18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 66

Stella returned home and harvested veggies, picked chives, and pulled celery. She also got some chicken. With ten kilograms of flour, it felt like it would take most of the day to finish. Jasper was by her side, washing the vegetables while Stella ground the meat with a manual meat grinder she had taken from Arcadia.

Once the dough was kneaded and ready, she taught him how to roll out the pie crust.

Jasper turned out to be quite meticulous, always making sure that the pie was perfectly round. He even used a round copper cutter to achieve this. Stella was impressed.

The filling was soon prepared and it was time to make the pie. Rosie, the little girl dashed into the kitchen, "Stella, I want to help too."

Always patient with children, Stella agreed and started teaching Rosie.

At first, Rosie's pie were quite messy, but Stella encouraged her, "Rosie, you're doing great. I bet your big brother will love these." Jasper just chuckled.

Cooper, was anxiously waiting by, looking quite disappointed that he couldn't help. 'Rosie's pie looks so ugly. If he had thumbs, he would make much better pies than hers.'

Rosie was determined to get it right. With some practice, she finally made a decent dumpling and proudly announced, "This one's for Stella."

"Why not for your big brother?" Jasper asked.

"Because Stella taught me. The next one will be for you, then Cooper, and then me."

With two people making pies, the process was quite efficient.

By the time they finished, it was past lunchtime. Stella baked the pies. "Let's have some pie now, and we'll make more in the afternoon."

The pie was served, and all, including the dog, enjoyed the meal. The pie was chewy and delicious, bursting with fresh ingredients.

Rosie, in her delight, exclaimed, "These are so good."

Jasper smiled at her, "We'll make them more often for you."

The dog, Cooper, gobbled up his portion and then nudged his empty bowl towards Stella, as if asking for more.

Stella laughed, "You're becoming quite the foodie, Cooper."

Even after the meal, they continued making more pies.

Jasper helped with the process, but his pies were even messier than Rosie's.

Stella, however, was patient and guided him along. Eventually, even Rosie stepped in to help her big brother, "Jasper, your pie look funny." After saying this, afraid that he might be hurt, she quickly added, "Stella, let me teach brother."

Jasper squatted down, allowing Rosie to teach him, "Am I too stupid?"

Rosie kissed him and said in her cute, sweet voice, "No, you are the smartest."

Jasper actually learned under the guidance of the little girl's childish words.

Stella's confidence was hi. Well, seemed she was not qualified enough to be his teacher.

Despite the gentle teasing, they all had a great time.

When their friends from the apartment next door came by, they too joined in the fun, making the process even more enjoyable.

By the end of the day, they had made about a hundred pies.

Stella was tired but happy. She shared some of the pie with her friends, trading them for more dough and meat from Jasper.

As she prepared to take a nap, she got a call from Jasper, "Stella, are we still up for practice today?"

"Sure," Stella replied.

"If you want to practice archery, you can come over early."

Stella quickly agreed and headed over to Jasper's apartment. There, she saw a wooden target set up in the living room. Jasper handed her a crossbow, a weapon she had always been curious about.

Its appearance was a bit strange, but its lethality was undoubted. Stella curiously asked, "Did you make this yourself?" This was a dangerous weapon which ordinary people couldn't get.

In a concise way, Jasper replied, "I modified it."

Since Jasper didn't want to say more, Stella didn't insist on getting to the bottom of it.

Jasper took an arrow, and explained the structure, aiming, and shooting of the crossbow to her. Stella had basic knowledge and she understood immediately.

The distance in the living room was insufficient, so Jasper took her to the corridor outside his room. He loaded an arrow on the stretched-out crossbow, and stood behind Stella, "Hold the bow with your right hand and aim..."

There was a height difference between the two, so he bent down and leaned forward to keep his line of sight parallel with Stella's. As a result, the two were very close. Especially when he was adjusting the sighting line, his warm breath sprayed on Stella's neck. Her body tingled and stiffened instantly. Her heart suddenly tightened, and she could smell the faint scent of soap on him.

Ah, this...was they too close?

Stella was not used to it and unconsciously wanted to move away. Jasper noticed her stiffness and said, "Concentrate."

Only then did Stella come back to her senses, cast the chaotic thoughts out of her mind, and concentrate on aiming. His warm hand gently supported her arm holding the crossbow, "A little higher." Aim, pull.

With a "whoosh", the arrow flew out, embedding itself firmly in the target. It hit the seventh ring, a little off the bullseye.

"Not bad for a beginner to hit the seventh ring," Jasper encouraged her, "You're doing much better than Rosie."

Well, thanks.

Jasper leaned in to give her a few pointers. Seeing her progress from the seventh ring to the eighth and a half, he knew she had grasped the basics, so he let her practice more to gain experience.

He sat on the couch, scrolling through his phone, his expression stern and serious. It was hard to tell what he was looking at. At a glance, his profile was nearly perfect. Stella refocused, calmly and coldly practicing her shots.

After firing off about twenty arrows, one hit the bullseye. There was nothing to be proud of; after all the range was close. The further the distance, the lower her accuracy would be.

She had to catch up to his level quickly, like that day he stood on the raft, hitting the heart with one shot.

Half an hour later, Jasper reminded her, "Don't push yourself too hard. An hour a day is enough, just come on time."

The boss had spoken, so Stella put down her crossbow.

Her own place wasn't as spacious as 1801, she couldn't fully stretch out, so she didn't bother.

Next was sparring time, close combat. Stella helped lay down the non-slip mats, and accidentally bumped into him as she turned around, "Sorry."

"It's okay." Jasper continued with his task.

Without Cooper to interfere, Stella found it difficult to face the skilled fighter who didn't hold back. She was pinned down several times.

After being suppressed repeatedly, the highly competitive Stella got tough, subconsciously using a feint move - Monkey Steals Peach.