18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 60

Stella seemed aloof and distant, so Amber, not wanting to be overbearing, said, "Fine, I'll fry yours first, so it doesn't overcook and lose its taste."

Amber was a real whiz in the kitchen. Her fried fish was crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and incredibly tasty. Cooper, their pet dog, came wagging his tail, drooling over the smell. Stella tossed him a few pieces, then urged Amber to eat her fill.

With hunger sated by two full fishes, Amber sighed in satisfaction. When was the last time she'd had a full meal? The taste was so good, she felt like she could swallow her own tongue.

The people on the 18th floor were indeed capable. Amber worked even harder, hoping that they could bring their family along in the future.

After frying several batches, they heard the sound of an inflatable boat approaching. Jasper and the others returned, carrying cooking oil, salt, and some spices.

Cody, with a broad smile on his face, said excitedly, "Stella, we've got another deal!"

After trading with Monkey, they realized they needed to replace a way to offload the rest of their stock before it spoiled. Cody was a natural salesman, so he suggested they try their luck at the department store, hoping to replace new customers.

Once they arrived, they found out that the government had a new policy. In an effort to help more citizens survive, officials had established a marketplace. Citizens with needs could set up stalls in the marketplace and exchange necessary goods. There was no entry fee for the marketplace, but causing trouble was strictly prohibited, with severe punishments for any violations.

There were a lot of goods for exchange, and the marketplace was crowded. However, there was a scarcity of food trading. Most of the items were non-perishable goods like clothes, bicycles, and kitchen utensils. Everyone without exception was looking to trade for food. The crowd was bustling, and they did not dare to take out the fish; instead they had to search for potential customers discreetly.

Unfortunately, except for Cody, no one else had a knack for spotting potential customers. The Moore family kept to themselves and worked on technological advancements. Jasper was a former special forces member, and asking them to replace potential customers seemed like a tough ask.

They knew there were plenty of people in the marketplace looking to trade goods, but there were also unscrupulous groups looking to exploit the situation. So, they waited in a corner, with Cody going in and scouting for potential customers.

Half an hour later, he came back with two scruffy-looking individuals. Joey recognized them at once. Weren't they his colleagues?

"Gordon, you're still alive?"

"Joey, you're still alive too?"

It was a tearful reunion of co-workers.

However, despite knowing Gordon and his group, Jasper and the others were still cautious.

"We have fish, and they have dog food," Cody reported to Stella, "Cooper won't go hungry."

Gordon's group lived in a public housing complex. Even though the place was old and rundown, it had the advantage of being occupied by familiar neighbors, mostly elderly folks and their younger families. They had banded together and ventured out to replace supplies. They were early birds, and incredibly lucky. They found a dog food factory and brought back thousands of pounds of dog food.

For months, they survived on dog food. Dog food was nutritious and filling, but after a while, the taste was hard to stomach. They had no choice but to try their luck at the marketplace.

The group was mostly composed of wise, elderly people. They were also discerning about whom they traded with, refusing to make hasty decisions. It was pure coincidence that they bumped into each other at the marketplace, and even more coincidental that they ran into an old colleague.

After some bargaining, they agreed to trade three pounds of fish for one pound of dog food.

Joey chewed Gordon out for being sly, "Gordon, you weren't like this before. You've lost your conscience."

Gordon felt a pang of guilt, "Ah, this disaster has forced us all to change."

Trading three pounds of fish for one pound of dog food might seem like a raw deal, but it wasn't. Dog food was filling and could be stored for a long time, while fish would spoil if not preserved within a couple of days. Cody took out half a bag of dog food, "We've tasted it. It's not bad."

Stella refused to eat it, instead she let Cooper try it. Cooper seemed reluctant at first but ended up enjoying it.

The dog food bags were well-sealed and likely had plenty of preservatives, giving it a shelf life of up to three years.

Upon hearing there was dog food, Amber was thrilled as well. If they traded the fish for dog food, they would have enough to last a long time.

Everybody wanted it, including Stella, especially when she heard there were freeze-dried cans of dog and cat food available. Her dog deserved the best.

So they all agreed to trade the fish for dog food.

After some negotiation, Joey's old colleagues finally agreed on a deal: 1,500 pounds of fish for 500 pounds of dog food.

This meant they didn't have much fish left, but there were plenty more in the reservoir to catch. So they packed up their stuff, hid their gas stove and other equipment, and divided the remaining fish among themselves. Stella pulled Jasper and Cody aside, "The Moore family has contributed a lot. How should we divide this batch?"

The Moore family wasn't part of their group on the 18th floor. Even though Joey and Amber were just laborers, Mikey had made the fishing tools, without which they wouldn't have caught so many fish.

Cody suggested, "How about we give them 1.5 shares? One for him and half for his parents."

They couldn't be too stingy, but they also couldn't be too generous.

Stella agreed, "That sounds fair."

They didn't believe in exploiting others and preferred to discuss things openly.

When the Moore family found out they would get 1.5 shares, they were overjoyed. They had only hoped for one share.

They were trading 1,500 pounds of fish, so they figured they might as well take all of it.

In the dark, their inflatable boat pulled along the rubber dinghy, making their way through the floodwaters. They had agreed to meet at a secluded spot on the outskirts of town for the trade.

Even though they were old colleagues, trust was still a luxury. Stella cautioned everyone to wear life jackets and conceal weapons.

As they approached the meeting point, Cooper growled a warning. Stella shone her flashlight, spotting an inflatable boat and a few rubber dinghies not far away.

They had agreed that Gordon's group couldn't exceed six people and they could only have one inflatable boat and three rubber dinghies. Any violation of this agreement would lead to the cancellation of the trade.

Stella counted the people and boats. Everything seemed in order. Two middle-aged men and four younger men, each holding an iron rod, looking alert. The searchlight scoured the surrounding waters, but no suspicious activity was detected.

The 1500 pounds of fish were conspicuous, but the 500 pounds of dog food were less so, as this was heavier and less noticeable.

The Moores, father and son, paddled their rubber dinghy nearby, confirming it was all dog food and signaled for Jasper and his group to come over.

They weighed the goods, and the exchange was made. There were over 1600 pounds of fresh fish, but Gordon only brought 500 pounds of dog food. However, they also brought 20 cans of freeze-dried pet food. "You can try it, and next time if you have more, we can trade with the canned food," he suggested.

Joey was more inclined towards the dog food, calling Gordon a big cunning fox.