18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 229

Indeed, the sudden departure of armed police was a golden opportunity for these ruthless thugs.

If they decided to storm Building 5, she could take refuge in Arcadia and even manage to wait until military support showed up. But what about the other residents of Eastwood Eden?

Over a hundred lives were at stake.

Sipping her apple juice, Stella asked, "What would happen if they really did it?"

Jasper thought for a moment. "They could seize the building, take the other refugees and Eastwood Eden residents as hostage and food, and establish a private base against the authorities."

"But even if the official manpower is lacking, the military will eventually come. Can they resist that?"

As long as they could seize control of Eastwood Eden before the arrival of the military, take a large number of hostages, and use them as human shields, they could gain advantages in the negotiations.

Moreover, they were just low-class thugs, greatly underestimating the strength and iron-fisted tactics of the military.

How to describe them? In short, they had a casual attitude towards life and death, were ready to take action if challenged, and believed that to thrive, one had to take risks.

In this post-apocalyptic world, there was no shortage of such desperadoes.

Dinner was unusually lavish that night.

Not only was there a seafood feast, but also chicken, duck, and fish. It was even more extravagant than a Thanksgiving spread, leaving Cooper and Rosie both dumbfounded.

Stella picked up her fork. "Eat up, everyone. Make sure you're full."

During his conversation with Mark, Jasper voiced his concerns. "If they really try to break in at night, the patrol team won't be able to hold them off. You guys just take care of yourselves and don't bother coming to Building 5."

The goal was to avoid any innocent casualties.

After hanging up, Stella asked with a smile, "Jasper, are you planning to go all out?"

"No matter what, we can't let them hurt you."

They had explosives and Molotov cocktails, and even some submachine guns. If things got out of hand, they could leave under the cover of darkness; hopefully they wouldn’t put Mark and his people in a difficult position.

However, they didn't expect that the thugs couldn't even wait till midnight. They were already getting restless at nine o'clock.

The dog started growling as a warning. Following that, there were cries of agony from outside, likely someone being killed.

Stella's heart tightened at the thought of the innocent people being harmed. Wearing her night vision goggles, she went to the balcony and saw shadows moving across the building. Some were even carrying knives as they emerged from the prefab houses.

These prefab houses were where the staff lived.

Soon after, the barricade vibrated, and people started overturning it, forming human pyramids and cutting through the wire. Hundreds of people gathered beneath the barricade, resembling dark wolves in the night.

No matter how high or sturdy the barricade was, it couldn't withstand their onslaught. They quickly tore a big hole in the barricade, and a massive crowd surged through.

Jasper warned them over the walkie-talkie. "They're coming, be careful."

After hanging up, he noticed that there were leaders among the attackers. After days of observation, they had discovered that only one household was living in Building 5. It was the easiest target. So, they all headed towards Building 5, trying to push the doors down.