18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 21

Stella peered at the floating object, drawing closer, not realizing it was a corpse, until she poked it with her oar.

Initially, the sight was shocking and stomach-churning, but after seeing a few more, she grew accustomed to it. Floating bodies had been a common sight in her neighborhood ever since she had set out.

With her eyes on the clock, she noted that a minute had passed since she had released the rope into the water, and there was still no movement.

Two minutes…

Three minutes…

Four minutes…

Anxiety began to gnaw at her. Stella yanked the rope twice, but there was still no response. Even the most skilled swimmers could only last a minute or so underwater. Even though Jasper was known for his diving prowess, four minutes seemed overly long. She had a bad feeling about this. Just as she was about to pull on the rope again, the water surface broke with a loud splash. Jasper emerged. "I checked several stores. All their doors have been pried open, and they've been cleaned out."

Cleaned out? Who could have done such a thing?

Lukas looked disappointed. "We can't find gas. Even if we had food, we wouldn't be able to cook it."

They had been quick, but not quick enough. They had been beaten to the punch. Stella glanced at Jasper. These fast-food joints had been flooded the day after the hurricane. Even if some of the owners had tried to salvage their stocks, it was unlikely that they would have been able to pry open

all the stores. The floodwaters were too murky and fast-flowing for anyone without a diving mask and strong swimming skills to succeed.

Unless these stores had been looted as soon as the disaster struck.

She had a hunch. "We need to try our luck at the propane station. Hopefully, they haven't cleared everything out."

They had come out here, after all. There was no way they were going back empty-handed. They'd have to try their luck at the propane station.

Stella pulled out her waterproof bag and took out her phone. She showed the offline map to the others. "It's around here. I think there's a huge tree at the entrance."

The place was about four miles from Sunrise Sanctuary. It wasn't too far, but it was in a rather remote area.

After figuring out the location, the trio set off in their inflatable boat towards the propane station. The suburbs were filled with bungalows, all of which were now submerged in water, making the area seem incredibly desolate.

On the way, they encountered firefighters trying to rescue stranded individuals. Upon seeing their boat, the rescuers tried to commandeer it to help transport the stranded people. Jasper ignored them, and the trio continued to navigate through the flooded city.

With the city transformed into a vast ocean, it was difficult to make out directions. Stella used her binoculars and said, "Go straight and turn right. There's something green sticking out of the water. It should be the tree."

They slowed down as they approached the tree, and just as Stella had predicted, it was indeed a giant tree. The once tall tree was now almost entirely submerged, with only its topmost leaves

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They tied their boat to the tree. Stella gave a general direction, and Jasper, with his diving mask on, dived into the water. After about two minutes, Jasper resurfaced. "I found it, but the station has a roll-up door and a sliding metal gate. It won't be easy to pry open."

He signaled to Stella to bring him the crowbar from his bag.

Lukas looked on in silence. Why was it that he was the only one without any professional gear?

Stella had gear in Arcadia, but she couldn’t just fish it out in front of them. When she saw that Jasper had a simple diving mask, rope, and binding rope in his bag, she didn't hesitate to put on the mask, tie the rope around herself, and said, "I'll go down and help. Keep an eye on our surroundings. If anything happens, pull the rope immediately."

Lukas nodded. "Be careful."

The floodwaters were freezing. Stella dived in and swam towards the propane station, guided by the light from her waterproof flashlight. She also took out her steel pliers. From a distance, she saw a faint light and swam towards it.

Jasper was standing in the water, trying to lift the roll-up door, but the water resistance made it incredibly difficult. Stella swam over to help him lift the door. Their eyes met, and they put their strength together to lift the door.

Slowly, the roll-up door lifted, revealing the sliding metal gate behind it. Jasper took the steel pliers from Stella, cut the chain on the gate, and together, they pulled the gate open.

The inside was dark. As they were about to swim in, a dark shadow darted towards Stella. Jasper, with his quick reflexes, pulled her away. The shadow grazed the top of her head, and she quickly swam up. Stella shone her flashlight towards it, and from the shape, it appeared to be a propane

tank. And it wasn’t just one. Many propane tanks floated out from inside the station, all vying to reach the surface.

Stella instinctively wanted to grab one but realized that these were probably empty tanks. Filled tanks wouldn’t float that easily due to their density. She took out her high-beam waterproof flashlight from her pocket and scanned the dark surroundings. She could faintly see several tanks in a corner. She swam over and tried to lift one, but it was too heavy.

Jasper was stronger. He managed to lift a tank and swam out of the building. He then pulled the rope tied around him. Lukas grabbed the rope and pulled it. They quickly surfaced.

Stella climbed onto the raft and helped lift the heavy tank. It was likely left behind because the owner didn't have time to move it.

"You guys stay up here and catch them. I'll go down and bring the rest up." Jasper took a breath and dived back into the water.

The water pressure was intense, and holding her breath made Stella feel uncomfortable. She sat on the boat to catch her breath.

Lukas was on guard, scanning their surroundings with his binoculars. Suddenly, he said anxiously, "Stella, someone's coming."

Stella stood up, and sure enough, an inflatable boat was rapidly approaching in the rain. There were at least four or five men on it.

Lukas pulled the rope urgently, and Stella searched for a weapon for self-defense. Jasper surfaced, dragging a propane tank with him. By the time he climbed onto their boat, the other boat had already drawn near. Six burly men, each wielding a steel pipe, said, "We've claimed this station. If you're smart, you'll hand over everything you've salvaged."

"Bro, we don't have a diving mask."

Another one laughed wildly. "That's simple. They can salvage everything for us."

"Exactly. And leave the raft and your supplies. If you do that, we might consider letting you go."

Each man was tattooed and muscular. It was clear they were gang members. Especially in a society where order had broken down, the world had become a playground for thugs. They didn't consider the trio's feelings at all and treated them as if they were already their servants.

Lukas looked terrified, gripping his crowbar tightly as he stared at them.

Stella reached into her pocket. "Sure, come and get it."

"Wait right there, little girl. We'll be right there." The men laughed lewdly and steered their boat closer, with their eyes on Stella like hungry wolves.

Just as they were about to reach their boat, Stella was about to pull out her weapon. But Jasper was faster. He quickly fired two shots...