18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 92

Stella motioned for Katie to go back and secure the door, and then turned to Korey and said, "Let's go."

As they approached the stairway door, Stella reached to open it, but Jasper suddenly pulled her back, taking the lead and descending the stairs first. Suddenly demoted to a secondary role, Stella gave a resigned sigh.

Well, the SWAT officer was indeed experienced in combat, and leading the charge to distract the enemy was a smart move. However, the situation was now chaotic. No one wanted to take the lead, especially when the enemies had real weapons. The extent of their arsenal was yet unknown.

Faced with a life-or-death situation, Stella decided to take a backseat.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

They had only made it a few steps down when a deafening noise exploded around them. The attackers didn't intent to fairly fight, and they had an ample supply of ammunition. They opened fire without hesitation, aiming to wipe out everyone on the 18th floor. Jasper positioned himself carefully. Due to the angle and perspective difference when shooting from the 16th floor upwards, the bullets either hit the railings or came into the wall, but none hit Jasper's foot.

That was right. He only exposed his foot.

As the gunfire erupted, Katie screamed, "Watch out!"

"Bang!"

A gunshot echoed from the 17th floor.

Jasper was indeed an expert. The recoil of her shotgun was considerable, causing Stella's arm to go numb, but she managed to land a shot.

As they descended, she discreetly unsheathed her samurai sword. The reflection in the polished blade revealed Korey suddenly rising to stab her in the back. She didn't look back. Instead, she used her right hand to shoot around her left underarm. She didn't hit his heart, but she did hit his belly.

Korey screamed in agony, clutching his belly as he stumbled backward. Katie, who had rushed over, smacked him over the head with her cane. Blood gushed out, and he staggered a few steps before collapsing on the ground.

Meanwhile, Jasper had quickly made his way to the second door, while the people on the 16th floor had just managed to pry open the first door, aiming their guns up the stairs.

Suddenly, a fist-sized object was thrown down, and a dense fog began to billow out.

"Ah, a grenade!"

Someone yelled, and everyone turned to retreat.

The smoke was pungent, causing people to choke and their eyes to water, blurring their vision.

Jasper seized the opportunity to open fire. After several gunshots and accompanying screams, silence fell again. Stella, still on the stairs, wondered if it was her turn to go down now. It seemed there was no opportunity to take action. "Ah..."

Suddenly, screams erupted from downstairs, followed by the sounds of a fierce fight.

"Stella, are you okay?" Angela's worried voice rang out.

"I'm fine. What about you?"

Cody, panting heavily, replied, "We've taken care of them all!"

The three of them had left early in the morning with a sled, hoping to finish their task and return as soon as possible. However, upon reaching the bottom of the building, they heard gunshots. So, they dropped their firewood and ran upstairs. A few of the attackers were dead, and the surviving ones were wary of the people upstairs, looking for opportunities to rush up again. It was a fight to the death. They hadn't expected to be ambushed from behind! Angela was strong and ruthless with her blows.

Caught between the two groups, the attackers were helpless. They couldn't defend themselves against both sides, with no way to escape death.

Jasper had thrown a smoke grenade, and the pungent smell was unbearable. The three of them, holding their noses, searched the bodies. In addition to weapons like knives and steel pipes, they also found three guns. The guns were crudely made, clearly produced in a black market workshop. Anyway, they now had weapons that could kill and protect lives.

Cody and Lukas worked together to search the bodies. They found 26 bullets. Plus the ones in the magazines, it was a total of 34. They also found two large gold chains, three gold rings, two packs of cigarettes, a watch and a lighter. Finally, the 18th floor had some serious firepower. If anyone dared to rush upstairs again, they would threaten to blow their brains out!

"We need to be tough!"

"We need to rise up!"

With weapons in hand, they felt invincible! Lukas and Cory's spirits were high, and their confidence boosted. From now on, they would be fearless, ready to kill any strong enemy that blocked their way!

Unfortunately, no one cared about their enthusiasm. Angela, holding her nose, rushed upstairs. Seeing Korey bleeding profusely on the ground, she asked in astonishment, "What happened?"

Stella unsheathed her sword. "He was bribed by the gang, and tried to backstab us."

"Don't, don't kill me." Korey's face was ashen, and he begged pitifully, "I didn't want this, but they kidnapped my son and threatened me. If I didn't cooperate, my son wouldn't have a chance to come back."

Stella didn't want to argue with him. "Whether it's right or wrong, you know it in your heart. Since you've done it, you have to face the consequences."

During the crisis, he was always a coward, expecting the 18th floor to protect him. But when at the crucial moment, he turned against them. If Stella hadn't been vigilant and suspicious, she might have already been killed by him. Korey was not the only one in room 1703. Angela went over and kicked the door, shouting, "You people inside, if you don't come out, I'll kill him!"

The weak Lukas stepped forward, stomping on Korey's bleeding wound. Did they think the people from 18th floor were all-forgiving saints?

Korey wailed in pain.

The frail Cody wasn't satisfied with Lukas' stomp, so he added one of his own. Did he really think he could bully the residents of the 18th floor? He had the audacity to backstab them. Who did he think he was?

Amid the resounding kicks and knocks on the door, the door of room 1703 was finally opened. A woman, with her eyes red and her face in a mix of panic and fury, emerged. She ran into the hallway, holding the injured Korey and crying, "Baby, how are you?" Korey was incredibly weak. "I'm sorry. I failed to save our son."

Their son, Jacky, had been kidnapped by the gang.

Korey's wife glared at Stella and the others with hatred. "You heartless monsters! Why did you have to kill my husband?"

Why? Everyone was stunned by her words.

"Your husband tried to kill us when we were vulnerable, and you're blaming us for defending ourselves?"

"If it weren't for you, my son wouldn't be kidnapped. It's all your fault! Now you're trying to kill my husband. You're the real heartless murderers!"

"Your husband tried to kill me because your son was kidnapped?" Stella found it amusing. "Since your husband dared to try to kill me, why shouldn't I fight back?"

Lukas was angry. "You couldn't protect your son. Why blame us?"

"Before we installed the steel door, we warned you to think carefully about the potential dangers of living too close to the 18th floor. What did you say at that time? And what are you doing now?" Cody and the others were furious. "When danger strikes, we're the ones risking our lives, while you hide away and do nothing. Now, even when your son is kidnapped, you blame us. Why don't you blame your own incompetence?"

"You didn't have the guts to fight them, but you had the audacity to backstab us. Do you really think we are easy targets?"

Korey's wife was in a state of hysteria. "It's all of you! Without you, we wouldn't be in this mess!"