18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 152

However, as they moved forward, the sunlight behaved like a murderous assailant wielding a deadly weapon, relentlessly pursuing them.

Even with climate-controlled clothing, the 50-degree heat was unbearable. Sweat continued to pour from their bodies, making them as drenched as if they'd just stepped out of a shower. Thankfully, Jasper had a good sense of direction. The four-story factory, their destination, was already in sight. The factory stood tall, its name and logo glaring in the sun, reflecting a metallic sheen. Once they reached the rooftop, they used a crowbar to pry open the rooftop door.

The water had receded by over three feet, so the damp, peeling ceiling and piles of finished goods and raw materials were now visible.

It was clear that the factory had attempted to salvage their property, moving valuable goods to the fourth floor. But even that effort wasn't enough to outmatch the cataclysmic flood. Jasper was not interested in the finished products, but the raw materials-rare metals like lithium, beryllium, titanium, and tungsten, colloquially known as industrial seasoning. Adding just a pinch of these to conventional materials could yield unimaginable results, like resistance to extreme heat, friction, and hardness.

These were scarce resources, and the base would send scavengers to replace such metals.

Taking advantage of these resouces, their survival would be ensured for a long time.

After extraction, these rare metals existed in powder form, sealed in cylindrical barrels, much like oil drums.

Swimming over, they found that the topmost label was for beryllium. Exchanging confirming glances, they decided it was a target worth hoarding in Arcadia.

These rare metals were absurdly expensive, but this factory was loaded. Stella managed to collect dozens of sealed barrels, making their trip worthwhile.

After a rough count, they had over a dozen types of rare metals. If they ever decided to enter the base, this would be their ticket.

As for the other finished goods, Arcadia space was running low and needed a recharge.

There was so much to collect, it was impossible to hoard it all. They had to leave some behind for others.

Upon returning to their neighborhood, night was just falling.

Lukas and the others, who had been inside all day, were out with Rosie and the dog on the rooftop for some fresh air. Seeing Stella and Jasper return, they quickly came downstairs.

Before they could approach, they pinched their noses and stepped back, "Wow, where have you guys been?"

Their bodies were soaked in sweat, a smell so strong it could knock a person out. The dog, however, didn't seem to mind, jumping up and wrapping itself around Stella.

As soon as Stella closed the door to her room, she immediately jumped into Arcadia to take a shower, cleaning herself from head to toe.

After resting and regaining her strength, she prepared a meal of roast chicken with pepper, Salt & Pepper Pork, Garlic Roasted Veggies, and a large pot of white rice, inviting Jasper and Rosie to join her. Rosie, recognizing the cook through the taste, smiled brightly, "Stella, this is delicious."

Cooper lifted its head proudly, looking particularly smug. Its owner's cooking was much tastier than the food from the trainers.

After they had eaten their fill, Stella sneakily handed a piece of watermelon to Cooper and Rosie, "Eat this in your room. Don't let anyone see."

Cooper and Rosie happily closed the room door, savoring their treat.

That day, on their way back, they had encountered a team of professional salvagers whose boats were loaded with goods, all covered in dirt and yellow mud.

Based on the shapes they could see, it looked like clothes and fabrics. Most likely, they had gone to a clothing factory. So they had to continue the next day, getting a head start before others could. "Where should we go next?" Stella asked.

Jasper pondered, "We have the steel bars now. After the earthquake, we should be able to get a housing quota if we donate them. Then we'll need to decorate the house. How about we look for some tiles?" Stella's Arcadia already had cement, lime powder, paint, and a few boxes of tiles, but not much.

"Good idea," Stella agreed. Anything extra they collected could be donated later.

The city had an entire street of shops dedicated to construction materials, but the tiles in the stores were merely samples. Customers had to get the goods from the factory. It would be faster to go straight to the factory rather than collecting samples from different stores. They flipped through the map and quickly locked onto the biggest tile factory in Griffith.

"Do we have a high-end auto repair shop here?" Jasper asked.

Stella was surprised, "Yes, we do."

Griffith was known for its wealthy inhabitants. Some of them were flashy and extravagant, casually driving luxury cars worth millions.

There was an upper-class car modification club, apparently owned by a son of some real estate tycoon, specializing in modifying luxury cars.

Stella had worked there for two months during her summer vacation after high school, serving juice and coffee.

The pay was good, but she joined with the intention of investigating the rich and their luxury cars and collecting material for her YouTube channel.

She produced three episodes, and the view count was exceptionally high. Plainly put, the world of the rich was beyond ordinary people's imagination. Stella guessed, "Are you looking for car parts?"

Jasper nodded, "My car is still submerged in the underground parking lot. Some parts might be damaged. It would be good to have some spare parts handy."

This natural disaster had submerged all the cars. There were hardly any that remained undamaged.

Stella had Arcadia, and Jasper could repair a few spare cars. The unneeded cars could be traded for items to expand Arcadia.

Stella hadn't thought of this, but if there were indeed spare parts available, not only could she modify the car, but she could also come up with a reason to give them to Lukas and Cody.

They had decided to go to the base. Although it was only about 200 miles away, the journey was fraught with danger.

During pre-apocalyptic times, it would have been just a two to three-hour drive. If they wanted to meet up, they could just hop in the car and go.

But now, in the post-apocalyptic world, being apart meant they might never see each other again. It was a matter of life and death.

Lukas and Cody were her only friends, having grown up with her in the orphanage. If possible, even if they never had the chance to see each other again, she hoped they would live on. The tile factory was quite far, so they had to get up before dawn the next day.

Rosie was still asleep. Stella instructed Cooper to take care of the child.

The dog accepted the task, wagging its tail as it saw her out.

The tile factory was massive. Even the office building alone was six stories high. The area above the waterline was a mess, having been searched countless times.

Survivors were probably looking for survival supplies. After all, porcelain was heavy, and few people would bother taking it unless necessary.

Stella wanted to check the showroom first, and then purposefully search the warehouse. This approach might be more efficient.

The showroom spanned the first and second floors. They put on their diving suits and descended the stairs.

As a nationally renowned brand, the showroom alone was over 32,000 square feet. The first floor was filled with various tiles, and the second floor showcased bathroom brands.

They took out a window breaker, shattered the glass, and swam into the bathroom brand area. The exhibits were diverse and full of technological appeal, but the prices were enough to make one's heart skip a beat.

Since they were there, they planned to take more than just one or two items. After all, not only would they need these for future home renovations, but they could also renovate Arcadia, which had three floors and over a dozen rooms. There were sinks, toilets, various types of bathrooms, and most surprisingly, a portable toilet with a decomposition feature. It was a truly user-friendly design.

Although she didn't need them, Jasper and Rosie did. With a sweeping gesture, she gathered them into her Arcadia.

After collecting the desired samples, she cracked open a ground-floor window in the same manner.

This wasn't just an exhibition hall; it could pass for a ceramic museum. There were pieces of various styles, materials, sizes, shapes, and even with gold trim.

Stella, ever the practical one, grabbed all of the gold-trimmed tiles, as well as several dozen samples she liked.

The ceramic factory was vast, and it took them a while to locate the warehouse's rolling door in the water. The rolling door was hefty and not easy to pry open, but luckily there was a window on the wall. A window breaker easily shattered it. Seeing the mountain of goods, Stella almost lost her cool.

The labels on the boxes and warehouse signage had been soaking in the water for over a year, and the writing had long since dissolved. Now, she couldn't even recognized the goods in the boxes. She was as blind as a bat.