18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 227

After about half an hour of waiting, Stella was sweltering in the heat when Monkey finally arrived, driving a truck marked as hazardous material. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He huffed, jumping out of the truck, "The roads were terrible. Had to take a detour."

"Driving this thing around, you're not afraid of scaring folks off?"

"Well, no choice there," Monkey wiped his sweat and explained, "It's actually a water tanker. The boss had it repainted and labeled as hazardous material." With a water tanker now, the refugees, parched and desperate, would tear it apart.

Stella inspected the vehicle before finally speaking, "I need your help with something."

Help? She actually said help? Monkey was flabbergasted, "Just say the word! I'd go through hell and high water for you."

"I need a high-powered sprayer."

"A sprayer? From the way you're talking, it sounds like you need an agricultural sprayer."

Stella thought for a moment, "Yes, something with a strong spray."

Monkey frowned, "Those machines are heavy and hard to move. They were flooded and ruined during the flood. It'd take at least half a month to replace one." "I need it now."

"Even if you chopped me up, I couldn't get it that fast." Monkey looked defeated, "I can replace a broken one and try to fix it up for you, but it'd still take time."

"I don't need the entire machine. Just fix the sprayer." Stella couldn't wait any longer. She threatened, "I'll give you five hours. If you can't deliver, you can forget about this water."

"Ah!!!" Monkey shrieked in alarm, instantly flustered, "How could you threaten me like this? If I don't get this water, Austin is sure to kill me!"

"If you don't want to die, then figure it out."

Monkey was fuming, but eventually stomped his foot and agreed, "Fine, I'll stake my entire reputation on this. I'll do my best for you."

After asking about the situation in Griffith, Stella arranged a meeting point for the water delivery and drove off.

Monkey ran off immediately. Only five hours, she was asking for his life!

Stella avoided the refugee camps and chose less populated routes. She encountered a few groups of people on the road. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the moving vehicle. If they could hijack the truck and steal the gasoline, they could trade it for food and water. This was a chance to live.

Unfortunately, their frail bodies, worn down by years of hardship, could barely keep them on their feet, let alone hijack a truck. They couldn't even keep up with the exhaust fumes.

There were also those who tried to stage a robbery, suddenly charging out from behind a broken wall and lying in the middle of the road.

Stella was speechless. It had been over two years since the end of the world. Couldn't they come up with a more modern way to scam? Did they think she was blind and didn't see the men hiding behind the broken wall, with knives in hand? Stella didn't brake, instead accelerating towards them. If you love lying on the ground so much, then stay there forever!

The water tanker rolled over them, and the men hiding behind the broken wall rushed out, with clubs in hands. Unfortunately, no matter how fast they were, they couldn't outrun a four-wheeler.

Arriving at the agreed-upon location, a dilapidated, cracked building, Stella didn't hesitate and drove in. There was nobody in sight. She took the truck into Arcadia.

She moved the water tower and attached the hose to the water tanker. The job was simple but time-consuming. By the time she had filled the tanker, there was only an hour left before the trade. Stella left Arcadia, cautiously climbed the damaged building, and chose a spot with a good view and sheltered from the light to keep an eye on the surroundings.

With a hand-held fan, an ice cream, and two popsicles, she saw a pickup slowly appearing at the end of the road.

Stella took out binoculars and confirmed it was Monkey and his team. For safety, they'd brought four or five people. They were vigilant, watching all directions. Once she was sure they weren't followed, Stella took the water tanker out of the building.

A few minutes later, the pickup arrived.

Monkey got out, "Hello?"

He waited for a moment before Stella emerged from behind the truck.

Monkey, his face sweaty and looking dejected, grumbled, "You made me call in all the favors I had." But he had managed to modify the sprayer as she'd requested. They brought down the machine, showed her how to assemble it, start the engine, etc.

Stella pretended to understand, "Mhm, mhm...mhm." She secretly recorded their conversation to study later.

Water was scarce, or they could have demonstrated it on the spot, "Rest assured. It'll work perfectly. The spray can reach over ten meters."

They also explained potential issues a novice might encounter and how to fix minor malfunctions, "If there's a problem, just contact us. We provide warranty."

Stella thanked them, "My ride hasn't arrived yet. Could you help me move it inside?"

While they went to check the water, she pulled Monkey aside and secretly handed him two packs of pills.

One pack of cold medicine and one pack of antibiotics. Not much, but considering the current market, they were quite valuable.

"It's for you. Keep it quiet."

Monkey didn't look but could tell they were pills. His eyes reddened in gratitude. Indeed, no one was better than Stella.

The water was fine. They left with the water tanker and the pickup.

Stella moved the sprayer into Arcadia. After waiting for another 20 minutes, she finally drove off in her SUV.

By the time she returned, it was evening, and Mark had news. After his pleas and arguments, the officials expressed understanding for Eastwood Eden's concerns and agreed to their request.

Eastwood Eden would provide 6-8 buildings for refugee housing in exchange for 5000 points, which could be used to offset the purchase of housing materials once Newtown was built. In addition, the government would send personnel to provide some relief for the refugees.

In terms of security, the city had negotiated with Swan Hill to station a team there to maintain security and operations in Griffith.

However, with half the military deployed to the military base and the rest involved in the rescue operations in Swan Hill and reconstruction of the military camp, they were short-handed.

After urgent coordination, it was decided that a team could be sent over in a few days. They would be deployed to various refugee camps to maintain stability. For now, only police and security patrol officers could be sent.

As a psychologist, this was the best outcome Mark could muster. He was a bit helpless, but all he could do was reassure everyone, "We should prepare for the worst, but with police and staff around us, our worries might not come to fruition."

The crowd was anxious, yet bereft of better alternatives.

What they were in dire need of now was water, without which, even building a barricade seemed impossible.

Mark took a moment to think, "Buildings 6-8 are still under construction, leaving a lot of steel beams and movable panels. We can drive the steel into the ground and use the panels as isolation walls."

They were not particularly sturdy, but they would serve to separate spaces.

"It's still not safe enough," Stella suggested. "There's hardened cement and lime on every floor. We could pile it up on our side to reinforce the isolation zone."

"Absolutely, and we have quite a few cement blocks left."