18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 30

As they ventured upward, they found the offices in a mess, littered with plastic and the occasional wooden desk - though these were simply sawdust and glue, certainly not fireproof and smelling of toxic fumes.

The other office building was the same, yielding only forgotten fast food, a few cases of bottled water, and a minor amount of timber.

They returned to the building housing Cody's company. It was also ransacked, but the damage was less severe, likely because intruders had discovered the place had been picked over and made a hasty retreat to the other two buildings.

Stella's hunch was right. As they climbed higher, evidence of intrusion became less frequent. She suggested a staggered search pattern, as each person might’ve noticed something different, perhaps overlooked areas.

Stella set about searching the area Lukas had combed through the day before, while Cody swapped places with Jasper.

Her motives had shifted. Yesterday, they sought medication and food. Today, with an additional 150 cubic feet in Arcadia, the overly cautious Stella wanted to fill it to the brim.

Books to enrich their minds, ornate vases from the boss' office, wooden desks, wardrobes, jewel ornaments, and mop handles from the janitor's closet.

Men seemed to lack the knack for scavenging. Stella, however, managed to find many overlooked snacks and suitable clothing and shoes after a thorough search.

She stumbled upon a jewel company. The counter was empty and showed no signs of vandalism. After a quick tour, she discovered the manager's office was locked tight.

After a struggle with the sturdy door, she found four safes inside. They likely contained jewels, so Stella stowed all of it in Arcadia. She also found some tea, cigarettes, and alcohol, and used a samurai sword to dismantle the office furniture.

She also raided a sportswear company's local office, taking only sizes suitable for their group, while the rest were swept into Arcadia.

One company appeared to be planning a team-building event, leaving several large boxes of barbecue charcoal and camping equipment behind in their administrative department.

After going through four floors, Stella returned to the clothing company's live streaming office and gathered another batch of clothing, including women's underwear and bras that the men were too embarrassed to take.

She also revisited the home appliance company from the night before and quietly collected a batch of appliances that might’ve proved useful later, including a high-end massage chair worth several thousands of dollars.

She stealthily sneaked into the places the others had scoured at different times, taking anything useful. She continued until the extra 150 cubic feet of Arcadia was filled.

To facilitate transportation, they dismantled all the wooden furniture and chopped it into similar lengths. It had fit neatly into two inflatable boats and three rubber boats.

They returned home early, finishing the sorting and moving just after nine.

After today's events, the residents of the 18th floor had gained a notorious reputation. The other tenants viewed them with a sense of horror.

They didn't try to hide it, hauling their timber upstairs.

Once Stella closed the door, she immediately entered Arcadia. The safes were safely tucked away in a corner, but the living room, balcony, and toilet remained the same size.

Could it be that the jewel company was selling fakes?

Unwilling to accept this, she opened the door to the master bedroom. A bathroom had appeared, about 10 square metres.

The safes couldn't be opened, but there must have been a lot of jewels. Disappointed to see only a 10 square metre increase, she realized that the upgrade conditions were quite strict.

Well, she would have to keep looking then. In this post-apocalyptic world, gold, silver, and jewels were worthless.

She was awakened in the middle of the night by a loud noise and a horrifying scream from downstairs. This was nothing unusual in the post-apocalyptic world, so Stella turned over and went back to sleep.

She woke up naturally and ate two bagels and a donut for breakfast. She washed it down with a bottle of milk.

The weather was terrible, and the green vegetables she had planted were turning yellow. Stella diluted some nutrient solution and poured it over them, hoping for the best.

She checked Arcadia, but the timer had only increased by two hours. It was moving at a snail's pace.

She planned to continue planting greens in the new 10 square feet of black soil. She wanted to stock up enough to last two or three years before planting anything else. Of course, she could plant some fruit seedlings first. The mature trees would surely bear fruit by next year.

Her physical fitness had improved significantly over this period, and she managed to save 15 minutes while tilling and sowing.

Just as she was about to leave Arcadia, Lukas knocked on the door. She opened the door to find Lukas with a bruised face. Stella was startled. "Who did this?"

Lukas seemed a bit embarrassed. "Well, you know Cody and I aren't as fit as the others? Angela has been training us since last night."

Before, Angela wouldn't lay a finger on Lukas. Now, she was training him to the point of exhaustion.

Lukas knew the world had changed. He couldn't always rely on Angela and Stella to protect him. From now on, he decided to man up and protect his woman.

"Right, you guys really need the training."