18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 111

Jasper gently guided his sister, taking their time to follow behind.

Stella took in the sights as they walked, taking a while to compose herself. She noticed traditional medicine practitioners setting up shop, offering treatments for minor injuries and massages. However, due to the absence of medicinal supplies and the frigid temperatures requiring thick clothing, very few patients came forward. Those who did were there for consultations.

The market was vast, with a wide variety of goods for sale. The most common items being second- hand clothes. There were hundreds of pieces piled up together. They looked dishevelled and unclean, but that didn't stop people from inquiring. It was clear where these clothes came from.

Yes, indeed, they were stripped from the dead. Such practices were highly frowned upon, but the survivors had no other choice. If they didn't take the clothes, they would freeze to death.

Survival was of utmost importance. Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

After browsing for about an hour, apart from Stella, none of them bought anything. Yet, Cody and Lukas were in high spirits. The prices of tea, tobacco, medicine and alcohol had risen, especially the fever-reducing and antibiotic medications. A line of medicines could be exchanged for several pounds of food.

Everyone living on the 18th floor had medicines. As long as they stayed healthy and didn't fall sick, they could exchange for a substantial amount of food in the future. Having medicines in hand gave them a sense of security and confidence about their future.

Stella kept quiet, and Jasper didn't bring it up. The awkward incident with the condom was thus swept under the rug.

Three days later, the residents' committee released a notice informing the survivors to collect the protection grains that were stolen.

According to the criminals' confession, the allocation was based on the area affected. The areas hit harder received more, while those hit less received less. While it was impossible to achieve absolute fairness, they tried their best to ensure fairness for the majority.

Sunrise Sanctuary was one of the worst-hit areas, and each person could collect 2 pounds of grains.

The 18th floor had not been robbed, so when the survivors lined up to collect their grains, Stella chose to stay at home and play dead.

Everyone in the neighborhood knew that the 18th floor had not been robbed, and many were waiting in the shadows. If anyone from the 18th floor dared to come forward to collect the grains, they would secretly report them.

However, to their disappointment, no one from the 18th floor came out. Unexpectedly, they found the 'demons' to be rather conscientious, as they did not compete with them for the grains.

The Moore family did not collect the grains either.

The government had released several thousand job positions, but at the same time, they announced that the relief grains would only be distributed once every half month. The survivors lamented, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Having someone working internally, the news reached them faster than the others. Katie specifically came to knock on the door, "Stella, they are recruiting quite a number of people this time, including those with farming experience. Do you want to consider it?"

Katie was not good at many things, but farming was her forte. She had been a farmer before she married into the Moore family and moved to the city.

She was too old to labor, but she could teach these young ones. Finding a job was the right path.

The Chaos had been resolved, and with the joint efforts of the military and police, the criminal forces had been significantly curbed. The security patrol team of several hundred was fully staffed, carrying out patrols around the clock. The situation was no longer as chaotic as before.

Stella had no plans of going out. She planned to lay low and fatten up the dog.

Jasper had to take care of his sister and also declined her offer.

Cody and Lukas from Unit 1803 decided to stick with Jasper, to learn some life-saving skills. They wanted to rise and become real men.

"Thank you, Katie. We will come to you if we need anything."

Demons did not need to find jobs when you had hoarded so many stuff.

As long as they started to work and blended in, those with ill intents would come to challenge them, which would be more harm than good.

Besides, earning food was not easy. They had to risk their lives at work, and on the day of distributing grains, robbers would be waiting at the workplace entrance.

Stella had risked her life at work in her past life; she almost did not manage to bring back the grains and was nearly killed.

It’s not that the robbers were kind and spared her life. She knew some martial arts and managed to defend herself. But she was not well fed and clothed, and it was hard to fend off multiple attackers.

It was already fortunate that she managed to keep her life.

In conclusion, the people living on the 18th floor continued to lay low.

Back in her room, Stella fell into deep thought. Truth be told, the rapid resolution of The Chaos was completely unexpected.

She did not expect that the police station would not only believe the report but also swiftly coordinate with the military to launch a severe crackdown on the crime hotspot.

She had thought that the turmoil would last for several more months. However, it was resolved swiftly, reducing the sacrifices of the military police and saving countless survivors. This made Stella a little touched.

Of course, having witnessed the dark side of human nature in the apocalypse, and ultimately meeting a tragic end, she could not possibly believe and assist the survivors. But it was undeniable that up till the day she died, the government never gave up on the rescue efforts.

It’s selfish, but she would not extend her hand to help individuals even if the grains were to rot in Arcadia,. However, she had received help and rescue from the government, and as long as her safety was assured, she did not mind extending a helping hand occasionally.

After much thought, Stella picked up her pen to write a letter.

She only survived for three years. There were half a month of typhoon, three months of flood, a year of extreme cold, followed by extreme heat, then an earthquake, and then she died.

The extreme cold was bearable, as long as they were well-fed and wrapped in blankets. But the initial extreme heat was the most unbearable. The coastal area in the south was like a sauna. People felt as if they were being boiled, and the humid heat brought about various diseases.

When the ice melted, floods reappeared for a few months. When the floods ceased, the frozen corpses began to rot and decompose, along with the various wastes from the survivors.

The extreme cold had frozen the smell and bacteria, but the extreme heat was simply hell. The harsh environment bred bacteria and viruses, which not only could cause an epidemic but also breed mosquitoes, rats, and other pests, further harming the survivors.

Thinking of the thick southern cockroaches running all over the place, Stella almost threw up the food she had eaten the night before, not to mention the mutated rats with sharp teeth that could bite through glass.

The government's relentless efforts in disaster relief were not false, but they had no idea what was going to happen next and could only run around tirelessly, often with little effect.

They had just developed frost-resistant potatoes and distributed them to the survivors for planting when the extreme heat arrived.

Day and night, they researched for mosquito-killing drugs, but hordes of southern cockroaches followed.

Many researchers fell at their work posts and never woke up.

After much consideration, Stella wrote about the disasters she had experienced. Whether the city council believed it or not, she had no control over.

If they believed it and prepared in advance, perhaps they could save more time and allow more survivors to live.

If they didn't believe it, it was also understandable.