18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 161

These two were priceless treasures, but whether they were genuine or not, was up for debate.

Monkey was confident, "Miss, these are boss' most cherished items. When he got them, he couldn't sleep for three days and nights."

He laughed even in his dreams, dreaming of the end of the natural disasters and transforming into a wealthy tycoon with billions in assets. Unfortunately, as the apocalypse dragged on, his dreams shattered.

Although the authenticity was uncertain, Stella had no reason to refuse them since she had saved their lives. "Thanks."

Additionally, Monkey pulled out a brick from his bag, a gold bar wrapped in newspaper, weighing about two pounds. "This is also for you." Stella was confused, "For me?"

"It was what the punks weregoing to use to buy water. I didn't expect them to dare to rob us."

The man was killed by Stella, so naturally, the gold belonged to her.

Stella was shocked, "The saltwater was this expensive?"

This statement upset Monkey, "You really have no idea what thirst feels like. Do you know how hard it is to get a truckload of water? The boss had to pull strings, give gifts, and it took several days to stock up, thinking we could make a little profit. But we didn't expect to be robbed." From his words, Stella learned that those punks spoke fluent local language and was a regular customer with whom they had dealt numerous times. No one expected them to be wolves in sheep's clothing.

Monkey and his boss had almost lost their lives in this encounter.

Austin was very sincere, so Stella did not hesitate to accept everything, but she had a larger appetite, and wanted to make a bigger trade. Favors aside, business was business.

Monkey was particularly professional, "We can exchange for antiques, gold, silver, and jewels. But what do you have to offer?" "What do you want?"

Here we go again, this attitude. But Monkey was used to it, "That goes without saying, food or water. Gasoline is also in demand." Food needed a growth period, and gasoline was even more precious, but water was easy for Stella to get.

She touched her nose, downplaying, "I have connections. I can get water."

Monkey's eyes sparkled, "How much can you get?"

Why didn't you say so earlier? So they didn't have to go around fetching seawater for pennies.

Stella glanced at the water tank truck, and Monkey instantly understood. He thought so, Stella can do anything.

"Alright, alright, I'll go back and ask the boss. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

Stella had no objections. She also needed to verify the authenticity of the painting and the antique.

So, she took half a bucket of seawater and went home.

She closed the door, took pictures of the two treasures with her phone, admired them a bit, then threw them into Arcadia.

Rare treasures, they were not so easily obtained. Stella didn't hold much hope, but Arcadia actually swallowed it.

She couldn't wait to check. Huh, The Garden had no changes. There were two more rooms on the third floor.

No, were they only worth this much? It seemed that Arcadia had no distinction of noble or cheap, but pursued the most primitive value of the item.

She threw in the two-pound gold bar, the third floor originally had only half a toilet, and it added about two square meters.

It't not much, but Stella was still grateful.

Monkey soon replied. Austin valued this cooperation greatly. Stella was to provide a truckload of fresh water every day, and the compensation was 10 paintings and 10 antiques.

Stella had no objections, but the paintings and antiques had to be of a certain age. She didn't want any modern ones, and they couldn't only pick the cheap ones.

Monkey assured her, "Don't worry, although the boss is a bit capricious with his subordinates, he's actually a man of honor. We've been working together for two years, and I wouldn't cheat you, would I? We operate on trust, and we're aiming for long-term cooperation. Just wait and see." Alright, she had control over the water resources, and cooperation could be terminated at any time if the other party was not trustworthy.

The water tank truck had a capacity of 20 tons, and it would take forever to fill it with a single faucet, Stella took the opportunity to ask Monkey for several large bundles of soft water pipes.

Monkey was speechless. Stella was really good at taking advantage! Alright, for the sake of saving lives, he would shoulder the cost of the pipes.

They agreed, at nine o'clock in the evening to hand over the truck and fill up with water, at five in the morning to exchange water for goods.

Jasper was worried, and went out with Stella in the evening.

As for Cooper and Rosie, they were locked up in room 1801. Three stainless steel doors, and six on the staircase, even if someone was bold enough, it would take a lot of effort to open all nine doors, let alone the fact that the Cooper and Rosie were not to be trifled with. They arrived at the quiet agreed place. Monkey was already waiting with the truck and several large bundles of soft water pipes.

"Guys, I'm giving you everything I have."

After checking that the water pipes were fine, Stella didn't waste any more words and drove the water truck away.

Jasper sat in the passenger seat, checking the instruments. "The odometer is broken, but the fuel gauge is working."

They didn't have time to drive around the city, and it was dangerous to do so. Indeed, there was no one following them, so they drove the truck into an abandoned factory in the suburbs, brought it into Arcadia, and then left on mountain bikes.

Back home, they went into Arcadia to fill up the water. They cut the hose into suitable lengths, connected it to the faucet on the balcony and toilet, and turned it on at the same time to fill the water truck parked in The Garden.

More than a dozen hoses were pouring water non-stop.

Out of Arcadia, Stella sat on the couch to rest, turned on the tablet to watch a show, and ate snacks to pass the time.

Despite the numerous faucets, the water truck's capacity was not small, it was not so easy to fill it up.

Staying up late made her sleepy, and Stella unwittingly fell asleep. In her daze, she was gently awakened. Stella realized that she'd been sleeping on Jasper's lap.

"It should be almost full."

Stella went into Arcadia to check; indeed the water was almost full.

Jasper took out a pump and drew some gasoline. In this way, they could create the illusion of the water truck being driven out and consuming fuel, which would not arouse suspicion.

There were still more than two hours until the agreed trade, Jasper didn't want to wake up Rosie, so he slept on the couch in Stella's living room. He set an alarm, and woke Stella up on time.

Even if it was someone they knew, the two did not let their guard down, wearing bulletproof vests underneath their large long-sleeved shirts. Beneath the cloak of night, they moved to an isolated location. There, they released the water truck, driving it to the agreed-upon meeting spot for the exchange.

Austin didn't just hand the truck over to anyone - he was cautious. He brought a few guys with him to receive the goods. They opened the valve and filled half a bucket. The water was crystal clear, no impurities to be seen. After taking a few sips, they could even detect a hint of sweetness.

This was indeed high-quality water. Even better than what Austin had procured in the past.

Austin was pleased. He promptly brought out pieces of art and antiques, "Take a good look. We've got pieces from various eras, all top-of-the-line stuff."

Under the pitch-dark sky, Stella couldn't discern much. She pretended to inspect the goods, then stuffed them into her backpack.

When she reached into the bag in the end, she found that there was still something left. She pulled out the porcelain vase, scrutinized it carefully with a flashlight, then handed back to Austin. "This one's a fake. Get me another one." Austin was taken aback. "That's impossible."