18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 207

Jasper didn't dodge the question, musing, "Next time you have class, you can hang out with them for, say, half an hour. Is that alright?" Rosie's eyes sparkled, "Thank you!"

"While hanging out, don't mention anything about our home life, especially anything about food and shelter. If they keep prying or intentionally steer the conversation that way, cut ties with them immediately." Rosie nodded, "I understand, Jasper."

Then they got ready for dinner.

It was too easy to get heatstroke in this weather, so Stella had prepared some mint lemonade, a chilled cucumber and watermelon salad, barbecue pork ribs, and green leafy vegetables. Everything was prepared beforehand, no need to fire up the stove. Jasper only worked half a day, and he would rest at home in the afternoon.

During lunch, he started a conversation, "From what I observed today, apart from their lack of skills, they seem pretty friendly and united."

Stella agreed, "Their current state is largely because of Mark's efforts."

If everything went well, this could be their new home.

When they woke up around three, they discussed and made a list of things they needed at home.

Stella planned to visit the trading street in the evening to collect as many of the items as possible.

The mention of trading made her think of Monkey and Austin.

Monkey was always on the road, and the tsunami had come so suddenly. She wondered if he had been at the beach in Swan Hill when it happened.

As for Austin, they had arranged to meet at ten, so he was more likely to have been at the beach. What were the chances of survival if they had been caught in the tsunami?

Stella felt a pang of sadness. If it weren't for Austin's help, she wouldn't have been able to expand her Arcadia so quickly. But that was the harsh reality of the apocalypse. Friends or family could be perfectly fine one second, and gone the next. When the sun set, Stella decided to venture out.

Jasper was worried, "Should I come with you?"

Stella knew she could handle herself, and thought it was unnecessary, "It's not far from here to the trading street. I can get there on my mountain bike in less than an hour. You just rest at home."

Although he said he would rest, he still had to train Cooper, and teach Rosie to read and write.

Jasper escorted her downstairs, "Be careful."

"Don't worry. If I can't fight them, I'll just run." She hopped onto her mountain bike and waved goodbye.

It was about six miles to the trading street. Despite wearing her thermoregulatory clothing, the heat was still intense, but not to the point of heatstroke. However, as the sun set, danger began to emerge. Suddenly, two men sprang out from behind a tree, raising their sticks and aiming for Stella's back.

If she hadn't noticed this, she would have lived her life in vain.

Stella suddenly pedaled hard on her mountain bike. The attackers missed their target, almost causing them to trip and fall.

Seeing that she wasn't pedaling fast, the two men, unwilling to give up, started to chase her.

Mikey's mountain bike was of good quality. Stella pedaled at varying speeds with ease, not knowing that her pursuers were panting heavily behind her.

Even after sunset, the heat was still unbearable for ordinary people, like frying in a pan. One of the men collapsed during the chase. Stella had no idea if he got up again or not, but he didn't chase her anymore.

When she arrived at the trading street, it was already completely dark. As expected, there were many more people. It was a good thing she hadn't come in her Hummer, which would have attracted too much attention.

Stella walked to a secluded corner and, under the cover of darkness, put her bike away in her Arcadia.

The trading street was similar to before. The most demanded items were still food and water. The difference now was that no one dared to openly sell these items. Those who had water to trade displayed a few empty bottles on their stalls, and those who had food displayed cloth bags.

"Water available, selling water now."

"Sweet potatoes, potatoes, dried radishes."

There were many scalpers calling out their high prices with empty hands. Whether they actually had goods to sell was another matter. If you wanted to see the goods, you had to replace another place.

Stella curiously asked about the price. A 500ml bottle of fresh water could be exchanged for 1 pound of sweet potatoes or potatoes. Of course, this was the price set by the scalpers.

There was also 1000ml for half a pound of coarse grains, but would you dare to go with them?

Arcadia had water, and Stella didn't realize how severe the water shortage was outside. No wonder Eastwood Eden was fighting with nearby villages.

However, there were also those who brought seawater to sell. Many survivors who lacked water were lining up with their bottles. Stella thought they were Austin's people, but when she squeezed over, she found they were strangers.

The water was brought over from the seaside of Swan Hill. Since the two bases had been wiped out, there was no need to worry about being robbed or having to pay tolls, so more people started this business.

The price hadn't dropped, but it hadn't risen much either. 1 pound of grain could be exchanged for half a bucket of seawater. The sellers even taught you how to distill seawater into fresh water on the spot. The method was quite simple: boil the seawater until it evaporates, then condense the steam into fresh water.

Don't worry, it was safe. The boiling points of substances in seawater that couldn't be ingested by the human body were higher than 100 degrees Celsius, and they dissolved in water. Therefore, seawater distilled in this way was drinkable.

The only problem with this method was that distillation was slow and consumed a lot of firewood. Since there were few forests along the coast, hoarding firewood was also not easy. In short, survival was difficult. It was a blessing to live another day. Not long after entering the trading street, Stella noticed that she was being followed. She moved left and right, turned corners, but that person was always there.

Stella walked towards a less crowded area. Unexpectedly, the tail suddenly quickened his pace and tapped her shoulder. Stella swiftly grabbed the tail's shoulder and threw him over her shoulder.

The man let out a cry of pain, then a sharp dagger was pressed against his throat, "Looking for death, are you?"

""Wait, it's me. It's me!"

The voice sounded familiar, like she had heard it frequently. Stella turned on her flashlight and shined it on him, "It's you?"

It was Monkey, of all people. He was everywhere!

"Oh, Lord, it's really you." Monkey looked shocked, "You're alive."

"Of course I am alive. If I were dead, even as a ghost I wouldn't let you off."

If they were anywhere else, Stella would have stabbed him without a second thought. He was lucky to be alive, "Why were you following me?" She was amazed that he had recognized her even though she was in disguise.

"It's so good to see that you're alive." Monkey got up, beaming, "Austin and I thought something bad had happened to you."

After the tsunami, he had gone to the area where he used to sell water several times, but had never run into her. No one he asked seemed to know her either.

He thought she had gone forever. But tonight, he had seen a familiar figure and thought it looked like her, so he had followed her to confirm.

In the end, Stella was just being Stella, and almost killed him.

Upon hearing his words, Stella was taken aback, "Austin is okay too?"

"The boss has a knack for dodging bullets, and he was lucky to escape this time."

Initially, they planned to drive to the beach early in the morning, but Austin's son got sick. Austin had no choice but to stay and take care of him. By the time his son's fever subsided and he was rushing to Swan Hill, a tsunami came just as he passed the checkpoint. Austin quickly turned the car around and sped off, relying on the terrain and luck to escape the tsunami's clutches.

"Austin thought you guys had perished, and he was devastated for a long time. He was thinking if you guys had any family, we could provide some aid, but we couldn't replace your address in Griffith."

Stella sighed, "We, too, were lucky to have survived."

"What brings you here this time?" After exchanging pleasantries and reminiscing, Monkey immediately assumed his professional role, "There's nothing you can think of that I can't replace."