18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 199

Bryce was smug as he explained, "You don't drink much, do you? This is a cocktail, a mix of several liquors. It's easy to get drunk if you're not used to it."

The other leaders joined in, but Teddy had a sense of urgency in his eyes. Idiots, they had been warned about the danger but they were not doing anything about it. Wait, he was feeling a bit dizzy too? Meanwhile, Rosie and Cooper were getting further away from the celebration, ending up in front of a rumbling diesel generator.

Cooper lifted his leg and relieved himself on it. After holding it in all day, that felt good.

"What are you doing?" A man's voice suddenly echoed from behind.

Rosie turned around, giving him a sweet smile, "Sir, I drank too much water and now I need to pee."

The man was too far away and the lights outside the field were dim, so he didn't see what Cooper was up to.

Rosie ran to him, "Can you tell me where the restroom is?"

The man had been stuck on guard duty, missing out on the feast. He was rather annoyed, but the sight of the cute girl improved his mood, "Need to use the restroom? I'll take you."

As he reached out to take Rosie's hand, he suddenly collapsed.

Rosie was now holding a gun - after countless practice sessions over two years, her muscle memory was perfect. A shot rang out, hitting the man right between the eyes.

The gun had a silencer, so it didn't make a sound. At the same time, the rumbling generator, now doused in Cooper's urine, exploded, plunging the entire field into darkness.

In the split second the lights went out, Rosie was at the field gate, taking down the two guards with her gun. Quickly, she grabbed the keys from their bodies and took cover behind a weapons cabinet with Cooper.

Back at the celebration dinner, Bryce was taken aback by the sudden darkness but quickly recovered. He pulled out his gun and started shooting at Jasper and Stella, who were immediately on their feet.

Stella had ducked under the table and put on her night vision goggles the moment the lights went out. When Bryce had used up his magazine, she darted to another location and fired several shots at the leaders. She didn't aim for their hearts. That would be too easy for them.

The gunshots caused panic throughout the place, and the wine and beef contained powerful sleeping pills. Tattoed men had eaten a lot and quickly became dizzy and fell over.

Some ate and drank less, so the drugs hadn't fully taken effect. They were wandering around like headless flies. Stella didn't bother with them, she quickly left the operation with Jasper, and met with Rosie and the dog, who were hiding behind the weapons cabinet. Thankfully, Bryce, the coward, had confiscated all weapons from his men. Otherwise, this would have been a lot harder.

Using the cover of darkness, Stella collected the weapons and hid them in Arcadia.

With the guards taken care of, she and Jasper waited for the reinforcements from the outer posts.

Sure enough, footsteps could be heard approaching. Wearing night-vision goggles, Jasper took them down. One by one, they fell.

Stella and Jasper waited for a few more minutes, letting the potent sedatives in the food and drinks take full effect. Finally, judging the situation safe, the group donned bulletproof vests, armed themselves, and entered the field.

The scene was in chaos - tables overturned, food and drinks everywhere, and men lying unconscious as if they were dead.

Stella pulled out nylon ties and they started to bind the men, arranging them in a row like drying radishes. As for Bryce and the other leaders, they were injured and bleeding, but the powerful sedative had taken them down. She bound them tightly.

Once everyone was secure, Stella took out a backpack sprayer full of mixed gasoline and diesel fuel. She sprayed it over the unconscious men, paying special attention to Bryce and his men, soaking them thoroughly.

Stella stepped on Bryce's wound, pressing hard.

Bryce woke up with a scream. Dragging over a chair, Stella sat across from him and smiled, "Bryce, how are you doing?"

Bryce's head was throbbing, and he felt like he was floating in mid-air.

Upon realizing he was soaked in gasoline and tied up, he went pale, stammering, "Wha...what are you doing?"

Stella didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out a bomb and forcefully strapped it to him.

Bryce turned pale with fear, "Don't joke about this. We can talk things out."

"Bryce, I'm not joking." Stella smiled at him, "You were so fearless when you ordered your men to bomb our 18th-floor base, weren't you? And when you drugged our drinks and set up roadblocks to rob and kill, you all seemed so excited. Why is it that when it's your turn, you're scared like a little child? Bryce, you're the leader here. You can't be the one to chicken out."

"No, no, no, there's been a misunderstanding. Please, let's talk about this." Bryce begged, "I apologize for my actions. We can negotiate, just give me a chance to live."

She knew he was afraid of dying, but she did not expect him to be this terrified. Stella got up to leave, "Bryce, enjoy your last moments of freedom and, your last moments of fear. When I come back, it'll all be over."