18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 142

Stella, with a nonchalant tone, called out through the walkie-talkie, "Hold on, guys, I've got something for you."

She headed over to apartment 1803 with a bundle of clothes in her hands. "Made these myself, come on, try them on."

Cody and Lukas were taken aback. The heat was unbearable, they were barely managing in their boxers, and she wanted them to try on full suits?

But they had to respect Stella's efforts. The surprise gesture almost brought tears to their eyes. Stella might seem harsh and sarcastic, but deep down, she cared a lot about them. They hadn't expected her to go the extra mile and make clothes for them. After all, no one made clothes themselves these days.

Despite the risk of heatstroke, the two men tried on the suits. This felt hot... wait, it felt a bit cool. Then, it got cooler and cooler.

Lukas' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he exclaimed, "Honey, you've got to try this!"

Cody echoed his surprise, "Stella, what kind of sorcery is this?"

After trying on the suits, they were all at a loss for words. It felt as though the temperature had dropped by a dozen degrees. It was like standing in an air-conditioned room, with the cooling setting on. They couldn't help but shiver.

Stella smirked mysteriously, "Do you want to know what I traded to get this fabric?"

"What?" They all asked in confusion.

Stella made a gesture with her hands, "Two of these."

They couldn't believe it. She traded guns for this? Those were life-savers.

After a dramatic pause, Stella began her tale, "It was seventy below zero, and I was nearly frozen solid. My mind was so sluggish I fell for a trick. They said the fabric was thermo-regulated, maintaining a comfortable 25 degrees year-round. I traded in a haze, made a suit when I got home, but still nearly froze to death. I regretted it so much back then. I tried to return it, but the traders disappeared. I found it when I was sorting out my winter clothes the other day. I tried it on and, to my surprise, it really was thermo-regulated."

She told her story so convincingly, and she almost believed it herself. Finding excuses to give things away was really not easy.

She mentioned the temperature range in a speculative manner, "It maintains a temperature of around 25 degrees. You guys can test it out when you get the chance."

The trio didn't think twice; they were too excited. This was a lifesaver. The only downside was the cost. She had to trade two valuable firearms to get it.

They communicated silently, then Lukas took out his gun, "Stella, this one's for you."

"What are you doing?" Stella responded, unimpressed. "When we were dealing with Gregory's crew, Jasper and I took all their guns. We got four in total, not many bullets though. We thought the empty shells were useless, so we tossed them at home before heading to Unity Village. We forgot about them afterwards. The extra two guns are communal property. We just used them to get the thermo-regulated fabric. You don't need to contribute anything else. But the fabric we got was just enough to make these suits, so take care of them. If they wear out, that's it."

Lukas grinned, "Don't worry. We'll cherish them. We won't wear them unless absolutely necessary."

These suits were not only cooling miracles, but they improved their moods as well.

After Stella left, Lukas hugged his wife and mused, "Sweetie, do you think meeting Stella is the result of good deeds from our past lives?"

Angela didn't believe in reincarnation, but she did agree that the trio shared a deep bond. "Maybe."

"Stella may seem competitive, but she's actually the most insecure one among us. When she's nice to someone, she goes all out. When she's not, she could be really harsh."

This reminded Angela of a long-standing question, "Stella is so shrewd and tough, how could she have been fooled by Hector?"

When it came to love, Lukas was the expert.

"Honey, I was smitten the moment I saw you."

"Cut it out. That wasn't love at first sight. You were just..."

Angela wasn't fooled; Lukas wasn't love-struck when he first saw her. He was just taken aback by her audacity.

And the reason she fell for Lukas was...

Angela paused, now understanding what Lukas was trying to say. Stella's feelings for Hector weren't love. He possessed something she lacked, something that she desperately craved.

The more we lacked something, the more we desired it. Many times, we even lost our rationality and pursued it at all costs.

Angela contemplated, "Jasper is a good guy. I hope he is serious with Stella."

At dinner that evening, Rosie was constantly scratching her arm.

Stella asked, "What's the matter?"

"It's itchy."

Stella rolled up Rosie's sleeve to see a large, red, swollen bump, obviously a mosquito bite.

The stagnant water was a breeding ground for bacteria, and the mosquitoes were mutating. Those living on lower floors were at a greater risk of getting bitten. The bites would swell up and itch terribly. Soon, pests would become a major issue, causing many to contract dengue fever.

Despite the efforts of the government to fumigate the area, the heaps of trash and the constant production of waste made it impossible to prevent this completely.

However, preventive measures were still necessary. Such as cleaning up the dead bodies to prevent the spread of diseases.

Just having a mosquito net wasn't enough. The mutated mosquitoes would venture out in broad daylight, let alone at night.

Stella applied some ointment on Rosie's bite. The low-toxicity mosquito repellant wasn't very effective, so she lit up a mosquito coil instead. At the same time, she communicated with the guys in 1803 through the walkie-talkie, advising them to use mosquito nets, mosquito coils, and long-sleeved clothes.

As for face-to-face discussions, she should save it for when it was absolutely necessary. She showered every day, but she didn't use any shower gel or shampoo in fear of Cody and the others replaceing out.

Also, she deliberately kept a couple of sweaty clothes from her training sessions with Jasper unwashed, ready to be worn out to ward off people if necessary.

She believed this was why Jasper handed over the walkie-talkie to 1803. They could communicate through it instead of knocking on doors all the time.

She sprayed pesticide in every corner of the apartment. Preventing dengue fever was everyone's responsibility.

The scorching heat persisted. The sun-baked walls were still warm by the time the sun rose the next day.

Lukas managed to fix a broken car fridge. He stored some cooling herbal tea in it to help beat the heat, and he didn't forget to inform Stella through the walkie-talkie, "The fridge is in the hallway, so help yourselves if you need anything."

Stella wasn't idle either. She brought out some items she found in the office building: milk tea powder, coffee, ice cream powder, various tea mixes, and so on.

These stuff didn't have a strong smell. She watched some tutorials and let Jasper do the work.

She demonstrated once, and Jasper picked it up right away. Then, he would teach his younger sister, while Stella sat back and supervised.

Well, who said he had no talent? Stella, eating her ice cream, asked, "Did you do it on purpose before?"

With a calm demeanor, Jasper responded, "Nah. You're just a really good teacher."