18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 160

What the hell? It was tough enough to survive, now they gotta deal with these punks on their own turf?

On foreign soil, you'd keep your head down and try to scrape by, but here they were, brazen as ever.

In a dim corner, several men were relentlessly kicking three people lying on the ground, spouting insults in a harsh, foreign language.

There were those with swords, guns, and baseball bats.

Murder was as easy as turning your head, but they continued to beat them, becoming more and more excited, revealing their ugly and twisted human nature.

The pleading screams only served to further stimulate them, their blows becoming heavier and heavier.

One of them lifted his blade, his face twisted in a savage grin as he brought it down.

“Shick.”

Their bloodlust had blinded them to the danger lurking in the shadows.

His blade hadn't even fallen before the man was skewered like a s'more on a stick. Stella didn't hesitate, pulling her blade free and lunging for the second one.

Jasper was even quicker, swiftly disarming a punk and snapping his neck, before kicking another one aside.

The two of them dispatched the five punks with efficiency, not even giving them a chance to whimper for mercy.

A flashlight illuminated the beaten figures on the ground. They were a sorry sight, their faces smeared with blood, all but unrecognizable.

Out of a sense of humanity, Stella asked, “Are you guys okay?”

The harsh light of the flashlight was blinding, and one of them instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, his lips trembling. “It’s you?”

His voice was groggy, but Stella recognized it—Monkey. Wait, why the hell was he here too?

Stella surveyed the area with her flashlight, spotting a water tanker parked not far away. They were smuggling, and got robbed.

Monkey managed to get to his feet, wiping the blood off his face as he exclaimed, “Wow, you really saved us?”

As he spoke, he hastily helped the man next to him up. The man was tall, probably around six feet.

“Boss, this is the woman I told you about. She's really tough. If she hadn't stepped in tonight, we'd be pushing up daisies.”

The man was in his thirties, with short hair. His face was honest and straightforward, but his eyes held a worldly cunning that suggested he wasn't a simple man. Of course, anyone who could survive in a post-apocalyptic world and establish such a vast network of black market traders was bound to have a story.

The man wiped the blood off his face and gave Stella and Jasper a weak smile. “Thank you for your help.”

“It was nothing.”

Seeing that they were okay, Stella, who was worried about Cooper and Rosie back home, didn't linger and turned to leave.

“Wait.” The man called out to them. “I'm Austin. I don't even know the names of our saviors. Where do you live?”

In a post-apocalyptic world, it wasn't common to ask for personal details.

Stella smiled. “You're asking a lot of questions. Are you planning to repay us?”

Austin was taken aback, but quickly replied, “Of course, we need to repay your kindness. What do you want?”

Without waiting for her reply, he turned to Monkey. “We did get a lot of food today.”

Monkey whispered to him. “Boss, she doesn't need food.”

“Alright.” Austin was generous. “How about I send a truckload of fresh water to your place tomorrow?”

A truckload of fresh water was around 20 tons, enough to last for months and valuable for trading.