18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 240

His companion's body surged with fresh blood, causing him to instinctively turn around in shock. Moments later, a loud splash echoed as he collapsed, stirring up countless droplets of water.

The two girls were choked, their consciousness muddled. They collapsed into the water pool, gasping for breath. As they saw the bodies in the water, the shock was so intense that their lips trembled, rendering them speechless.

It was only then that they noticed the fully armed figure standing on the bank, his face obscured.

Worried for Jasper, Stella turned and left without a word.

The girls finally reacted, using their hands and feet to climb out of the pond. They sought cover nearby, trembling with fear. By the time Stella returned to the bamboo grove, Jasper had effortlessly dealt with the villains.

Inside the hut, chaos reigned. The air was thick and foul. After rummaging around, they found several pounds of assorted grains.

Stella drew her samurai sword, easily severing the locks on the two basements on the left and right.

The left basement held six or seven women, their disheveled appearance and vacant eyes a chilling sight. They sat on the floor, resembling walking corpses, showing no reaction.

The right basement held boys whose terrified eyes revealed that they had not been captive for long.

As for the storage room, Jasper wouldn't let Stella in.

They didn't linger. They tossed the grains they'd found onto the floor and left with Cooper.

"Wait!" The two girls who had been choking on water stumbled out, their eyes pleading. "Can you take us with you?"

"No." Stella raised her crossbow. "You're capable of leaving on your own."

"But..." the girls begged. "There are evil people outside. Please help us."

"I'm a person, not a god," Stella coldly refused. "I saved you not because you're pitiful, but because I detest them. Keep whining, and I'll send you back to keep them company."

Sensing her as a woman with a hardened heart, they instinctively turned to Jasper. Soaked and shivering, they gazed at him with pitiful eyes.

Jasper remained silent, turning to leave.

Cooper growled, seemingly craving a hot dog.

With their ruthless demeanor and weaponry, the girls didn't dare to follow. One of them helped a boy who had been scared to the point of wetting himself, and the siblings began to sob.

Another girl noticed the bag of grain on the ground and quickly picked it up. As people slowly emerged from the cave, her face turned pale, and she ran away with the bag of grain.

After leaving, Stella avoided the path the villains had taken and instead took a detour through other forests.

Crossing two mountains, they found an abandoned quarry.

After pondering for a moment, Stella asked, "Does the villa in Newtown have a garden wall?"

Jasper had never lived in a villa but assumed it didn't. Not only was there no garden wall, but they would also have to provide their windows and doors. It was a basic shell of a house.

Feeling unsafe without a wall, Stella crouched down to pick up stones. And so, the trio and Cooper spent the night in the quarry, picking up stones the next day. They collected enough to build a garden wall three to four meters high.

"No," Stella smiled subtly to others’s questin, "we have some family matters to attend to."

Back at Building 5, the rabbits obediently returned to their hut, laying down in frustration. They were fed up with being taken out and eating grass; hopefully they wouldn't be called upon next time.

After spending a few days in the mountains where the humidity was high at night and they had to work during the day, they were exhausted. Home was the most comfortable place.

Washing up, they crawled into bed and fell into a deep sleep.