18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

With a crew of buddies, they had arrived in high spirits, but now more than half of them were gone, while not a single one of the 18th floor gang had been taken out. Did those people have some kind of superhuman powers?

Gregory was expecting him to bring back the heads of the 18th floor gang as a birthday present!

"Go find some wooden stakes. We're breaking this door down whether it likes it or not."

Two goons quickly acknowledged and hurriedly ran downstairs.

Jasper exchanged a glance with Stella. Three, two, one!

Stella got the signal.

So, when the two henchmen rushed down from the 14th floor, Jasper and Stella suddenly burst out from the corridor.

Jasper took the tall one, and Stella handled the shorter one.

They had never been in a real fight before, but they had practiced on Jasper's neck countless times, and Stella had an unrivalled understanding of human anatomy. Their first move was swift and clean.

In a flash, two necks were twisted.

After dragging them into the corridor, they swiftly looted the weapons and ammunition from their bodies, even taking their passes.

Five men were still upstairs. Jasper loaded his magazine, signaling that he'd be leading the charge while Stella would cover him.

Leading the charge was about taking the initiative, while covering was about ensuring the safety of the team, only acting when danger arose to avoid disrupting the rhythm of the charge. Stella gave an "OK" gesture.

Thus, they quietly moved upwards.

The man in charge was annoyed, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket. Another sidekick promptly lit it with a match.

One was standing at the stairs, while the other two were trying to break down the door of the 16th floor, planning to use the furniture inside to smash the electrified stainless steel door. No sane survivor would open the door for them.

Perhaps feeling overconfident with their guns, the underling at the stairs was relaxed and careless.

By the time he realized something was off, his forehead had already bloomed a flower of blood.

The remaining four quickly moved to defend, but compared to Jasper, who had professional training and years of field experience, they were nothing.

Before they even had a chance to pull the triggers, they were dispatched by four precise bullets.

Stella, who was providing cover, was speechless.

The sound of gunfire echoed in the building, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Worried about friendly fire, Stella quickly called out, "Angela?"

"Stella?"

Angela was shocked, "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine. We've dealt with everyone."

Angela and Lukas came downstairs with their guns, seeing Stella and Jasper at the stair entrance, and they quickly turned off the electric door switch, "What happened?" This wasn't a good place to talk, so Stella just took their weapons and bullets, along with their cigarettes and watches.

Once the danger was gone, Cody came down from the rooftop. Having taken out one of the enemies, he had a spring in his step, "Stella, did you see my amazing shooting skills?" Stella didn't have the energy to deal with him; she had more important things to discuss.

"This time they sent over a dozen men, just shooting without a care. Next time it won't be so simple."

If this group of people wanted to establish dominance, they must use the people from the 18th floor as an example to intimidate others.

Jasper was serious, "Today was indeed the best opportunity."

Angela was worried, "But we only have five people. They have at least several hundred."

A head-on fight would be suicide. Stella suggested, "We can't fight head-on. We have to be smart."

Jasper had a surprising suggestion, "We have to catch their leader. If we kill the leader of The Chaos, the rest will fight for power and no one will care about us."

The two of them had the same idea, and in their mutual gaze, they made a decision.

Angela was also annoyed by the constant assult, "Fine, let's leave it to fate. Just charge in and get it done."

"They've been out for a while and haven't returned, and it is hard to say if there will be another wave. You guys should stay and guard the 18th floor, I'll take Jasper and sneak in to have a look, to see if there's a chance to strike." Angela was worried, "No, it's too dangerous with just the two of you."

Jasper spoke up, "The more people we have, the easier it is to get caught."

Stella agreed, they didn't have bulletproof vests in 1803. Angela was a strong fighter, but shooting wasn't her strong suit. Cody and Lukas weren't in the best shape, and if they were captured, it would be even more troublesome. If it was just her and Jasper, even if they were outnumbered, they could still retreat into Arcadia.

Too many people would make it messy. The secret had already been exposed once, and if it was exposed again, it would really be a problem.

She didn't want to point a weapon at her friends unless she had to.

Cody knew he was being dismissed, so he took out his gun, "I won't hold you back, but you should take this with you."

What Stella needed the least right now was that, she had just thrown all the ones she picked up into Arcadia.

"No need, I just took some from them. You guys keep it for self-defense."

It was important to act quickly.

Regardless of whether they could succeed, they had to take this gamble.

Angela suddenly hugged Stella, "Stella, you must come back safe and sound."

Cody and Lukas also embraced her, "You must be careful and don't get hurt." "I'll try my best."

Stella didn't like the solemn atmosphere; it felt as if she was going to her death.

However, it was indeed a situation where life and death were uncertain.

As they were leaving the building, Stella handed two guns to Jasper, not forgetting to grab some ammunition.

Illegally made, they weren't very comfortable to use, but it was better than nothing.

Jasper took them and gave her two smoke grenades in return.

The outer casing was made from a soda can. They were clearly homemade. He really did know how to do everything.

Stella couldn't help but sigh; surviving in the apocalypse was really not easy.

Leaving the building, they headed towards Unity Village.

No one wanted to die, Stella hoped that their scouting mission in the morning was accurate, and that they could hitch a ride and benefit from others' efforts.

However, expectations were always high, while reality was harsh.

Unity Village was peaceful.

She looked at Jasper, her eyes filled with confusion.

If they didn't enter when the enemy was at its most relaxed, it would be difficult to find another opportunity.

On the way there, Stella had heard some survivors complaining that the food delivery truck had broken down on the road, causing them to line up early without receiving their rations.

Relief food was divided by region, and the area they were talking about just happened to be the neighborhood committee where the Unity Village community was located.

Using this trick to delay time was feasible, but delaying for too long would raise suspicions.

Had something gone wrong?

Jasper frowne. He could sense that people were still watching, but he wasn't sure why they hadn't acted yet.

Stella asked, "Do we still go in?"

"Let's go in first, and we'll play it by ear when the time comes."

So, the two of them headed towards the west gate.

Stella was a little worried, "You're too tall. Won't you stand out?"

"No, there are people inside who are taller than me."

He had observed for several days, and the west gate had the most traffic, with no shortage of tall figures.

The gatekeeper was a bit of a lush, fond of sneaking a swig or two of whiskey during his midday break. He was generally laid-back and a touch lackadaisical.

Having just weathered a tough ordeal, the pair remained undaunted. With composed expressions, they approached the gate and presented a round trinket as a token.

In the bitter cold, everyone was bundled up in heavy coats, scarves, and hats, with only their eyes visible. Everything else was obscured from view.

The gatekeeper nodded, waiting for the pair to utter the secret passphrase.