18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 175

In the pitch-dark night, two massive shipping containers vanished without a trace.

Leaving General's Valley, Stella brought out the old car. She was driving, while Jasper was on high alert, eyes and ears open to the slightest hint of danger. They returned to their villa at four in the morning. It was still dark.

Stella entered Arcadia and opened the shipping containers, nearly knocked out by the strong fishy smell.

Freshly caught seafood of all sorts filled the containers, even including a shark over a meter long and several large octopuses. The quality overall was pretty impressive. Each container could hold 20 tons of seafood. Suddenly having an extra 40 tons made them feel like they'd struck gold. There was enough to last them a lifetime. Leaving Arcadia, Stella voiced her doubts, "Could it be that the threat of death was too great, making Aqua Base hesitate?"

"Two containers of seafood mean nothing to them. We can't let our guard down."

Having scored 40 tons of seafood, Stella was ecstatic, "Right, following your lead was the right move."

Jasper laughed, "You sure about that?"

Stella was stunned, unable to help but look at him.

"How about we move our relationship to the next level?"

Having been together for over a year, Stella had an idea of where this was going, and her face turned red. She almost hurled seafood at him.

At noon, Austin arrived as promised, "So did you get the goods?"

Stella had prepared a seafood stew to thank him, "Thanks to your guidance, Austin. We've already sold the goods and made a nice little profit." The stew was a dish from Austin's hometown, and the familiar smell almost made him lose his composure, "Wow, this tastes just like home!"

After wolfing down five bowls, Austin finally stopped, "The base leader tried the medicine, and it worked wonders."

Once he was done, Stella presented him with 14 insulin pens, "Tonight at nine, have them fill up the yacht with fuel and anchor it in Butterfly Bay." Austin agreed, "No problem, I'll take care of it."

Out of friendship, he added a warning, "I haven't noticed any dissatisfaction from Aqua Base, but it's a big ship. Tell whoever's collecting it to be extra careful."

It was too hot, and Stella was too comfortable to move, so she let her dog show Austin out.

Once the door was closed, Cooper scampered back to her.

Stella rewarded it with a slice of watermelon, then turned to Jasper, "Do you think Aqua Base could double-cross us?"

Jasper considered, "Not necessarily, but they might have someone tail us. After the drug deal, they could try to replace out who our supplier is, or even try to take back the yacht. We'll just have to play it by ear." They didn't rush to make their move, only leaving the villa at two in the morning.

At the Butterfly Bay intersection, they confirmed the presence of a dark figure in the sea. From a distance, the two changed into diving suits and swam towards the direction of the cruise ship.

Fearful of being watched from the shore, Jasper swam around to the other side of the yacht, threw up a grappling hook, and swiftly climbed up. Once he was sure the yacht was empty, he helped Stella up.

The yacht was enormous. It could accommodate over 1000 guests, boasting a swimming pool and various entertainment facilities on the deck, as well as different levels of cabins within.

Stella surveyed the interior, while Jasper watched the coastline through the windows.

Butterfly Bay was deep, and the yacht was just over 100 meters from the coast. Pondering about the distance, Jasper frowned.

Stella approached, "What's wrong?"

"We're being watched."

Being too close to the shore, the cruise ship was at risk of running aground and turning around would be extremely difficult. Any experienced sailor would not do such a thing unless they were secretly tailing someone. After all, even with night vision binoculars, they couldn't see much if they were too far away.

Stella took out her binoculars, "How many?"

Jasper didn't answer, instead focusing all his attention on the opposite shore, trying to locate their watchers in the dark.

This would have been challenging for anyone else, but not for Jasper. He was used to dealing with dangerous criminals, and had learned to quickly locate their hiding spots and make accurate judgements. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. He soon located the watchers, but didn't rush to act. Instead, he carefully observed their surroundings to make sure there were no other hiding spots. Only then did he say to Stella, "Get the rifle."

The handgun wasn't powerful enough, and its range was too short.

Stella brought out the rifle, "Can you hit them?"

Jasper attached a silencer, "I'll do my best."

"How many?"

"Two."

Two? They must be tailing them, trying to replace out who took the yacht. Since they were here, they wouldn't give up easily, and Stella couldn't collect the yacht. If the secret of Arcadia was exposed, the danger would be unimaginable. Luckily, they were cautious enough. The darkness made it easy to hide, and the watchers could only see the yacht, not the specific rooms.

But could Jasper successfully shot them? Even though he was a professional, the distance was simply too great. Afraid of distracting him, Stella held her breath.

Jasper took aim, and pulled the trigger. The sound was not loud with the silencer, but Stella still felt nervous.

A second later, the second shot rang out.

Three minutes later, Jasper lowered the gun, "Stella, collect the yacht."

Stella took Jasper and the boat with her into Arcadia. Just as she entered, she suddenly collapsed. Jasper quickly caught her, his voice filled with worry, "What's wrong?"

Stella only felt dizzy. His figure kept overlapping before her eyes. She collapsed into his arms, and it took a while for her to respond, "I'm okay. It's just that this thing is so big. It used up almost all my energy."

She had been worried about not being able to fit it inside, but it had barely squeezed in.

Jasper carried her to the bed for some rest, took out an energy drink from his bag, and made sure to unscrew the cap. After finishing the drink, Stella ate a couple of pieces of chocolate, grumbling as she did so, "It's not as good as the one you gave me before." Jasper laughed, "I think there might be some left. I'll look for it later."

Feeling a little better, Stella took out a kayak, "I don't know if anyone noticed us. We should get going."

She put on her bulletproof vest and a mask, and they left Arcadia. Jasper, not wanting Stella to tire herself out, took over paddling the kayak. Stella kept a wary eye on their surroundings, not letting her guard down.

Her mental exhaustion was so great that her legs were still shaking when they reached the shore. Jasper crouched down in front of her, "Climb on."

Stella hesitated for a moment, then climbed onto his back. In the dead of night, Jasper carried her on his back, making his way towards the steep coastline, pushing through the low-lying shrubs as he climbed upwards. Perched on his broad back, Stella's heart fluttered, "Jasper, am I heavy?"

"Not at all."

"Not at all? Well then, carry me forever," Stella thought silently to herself.