18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 160

What the hell? It was tough enough to survive, now they gotta deal with these punks on their own turf?

On foreign soil, you'd keep your head down and try to scrape by, but here they were, brazen as ever.

In a dim corner, several men were relentlessly kicking three people lying on the ground, spouting insults in a harsh, foreign language.

There were those with swords, guns, and baseball bats.

Murder was as easy as turning your head, but they continued to beat them, becoming more and more excited, revealing their ugly and twisted human nature. The pleading screams only served to further stimulate them, their blows becoming heavier and heavier.

One of them lifted his blade, his face twisted in a savage grin as he brought it down.

"Shick."

Their bloodlust had blinded them to the danger lurking in the shadows.

His blade hadn't even fallen before the man was skewered like a s'more on a stick. Stella didn't hesitate, pulling her blade free and lunging for the second one.

Jasper was even quicker, swiftly disarming a punk and snapping his neck, before kicking another one aside.

The two of them dispatched the five punks with efficiency, not even giving them a chance to whimper for mercy.

A flashlight illuminated the beaten figures on the ground. They were a sorry sight, their faces smeared with blood, all but unrecognizable.

Out of a sense of humanity, Stella asked, "Are you guys okay?"

The harsh light of the flashlight was blinding, and one of them instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, his lips trembling. "It's you?"

His voice was groggy, but Stella recognized it-Monkey. Wait, why the hell was he here too?

Stella surveyed the area with her flashlight, spotting a water tanker parked not far away. They were smuggling, and got robbed.

Monkey managed to get to his feet, wiping the blood off his face as he exclaimed, "Wow, you really saved us?"

As he spoke, he hastily helped the man next to him up. The man was tall, probably around six feet.

"Boss, this is the woman I told you about. She's really tough. If she hadn't stepped in tonight, we'd be pushing up daisies."

The man was in his thirties, with short hair. His face was honest and straightforward, but his eyes held a worldly cunning that suggested he wasn't a simple man. Of course, anyone who could survive in a post-apocalyptic world and establish such a vast network of black market traders was bound to have a story.

The man wiped the blood off his face and gave Stella and Jasper a weak smile. "Thank you for your help."

"It was nothing."

Seeing that they were okay, Stella, who was worried about Cooper and Rosie back home, didn't linger and turned to leave.

"Wait." The man called out to them. "I'm Austin. I don't even know the names of our saviors. Where do you live?"

In a post-apocalyptic world, it wasn't common to ask for personal details.

Stella smiled. "You're asking a lot of questions. Are you planning to repay us?"

Austin was taken aback, but quickly replied, "Of course, we need to repay your kindness. What do you want?"

Without waiting for her reply, he turned to Monkey. "We did get a lot of food today."

Monkey whispered to him. "Boss, she doesn't need food."

"Alright." Austin was generous. "How about I send a truckload of fresh water to your place tomorrow?"

A truckload of fresh water was around 20 tons, enough to last for months and valuable for trading.

Monkey tugged at his sleeve. "Boss, she doesn't look like she's short on water."

Austin was agreeable. "Tell us what you want. As long as it's within my power, I'll make it happen."

Stella hadn't expected any compensation for dealing with the punks, but Austin's offer changed her mind. "I have a client who's interested in antiques, paintings, and precious metals. Could you help me replace some?" Austin knew she was formidable from Monkey, but meeting her in person was another thing entirely. She was not only beautiful but also skilled.

He was expecting a big demand, but all she wanted were these? Sure, antiques and paintings were valuable, but only in prosperous times.

At first, nobody knew the extent of the disaster, and he thought it would end eventually. So he not only kept paper currency but also many antiques, paintings, and gold, hoping to make a fortune once everything was over. Now, the 500,000 paper bills from the girl were still in the warehouse, along with a pile of antiques.

But this woman was odd. Whatever she stocked up on seemed to skyrocket in value. Was there something more to it?

"No problem," Austin readily agreed. "What kind of antiques, paintings, or precious metals are you looking for?"

Stella had no specific requests. "Anything will do, as long as it's old and authentic."

Trusting people wasn't easy. Stella didn't give her address, simply gesturing to Monkey. "He knows where to replace me." Austin agreed. "Alright."

The two of them left quickly, disappearing into the darkness, and taking the guns they had taken from the punks with them.

Jasper obediently handed over the guns to Stella, who tossed them into Arcadia.

Even a savvy trader like Austin could get robbed, which meant the outside world was dangerous. Stella decided to hold off on selling water for now and see if Austin could replace what she wanted. Her main goal was to expand Arcadia; everything else was secondary.

The days were becoming hotter, and the top floor was unbearable.

Stella couldn't stand the heat and hooked up her air conditioning to a power generator. The air conditioning unit, having survived extreme cold, was a bit brittle but still worked.

The unit was hanging on the balcony, and the sound was muffled by bulletproof glass. The neighboring apartment was empty, so no one knew that apartment 1802 had air conditioning. The cool breeze was blissful, a true lifesaver.

Apartment 1801 was sweltering too, but the air conditioning unit in Jasper's room was mounted on the outer wall and would drip water downstairs if turned on.

Stella suggested, "Why don't you switch rooms?"

So, Jasper moved to the master bedroom and casually invited her, "Do you want to move in?"

Stella rolled her eyes.

After moving rooms, the air conditioner wouldn't drip water downstairs, so he turned it on.

Regarding her supplies, Jasper never asked for anything. Stella, fearing he would succumb to the heat, reminded him, "Let me know when you're out of power, I'll charge it for you."

His power generator had a capacity of 50 units, which would last a while when fully charged.

After resting at home for two days, Stella saw Amber carrying seawater back again, so she also took a bucket and went downstairs.

Monkey was badly injured, but with his swollen head, he continued to sell water. Upon seeing her, a grin spread across his battered face, "You're a hard one to replace."

He led Stella down an alley, pulling out a painting and a bowl from his bag. "This is a little something from the boss. Please accept it."

Stella unfurled the painting, only to replace it was a lifelike depiction of several flowers.

The bowl wasn't just any regular bowl,. It wasn't just its historical significance that made it special, but also the love story of a king and queen that it bore witness to. Experts valued it at over a billion.