18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 406

The air raid sirens wailed, jolting the survivors awake. Some were still groggy from sleep, while others hurriedly geared up for work. Disaster had a cruel sense of timing, striking just when people were most vulnerable. Had everyone been at their workplaces, the scramble

to get back home would have been chaotic at best, tragic at worst, with families potentially torn apart in the rush to reunite.

At least in death, they could stay together.

In the distance, a convoy of massive trucks appeared on the horizon. These weren't just any trucks-they were colossal, stretching out of sight, easily numbering a dozen or more. It was clear these were loaded with cultural artifacts, gathered from across various states, intended for safekeeping in the Kindle Society's "Seed Vault."

But fate had other plans. Just as they reached the base, disaster struck. Even with a two-hour lead, there was no time to secure these priceless items for their journey across the sea. The drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles to save their own lives. An entire convoy, left deserted, with not a soul in sight.

When catastrophe looms, who has the time to worry about lifeless treasures?

As they neared the base entrance, everyone was retreating to the rendezvous point. Even the soldiers on gate duty had come to maintain order. So many relics of culture-books, seeds, machinery, antiques spanning millennia-were left behind.

Out of nowhere, Stella thought of Daniel. She stopped in her tracks and sprinted towards the trucks. Jasper didn't miss a beat, staying right beside her. As they approached, the giant trucks seemed to vanish into thin air. The three of them, along with their dog, sprinted so fast that the trucks disappeared as they passed.

A total of twenty-one trucks were absorbed into Arcadia, now bursting at the seams. Stella had no choice but to stack them atop fields and medicine gardens. From their private courtyard all the way to the base gates, it took them an hour, even at their fastest pace. When they reached an open area, Stella quickly pulled out the helicopter. The trio and their dog clambered aboard, hurriedly strapping on parachutes. The process was cumbersome, but their regular practice made it second nature.

Jasper took the pilot's seat, and Stella secured Cooper with his harness, attaching it to her waist. She took out a thin rope, and they each looped it around themselves. In case of an aerial disaster, if there was no time to bail out, they could whisk themselves into Arcadia. With preparations complete, the helicopter's blades began to spin, and they slowly ascended. As Stella and her group took off, a stream of fighter jets, transport planes, and helicopters began to lift off from the Kindle Society.

The emergency response plan was in full swing: air, land, and sea. The Air Force, carrying fewer but crucial personnel, was the swiftest to react.

100 meters, 500 meters, 1000 meters, 2000 meters, 3000 meters...

The ground grew distant, the scenery shrank. Stella peered through binoculars, watching as dark submarines sank into the vast ocean, disappearing below the surface. Then, numerous life pods spread across the water, orange and dark red, bobbing like ping pong balls. Although Lincoln wasn't on a tectonic edge, as a coastal city, it was vulnerable to tsunamis if an asteroid struck Earth. Earthquake-resistant buses wound away from the base, filled with people...

Stella watched the shrinking base, her expression growing more solemn. Earthquakes or tsunamis could disrupt air currents. Jasper raised the helicopter to 6000 meters, heading inland...

Less than half an hour later, the entire globe shuddered. The ground cracked, mountains collapsed, and a vast tsunami swept across the land. The aircraft jolted, and Stella's heart leaped to her throat.

As feared, air currents were disrupted. Alarms vibrated constantly, and warning lights flashed. Listening to the mechanical groans of the aircraft, Rosie broke out in a cold sweat, and Cooper, sensing danger, whimpered into his owner's embrace.

Stella, too, was tense, scarcely daring to breathe. But Jasper was unfazed, his piloting skills unshakable. Braving the turbulent air, he climbed rapidly to 9000 meters, evading the initial assault. The alarms soon ceased.

Stella looked down to see rivers severed and mountains crumbled, dust spreading across the wounded earth. The blue ocean churned, roaring angrily, as if it sought to devour all creation.

As the aftershocks weakened, the helicopter descended back to 6000 meters. After flying for two hours, they spotted billowing smoke rising from the ground, spreading into the sky. Below the smoke, it seemed as though red liquid oozed and flowed. Rosie noticed too and exclaimed in shock, "What is that down there?"

Stella studied it through her binoculars before responding, "It's an underground coal fire."

A coal fire, ignited beneath the Earth. Judging by their route, this should have been the coal capital, with its rich underground resources. Tectonic shifts had torn the city asunder, and the heat had set its coal seams ablaze. They burned and spread, eventually engulfing the city that stretched for thousands of kilometers-a civilization lost in an instant.

Such a catastrophic disaster left them speechless. Was the place they sought refuge in truly safe?

With the ground trembling and the sea boiling, the helicopter flew on. Six hours later, they finally reached Han Province. Before the world's end, Han was a hub of nine provinces, a land of legendary battles. Now, it was a shattered realm, its rivers and mountains fractured, waters flooding backwards...

Gone was its former splendor. Stella wasn't even sure they were in the right place anymore. The landscape was scarred beyond recognition, borders indistinguishable. Using her binoculars, she could see that the catastrophic collisions had ceased, making way for a continuous fracturing and sinking of the tectonic plates.

The land was pockmarked, and it took over an hour just to replace a relatively flat area to land. They were in luck, replaceing a stable spot. The helicopter descended gently, the rotors winding down to a stop.

Stepping off the aircraft, whether it was weak legs or unsteady ground, it felt like they couldn't hold their balance. Having narrowly escaped disaster, Jasper and Stella looked into each other's eyes, silently embracing.

Aftershocks could strike at any time, and no place on this continent was truly safe anymore. Stella stowed away the helicopter. The group, with their dog in tow, surveyed the surrounding terrain. The distant mountain ranges had collapsed, but their position was relatively stable, and there were no signs of people nearby.

It seemed like a safe place to avoid further aftershocks. Jasper suggested, "Should we settle here for now?"

No sooner had he spoken than the earth beneath them began to tremble. The aftershock had arrived! Stella's expression changed instantly, and she quickly pulled out the escape pod.

The trio and their dog scrambled into the escape pod, swiftly buckling themselves in with practiced ease, their movements so fluid they could have done it with their eyes closed. The escape pod was equipped with shock absorbers, but they could still feel the persistent jostling that lasted for several minutes.

At this point, there was no room for melancholy. It served no purpose.