18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 430

A Cry for Help?

Well, that made sense.

Every creature's got a spirit, and whales are some of the gentlest giants of the ocean. We've heard plenty of stories about them seeking human help when they're in a tight spot—like getting caught in fishing nets or ropes, or when their bodies are riddled with painful barnacles.

Blue Blue circled our submarine, letting out plaintive cries.

Had our casual scratching actually formed some sort of bond?

Stella found herself in quite the dilemma. Blue Blue was massive, and with its mutation, getting close was no small feat. Pulling out that harpoon? That could easily result in us becoming a quick snack.

Blue Blue's relentless and increasingly forceful battering made it clear—it needed help, or things could get ugly.

Stella quickly did the math. The sub's top speed was 30 knots, while a normal blue whale cruised at around 20 kilometers per hour, with sprints reaching up to 50 km/h. The speeds were close, but the mutation threw a wrench in the works.

No one was keen on risking their lives, so Stella and Jasper made a unanimous decision: run for it.

They cranked the power to the max and bolted.

The three of them, plus their dog, crossed their fingers that maybe, just maybe, Blue Blue wouldn't follow.

But reality had other plans.

Not only did Blue Blue catch up, but it was even faster than they’d feared.

When 2688 veered left, Blue Blue followed suit. When 2688 turned right, the whale mirrored its movements. An hour into the chase, Blue Blue showed no signs of letting up.

Stella was at her wits' end. "What do we do now?"

Jasper frowned. "Maybe we should help it get that thing out?"

If they kept this up, the injury would worsen, possibly provoking the whale into a violent rage, and tearing the sub to pieces.

The sub wasn't armed with heavy weaponry, just spears and harpoons. But against a giant like Blue Blue, a quick kill was out of the question. Provoking it would only lead to disaster.

After much deliberation, Stella decided to take the plunge.

They halted the sub and slowly surfaced.

For safety, Rosie and Cooper stayed inside, while Stella and Jasper took a dinghy out.

Blue Blue surfaced alongside them, revealing the harpoon embedded in its back, about 20 centimeters wide. How deep it went, they couldn't tell.

This harpoon wasn’t from their sub. Whoever attacked Blue Blue wasn’t from 2688.

Stella was baffled. "Even if some submariners were desperate for food, wouldn't they go after smaller prey?"

A single whale could sustain many.

Before the apocalypse, a standard sub crew numbered around 40. If they succeeded in hunting Blue Blue, they wouldn’t worry about meat for years. But how would they preserve it?

It had to be more than one sub involved, with a large crew.

Stella suited up, tethered herself to Jasper, and they paddled toward Blue Blue.

The whale circled them for a good ten minutes. Only when it sensed no harm did it slowly approach.

Stella didn’t rush to remove the harpoon. Instead, she gently stroked Blue Blue, hoping to establish trust before attempting to remove the embedded weapon.

As she did, a milky substance began to seep into the sea around them.

Stella first reacted with surprise, then realization dawned.

Blue Blue was a mother, still nursing.

But where was the calf?

With a mother whale’s protection, a calf wouldn’t typically fall prey to other animals. Yet, the calf was missing.