18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 208

Well, he didn't have to be that professional. Fine, after all, they were old partners, and who else would she do business with? Stella pulled out a paper, "Can you get all these?"

A sliding iron gate, a sunshade, silicone sealant, and detachable wooden floor. You got to admit that Stella always had some unique demands. Monkey readily agreed, "Give me five days, and I guarantee you I'll get everything. But what are you offering in return?" Stella countered, "What do you want?"

"Do I even need to say it? It's fresh water, of course." Water was what they were short of the most.

Ever since Stella disappeared, the water business was forced to halt, causing a significant loss to the boss and a drastic drop in his commission. Even his wife started to despise him for it.

Seeing an opportunity finally, Monkey went for a big ask, "Miss, these items you need aren't easy to replace. It's gonna cost you two truckloads of water."

"What did you say?" Stella gave him a 'are you out of your mind' look. Who did he think he was fooling?

Monkey instantly backed off, "One truckload?"

Well, he got another chance to save his skin.

"Half a truckload, can't go any lower. We would be at a loss otherwise. The items you're asking for aren't trivial."

For his and Austin's concern for her, Stella reluctantly agreed, "Just this once. Bring the water truck when you come."

Great, high commission again, Stella was indeed his lucky charm.

Seizing the moment, Monkey suggested, "We could continue the water business."

"No more." Stella flatly refused, "Everywhere's facing drought now. It's not as easy to get fresh water as it used to be. I'll have to figure out a way to fulfill your half truckload of water."

Previously, it was to expand Arcadia, but now that Arcadia was no longer growing, she sometimes even wondered if one day they would run out of water and electricity?

Better safe than sorry.

Moreover, no matter how much fresh water she had, it wouldn't reach the hands of the survivors at the bottom. What if another pool party was thrown? Better not to commit that sin, she didn't want to risk being struck by lightning. Hearing about the loss of potential revenue, Monkey's face fell, but there was nothing he could do.

As he was leaving, Stella suddenly remembered a new need, "I want iodine pills. Ask your boss to help replace some. Also, I want another batch of water towers."

After wandering around the trading street and not replaceing anything she wanted, Stella rode back to Eastwood Eden.

It was almost ten when she got back. She took out her walkie-talkie and Jasper quickly came down to open the door, "Did everything go smoothly?"

"Quite smooth." Stella was in a good mood, "Guess who I ran into?"

"Austin or Monkey?"

"How did you know?"

"Who else do you keep in touch with?"

"Jasper, you're such a bore."

After taking a shower and sitting on the bed, Stella told him about her day, "During the tsunami, Monkey was at Griffith. Austin was delayed because his son was sick and narrowly escaped the disaster."

She also mentioned her plan to stock up on iodine pills, "lodine pills can counter nuclear radiation. We need to prepare some."

The thought of a major plate collision was terrifying. She hoped the worst wouldn't come.

"I've stocked up a few bottles of iodine pills." Jasper chimed in, "They're with the other medicines. You might not have noticed."

Stella hadn't really checked his stockpile, "Better safe than sorry. If Austin can replace some, we'll keep them. If we have extras, we can donate them."

She took inventory of their supplies, "Do you think we can stock up on a few sets of nuclear radiation suits?"

Jasper had thought about it, "Those are emergency strategic supplies, not available for private purchase. They're guarded by special units."

If they couldn't stock up, then so be it. They could only hope for an opportunity in the future.

Additionally, whether it was due to excessive anxiety, she voiced out her concerns about the water and electricity supplies. After all, reincarnation and Arcadia were quite mysterious. Nothing was impossible. After thinking for a bit, Jasper said, "Your worries aren't without reason. Since we have plenty of space in Arcadia now, we can fill up the water towers. If we ever run out of water one day, we'll be prepared."

That was what Stella had been thinking, which was why she asked Monkey to replace more water towers. If they ever ran out of water, just thinking about the baths she had taken and the water she had sold would make her want to hang herself. Electricity was a lesser concern, since they had solar power generators and several diesel generators. Plus, apart from charging the storage batteries, they barely used any electricity in Arcadia.

"I promised Monkey half a truckload of water, but the items I'm getting in return are quite substantial too. It's a fair trade."

Having an entire building to herself, with solid security measures and a guard dog, she felt completely safe.

With nothing to do, Stella filled all the water towers and didn't spare the large plastic water barrels either.

Many items were reorganized, with perishables and items with a shelf life being prioritized. Unnecessary items were stored on the cruise ship, clearing several acres of land in the black soil garden for farming. Among the items distributed this time were sixty thousand catties of grain confiscated from Silver Asylum. Stella was taken aback. She hadn't expected Evan to be so selfless, returning the grain to the people. Thanksgiving was coming up, two years after the start of the disasters.

After announcing the good news, bad news followed.

The meteorological bureau announced that there might be earthquakes in the coming months. Citizens needed to prepare ahead, pack their valuable items, prepare earthquake emergency kits if possible, and in the event of an earthquake, they shouldn't panic. They should take their essentials and move to the nearest open space away from buildings to take refuge.

Despite having experienced it once before, Stella still felt uneasy.

The butterfly effect of time meant that no one knew exactly when the earthquake would strike. All they could do was prepare in advance.

She took out four earthquake emergency kits and added water, compressed biscuits, and medicine to each one. One for each person, including the dog. They were kept by the bedside, ready to be grabbed and run with in case of an earthquake.

In the evening, Stella went to fetch water and ran into Mark on the way.

Mark quickly reminded her, "Stella, when you have time, you should go to the neighborhood committee to update your residential information. Otherwise, you won't be able to claim your benefits."

Stella wasn't planning on going, "Alright, thanks, Mark."

"Also, have you heard about the potential earthquakes in the coming months?"

Mark had a plan, "If you go right for about 500 meters from our community, there's a vast undeveloped land. If there's indeed an earthquake, we should all gather there. Don't run around aimlessly. The more people we have, the better we can look out for each other. Just keep this in mind. I'll broadcast it again later."

Just as Stella was about to leave, she got called back.