18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Luna was all over Cooper, tailing him around every day. Cooper was utterly annoyed by her constant presence. Stella chuckled heartily, "Oh boy, Cooper sure is a heartthrob."

If it was any other dog, it could have been tolerable. But Luna was a poodle, naturally energetic and vivacious. Stella suggested to Jasper, "What if we play matchmaker for Cooper and Luna?"

"Woof!" Cooper instantly turned his back, sulking on the floor.

As Cooper's trainer, Jasper was more sympathetic, "Seems like Luna isn't Cooper's cup of tea."

Stella could tell from Cooper's disgusted face, "Alright, don't be mad. I was just joking."

In this post-apocalyptic world, finding a companion wasn't easy. If Cooper didn't like Luna, so be it.

Jasper suddenly remarked, "Cooper might think he's a human."

Rosie comforted Cooper, "Cooper, you're one of us."

"Woof!"

...

The massive earthquake caused significant geographical changes, making it extremely difficult to find water sources.

The well-digger's face was sunburnt, "Let's give it a try. The earthquake has changed the course of underground water. I can't guarantee there'll be a water source."

The team selected some sturdy looking refugees to dig a well, offering them an extra serving of food and half a bowl of water each day.

If it were before the disaster, no one would spare a second glance at this amount of food. But in this post-apocalyptic world, countless people were fighting for this job. They would have fought for it physically if it weren't for the armed soldiers around. Finally, the sergeant selected the workers personally.

Even Eastwood Eden was running out of water, but to maintain a good relationship with their neighbors, Mark would squeeze out half a barrel of water every day for the soldiers and the workers digging the well.

The residents were also short of water, but they didn't want a repeat of that night's incident, so they tightened their belts and conserved water.

The sergeant thanked them, but they still strictly followed their standards. After distributing water to the workers, the rest was poured into the water tower for the refugees in the camp.

The intense heat continued, and the deep wells dug by Griffith were almost all destroyed in the earthquake, unable to meet the survivors' needs.

The camp was relatively better, at least they could see water every day. Meanwhile, people outside the camp were dying of thirst one after another. Suddenly, water became more scarce than food.

Busy with disaster relief, Griffith's city council didn't have time to rest. They convened a meeting with relevant departments to solve the water source issue. Finally, they decided to form a water transport team to cross Swan Hill and fetch water from the military base in Lincoln.

The military base was built along Pearl Lake, not far from the Long River. It was the city with the richest water resources in the province. Although Long River had dried up, Pearl Lake Reservoir still had water.

So, dozens of water tankers set off to fetch water from the ruins, traveling over 300 kilometers.

It was a three-hour drive before the disaster, but now they had to clear roadblocks and take detours, facing unknown risks. It would take at least three days to reach the military base.

Not only Griffith, surrounding cities also sent distress signals to Lincoln.

The military base had been expanding and maintaining the reservoir since they received the warning of extreme heat and drought.

Thanks to being a city with abundant water resources, they could find water gushing out just twenty or thirty meters below the surface, which somewhat relieved the surrounding cities' urgent needs.

On the fourth day, when the refugees in the camp couldn't even squeeze out urine to quench their thirst, the water truck returned. A 20-ton water tank truck drove into the camp.

Stella stood on the balcony, watching the soldiers calling the refugees to line up for water. She couldn't help but feel emotional, "I wonder how Lukas and the others are doing?"

Lincoln also suffered from the strong earthquake. Luckily, Pearl Lake Reservoir wasn't severely damaged, showing the robustness of the geological strata. Otherwise, the military wouldn't have chosen to build the base here.

Jasper stood next to her, "Times have changed. They not only have good skills but also experience surviving in the post-apocalyptic world. They'll strive to live no matter where they are."

Yes, the instinct to survive was inherent in everyone. They would make the best out of their lives.

After the roads were cleared, the water truck made a round trip every two days. Despite the distance being only 300 kilometers, it required a huge cost. However, the government's principle was always to prioritize human life. The amount of water distributed to the refugees wasn't much, but it was enough to sustain life.

The food they received was also scarce, but there was nothing to complain about. The food was urgently grown and preserved by the government and survivors racing against time.

Life continued, and every day was a struggle. In their dreams, there were lavish banquets with beef and turkey. When they woke up, they were faced with empty walls and a growling stomach. At least they had their dreams to comfort them, fantasizing about the day when the disaster would end. Even if it was self-deception, there was still a spark of hope that hadn't been extinguished in their hearts.

During the sunset, Rosie was watering the sweet potatoes under the sunshade. The kid was very smart. Even though they weren't short of water, other people were. So, she couldn't waste water and carefully watered the roots of the plants.

Just as Stella was pondering what to have for dinner, she suddenly heard Rosie's scream, "Ah..."

She thought that Rosie had fellen, and rushed out. Just as she reached the balcony, her arm suddenly felt a scorching sensation, and then her face.

Boiling raindrops were falling from the sky! Oh crap, it was boiling rain again.

She quickly pulled Rosie into the room, nearly bumping into Jasper. "What happened?"

"It's boiling rain again." It was even hotter than last time.

This time it wasn't just hot. It was scalding.

Rosie's arm was scalded red because of her tender skin.

Jasper rinsed her arm with cold water, and Stella went to find the burn ointment.

"Stella, did you get scalded?"

"I did, but it's okay."

After applying the medicine for Rosie, Jasper insisted on applying it to Stella's arm and face, "Just for precaution."

Stella thought to herself, it would be better to put on a facial mask instead.

The boiling rain came swiftly. In a short time, it turned into a torrential downpour. The bright sunny sky quickly turned dark with gathering clouds.

Without resting, Jasper started to collect water.

The rain was so heavy that Mark's loudspeaker was useless, so he had to use a walkie-talkie to notify everyone individually. When Stella received the call, a deafening thunderclap sounded, and the walkie-talkie emitted a rustling noise. She immediately turned off the walkie-talkie, worried that it might get damaged if struck by lightning.

Even Cooper was scared by the thunderstorm.

One moment it was bright and sunny, the next moment it was filled with dancing lightning.

Sure enough, the sunlight disappeared at a visible speed, and blue lightning continuously flickered within the thick, dark clouds. Subsequently, it produced thunderous roars, tearing through the dense cloud layers and striking heavily. Faced with the chaotic dance of lightning, Stella dared not let Jasper continue fetching water. In case lightning struck the terrace, rainwater, being conductive, could result in a widespread electrocution.

Rosie dried her feet and putting on her flip flops, "Jasper, what's with the sudden darkness?"