18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 133

In the darkness, Jasper gently embraced her, "How do you feel about me, Stella?"

Stella's mind was buzzing, her body slightly stiff, but she didn't push him away. After a while, she responded, "It's... it's okay."

"Stella, this is the first time I've ever liked someone, and it is also the first time I've ever treated someone well. If there's anything I'm not doing right, don't hesitate to tell me. Don't keep it to yourself."

"I..." Stella thought for a moment, then said with some hesitation, "I was pretty silly before. I had a little crush on Hector, even gave him gifts. Does that bother you?"

Jasper held her tighter, "Did you like him?"

Stella paused, thought for a while before answering, "I did at that time. It felt like I was under a spell. But now that I think about it, it wasn't really like. More like chasing the light."

People tended to want what they didn't have. Stella had her own flaws. She was prone to obsession and negativity.

Hector was like a ray of light, shining into Stella's imprisoned heart. Having seen light in the darkness, one would instinctively chase it. Little did they know that it was not light, but a mirage.

Hector and Jasper gave off completely different vibes.

Stella could feel Jasper's steady presence. Standing next to him gave her a sense of security, as if she didn't have to worry about too much.

Jasper knew she still had reservations, so he refrained from being overly affectionate. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, then opened the door. The light streamed in, illuminating her delicate features, like a red rose blooming in the snow.

Back home, Stella changed her clothes and crawled into bed, her hand resting lightly on her forehead where he had kissed her. Her heart skipped a beat.

......

The potatoes hadn't been harvested yet when Katie showed up carrying a large bag.

"Stella, this is a growth accelerator that Mikey brought back. He said that if you mix it into the soil, it can speed up the growth of the potatoes, and you should be able to harvest them in about two months."

Mikey had brought back a bucket of the stuff. Katie generously poured half of it into a tub, "The community will distribute it in a few days, but with the amount you guys planted, it won't be enough."

A growth accelerator?

In her past life, there was no such thing. Her potatoes had started to wilt under the sudden intense heat, and the harvested potatoes were no bigger than a fingernail, not even enough to fill a gap in her teeth.

Who would have thought that this time there would be a growth accelerator? It seemed that the higher-ups really believed that the intense heat would come, and they wanted the researchers to find a solution, to allow the people to harvest a crop of potatoes before the heat arrived, otherwise, who knows how many people would starve.

Stella had planned to rest after this harvest, but now it seemed she could plant another crop. Who would complain about having too much food?

Even with the growth accelerator, time was still an issue.

Stella dug up a pot of potatoes, and they were already quite mature.

The fertile black soil, combined with Jasper's abundant light supplementation, had made them mature quickly. But if they had more time to grow, the starch content would probably be higher.

Jasper commented, "The starch isn't important. What matters is that we have enough to eat."

So they started pulling up the crops and planting at the same time, mixing the freeze-resistant and growth accelerator together, and planting the last batch of cold-resistant potatoes.

When the time came, they would supplement the light as much as possible, and harvest before the intense heat arrived.

The second batch of potatoes yielded over 1500 pounds. Stella only used 1000 pounds for trading, the rest were all stored in Arcadia, just in case.

Cold-resistant potatoes were in high demand. She traded them for 20 high-grade gas masks and 10 oxygen tanks.

She and Jasper both had diving suits, which would come in handy in case they had to escape or work underwater.

......