18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 259

The front door was now sturdy enough for Jasper to ram into it multiple times without it budging. This provided a significant boost to their sense of security. Austin quickly decided to mimic this and took out his phone to snap a picture, intending to install a similar door at his place.

The homeowner's association was efficient, and no one had come knocking to collect some form of tax, yet the security patrol team was already on duty.

There were ten people in each group, divided into east and west teams, forming a total of twenty people in a shift.

Stella stood on the rooftop, watching the teams forming lines downstairs. They seemed promising, all young and fit, and she suspected that some of them might even know a thing or two about martial arts. After dinner, Stella leashed Cooper and went for a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood.

On an open space, the Porras family's bodyguards were training the security officers, teaching them defensive and offensive moves. They looked professional, though their real combat effectiveness remained to be seen. While walking, a couple of ladies who passed by suddenly spoke out, their voices dripping with sweetness, "Julia, did you get your hair done?"

Stella continued to walk leisurely with her dog. Just then, someone approached her and reached out to tap her shoulder, "Julia..."

Sensing someone close by, Stella instinctively grabbed the person's wrist. The woman yelped in pain, "Ouch!"

Had Stella not pulled back her defensive move in time, the woman would have received a judo flip.

Stella turned around, her gaze sharp and piercing.

The woman who had her wrist grabbed was about to curse, but upon recognizing Stella, she hesitated, "You... I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

Cooper bared its teeth, assuming an aggressive stance, scaring the ladies who screamed and retreated.

Since it was a misunderstanding, Stella decided to let it pass. She led Cooper away.

The ladies were livid, but only dared to vent their anger after Stella and her dog had walked away, "What kind of person is she? So rude!"

"Where does she live? I've never seen her before."

"Just look at her clothes. She must be from one of those two poor households."

"But you know what, she does look a lot like Julia."

Stella chose not to stoop to their level. She wouldn't bother with the homeowner's association if they didn't bother her. No notices about the property tax were posted, and nobody came to collect it. This was a clear sign of disrespect. If they didn't accept it, then so be it. She wasn't going out of her way to offer it to them.

...

All the medicinal plants brought back from Mount Greenwood were growing well. The two mysterious medicinal herbs brought back from Mount Murray were gradually thriving under her careful care.

It took two days to propagate and divide all the plants.

For fast-growing herbs, she cut them down with a sickle, cleaned and dried them, then categorized and stored them for future use.

Meanwhile, she moved a dragonlily to a pot and placed it in the glass house on the rooftop, allowing it to gradually adapt to extreme weather. She would compare it with the ones planted in Arcadia and observe any changes in their medicinal properties. The latest official announcement informed everyone that the Newtown market was open. It included both official stores and free stalls, mainly dealing in various daily necessities. Those who had needs could go there to trade.

Stella planned to go out to familiarize herself with the layout of Newtown and collect useful supplies.

The community was patrolled continuously, making it quite safe for now. She left Cooper at home and the three of them set out cheerfully.

Outside the community, dust was everywhere and the smell of earth was strong. They quickly covered their faces with masks.

Some buildings were being renovated while others were stripped bare with clothes hanging out of the windows. The sight was visually jarring, but the atmosphere was filled with life.

From a distance, they could smell the odor from the public restrooms and quickly detoured around it.

The market wasn't far, and it took less than an hour to walk there.

With the advent of the polar day, the Agricultural Institute not only distributed vegetable seeds but also improved the varieties of sweet potatoes and potatoes, enabling them to better adapt to the four seasons in a day and shortening their growth cycle. For example, potatoes could be harvested in just 70 days.

After the earthquake, there was a shortage of various materials such as furniture, clothes, and tools. Even those dug out from the ruins were old and worn.

Anything decent was not cheap.

However, daily necessities were relatively abundant, including dried wild vegetables, dried sweet potato sprouts, dried vegetables, and fresh vegetables, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Not much, but not cheap either.

They quickly finished shopping and then went to the official store.

The shop was modestly sized, reminiscent of a store from decades ago. They would help you retrieve items once you decided to purchase something.

They had tea, cigarettes, alcohol, potatoes, vegetables, and more. The variety and quality were much better than those on the trading street.

The official supplies were mostly from the food exchange program. They only accepted trade coins and not bartering.

Trade coins?

Seeing her confusion, the clerk explained, "It's like the old bank card. If you want to earn trade coins, you can go to the work center to exchange goods, or work to earn. Now our wages are paid in trade coins."

Stella remembered that a bottle of liquor could be exchanged for 100 trade coins, but it sold for 130 in the store. The officials made a profit from the difference.

Since they were already there, Stella decided to take a look. As expected, there was a lot of new information. A pound of sweet potatoes was one trade coin, and potatoes were 0.8 trade coins. Tea, salt, wine, and sugar were luxury goods, but even more expensive were medicines.

Cold medicine and antibiotics were exorbitantly priced, but traditional herbs was also expensive. Different medicines had different prices, and the specific price was negotiable.

The goods she wanted to trade were not on the official list. Stella gave up on the idea, and the three of them wandered around Newtown. By chance, they walked to the street where the police station was located.

They saw two familiar faces from Eastwood Eden community who had moved into the apartment building.

The police station was open for business, but considering the events of the past three years, they instinctively took a detour.

When they returned to Hopefield Community, their legs were sore and numb. From a distance, they saw a crowd gathered at the entrance of the community, seemingly in a heated argument.

"What's with your attitude?" An agitated voice rose, "We used to visit every now and then. Why can't we enter now?"

The security officer had a stern face, "I'm sorry, for safety reasons, the community has unanimously decided that non-residents cannot enter. If you have business here, you can notify the homeowner to come and get you." "What do you mean for safety reasons? Do we look like thieves or robbers?"

"How are we supposed to let the homeowners know if you won't let us in? I think you're just looking down on us because you're in a position of power."

The security officer remained unflustered, "We've made our requirements clear. Please don't cause a scene here."

"We're going to cause a scene, so what? We used to come here all the time and it was never a problem. Why can't we enter now!"

The man who was speaking became agitated and almost poked the security officer with his finger. The security officer quickly grabbed his arm with a counter hold, causing the man to howl in pain.

The other security staff swarmed in, pulling out batons and surrounding the group. "If you keep causing trouble, we will drag you to the police station."

Stella stepped forward, eyebrows furrowing as she recognized who was being cornered. "Hold it," she called out, "They're friends of the folks from block 49."