18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 137

Lukas didn't catch the hint in Stella's question, "No, I had a couple of drinks with Cody last night and didn't get much sleep."

"What's up this early in the morning?"

Lukas' smile was more like a grimace, "Stella, we're thinking of quitting our jobs."

As much as they didn't want to, their lives were more important.

Stella was undeniably resourceful. Whether it was storms, floods, or extreme cold, she was always better prepared than them, and even lent a hand when needed.

And then there was Jasper, as stoic as a rock in the face of catastrophe.

The Moore family had their sources within the system, always more informed than the average Joe.

Good advice is a feast.

They had made it through before, and they would do it again. With careful rationing, the food they had would last about four years, so they decided to follow the crowd. However, quitting their jobs would take time, so they had to move fast.

All hands on deck at 1803, helping Jasper haul the horizontal water towers to the rooftop.

Including those they had brought back before, there were now 14 water towers, each capable of storing 2 tons of water. Two of them were for the Moore family, which meant that the 18th floor could store 24 tons of water.

Even with careful rationing, 24 tons of water would only last three to four months at most. What then?

Stella tried to reassure them, "If it gets extremely hot, and even if the city's drainage system collapses, the floodwaters would evaporate in two to three months. The city council will come up with a solution then."

"Stella's right," Cody chimed in, "before we had running water, we used to drink well water."

Angela voiced her concern, "But what if the temperature gets too high and the water can't be stored for long? What if it spoils?"

"I've got the water filters, just throw them in the water towers when the time comes."

"Stella, you're amazing."

Stella shrugged off the compliment, "I don't actually know much. It was Jasper's idea."

Lukas was quick to flatter, "Jasper's the real MVP here, a true survival expert."

Caught in the spotlight, Jasper shrugged, "I just happen to know a bit."

Just as they finished setting up the water towers, Katie came up to shovel snow.

When they learned that she had brought back two large water barrels, Cody and Lukas offered to help her shovel snow and carry them downstairs.

With the rest of the Moore family away, they were worried about Katie slipping and falling. They decided to fill up the Moore family's water towers first.

With that done, there wasn't much clean snow left.

Angela was a little worried, "What if it doesn't snow again, or if the temperature suddenly rises and we run out of stored water?"

Stella tried to reassure her, "That's unlikely to happen. Besides, the seven water towers we had before are full. If we use water sparingly, we'll be fine. You all should quit your jobs as soon as possible. In the meantime, we'll keep collecting snow to make sure that all the remaining water towers are filled."

She had never planned on using snow water. Why not fill the tanks with Arcadia's water once 1803 had left?

Fine then, they had more survival experience than people from 1803. It was better to follow their lead.

At noon, Lukas was making porridge in the kitchen when Cody suddenly yelled from the living room. Startled, Lukas rushed out with his ladle, "What's wrong?"

"Quick, the meteorological station's broadcasting a message."

The radio crackled to life as a weatherman relayed the latest news: according to current temperature trends, a rapid rise in temperature was expected in about half a month. Residents were advised to prepare for a possible heatwave.

"Stella and Jack are like prophets. Their prediction is spot-on, even more reliable than the experts at the weather bureau."