18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 51

Finally, with the help of her dog, Stella won in an unfair manner.

Being betrayed by his own trained dog didn't anger Jasper. Instead, he patted his head, "Good boy, if anyone tries to bully her, you must protect her."

Cooper had been pretty fierce a while ago, which worried Stella, "Did he bite you?"

"No," Jasper replied with approval, "Dogs are better at distinguishing good from bad than humans. Cooper knows his boundaries."

Stella agreed, dogs could sense the vibes humans emitted. Jasper had no ill intentions, so he didn't get attacked.

As days passed, Stella's strength visibly increased. When Angela found out that Stella had been training with Jasper, she became determined to train Cody and Lukas vigorously, their apartment often echoing with cries of suffering. After being beaten so many times, Cody and Lukas toughened up, Lukas' slender waistline completely disappeared. With their newfound strength and confidence, they approached Stella, "Stella, how about we spar a bit?" Stella smiled, "Sure."

Their apartment was also carpeted with anti-slip mats. Stella was up against the two of them, Angela was the referee, and Rosie and Cooper were the spectators. Angela blew the whistle, "One, two, three, go!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Stella took them down swiftly, one with a side throw, the other with a knee to the stomach. Her moves were clean and swift, impressively so.

Both of them went down in a heap, howling on the anti-slip mats. Cody clutched his stomach, tears streaming down his face, "You ... you don't fight fair!"

Stella was indifferent, "It's the end of the world. Who's going to fight fair?"

Rosie, who had been cheering for Stella, was taken aback by the sudden end of the fight. She ran back home, "Jasper, Stella knocked out two guys with one punch." She had used the moves taught by Jasper, so impressive. The beaten Cody and Lukas were speechless and embarrassed. Why was there such a big gap?

Angela was furious, "I can understand if you can't beat me, but you can't even handle one move from Stella?"

It seemed like she was still to easy on them. From now on, how many rounds Cooper ran on the stairs, they would have to run the same.

The pair turned pale, Cooper ran eighty rounds a day, how could they keep up?

"If you can't beat Stella, that's one thing, but are you also going to lose to Cooper now?"

Cooper was not an ordinary dog. He was super tough! In just a short while, he had even developed muscles.

Angela didn't care. As long as the training didn't kill them, she would push them to their limits.

The people from the 18th floor was bustling, while the rest of residents in the apartment building was becoming increasingly envious.

They were jealous when the people from the 18th floor went out. They were even more jealous when the people from the 18th floor stayed in.

Having not gone out for so long, they must have a lot of supplies. They were starving, but the people from the 18th floor always had a faint aroma of food. However, no one dared to challenge them alone, so they all went looking for Drew, forcing him to negotiate with the 18th floor to hand over some supplies. Drew didn't want to offend anyone, but he couldn't keep starving, and his children were becoming malnourished.

"Let's negotiate with them first. If they don't give in, we can get people from outside to take everything."

"That's right. It's not fair. We're starving while they're feasting. We only had rain water, but they had roast lamb the day before yesterday, and beef stew yesterday. It is so not fair!"

Roast lamb? What a joke! Drew cursed inwardly. He couldn't even smell it from the 13th floor. How could people on the 7th floor smell it?

He wasn't stupid enough to be fooled by their lies. If they did manage to steal the supplies from the 18th floor, he would be the first one they would retaliate against.

But there was no other option, they had to replace a way.

They would do it together; he couldn't bear all the blame. Drew decided to use the old method, swarm up together. There were so many people in the building, they couldn't possibly kill them all, could they?

That evening, Stella had just finished training with Jasper. She was sweating profusely when she heard a knock on the door downstairs.

The person was wrapped up tight, only his eyes visible. He slipped a note through the door crack, "Be careful, there's danger." After saying that, he quickly turned around and left.

Even though he was wrapped from head to toe, Stella recognized his voice - it was Mikey.

He was here to warn them. Drew had united the people from the building, intending to forcibly demand that the 18th floor hand over their supplies.

Everyone gathered in apartment 1803. Stella took out the note, "What do you guys think?"

Angela was furious, "Let them come. We're not afraid!"

Supplies were vital. Who would give up their chance at survival? Even though Drew only asked for a portion, what about the next time? Or the time after that?

Not only Angela, but Cody and Lukas were also against it. Cooper was also against it, showing his sharp teeth, "Woof!"

Who dared to steal his food? Bring it on.

So everyone on the 18th floor unanimously decided not to give in.

They wanted supplies? They must be daydreaming.

If Stella hadn't guessed wrong, Drew and his people would probably come up tomorrow.

Everyone knew that this kind of thing would become common in the future. Even if they didn't come, outsiders would come to rob.

No one wanted to live on the edge, but this was the end of the world, a world where humans ate each other.

Everyone went back to prepare; there was a tough fight ahead tomorrow.

When she got home, Stella took out a stab-resistant and slash-resistant suit from her supply, then measured Cooper's size. She didn't know how to make clothes, so she fumbled her way through, wanting to give Cooper the best protection. Cooper naturally disliked being restrained, but in order to treat its skin condition, he had been forced to wear clothes after applying medication, so he was somewhat used to it.

Not only was his diet improved, but he was also given ample nutrition. Cooper was no longer the skinny dog he used to be, his new fur was slick and shiny.

Being trained by Jasper every day, Cooper had become a muscular dog. Stella felt that Cooper had grown a lot in size.

After two hours of work, she finally finished Cooper's protective suit. She felt that Cooper was still growing, so she made the suit a bit bigger.

To help Cooper get used to it, she let him run around. Well, she did have a bit of talent, the suit didn't hinder Cooper's agility at all.

After eating and brushing their teeth, they went to bed. They slept until dawn, when Cooper suddenly became restless, as if ready for a fight.

Stella opened the door, and sure enough, there was a knock on the door downstairs. Drew was politely calling out.

Stella ignored him, preparing breakfast for herself and Cooper.

Soy milk, donuts, and pancakes.

After a hearty breakfast and brushing their teeth, they started their day.

Drew, with a voice raspy from fervent persuasion, had had enough of the silence from the residents of the 18th floor. If they wouldn't communicate, then they couldn't blame him for escalating the situation. "Break down the door!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the eyes of the tenants gleamed with avarice, as if the apartments on the 18th floor was a treasure trove waiting to be plundered. They believed that beyond that door lay a bounty of food and drink that could satiate their hunger and eliminate their worries forever.

God only knew how long it had been since they had had their fill. The agony of their hunger was too great.

Why was it that in these trying times, the occupants of apartments on the 18th floor lived in relative luxury, while they barely scraped by, living lives no better than animals?

In the heat of the moment, a wave of rage washed over them. They wished nothing more than to dismantle the apartments on the 18th floor and its occupants.

Just as they were about to force the door with their tools, the unmistakable sound of a door unlocking echoed from above.