18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 488

Over a hundred people had shown up, scattered across the snowy expanse, and Belarus was the loudest mouth of the bunch. But when it came to a real fight, he was the first to back off. The snow didn't hold them down, no surprise there. Once they were sure it was all clear, the duo rushed back.

Sure enough, a few stragglers were clawing their way out of the snow, only to be swiftly taken down by Jasper's deadly precision.

Even with bulletproof vests and steel helmets, caution was key. The trio ducked behind a trench, waiting for the perfect moment to strike as their enemies emerged.

After about ten minutes, a few more managed to crawl out.

Their minds fogged from suffocation, they couldn't muster the strength to fire their weapons, even though they held them in their hands.

Stella, armed with a crossbow, took aim and sent them to meet their maker.

No more came out after that.

After lying low for a good two hours and ensuring there were no prying eyes, Stella deftly cleared the snow-covered area and stored it into Arcadia.

The family followed her in, shovels in hand, ready to dig through the remains.

The fallen had come prepared; the spoils were rich and made Stella so thrilled she nearly shouted out in glee.

Her guess was spot on: Union Base was indeed divided by skin color.

Aside from those who had perished in the icy blaze, there were 20 soldiers smothered by the snow, and the rest were ordinary members.

The soldiers were geared up with top-of-the-line military submachine guns, body armor, and some even had military exoskeleton suits.

The ordinary Blue Eyes had civilian submachine guns and no body armor.

As for others with different skin colors, they carried mere pistols, their bodies leaner and their clothing clearly less insulated.

The hierarchy was severe, with no equality to speak of-it was survival of the fittest in its rawest form.

After stripping over a hundred bodies, they had amassed 3 flamethrowers, 20 military submachine guns, 23 civilian ones, 60 grenades, hundreds of pistols, and a treasure trove of ammo. There were also knives, watches, cigarettes, canned spam, and more.

Such bounty was like a generous gift from a loving father.

Stella was most pleased with the flamethrowers; she had been lacking such a tool.

The model they had acquired could spray over a wide area with a range of up to 50 meters, reaching temperatures of up to 1800 degrees Celsius.

After gathering the weapons, what came next wasn't for the faint-hearted. Stella took Rosie back to the villa for some rest, leaving Jasper to handle the grim task.

"Jasper, you've worked hard," she said with a mix of gratitude and relief.

What could the ever-dutiful Jasper say in response?

Cooper, overwhelmed by the grim task, decided to help out the drill instructor.

Stripped down to their underwear, the clothes were tossed into a shipping container.

It was grueling work, and by the end, they were all but drained.

Stella urged Jasper to take a shower and cleanse the bad vibes.

"Hard work, Jasper," she said, offering not only praise but also a soothing massage to unwind.

Emerging from Arcadia hours later, they found the ice hut had melted in flames, charred bodies sprawled atop the icy surface.

The snowdrift remained, a barrier against the wind and snow.

Stella had no desire to relocate, and together they cleaned up the charred remains, leveled the blackened ice, laid down a fresh layer of snow, and placed wooden boards on top before retrieving the shipping containers. They reinforced the ice with water, ensuring a thicker layer than before.

After dark, Stella visited the spot where the tank had sunk.

The explosives were potent, blasting a ten-meter hole in the thick ice.

The sea was in constant motion, and the hole would take time to refreeze. After half a day, only a thin layer of ice had formed.

Stella used a pole to break the fragile ice and dumped the bodies into the sea, a feast for the fish.

The ocean was swift, and soon there was no trace left.

Union Base had suffered another defeat, and their retaliation would only grow more furious.

Stella just wanted a simple life, but some wouldn't grant her that wish.

Such was the apocalypse: a disaster of both nature and mankind, with no room for notions of good, evil, or reason.

Back at home, Jasper stood watch.

Cooper served as the patrol deputy, and Snowflake stayed in to nurse the babies.

In the morning, Stella was still asleep when an excited Cooper burst in, barking.

From its mouth, it dropped a gift for its beloved master.

At first, Stella thought it was an egg stolen from Arcadia, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was much larger than a chicken egg.

A goose egg, perhaps? Yet it seemed even larger.

Shining a flashlight on it, Stella discovered it was a fertilized egg with an incredibly hard shell.

"Where did you replace this?" she asked.

Cooper, ecstatic, wagged his tail, eager to show his master where to replace more.

Jasper, just back from patrol, shook off the snow before entering, "Something's off about the ice hole; we need to keep an eye on it." He, too, had found a couple of eggs.

Overnight, the snow-covered area around the hole had become littered with eggs.

In other words, some creature had emerged from the hole to lay its eggs last night.

Stella cracked an egg into a bowl.

Despite the extreme cold, the egg fluid was unfrozen and fresh, though it had a strong fishy smell.

"I wonder what kind of egg this is?" she pondered.

Jasper's expression grew serious, "Could be crocodile eggs."

Stella was taken aback, "But crocodiles are freshwater creatures."

Still, considering ten years of calamity, it was possible that species evolved to survive, migrating to the ocean and breeding frantically once they adapted.

"How many of these eggs are there?"

"Lots. They're all buried in the snow, a nest with at least a dozen, some even holding fifty to sixty."

Stella's scalp tingled at the thought.

Crocodiles were known to lay many eggs at a time, from 10 to 60.

They were bold enough to prey on humans, and if they became too numerous, the consequences would be dire.

Dressed warmly, Stella made her way to the ice hole, ready to investigate.

The area was blanketed in snow, seemingly unremarkable at a glance.

She used a rake with nails to comb through the snow, and it wasn't long before she unearthed a significant number.

The more she found, the more her anxiety grew.

The timing was right for crocodile egg-laying season, but the temperature was far from suitable.

Crocodiles disliked the cold, thriving in warmer southern climates for breeding. And yet here they were, possibly in the Arctic...

But then again, if humans could drift globally, nothing was truly impossible.

However, crocodiles should still be cold-averse. Otherwise, they would have stayed to incubate their eggs.

Their absence suggested they were warming themselves in the sea.

Egg-laying crocodiles were notoriously temperamental, and if they adapted to the glacial temperatures... Stella searched around the hole, throwing any crocodile eggs she found back into the sea. Returning home, she busied herself with her tasks.

Snowflake having fed the pups, played outside with Cooper. They frolicked further away, eventually digging up crocodile eggs in the snow

and excitedly burying them beside the house.

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That evening, as Jasper began his patrol, Cooper suddenly started barking furiously at something in the darkness. Hunkered down in the trench, Jasper clicked on his flashlight, sweeping the beam into the distant darkness.

From this far out, it was impossible to make out any clear shapes.

He flicked off the flashlight and

stared intently, trying to let his eyes adjust to the night. After a moment, he could discern red pinpricks

shifting in the distance, growing ne

more numerous by the second.

QUMS

These movements weren't characteristic of Union Base's patrols-no human could move like that.

And it wasn't a pack of wolves either. Then it hit him-an icy shiver running down his spine. Crocodiles. A whole swarm of them!