18 Floors Above the Apocalypse
Chapter 97

Gripes aside, life must go on.

Jasper laid out various attack strategies, simultaneously providing impeccable countermeasures. Stella sighed again, realizing that survival in this post-apocalyptic world was no easy feat.

In the evening, Katie hollered from downstairs, announcing that the relief food, originally scheduled for the day after tomorrow, would be distributed tomorrow. Angela and the others were puzzled. What's with sudden change of plans?

Stella instinctively glanced at Jasper, just as he looked her way.

Their eyes met briefly, then quickly looked away.

"Angela, I'm planning to fetch the relief food in the morning, then take Cooper out for a walk in the afternoon," Stella said.

Without giving it much thought, Angela agreed, "Sure, we'll go after you guys get back."

That night, sleep was elusive.

Stella was contemplative, thinking that with Arcadia, she could live a better life. But even this kind of 'better' came with a price. She hoped for a successful day tomorrow.

The relief food was to be distributed at nine in the morning. Stella and Jasper agreed to leave at seven over the walkie-talkie.

They set out early, only to replace Angela cycling in the hallway.

Rosie was nowhere in sight, and she casually asked, "Isn't Rosie coming?"

Jasper nodded, "Rosie's still asleep."

It was still early for the relief food distribution, and they had left without Rosie. Angela smirked, realizing their denial was just a façade.

Of course, Angela wouldn't call them out on it. She'd just wait and see.

After leaving Sunrise Sanctuary, the two of them didn't queue for food but headed towards Unity Village.

Upon reaching the intersection, Jasper suddenly paused.

Confused, Stella asked, "What's wrong?"

Jasper swiftly put his arm around her waist.

Stella felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. If she didn't know him better, she might have drawn her weapon.

"There's surveillance. Don't look around." Jasper whispered as he held her close, navigating through the icy chill.

"We're being watched?"

"Unity Village is."

Surprised flashed in Stella's eyes. Could it be that the police had taken her letter seriously?

She hated it when people only spoke halfway, but if Unity Village was indeed under surveillance, there might be lip-readers around.

To avoid suspicion, Stella decisively kept her mouth shut. She even overcame her discomfort and moved closer to Jasper, making them look more like a close couple.

Jasper held her close as they circled around Unity Village before finally ducking into a side street to escape.

"I'm sorry," he said, letting go of her.

"Is Unity Village being watched?"

"I'm not sure, but my gut tells me it is. All four exits are being monitored."

As a former special forces operative, Jasper's instincts were sharper than most.

Stella had also been alert, and although she wasn't as sharp as Jasper, she could faintly sense something was off.

She had a sudden thought, "Could the early distribution of the relief food have something to do with Unity Village?" "Possibly."

Jasper had observed that Unity Village was not only a gathering place for The Chaos gang but also home to many survivors.

For example, many had come out to collect the relief food.

These survivors were either voluntarily seeking refuge or forced to stay.

The early distribution of relief food was likely to draw these survivors out of Unity Village, preventing them from becoming hostages of the gang. Regardless, Stella felt a sense of relief. As long as they could wipe out the gang, this area should remain peaceful for quite some time.

They returned to the community center where a long line of survivors had already formed.

Stella asked in a hushed tone, "With the relief food being distributed today, will the gang's minions come to collect their 'protection fee'?" Jasper nodded, "Yes."

This would significantly reduce the firepower at Unity Village.

It seemed that their strategy was a masterstroke.

After waiting for two hours, it was finally their turn.

Having collected their relief food, they headed back to Sunrise Sanctuary.

Halfway there, Jasper instantly became alert.

He grabbed Stella's arm and quickly steered her in another direction.

"It's them! I'd recognize them anywhere!" a woman's shrill voice echoed from a distance.

It sounded familiar, like she'd heard it somewhere before.

"Bang, bang, bang."

Bullets whizzed past.

Jasper pulled Stella along as they sprinted towards an office building, a dozen men in pursuit, guns blazing.

Bullets grazed them as they dashed into the building.

Without hesitation, they ran up the stairs.

Stella, who had come fully prepared, pulled out a gun from Arcadia by pretending to get something from her pocket.

They kept running up, looking for a place to take cover.

"They're upstairs," someone shouted. "Gregory orders us to bring him their heads as a gift."

Using the stairs for cover, Jasper shot two bullets from above, scoring fatal headshots.

Despite their superior firepower, they couldn't match Jasper's precision.

After a round of gunfire, Jasper had killed five men and Stella had injured two.

As they retreated, Stella ran into a sturdy-looking office.

It was the CEO's office.

They locked the main door and ran into the CEO's private room, locking that door too.

Stella wiped the sweat off her forehead. It was her first gunfight and, during the heat of the moment, she had forgotten to be scared.

She wondered how Angela and the others were doing. If the 18th floor was under attack, Cooper and Rosie were likely in danger too.

She felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

As she wiped her sweat, she noticed Jasper's pained expression. "Are you hurt?" she asked.

"I'm fine. I'm wearing a bulletproof vest."

Bullets were scarce; every shot had to count.

Although the bullet didn't hit a vital spot, the force of the high-speed bullet hitting the steel plate had caused a shock injury. It would take some time for him to recover. "Where are you hurt?"

It's his shoulder, the same arm he used to shoot.

Stella's mind went blank. He had pushed her earlier. Could that be when he got hurt?

Before she could think further, they heard loud banging on the door.

Ignoring the noise, Jasper smashed the glass window of the CEO's private room, pulled out an escape rope, and tied it to a fixture. "Stella, climb down this and head straight back to Sunrise Sanctuary." "What about you?"

"I'm clad in a bulletproof vest, plus I've got ammo. Should be enough for them."

No, his ammo was not enough.

"Go!"

At the crucial moment, Jasper hardened his expression, "I'll hold them off. You go back to the 18th floor to save Rosie and the others."

"How can you handle so many of them alone?"

"They came prepared. If we both stay, we're certain to die."

Just as he was speaking, the people outside had already stormed in, firing at the door of the lounge.

"You go first. I can escape easier on my own."

Ah, so he thought she was a burden, huh!

Stella felt uneasy, but it's true that he was more physically adept than she was.

She didn't fuss, handing over a few bullets, "Jasper, you better make it back alive. I'm not going to be looking after Rosie for you.

You have to take care of her yourself. Don't ever count on anyone else."