18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 148

Most women shuddered at the sight of serpents, their slimy, slithering bodies being the stuff of nightmares. Especially the mutated snakes after natural disasters, they were not only gigantic but also had ghastly appearances.

Stella instinctively backed away, about to grab her weapon to fight the snake, when Jasper, quick as a flash, pulled her behind him. With one swift, ruthless swung of his shovel, the snake was decapitated, a gush of fresh blood immediately following. Stella can't quite remember when the snake infestation started, perhaps when the floodwaters receded to the sixth floor. Now, with the waters having receded to the fifth floor, only a single snake appeared, a far cry from the horrifying swarms of the past. Stella had prepared a lot of sulfur powder, but she found no use for it.

This was due to the city's active pest control measures. With the environment improving, the pests decreased. This time, the snakes probably didn't stand much of a chance.

Just as the snake was killed, a man emerged from a corner, with desperation and pleading in his eyes, "Can I have the snake?"

He was a skinny man, his face covered in grime. His clothes were so filthy you couldn't tell their original color. Before he even approached, a foul stench wafted from him. Seeing no response, he begged, "Please, I haven't eaten in days."

Jasper didn't give him the snake, instead using his shovel to toss it outside. There was garbage floating on the water, and the snake landed with a splash. As the two rowed away in their dinghy, Stella looked back to see the man diving into the murky water to retrieve the snake.

It was right not to give it to him. Jasper had only gone downstairs once with Rosie to hunt rats, and the next day people were already waiting to scavenge. If this happened again, they would probably be bold enough to ask for supplies from the 18th floor.

Despite their ragged appearances, their eyes were even more sinister than before. The only reason they acted subserviently was because the 18th floor held an absolute advantage. If the 18th floor was ever overthrown, they would certainly be the first to charge up with knives.

So, you can avoid causing harm, but never be too generous. The lessons of the past were enough.

Upon reaching the neighborhood committee to deliver their catch, they found canned food from the food factory had arrived.

The canned food was without any labels. The cans were simple and unadorned, each weighing about 230 grams.

The staff knew that the 17th and 18th floors of the Sanctuary were a team due to their frequent appearance, so they distributed the supplies together.

For over 1500 pounds of rats, they were given 150 cans of food. Their backpacks were packed full, attracting envious glances.

Upon leaving the committee, several greedy people followed them. The two communicated with their eyes, steering their dinghy at high speed through the water, splashing dirty water on those tailing them, causing them to jump and curse.

As per the agreement, the Moore family received 75 cans of food.

Katie, a cunning old woman, insisted on sharing some with the 18th floor. "You did most of the work. You should take more."

"We agreed beforehand on how we would divide it."

Moreover, Stella suggested they stop hunting rats. Firstly, there were fewer rats and i I was not cost-effective to spend so much time and energy. Secondly, with no secrets in this world, they'd already been noticed and there was a high possibility they could be ambushed while delivering the rats.

With the rapid decrease in red-eyed rats, once the rat-catching sound wave was switched off, it was very unlikely that they'd climb to the 17th or 18th floor. Katie agreed and put away the rat traps.

The remaining canned food, excluding Cooper and Rosie, was distributed equally amongst those who took turns working, each person receiving 15 cans. Once they were back in their room, Stella curiously asked, "Have you ever eaten canned rat meat?"

"I have." Jasper handed over his share to her for safekeeping, "It's not great, quite tasteless."

Now that they were not lacking in supplies, there was no need to eat canned rat meat. They could save it for when resources were scarce.

On their way back, they saw a snake swimming into an empty room on the 6th floor. Stella felt uncomfortable and quickly sprinkled sulfur powder around the house.

Just as she'd expected, snakes appeared over the next few days. Unfortunately, they didn't stand a chance of reaching the top floor.

Every floor had survivors armed and ready; with red-eyed rats becoming increasingly scarce, they couldn't afford to miss the opportunity to catch snakes. There were even fights over the snakes, with people trying to steal from others, snatch them by force, or argue over territories. Every day was filled with chaos.

Stella opened the window, a faint smell of cooked meat wafting in.

Calculating the time, Stella began delivering the vegetables to 1803. To avoid any suspicion, she specifically chose varieties suitable for hydroponics from Arcadia, pinched off the stems, and confirmed there were no mistakes before delivering them. "Ding, ding, ding, ding, I've got some good news for you. The hydroponic vegetables are ready to be picked."

Thankfully it was through a walkie-talkie, otherwise her poor acting skills would've given her away.

Stella refused to meet with Lukas, "I've left it at the door. You can come and pick it up."

Lukas darted out at the speed of a 100-meter sprint, almost crying at the sight of the vegetables.

The lush green vegetables were a sight for sore eyes. They were like seductive sirens, stealing his soul away.

Vegetables, let's get it on!

Too excited, Lukas issued a call on the walkie-talkie, "Stella, Jasper, fancy having a hot stew?"

"We're out of hot stew ingredients." Stella refused to meet, "It's already roasting hot. You guys still want to have a hot stew?"

Who didn't want to have a hot stew? But she had to shower every day and then put on sweaty clothes to go out. Would they be smelling the hot stewor stinky fish?

Jasper followed up with a refusal.

Rosie chimed in from the other end, "No, it's too hot."

The people from 1803 felt heartbroken.

That night, when Stella went to 1803 for dinner, she was almost scared out of her wits when she saw two bald heads. To be precise, two buzz cuts.

Rosie's long hair had been shaved off, making her face look rounder, almost like a boy's. As for Jasper's hair, Stella couldn't help but touch it. It was a bit prickly. Still, he looked handsome and stylish.

Even though his t-shirt was loose, his chest and abs were still faintly visible. Stella gave him a few looks before shifting her gaze.

"Should I shave my head too?"

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Everyone outside was bald, and she didn't want to stand out.

Jasper didn't insist, "If you like long hair, you can keep it."

He and Rosie both had short hair, and the water saved could be used for her to wash her hair. It wouldn't raise any suspicions.

"Stella, you won't believe it." Rosie giggled, wiping her head with a wet towel, "Just a wipe and it's done."

Stella didn't mind having short hair, as being unique could be too conspicuous, "I'll have one too."

Jasper looked surprised, "You look good with long hair, it's a pity to shave it."

"It's okay, we'll wait until after the heat wave."

So, Jasper pulled out his electric clippers, and shaved off Stella's head, once full of dark tresses.