18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 117

It seemed like this deal was really lucrative. The boss gave him some credit again yesterday, and with the goods delivered, he had managed to break into the affluent circles.

It was surprising that even the extravagant and spendthrift rich kids may worry about not having condoms. It was simply too satisfying.

"A whole cow?" Stella was instantly intrigued but kept her cool, "Sure, but it has to be done in batches."

"No problem."

For several consecutive days, they finally completed the trade of the entire cow.

Just as they were about to leave, Monkey dropped another bombshell, "We've also got mutton, interested?"

Stella couldn't resist, "How much?"

"A total of 330 pounds."

After these two large transactions, she was left with just over a thousand large condoms. She didn't plan to sell any more; they'd appreciate faster in a couple of years.

Having taken the mutton, Stella reminded him, "I don't want anyone else to know about our deals."

Monkey understood immediately, "Rest assured, Miss. We're professionals. We only care about genuine goods and fair prices. We never pry into others' private deals."

In fact, he was also dealing privately. Otherwise, how would he support his wife and children? They would have been starved long ago.

The quantity of mutton was a bit less, but there was enough pork, beef, and fish. Along with the meat she'd hoarded and collected before, it was basically enough for her and her dog to live comfortably until the ends of their lives.

Once again, she thanked Mother Nature for her gifts.

Stella stayed at home with the dog and Rosie, while Jasper went out. She refrained from using the electric heater with Rosie around, instead using charcoal for heating and preparing mashed potatoes with minced meat, which Cooper and Rosie happily devoured.

Angela and her group spent five days at Ivywood Estates, using all their strength to haul back several hundred pounds of charcoal. Covered in black from head to toe, they looked like they'd just crawled out of a coal mine. They were all looking rather worn out.

Stella and Jasper helped move the charcoal, while the competitive Cooper grabbed the mouth of the sack with his teeth and kept pulling it upstairs.

Survival certainly wasn't easy. There were many who went to Ivywood Estates to chop wood. The three of them took turns guarding their territory, day and night without rest, and they were still targeted by others. If they hadn't been strong enough, wearing 'bulletproof vests' made of steel plates, they might have been ambushed. Finally, they had to pull out their guns to successfully scare off those with ill intentions.

The three collapsed on the couch, too tired to even speak.

Stella started the stove to keep them warm and made a super-sized portion of pasta with meat sauce. Only after eating did they feel somewhat revived.

They boiled water on the charcoal stove, and they all bathed from head to toe before diving into bed for a long sleep. It wasn't until the afternoon of the next day that they fully recovered.

Stella and Jasper hadn't contributed to the labor, but they'd guarded the house, for which Angela each gave them 110 pounds of charcoal.

Both of them didn't want to take advantage of this, and they stood firm in refusing. The Moore family also didn't want it, but Angela insisted. "Granny, if it weren't for you telling us how to make charcoal, we wouldn't have been able to bring it back."

Unable to refuse Angela's earnestness, Katie accepted it.

Stella brought out the goodies she'd traded for the Christmas celebration, "These were exchanged with gold necklaces, rings, and watches, along with a pack of cigarettes."

In these times, although there were people who accepted gold and jewelry, they were far less valuable than before. To be able to exchange them for so many goods was quite a pleasant surprise.

Cody was amazed, "It's incredible that there are still potatoes and tomatoes in this kind of weather, and the beef is fresh, too."

"Just look at your astonished face." Stella shot him a look, successfully nipping his unnecessary thoughts in the bud, "We ordinary folk might be helpless, but do you really think those rich and powerful individuals are helpless too? They reaped the benefits of our overworking before the apocalypse, and now they continue to exploit resources."

"That's true." Cody agreed, "Such a huge disaster, those people probably got the news early. Even if they didn't, they're the ones who are protected and would have planned everything from the beginning of the disaster."

These words were not false; there were indeed some who had planned for the apocalypse.

They used their wealth to exchange for power, setting up rescue bases at the beginning of the disaster. Survivors who wanted to enter had to give up their resources.

At first, it was manageable, but soon it became chaotic, with all sorts of power struggles and scheming.

Even the bases were fighting each other, playing the game of survival of the fittest. In the end, it was the survivors who suffered.

In the beginning, Stella wanted to get in, but she couldn't afford the entry fee. Later it became more difficult, the entry fee was no longer demanded, but they recruited people to play a dangerous game at the risk of life.

Stella didn't want to lose her life, so she had to continue wandering outside. Therefore, she was truly not interested in private bases. Compared to private bases, the official bases were much better, with the best being the military bases.

If the living conditions continued to deteriorate, the military bases would be the last resort, but not everyone had the privilege to enter.

Let's just wait and see. The opening of the military bases was still a long way off.

...

Christmas Eve arrived, and the 18th floor was decorated with wreaths. Not only was every household door adorned, but also the staircase leading up to the 18th floor.

The Moore family was on holiday and were also putting up the wreath Stella had given them, exchanging greetings in passing.

After a quick lunch and just as they were preparing for the Christmas Eve dinner, Katie and Mikey came to pay an early visit.

Mikey was carrying something, saying it was a token of thanks for their care for Katie and Amber in recent times. "These are benefits provided by the company; you can plant them in pots."

Benefits that could be planted?

Everyone was curious. When they opened it, they found it to be potatoes the size of eggs. They hadn't been frozen, and the skin looked particularly thick.

Mikey explained, "These are cold-resistant potatoes recently developed by the Agricultural Science Institute. If you mix the antidote with the soil and plant them in pots, they won't freeze."

These were fresh from the lab. The high-rise greenhouses had planted them, but they weren't sure if they'd succeed when distributed to survivors, so they hadn't announced it publicly. It was only distributed as an internal benefit for the employees.

The quantity was limited, with only 2 pounds per person. The Moore family had three people in the system, so they gave 2 pounds to the people living on the 18th floor.

Surviving in the extreme cold without sunlight, the potatoes would need additional light to grow well, which meant the people living on the 18th floor would have to work harder at pedaling the bicycle for electricity.

"Can they really grow?" Cody and the others were excited. Did this mean they had another path to survival?

Mikey nodded, "They can grow, but how well they grow and how much can be harvested depends entirely on the planting conditions. Without light, they're sure to grow poorly."

The potatoes would be ready to harvest in three months. They were not only cold-resistant but also high-yielding. If planted well, one plant could produce about 9-11 pounds of potatoes.

As he spoke, Mikey also told the people living on the 18th floor how to plant them, "First, mix the antifreeze with the soil, then cut the potato sprouts and soak them in a medicine solution for three hours."

In the midst of their joy, Stella suddenly asked, "The potatoes take three months to harvest. What if the extreme cold ends halfway through and another disaster comes?"

In her last life, Stella was one of the last to receive the cold-resistant potatoes. Before they could mature, a heatwave arrived, and the tender potato shoots couldn't withstand the high temperature and withered.

Mikey pondered for a moment before responding. "You might be right. With the weather station destroyed, no one knows what the climate will be like in the future. But given the extreme weather we've been experiencing recently, meteorologists are predicting a global catastrophe. This kind of disaster is unprecedented and is related to mankind's reckless environmental destruction over the past century. No one can predict what we're going to face, but it's likely that the calamity won't end anytime soon."

Angela gasped, "Not ending soon? How long are we talking about?"Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.