18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 108

A shadow rushed over, babbling excitedly, "Max, my Max."

Stella looked up to see a girl in a gray down jacket and a red scarf running towards them. She was dressed warmly, but judging by her movements and demeanor, she was probably about the same age as them. Behind her were a group of men and a few heavily bundled girls.

Stella's heart pounded. This group was heading towards Cooper.

When she saw the girl rushing to embrace Cooper, Angela forcibly pushed her away, shouting, "What are you doing?"

Caught off guard, the girl was pushed to the ground by Angela. Several men immediately surrounded them, menacingly asking, "Why are you hitting her?"

"Hitting her?" Angela was not afraid, "You lay one finger on our dog, I’m gonna beat you up."

"Enough." The girl clumsily got up and explained to Angela, "This is my dog."

"Your dog?" Cody almost laughed, "There's no name on his forehead. How can you prove it?"

The girl didn't bother arguing with him. Instead, she bent over and beckoned to Cooper, her voice incredibly soft, "Max, it's mommy."

Cooper bared his teeth and retreated towards Stella.

"Max, why don't you recognize mommy?" The girl was heartbroken, her voice choking up, "You were just a little puppy when I brought you home. How could you forget me?"

"Back off." Angela was annoyed, "Our dog is named Cooper, not Max. Stop messing around or we won't be polite."

This wasn't the first time someone had tried to claim Cooper.

"This really is my dog. He disappeared while I was taking care of him. I even posted a lost dog notice." The girl insisted, "If you don't believe me, watch. He responds when I call his name."

Angela wasn't blind. She had seen Cooper's strange reaction, but Cooper was a stray. To put it bluntly, he was abandoned by an irresponsible owner. No matter who he belonged to before, now that Stella had taken him in, he was hers. He was an indispensable part of the 18th floor gang.

Both sides claimed Cooper as their own, and the situation quickly escalated.

Upon hearing that someone was trying to take Cooper, Rosie rushed over and held onto Cooper tightly, declaring her ownership, "Cooper is ours!"

Stella didn't rush to speak. Instead, she quietly observed the people in front of her.

Seeing Cooper's reaction, she knew that the girl was his former owner.

Cooper held grudges, but he didn't rush to attack her like he did with Hector, probably out of gratitude for her care. After all, there were feelings involved.

Cooper might be grateful, but did the girl truly miss Cooper? If she couldn't take care of him, she could have given him to a friend. Why did she sell him to a dog meat restaurant?

If it weren't for Cooper's clever escape, he would have ended up as a meal. Huh, now she had the nerve to claim him again?

Stella didn't miss the greed and urgency in the eyes of the people behind the girl - they wanted meat.

The girl in front of her kept calling "Max", but how much affection was there in her eyes? If Cooper went with her, he would end up in a steaming stew of dog meat.

"You say he's yours, so I should believe you?" Stella laughed coldly, "If I say you're an animal, does that make you an animal?"

"You...how could you insult me?" The girl was instantly angered, and shouted at Stella, "I haven't called you a dog thief yet. You stole my dog."