowed them to melt snow for water, but what were they to do in extreme heat?

Those with surplus food were busy bartering. Those who were out of supplies simply gave up, resigned to their fate. They were too tired to go on. After giving up for half a day, they decided that they didn't want to die after all, and got to work again.

After Angela and the others had left, Stella began moving the water towers into Arcadia in the dark, starting to fill them with water.

The old water towers were also moved in and filled with fresh water.

...

After a fitful sleep, Stella began kicking off her blankets, down comforters, air-conditioning quilts, and duvets.

When she woke up, all that was left was a single blanket. Bright light was seeping in through the gaps in the curtains, making her eyes hurt.

It was bright, dazzlingly bright.

Stella pulled back the curtains, and was blinded by the intense white light. The sun, which had been absent for over a year, had finally come out. The gloomy weather was gone, replaced by a dazzling brightness everywhere.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but Stella felt that the sunlight was not normal.

The temperature inside was 20 degrees, while outside was 39 degrees.

It was still minus ten-odd degrees yesterday, but today it had soared to 39 degrees. This was madness.

Stella stood on the balcony and looked down. The icy surface was reflecting a blinding light.

Just as she was about to go back in, she saw a few fools in short sleeves rushing out of the apartment building, frolicking unsteadily on the slippery ice, "The sun's out! Yeah!"

Their gaunt, skeletal figures were hidden under heavy clothing during the extreme cold. Now, in short sleeves, their thinness was shockingly obvious.

Stella frowned and picked up her binoculars to observe the survivors on the ice. These people were probably tired of living.

The meteorological station had just warned through the radio yesterday that the heatwave would accelerate the melting of ice, and residents were advised not to wander on the ice unless necessary.

The neighborhood committee had dutifully posted notices in all the neighborhoods a few days ago.

They were really pushing their luck.

The temperature was escalating rapidly; standing on the balcony, Stella felt the intense heat of summer palpable. Just as she was about to put down her binoculars, the icy surface beneath the jubilant survivors suddenly cracked wide open. They had no time to escape, falling into the icy crevasses in an unexpected twist.

"Help... Help me..." they cried out.