18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 162

In a show of good faith, Austin had handpicked only the finest goods, each one personally inspected by himself.

Stella responded with a smile, "My family has been passionate about antiques for three generations, so I have some knowledge in this area."

Austin was taken aback, but he wasn't an expert in the field, "I may have been mistaken. I’ll replace them with new ones tomorrow."

All of his books and antiques were traded from wealthy individuals, and he never thought that there could be counterfeits among them. He took his mistake in stride. He would review his records when he returned and then cease collaboration.

After the transaction, Stella left with her bag.

At that time, it was approaching dawn,. The eastern sky was slowly brightening, dispelling the darkness and a new day was beginning. Ignoring the harsh, dry heat, the sight of a clear blue sky bathed in the red light of dawn was indeed a rare beauty.

On their way back to the neighbourhood, the streets were getting crowded. Some were returning home from work, others were out seeking food and resources, and some... were robbers.

"Help me."

A frail girl, who had somehow found a dead snake, was being targeted by a similarly emaciated man with a knife, demanding her to hand over the snake.

This was happening in broad daylight, with many passersby around, each with an indifferent expression. None stepped in to help, instead quickening their pace, eager to avoid any trouble.

Stella initially didn't want to get involved, but the desperate girl reminded her of herself three years ago. At that time, she had caught a rat, but was immediately surrounded by a group of people wanting to snatch it away. Their eyes glowed with greed, fixated on the dead rat.

Watching the girl struggle, Stella picked up a stone and threw it at them. Despite the distance, her aim was accurate, the stone hitting the man in the back. He stumbled and fell to the ground.

The girl, holding the snake, didn't even thank Stella or look back. She just quickly fled.

The man got up, looking around for the person who had attacked him. Upon seeing Stella and Jasper across the street and realizing he was no match for them, he left in a huff.

In the sweltering heat, it was impossible to hide the truth about your circumstances.

Even though Stella and Jasper were in disguise, they stood out, and were attracting more and more attention. As they neared the city, Jasper turned to look at their followers. Without a word, he drew his weapon. Immediately, their followers scattered like birds.

They managed to reach home safely before the sun was fully up.

Rosie was already awake, diligently going about her morning routine of brushing her teeth, washing her face, and practicing boxing and archery.

Cooper was also busy, hanging around in the corridor.

After freshening up and changing clothes, they brought out some cereal and bagels, calling Rosie and the dog over for breakfast.

This time, they managed to add two more rooms to the third floor and expanded The Garden by a hundred square feet. Quite a profitable deal.

After a hearty breakfast, Stella went to bed to catch up on sleep. Jasper tutored Rosie and after assigning her homework, he also went to rest.

Cooper was tasked with overseeing Rosie. Only when she finished her homework could she watch cartoons.

In the afternoon, Stella woke up to spar with Jasper, followed by dinner, watching a show, and petting the dog.

When the time was right, they went to the agreed spot to pick up the car. This time, neither Austin nor Monkey had come, but the man who had come with the car was familiar - the one who had collected the condoms.

He had brought a different vase with him. After verification by Arcadia, it was found to be genuine.

Stella began to lead a nocturnal lifestyle, sleeping during the day at home and releasing water at Arcadia at night.

It had to be said, there were a lot of counterfeits in this business. Almost every time, there were one or two fake items. But Austin was a good sport, always taking the counterfeits back without any argument.

Under Stella's generous feeding, the fourth floor of Arcadia finally came into existence, but it only had two storage rooms.