18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 170

In the darkness, Austin's voice echoed, "Stella, Jasper?"

The two exchanged glances. What was he doing here at this hour?

Stella, almost out of reflex, began to hide things as quickly as she could.

Greens, chicken, pork - Stella swiftly stashed them all into the Arcadia, leaving only the seafood barbecue out.

Stella invited him onto the rooftop, "Want some garlic oysters?"

The irresistible aroma of grilled seafood caused Austin's self-restraint to falter, "Sure."

Stella handed him a cold beer, "Austin, you came here in the middle of the night. Is there an emergency?"

"There is an emergency," Austin gulped down a few mouthfuls of the beer, letting out a satisfied sigh, "It's also a golden opportunity to make some money, depending on whether you guys can seize it."

Make a fortune? Who wouldn't want that? Stella's interest was immediately piqued, "Go on."

"Odeberg International is at loggerheads with Aqua Base,. It's a fierce competition. I suppose you know about it?"

She had heard about it, but she wasn't interested. She came to the seaside to stock up.

"Aqua Base has always wanted to swallow Odeberg International, but Odeberg International is not a pushover. The two sides have been at each other's throats, when Aqua Base took a despicable move. They kidnapped Dexter to force Warren to surrender. "But Warren is a man of character. He hired a bunch of bodyguards to forcefully retrieve Dexter. During the escape, the old man tripped and got impaled by a rusty nail."

Those who had experienced the apocalypse knew that tetanus was no joke, and the best way was to get a vaccine within 24 hours.

But two years into the apocalypse, pharmaceutical companies were destroyed, hospitals paralyzed, and life-saving drugs were more expensive than fairy pills.

Odeberg International, with its vast resources, would have been able to procure any other life-saving drugs, but the tetanus vaccine was special. It required refrigeration at 2-8 degrees Celsius, and any deviation from this can cause the vaccine to become ineffective. To replace a vaccine was almost harder than reaching the sky. So Odeberg International reached out to all possible connections.

Austin considered his network to be decent, but after a round of inquiries, he still couldn't replace the vaccine. That was why he thought of Stella.

"Tetanus vaccine?" Stella looked surprised, "That's hard to replace."

"Tell me about it, I'm almost running my legs off," Austin said, sipping his cold beer, "Do you have any leads? If so, act quickly."

Warren was a man of character, and also a devoted son. If they could replace the vaccine, the reward would be substantial.

Stella nodded in agreement, "Okay, since you asked, we'll try to replace some contacts, but we can't guarantee that we can get the medicine."

"Fine, can you give me an answer by tomorrow at eight?" Austin still had other places to check out. He finished his beer, grabbed some grilled squid, and left.

Once he left, Stella continued with her barbecue stockpiling. She loved grilled squid tentacles, so she had to stock up more.

Jasper seemed thoughtful, "Do you have the tetanus vaccine?"

"I do," and quite a lot of them.

She had specifically asked Cody to stockpile them before the apocalypse, and later took everything when she searched the office buildings.

"Are you going to trade?"

"There's no rush." She was just pondering, what should they ask from Odeberg International in return?

They had been stockpiling fresh and dry goods every day, and Arcadia was already filled with a lot of them. Coarse sea salt was cheap; it wasn't worth trading for the tetanus vaccine. Although she had the vaccines on hand, no one knew what would happen in the future. It was always good to be cautious.

Since they had promised Austin, they had to act like it.

Stella continued her barbecue stockpiling, while Jasper went out for a drive. He returned in the early hours of the morning, and not long after, Austin was back.

Stella glanced at the clock, it was only just past five. By noon, it would be over 24 hours. Many had been sent out to replace the medicine, but all returned empty-handed.

Austin had no choice but to come back to Stella, "How is it? Can you replace the medicine?"

Stella yawned, "We found the medicine, but the owner isn't simple. They're willing to part with the vaccine, but once they found out that Odeberg International was looking for it, they asked for something substantial." Austin's eyes lit up, "As long as it's within Warren's capability, everything can be negotiated."

Stella hesitated, "They want a yacht."

He knew she would ask for a lot, but he didn't expect this.

If it were before the apocalypse, a tetanus vaccine would cost no more than a few dollars. A yacht, on the other hand, was worth seventy to eighty million.

Noticing his expression change, Stella didn't push, "I also think it's not worth it, but they only have one dose left. They originally had no intention of selling, but we persuaded them. If you think it's not feasible, we can decline." Austin, having seen the world, quickly said, "No, a yacht is expensive, but it's nothing to the wealthy. I'll ask now. You guys wait for my message."

So, he left without delay.

Stella couldn't sleep anymore. She stood on the rooftop with her night vision binoculars, looking at the few yachts docked at the distant port, all of which belonged to the Odeberg family.

Whether they originally belonged to the Odeberg family or were found after the disaster, it didn't matter to Stella. She just wanted one.

One day, if the land turned into the sea, it would be their only hope for survival. She had to plan ahead for the future.

Of course, if the Odeberg family didn't want to trade, Stella wouldn't insist. She would replace another way.

More than an hour later, Austin rushed back, "Warren agreed, but he must get the vaccine before noon, and it must be effective."

"I can guarantee that, but how can you assure that he will give us the yacht?"

"News of this has spread. If Warren reneges on his promise, it would hurt his reputation. Who would want to do business with him in the future? Aqua Base would be glad if he went back on his word, so they could kick him when he's down."

To be on the safe side, Austin warned, "You guys should quietly get the vaccine, and don't get spotted by the people from Aqua Base, I'm afraid they'll sabotage."

Stella agreed, and they arranged to meet at the dock at ten in the morning.

As everyone left, Stella leisurely enjoyed a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs and crispy bacon before tidying up the house, and setting out with Jasper.

No sooner had they left the guard booth at the foot of the hill, Jasper spoke up, "We're being watched."

Stella was taken aback, "People from Aqua Base?"

The car windows were tinted for privacy. She looked around cautiously and sure enough, there was some rustling in the bushes along the roadside. They had driven about a mile or so when the rustling stopped.

"It's probably just a common gang of thieves," Jasper explained. "We transport goods every day, so it's normal for us to be targeted."

Who wouldn't want to catch a big fish like a mansion owner? If a robbery was successful, it would be like hitting the jackpot, enough to live off for three years.

This group of people had their own divisions of labor, focusing on the dock, seafood market, and fishing villages. After preliminary observation, they identified their target objects.

Jasper and Stella zigzagged around, making it ten minutes late to the dock. Austin was worried sick, fearing that they had run into some trouble.

Stella hurriedly apologized, "Sorry we're late. We were being trailed and had to take a detour to shake them off."

Upon learning that the vaccine had successfully been secured, Austin led the way in his car, taking them to the Odeberg Mansion.