18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 83

The endurance of Cooper was exceptional. He was hitting his stride and bolting as if carried by the wind.

Cooper's robust body, and agile movements as he dashed freely across the icy fields, was quite the impressive sight. He was even skillfully dodging any frozen corpses that dared obstruct his path.

However, Cooper was clueless about the location of Griffith Mountain and was prone to getting lost.

Stella laughed at his poor sense of direction. "Remember where we chased the wild boar last time?" Ah, not only wild boars but also rabbits!

Upon receiving the hint, Cooper quickly adjusted his course, reaching the base of Griffith Mountain in half an hour.

They arrived early, and there was not a single soul in sight on Griffith Mountain. The bamboo grove was halfway up the mountain. Stella, not wanting to waste any time waiting at the bottom, led Cooper up the climb.

Bamboo wasn't particularly resilient to fire, so survivors would prioritize chopping down tree. However, in a short amount of time, the trees at the foot of the mountain had been entirely cut down. They even had the occasional encounters with frozen corpses. These corpses were either victim of ambushes during wood collection or had been killed in retaliation. Their bodies were encased in a layer of frost, a sight both eerie and terrifying.

But what could they do? Without firewood, they'd freeze to death, so survivors had no choice but to risk their lives.

The journey up the mountain was treacherous, with the snow compacting into ice. It took some time before they reached the bamboo grove, while pulling the sled.

The trees on the mountain had been frozen dead, and their branches were laden with ice and snow.

Wearing thermal clothing kept their bodies warm, but their hands, feet, and faces were still cold. Stella rubbed her hands together, contemplating using an electric saw from Arcadia to cut down the entire bamboo grove, then heading back to snuggle up in her warm bed. Unfortunately, people could come up the mountain at any moment. She decided against taking the risk, instead opting to use the steel saw Lukas gave her. She squatted down to slowly saw away.

Using a steel saw required skill, or the blade could easily snap. This was the group's only saw. If it broke, they'd be in a real pickle.

Most people didn't have the luxury of a hatchet or a butcher knife and had to make do with a simple kitchen knife.

Stella squatted down, first breaking the ice that was attached to the bamboo, then slowly drawing the saw. Cooper, seemingly afraid of the falling bamboo hitting Stella, jumped up and embraced the bamboo with its paws.

Annoyed by his interference, Stella pushed Cooper away. "I don't need your help. Just stand guard and make sure no one sneaks up on me."

The multitasking dog refused, insisting that it could hug the bamboo and stand guard at the same time.

"If you don't want to move away, be careful then, or I might accidentally saw your belly."

The emotionally wounded dog remained silent.

Stella sawed two bamboo poles, cut off the branches with a knife, and sawed each section into about two meters for easy transportation. By this time, more survivors had started to climb the mountain.

"Ah, they have a dog!" Their initial shock quickly turned into excitement, and their voices were almost unrecognizable. "Such a fat dog!"

Cooper, the "fat" dog, barked back. 'He wasn't fat! Those are muscles"

The climbers saw that there was only one young woman in the bamboo grove, and that she actually had a steel saw in her hand. They became even more excited. If they could get their hands on that steel saw, they wouldn't have to worry about chopping wood ever again. And this fat dog looked like it weighed at least seventy pounds, and it was all meat, delicious meat!

As they continued to approach, their greedy eyes were exposed. Stella calmly pulled out a machete and flashed them a gentle smile. "Wanna guess why I'm alone and yet can raise my dog so well?"

Her question left them stunned. Yes, why could she raise her dog so well when so many people were starving to death?

Stella didn't answer and just smiled at them. Her smile was eerie and terrifying. Her cold eyes scanned their bodies as if contemplating which part had the most meat. Her eyes, filled with murderous intent, looked down on them like prey, making them shudder with fear. She, she could have been a devil!

"My dog is a bit picky. He only eats legs, and they have to be fresh and still steaming."

Cooper assumed an attack posture, and its muscular chest was bulging as it snarled with a face full of murderous intent. "Bark!"

'That was right, he only ate legs, the kind that were fresh and bleeding.' Cooper was ready to fight anyone who disagreed!

Everyone was shocked. This vicious dog was raised on legs! The more timid ones could hardly control their shaking legs.

Just as a stand-off was brewing, three men bypassed them, each holding a knife, and walked straight towards the threatening woman. The tallest man was even dragging a little girl along. Geez, these three guys were brave, and even dared to provoke such a dangerous woman.

Well, the group of climbers would just sit and wait for the two sides to fight, hoping they would both end up injured.

Ideally, yes. But reality was often harsher.

The climbers hoped for a fight, preferably with both sides seriously injured, but the vicious dog that supposedly ate legs didn't bark at the newcomers. Instead, it wagged its tail at them. Then, the three men simultaneously turned around to stand next to the woman, their cold eyes scanning the climbers.

"Ah... sorry to bother you!" With a touch of unwillingness, the climbers quickly scattered like birds.

Rosie hugged Cooper, looking a bit hurt. "Cooper, you didn't wait for me."

Cooper nuzzled her to soothe her.

Seeing Stella chopping bamboo, Joey was puzzled, "Stella, bamboo is hollow and burns fast. We should chop trees instead."

"I'm not strong enough to pull a tree. Bamboo is fine. Plus, since bamboo burns quickly, people are less likely to steal it, right?"

Joey heard this and felt that it made sense, but something seemed off.

Splitting up to chop trees was risky, so the Moore family decided to chop near the bamboo grove for mutual support.

With only one steel saw, Jasper had to use a hatchet. Bamboo was hollow, and with a few swings of his hatchet, the bamboo fell, much faster than using a steel saw.

His efficient movements and quick work in chopping the bamboo branches made it clear he was much more experienced. Stella could only envy his skills and continued her slow progress.

As more and more people started to climb the mountain, the number of malicious gazes increased. A fat dog, a steel saw, and a beautiful little girl, all these attracted greedy eyes. Some were open about it, while others lurked in the shadows, all looking for an opportunity. Cooper activated its canine radar, accurately picking up any evil gazes. He snarled, baring its teeth, his body ready to pounce at any moment.

Rosie wasn't one to sit idle. She mimicked Cooper's threatening posture. She had to be fierce! Her brother told her that as long as she was fiercer than everyone else, no one would dare to bully her. So, without hesitation, she copied Cooper, snarling and baring her teeth! The little girl's attempt to imitate Cooper was met with a snort from him. She hadn't even managed to look like him. She needed to hold her head high, straighten her back, tighten her abdomen, and snarl fiercely!

"Fierce, be fierce, do you even understand what it means to be fierce?" Cooper thought.

This was adorable, not fierce. It was the kind of cute that made people want to swallow her in one bite.

Even with hands-on teaching, it was of no use. Rosie's cheeks hurt from trying to snarl. Finally, she gave up. She opened her backpack and pulled out a knife.

Knife in hand, Rosie was transformed into a vision of wrath, and her icy gaze was fixed on the figures lurking around the edge of the forest.

With a swift stroke, she cut a young tree clean in half.

The lurking figures were left speechless. What on earth was happening today? Every encounter seemed to bring someone fiercer. Were children this brutal now? The group from the 18th floor were not to be messed with, that was for sure!

What a shame about the plump dog. If they could just have a bite, it would be worth dying for.