18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 226

After dinner, all the windows were drawn and the three humans and a dog sat harmoniously on the sofa, quietly watching a movie.

Suddenly, the intercom crackled to life. Jasper paused the movie and signaled for quiet.

It was Mark, "Jasper, do you and Stella have a moment?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I've got something on my mind, could you come down if it's not too much trouble?"

Mark sounded hesitant and confused. Mark was always the problem solver, only asking for help when he really couldn't figure something out. It seemed like this was one of those times. Jasper looked at Stella and they exchanged a glance before replying, "Alright."

They got dressed and headed downstairs. As they stepped outside, Mark was waiting nearby, looking rather grim.

"What's up, Mark?" Stella asked.

Mark looked uneasy, "This afternoon, the city council sent someone over. They want us to free up some buildings to accommodate the homeless refugees."

Stella had had a bad feeling when she saw the devastation in Griffith and the homeless refugees everywhere.

Thanks to the early warning, countless survivors had lived. This was undoubtedly a good thing, but it brought about new problems, such as how to provide for their basic needs?

These were all issues that the government would have to figure out.

The rebuilding process hadn't even started yet; they couldn't just leave them out in the open. That would be even more dangerous.

Eastwood Eden had remained standing in the massive earthquake, and wasn't densely populated, so naturally it caught the eye of the government.

"Did you agree, Mark?" Stella asked, frowning.

Mark was sympathetic towards the refugees, but he was also rational. If they were let in, the residents couldn't just sit back while watching the refugees suffer.

But if you had a little and someone else had nothing, it would only be a matter of time before resentment brewed. They had just harvested sweet potatoes, and everyone could get a share of water every day, while the refugees had nothing. Mark knew that once the refugees were let in, it would be difficult to get them out again.

As a psychologist, Mark was well aware of the dangers of human nature. Once the refugees moved in, who would be in charge? Perhaps even safety could not be guaranteed.

"I couldn't agree, but it's a special time. Even if I don't agree, the government will forcibly seize the houses and arrange for them to move in."

Mark knew that if he refused, the government would start a forcible process. He had to tactically say he would convene the community members to discuss, trying to buy time to formulate a strategy.

But the community members were ordinary people. If even Mark couldn't think of a plan, how could they? So, he wanted to hear Jasper and Stella's opinions. With his over twenty years of experience, he knew these two were not ordinary people. Maybe, they could replace a solution?

However, he overestimated them. Neither Jasper nor Stella had the power to confront the government.

If they were in the government's position, they would also choose to do the same. They couldn't fight the government; there would be no good outcome. Since the government had approached, there was no room for maneuver.

Now the only thing to do was to try to negotiate with them, while cooperating, to ensure the safety of the members of Eastwood Eden.

The two exchanged a glance, and Jasper cleared his throat, "Mark, we don't have the power to say no."

Mark gave a bitter smile, as he knew all too well.

"We can only actively cooperate and try to win their understanding and cooperation." As an experienced person, Jasper gave him some advice, "There are 8 buildings in our community..."

Buildings 1-3 were well-decorated, 4-5 were externally decorated, and 6-8 were newly completed shells.

Since the refugees just needed a place to stay, they could give buildings 6-8 to the refugees, and build a wall in the middle as a safety buffer. If the starving refugees tried to break through, Eastwood Eden would have time to respond.

The government should be planning to accommodate a lot of refugees, all of whom would need food and shelter. They should ask for government officials to manage them, and ideally, the military to maintain order.

If the refugees caused trouble, the military could step in and suppress it. Now it was up to Mark to negotiate with the government.

In addition, Jasper reminded him, "The whole city has collapsed, and the government will inevitably choose a safer place to rebuild in the future. Once Newtown is established, Eastwood Eden will become a lone city, which will be even more dangerous." The members of Eastwood Eden were making a great sacrifice. Mark could take this opportunity to negotiate with the government to secure more points for the members and try to settle in Newtown.

Mark rubbed his temples, "Even if we build a wall, you living in building 5 would still be too dangerous. If they break through the wall, you will be the first victims. Why not move to my building?"

Stella was indifferent, "If the wall is really broken, the distance from building 5 to building 1 is only a hundred or two meters. What's the difference?"

Mark thought about it and agreed. If the refugees really moved in, the future patrol and guard would also be a big problem. But in the face of natural disasters and the end of the world, there was really no room for choice.

Mark thanked them and sighed deeply, "I'll go back and think about it some more. Hopefully I can negotiate a good result."

The two returned upstairs, looking rather grim. They had thought that Eastwood Eden would be a haven, but it was just as fraught with danger.

Stella sighed softly, "Is there anywhere safe out there?"

Jasper didn't want to talk about the darker aspects, but he believed she had also experienced them, "The further away from the city, the more dangerous."

In places where the government's power couldn't reach, not only were there criminal forces, but also a large number of people who had been turned into monsters by the end of the world.

Murder could happen at any time; there was nowhere to hide.

Jasper took her cold hand, "We'll reinforce the apartment and take it one step at a time."

There were quite a few people in Eastwood Eden, and if they worked together, they could figure something out.

There was no safe place when disaster struck. Even if you wanted to stay away from the chaos, it always found a way to reach you. You wouldn't be able to run away from them.

From what they could see, the people of Eastwood Eden were fairly united and reliable. It was better to stand or fall together than to venture out alone.

Having seen the worst of human nature, Stella had a premonition that, no matter how good a deal Mark could broker with the authorities, a confrontation was inevitable.

The following morning, Jasper reinforced the doors and windows while Stella set out to trade the filtered freshwater they had.

They had agreed to meet in an abandoned industrial district. She pedaled her bike through the rubble of scattered bricks and severely damaged roads.