18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 244

While walking with Collin did slow things down, it also brought about some unexpected gains. Jasper gave it some thought and suggested, "We haven't found all the ingredients we need for our medicine yet. We'll have to go back tomorrow."

And so, the group began their ascent up the mountain.

Halfway up the slope, Collin suddenly burst with excitement. "Jasper, this is the Starthorn Leaf you were looking for."

The plant was still a seedling, not even half the size of a palm. It wasn't mature enough to be used in medicine and would need at least six months of careful cultivation. Collin carefully dug it up and handed it over to Jasper, sharing with him the proper way to plant it.

They took breaks when they were tired, and layered their clothes according to the weather changes. It was as if they were participating in a fashion show. The temperature was close to 40 degrees at noon, but it was nearly freezing by nightfall.

The seedling was precious, and Collin was worried that the cold would kill it. He took off his windbreaker, intending to use it to keep the seedling warm. Stella had a better idea, and took out a thermal blanket from her backpack. "Use this," she suggested.

They were valuable assistants to the professor. If they were to fall sick in this place, the chances of successfully developing the anti-smog virus drug would diminish.

Collin thanked them profusely, and the rest of the group helped to wrap the seedling in the thermal blanket.

Time was precious, and no one complained about fatigue. The work didn't even stop when it got cold.

Although it was chilly, the group had been through worse. However, the frequent temperature changes made them uncomfortable, causing headaches and muscle aches that felt like flu symptoms. They quickly made a fire and cooked some food.

Stella and Jasper were fine. Their physical condition was much better than the rest of the group. Cooper and Rosie were doing well, thanks to the thermal clothing that kept them from panting.

"Maybe we should take a break?"

Stella was feeling drowsy due to her internal body clock, and they had been walking for a while.

Collin and the rest didn't object, so everyone began to set up their tents.

Over roasted bread and water, Stella steered the conversation towards lung and liver diseases. "Collin, I have a family member who lived in a city with serious smog issues. As they've aged, their lung and liver functions have deteriorated. Do you know of any medicine that could help?"

"Liver and lung problems can be difficult to deal with..."

Collin provided several remedies, including verified folk recipes that were all helpful for the liver and lungs.

Stella listened carefully and memorized all of the formulas. However, she didn't hear him mention Dragonlily.

In an attempt to steer the conversation, Stella asked, "On this trip, my relative asked me to look for Dragonlily. They said it's a secret folk recipe and very effective. Is it truly beneficial?"

"Dragonlily is indeed effective, but it's very picky about its growing environment. Due to rapid social development and pollution in the past few decades, even artificially cultivated Dragonlily has a low success rate. That's why it's slowly disappearing."

Stella politely asked, "Besides Dragonlily, are there any other rare and highly effective herbs?"

"There's no such thing as a 'miracle drug.' Only by combining different herbs can we maximize their effects."

Stella was aware of this, of course, but Jasper couldn't remember the name of the crucial herb they needed.

Given that there were over 13,000 types of herbs, many of which were rarely used or nearly extinct, even an expert like Collin couldn't accurately guess what they were looking for.