18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 145

Stella, with a fierce determination in her eyes, gathering the rabbits to line up on the side as she put items in Arcadia.

Sure enough, three giant cockroaches were kicked out by Arcadia, quickly becoming prey to the rabbits.

She replicated the same process at 1801, swearing to eliminate all cockroaches. With even more cockroaches at 1803, she had no choice but to let the rabbits handle it themselves. The 17th floor was equally busy, and there was word that large cockroaches had chewed through the food bags. While Katie was eliminating them, she almost stumbled. Stella thought for a moment, then sent two rabbits down to the 17th floor. She couldn't send too many, not wanting to flaunt her resources.

The rabbits didn't require any feeding, so she decided they could stay on the 17th floor permanently.

Katie's eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets seeing the rabbits crunching away. She had seen a lot in her sixty-something years, but she had never seen anything like this.

Katie was deeply moved by the support from the 18th floor. Who would say they were devils? They were a thousand times better than the wolves in sheep's clothing. Trash was piling up, and the threat of the cockroaches was growing.

The radio was constantly broadcasting calls to action from the authorities, reminding everyone to maintain the cleanliness of their living environment, and not to litter.

Empty apartments were available in every building. Residents were advised to store their waste in covered containers, and after the flood, arrangements could be made for personnel to come and collect them. Those who continued to litter were only hurting themselves, and breeding more pests.

Some survivors heeded the advice, while others continued to do as they pleased.

The cockroach problem persisted, but the 18th floor remained clean and tidy, thanks to the rabbits. The pests were gradually eradicated.

The 17th floor followed suit, but as Katie's balcony was open, there were still a few cockroaches. The other floors were still infested.

Stella seriously doubted the intelligence of these creatures. Had they learned to avoid the 17th and 18th floors?

"Definitely!" Lukas was certain. If the rabbits could mutate, then it wasn't surprising if the cockroaches had evolved some intelligence. Cody agreed. Under the overwhelming force, the cockroaches had become cowardly.

Stella playfully nudged Jasper with her elbow. "What do you think?"

Jasper said. "Anything is possible."

...

In the middle of the night, Stella was awakened by a loud noise in the living room.

"Cooper?" She grumbled sleepily. "Are you trying to keep us all awake?"

Cooper was running around the apartment, growling and baring his teeth. Stella quickly woke up and turned on the lights.

In the living room, Cooper had jumped onto the sofa and was attacking something. He then flung it onto the floor and started to rub it vigorously.

Shining her flashlight, Stella saw that it was a fat rat. And its eyes were red!

Cooper was furious. He bit the rat again, drawing blood.

The rabbits, hearing the commotion, rushed in to see what was happening. One of them was almost bitten by the rat.

Seeing his bunny being threatened, Cooper attacked the rat again, killing it. No one messed with his sidekicks.

Stella quickly picked up the dead rat with a bag, opened the escape window, and threw it out.

Cooper was still running around the apartment, growling and barking.

Where had the rat come from?

Stella used her flashlight to inspect the apartment. She noticed that the stainless steel mesh on the balcony had been gnawed through, and a piece of glass next to it had been chewed off. The rat must have crawled in through the hole. She took out some rat poison and sprinkled it around the hole. When she was about to leave, she noticed an odd smell. There was a wet spot on the floor.

Cooper had peed.

She was about to reprimand the dog for being unhygienic, but Stella thought better of it and didn't say anything. His marking his territory with urine was probably a deterrent warning.

To confirm her theory, she checked the rest of the apartment. She found pee marks in the kitchen, the bathroom, and the room where the rabbits lived.

Luckily, her own room was clean. Cooper was protecting it himself.

Thinking about the vicious red-eyed rat, Stella used her walkie-talkie to contact Jasper. "The red-eyed rats are here."

After they got together, they kept the walkie-talkies on all the time. They would chat for a few minutes before going to bed every night.

They had plenty of batteries, so they could keep the walkie-talkies on and stay in touch at all times.

Jasper was a light sleeper. He responded quickly. "Did it bite you?"

"No, Cooper found it first," Stella said, sounding a little worried. "The rats seem to have become very aggressive. Even when Cooper bit it, it still tried to fight back."

Jasper got up to check. His doors, windows, and balcony were all intact.

Stella had to knock on the door of 1803. Those three always slept like logs. What if a rat gnawed at them in their sleep?

That was no joke. In the past, many survivors had been bitten by red-eyed rats. The death toll was high, and then the Black Death broke out.

If it weren't for the survivors being trapped at home, and the sudden natural disaster leading to a sharp reduction in the human population, the Black Death might have broken out and spread.

Stella had to admit, since Cooper had joined the 18th floor, he was always the first to notice anything unusual and give a warning. Over time, the residents let down their guard. They could now live comfortably on the 18th floor, thanks to Cooper.

As soon as the door of 1803 opened, Cooper rushed in. There was a loud clatter as he knocked over bottles and jars, startling Lukas.

When they turned on the light, they found another dead red-eyed rat.

Cody was shocked. "Where did this big rat come from? And why are its eyes red?"

No one had an answer for him. If the cockroaches were as thick as two fingers, then it was no surprise that the rats had red eyes. Cooper strutted around the apartment, marking his territory with pee. The three residents looked at Stella.

Stella touched her nose, feeling a little embarrassed. "Red-eyed rats are afraid of dogs. Cooper is marking his territory to protect you."

A dog marking its territory with pee? They had heard of that. It might stink, but it was better than being attacked by a red-eyed rat.

Smelling dog pee wasn't embarrassing. They all praised Cooper. "Cooper, you're amazing. Pee more."

Cooper grinned. Who else could get praised for peeing anywhere they wanted?

After leaving 1803, Cooper didn't rush home. Instead, he stood at the staircase door.

Stella realized something. "Do you want to go to Katie's house?"

Having been taken care of by the Moore family and enjoyed their home-cooked meals, it seemed like the dog wanted to give something back in return. Cooper was still the same kind-hearted creature, its fierceness merely a façade it put on for self-protection. So, Stella opened the triple-locked door and knocked on the door of the Moore family.