18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 262

Stella didn't pay any mind to all this fuss; she only believed in the rule of the strongest.

To survive, she had already made too many compromises. But everyone had their limits. She wouldn't let anyone push her around and then expect her to take it lying down. She simply couldn't!

The Porras family? She had already taken down two of their private bases, so why would she fear them?

"Thanks for the heads up, Austin." Stella smiled, "I don't mess with those who don't mess with me. But if someone tries to mess with me, I'll return it a hundredfold."

"Since we've moved in here, we don't plan on leaving. This time, we only injured the bodyguard's hand. We already gave them enough dignity.

"If there's a next time, it won't be settled so easily. If they don't believe it, they are more than welcome to give it a try."

She laid down the law today," From now on, if anyone asks you, just tell them the truth."

Austin felt a mix of emotions. Apart from anger at their condescending attitude, he also felt that the two of them had blown the matter out of proportion.

It was hard to stand alone. There was still room for negotiation in this matter, and it wasn't necessary to take it to the brink. After all, the Porras family was not to be trifled with.

However, after hearing Stella's words, he couldn't help but feel his blood boil.

When he was young, he also disregarded the consequences, but reality constantly hammered him, forcing him to learn to bow and bend. During these years of the apocalypse, to survive he had to swallow his pride, but the reality was still harsh.

Stella was right, they didn't steal or rob. They purchased their house fair and square, with official property registration, yet these wealthies banded together to ostracize them, not even letting them in the door.

With no option to retreat, there was no reason not to fight back.

He downed his beer in one gulp, "Even if it's through hell or high water, I'll stick with you."

At least he wasn't alone.

Meanwhile, the Porras family mansion was ablaze with lights.

Shane, formidable without anger, sat on the couch, his gaze piercing as he looked at the butler, "What the hell happened today?"

The butler lowered his head and wiped the cold sweat off his brow, "Sir, what happened today has nothing to do with the Porras family. It was actually just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Shane's face was grave, "It's only right to tighten the security for the owners' safety, but who gave the order to not even let the owners in?"

The Butler told the truth, "Sir, I must admit I was negligent. The Porras family being the head of the Homeowners Association is only an honorary position, the real management is handled by the vice-president. I didn't expect her to take matters into her own hands, not only excluding the owners of units 49 and 50, but also arranging for the security to give them a hard time."

A bunch of idle rich, only good for stirring up trouble.

Shane closed his eyes, only after a long while did he say, "What's the background of these two families?"

"The owners of unit 49 are hawkers, who made quite a fortune selling supplies during the disaster. As for unit 50, they..."

The Butler hesitated, "They're closely associated with unit 49, possibly friends or business partners. We don't have clear information about their background yet."

"Unknown background?" Shane took a deep breath, "You dared to mess with them without even knowing their details?"

The Butler wiped his sweat and kept his head down, not daring to answer.

"And how do you plan to handle this now?"

"Sir, the Homeowners Association is indeed at fault here, but the people from unit 50 were too ruthless. All 20 daytime security guards were injured, some quite severely. Not only did they hurt people, they even crippled a bodyguard's hand and stole his gun, it's clear they don't respect the Porras family. "While the Homeowners Association did mishandle the situation, it could have been resolved rationally, with an apology from the person responsible. But the other party not only attacked people, they even fired at residents, clearly criminal behavior.

"If there's any dispute in the future, wouldn't they go on a killing spree? The safety risks are too high, and this kind of evil must not be allowed to grow. I suggest we involve the police, it would be best if they could be sentenced. Keeping them in the community would be too dangerous."

Shane frowned, "Isn't there a better solution?"

He built his empire from scratch, and it took him decades to gain a significant foothold in the business world.

In business, a peaceful relationship was valued. Moreover, the Homeowners Association was at fault initially, only embarrassing themselves. What the hell were these people thinking?

Shane was a self-made man. He started out in home appliances, faced all sorts of rejections to attract business. He knew what it felt like to have his dignity trampled on. If possible, he didn't want to burn bridges.

"Sir, if we back down now, how will the community view the Porras family? If we don't punish them severely, won't everyone think they can walk all over the Porras family?"

"Derick, you must be getting senile."

A lazy voice came from upstairs, the sound of slippers slapping against the floor echoed as Bran, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers, came down yawning, "Are you trying to help the Porras family? Or are you just afraid we won't die fast enough?" Seeing his carefree demeanor, Shane felt a wave of anger. What a disgraceful brat.

Bran sat down next to him, casually draping his hand over Shane's shoulder, "Dad, you weren't there, those three were unstoppable, they treated the security guards like punching bags. I purposely circled around unit 50 this afternoon, they are definitely tough cookies, probably even more troublesome than outlaws. They must have quite a background."

Shane frowned, "Are they really that formidable?"

"I've got it all figured out, they were one of the first to start renovating, their courtyard walls are like fortresses, with several unbreakable doors, and the whole roof is enclosed in glass. This whole mess was started by those bored rich housewives. It's been three years since the apocalypse, yet they still think they're high and mighty, constantly picking on and causing trouble for others. They didn't retaliate, so those women thought they were pushovers.

"They didn't want to resort to violence at first, but the security guards were just too annoying, clearly trying to humiliate them. If it were me, with their skills, I wouldn't just kill them, I'd wipe out the whole neighborhood."

"Shut up!" Shane slapped him on the head, and the disdain in his eyes was worse than disgust, "Look at the state you're in."

His son, wearing a robe, exposing leg hair, and even crossing his legs... Shane really wanted to knock some sense into him.

Bran continued to cross his legs, "Dad, it's the apocalypse now. Do you really have the time to care about my sitting posture?"

Bran waved the butler away and slouched even more into his chair, "Believe me this time, the guy from Building 50 is more lethal than any Navy SEAL. He can dislocate arms and legs with the precision of a surgeon. And the woman, she's even tougher, throwing punches aimed at vital pressure points. "The fact that they injured their attackers severely but stopped short of killing them, that's not something just anyone can control.

"The little girl is only about seven or eight, but she can kick a man's jaw off its hinges. Imagine how long she must've been training to achieve such precision at such a young age.

"What does this tell us? This trio are no strangers to violence. They kill as easily as slicing through a Thanksgiving turkey. They've turned their villa into a fortress, even the windows are fortified. Don't you think they know something we don't?"