18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 438

The sea was a chaotic mix of vessels—fishing boats, cargo ships, warships, and sleek black aircraft. But Iran's innate narrow-mindedness and extremism, coupled with a lack of vision and generosity, led to creations that were limited and never quite reached the grand stage.

Their so-called warships? Well, even if they managed to build something sizable, their Chinese benefactors would never allow it. Beyond the boats, wooden towers sprouted over the sea. Metal piles were hammered into the seabed, topped with wooden platforms, stacked densely until they resembled a hornet's nest. It seemed Iran had lucked out finding such a prime spot; otherwise, they'd have been torn apart by ocean storms long ago.

Stella did a quick count and estimated there were several hundred people. Clothes were hanging outside the wooden houses, belonging to men, women, and children—these were the homesteaders. Many others lived on the ships, likely the Iran who ventured out for plunder.

They survived by capturing sea life, and after a few years, had all turned into grotesque monsters. Even the children were covered with lumps and tumors, a sight that sent shivers down your spine.

Three people and a dog against several hundred Iran? That was a tall order. Blue Blue caught the attention of the Iran, drawing out two ships in pursuit, with guns and harpoons at the ready.

Seizing the opportunity, Stella retracted her periscope and started to steer the 2688 away from the area. With so many Iran, capturing them all would need a well-thought-out plan.

After leaving the area by several dozen nautical miles, the submarine found a calmer region of the sea to stop. Both the ship and the sea constructions were substantial, and the Iran, being adept swimmers, were on high alert after several losses—they even had watchtowers on the wooden towers. Approaching them would easily give away their position.

If it wasn't for Blue Blue's intelligence, 2688 would have been exposed already. After waiting half an hour on the seabed, Blue Blue returned. Jasper and Stella had finished discussing their options. Whether it was hand-to-hand combat, throwing grenades, or machine-gun fire, none seemed feasible.

To confront them, they would have to leave the submarine. The three of them had diving suits, so that was no issue, and they could take shelter in the Arcadia if the Iran fought back. But what about Cooper? Dogs don't have diving suits. Surely they couldn't leave him in Blue Blue's care? He would be swallowed whole. And with the Iran mutated by the virus, an infection during a fight would be a heavy loss. Combat always came with risks, and Arcadia wasn't omnipotent.

After much deliberation, they decided to either wait for bad weather to make their move or to attack when the Iran went out to plunder. Whichever method they chose, they needed to know the enemy and themselves to ensure absolute success. Having made their decision, they set out to scout the terrain around the Iran's lair in search of the perfect ambush spot.

Thus, the submarine began its underwater patrol, centered around the lair. Blue Blue, though not understanding, insisted on following. After seven or eight leisurely hours underwater, the sonar from the submarine detected an obstacle at six o'clock. Besides the terrain, there seemed to be living entities, large in both size and number.