18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 251

The community had a decent harvest. The potatoes were all good quality and quite uniform in size.

Together with the seed potatoes they'd planted, the two of them had harvested around 2000 pounds of fresh potatoes.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Stella returned the solar generator to Eastwood Eden.

Just as they were about to leave, Mark called them over, "The villas in Newtown are almost complete. I happened to see some wealthy folks secretly choosing their houses at the community center yesterday.

"There are only 50 villas in the first phase and construction materials are scarce, so no one knows when the second phase will begin. I suggest you go choose your house as soon as possible."

Stella was taken aback. She hadn't expected the need to rush. She'd been naively waiting for an official announcement.

Why would the authorities insist on building villas when there was such a shortage of materials? Of course, it was all about payback. They had seized factories, land, and assets from the wealthy and business owners and had to provide something in return. Why did a three-bedroom villa cost 50,000 points? Because from the very beginning, it was not intended for the average person. The 50,000 point price tag was just a way to raise the bar so that the lower-class survivors couldn't reach it. "Thanks, Mark."

They set off for Newtown, bumping along the rough roads.

Stella asked, "Are there any second phase villas in Newtown?"

Jasper pondered, "I don't think so, but there are plans for second and third phase condos."

There was no choice. Only a handful could afford villas and the authorities had to cater to the lower-class survivors. So it wasn't as simple as saving enough points to live in a villa. Stella had a bad feeling that the prospect of getting a villa seemed slim.

Purchasing a house was never a simple matter. Those with connections had already chosen their homes before the sale began. Meanwhile, the honest folks who waited for the sale to start, even if they lined up at three in the morning, faced the disappointing reality of sold- out signs.

They hadn't been to Hope Bay in two months and the changes were dramatic. Construction was in full swing and the half-built houses were a dull gray.

The condos were all six stories high with rooms of about 80 square feet where you could touch the walls just by turning around.

The streets were well planned, all simple dirt roads.

The community center was bustling with people earning points and exchanging goods. After a bit of wandering, they finally found the inconspicuous property center where two employees were dozing off. Stella politely said, "Excuse me, I'm here to choose a detached house."

The female employee didn't even look up, "They're not on sale yet. Go back and wait for the announcement."

Stella didn't get mad, "Aren't most of them already chosen? What does the sale have to do with it?"

"A detached house, right?" The male employee on the right looked up, "How many points do you have?"

"50,000 points."

"House selection is ranked by the number of points. This batch is not available for those with 50,000 points. Wait for the next batch." Stella squinted, "According to the initial rules, 50,000 points are enough. It didn't say anything about the number of points."

"You're right, but under the same conditions, priority is given to those with more points. Please understand."

Well, that was an official-sounding explanation. If this were outside the community center, Stella would have already drawn her knife. What a sham, the final interpretation right always lies with the authorities.

But slicing people wouldn't solve the problem. There were only 50 villas, and causing a scene wouldn't help.

Stella took a deep breath, pulled out two bottles of bourbon from her bag and passed them over, smiling, "Could you help us out?"

Bourbon? The employees' eyes lit up. After a glance at each other, they quickly hid the bottles. "Ahem, you're lucky, there's only one house left." Stella didn't believe her. They were probably all reserved for the upper class.

The employee pulled out a blueprint, and Stella quickly pointed to a villa in a prime location, "I want this one."

The employee, suppressing a smirk, diplomatically said, "That one costs 500,000 points."

Stella, with only 50,000 points, fell silent.

50,000 versus 500,000? Although the blueprints were the same, anyone savvy knew something was off.

The female employee drew three circles on the blueprint, "You can choose one from these."

As expected, they were the picked-over ones.

There was no choice. The ones who could afford a 500,000 point villa must have provided significant help to the government. Recognizing the reality, Stella didn't feel envious and decisively pointed to the one in the far corner, "I'll take that one."

She took out her point card and handed it over.

The employee swiped the card and started the paperwork, "Will you be paying in fine grains or coarse grains? Coarse grains are double the price."

Fine grains referred to rice and corn, while coarse grains were sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Without hesitation, Stella said, "Half and half."

She would keep half of the fresh produce for immediate use and dry the rest. Fortunately, they had a harvester and a peeling machine, otherwise, the work would have been overwhelming. The paperwork was handed over, and the employee instructed, "Make sure to deliver the grains within three days. Once you've done that, bring this paper back to get the deed."

Stella thanked her, then passed over two more cards, "My friend also has two condos."

The employees were speechless. The Bourbon was indeed not a free gift.

The bourbon was a good deal, so they processed it for her. "Which location do you want?"

Stella thought for a moment, "Do you have any across from the police station?"

Being right under the police's nose, even if there were troublemakers in the eternal night, they wouldn't dare cause trouble across from the police station.

The employee handed over a blueprint, "We do, but they're not finished yet."

After a brief discussion with Jasper, Stella chose rooms 301 and 302 on the third floor. The situation was complicated, but with two bottles of bourbon, they managed to secure the houses, which was a good deal. Since it was a long trip, Stella decided to deliver the grain before heading back.

Jasper had no objections. The climate had been relatively stable over the half-year, and many survivors seized the opportunity to plant crops. Even delivering the new grains wouldn't attract unwanted attention.

So Stella prepared 3,000 pounds of frost-resistant potatoes and 1,500 pounds of corn. They drove to a secluded, uninhabited spot to unload the truck.

And wouldn't you know it, knowing the right people made things easier. Rules only bound honest people.

There were quite a few vehicles delivering grains, trucks loaded with rice, wheat, corn. You could tell from the scale that they were from wealthy individuals. There were also those who came with wheelbarrows, tricycles. These were middle to low-class survivors who had connections, most of them buying condos. After two hours in line, it was finally Stella's turn to deliver her grains.

Whether it was potatoes or corn, there was no need to pick and choose. It was quickly weighed and receipted.

Holding the receipt, they returned to the community center, only to replace a crowd of dozens of people waiting at the property center, all waiting to choose houses. Most were middle-aged and elderly, dressed a bit better than regular survivors. Listening to the chatter while waiting in line, Stella learned that they were all relatives of research personnel.

As she was listening, a familiar voice rang out, "Stella?"