18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 50

It took two days of hard work, but all seven water towers were finally installed.

The guys from 1803 had three, Stella and Jasper each had two, ready to be used with just a twist of the faucet.

Stella used water from Arcadia, but she still put on a show every day.

Before she knew it, two months had passed since the flood. The second batch of hydroponic vegetables had been planted, Snowy seemed to be pregnant again, and the first litter of rabbits had grown to over a pound.

Angela couldn't sit still; as soon as her injuries were somewhat healed, she would occasionally go out. Stella was growing lazier by the day, always pushing off tasks and fully embracing a laid-back lifestyle.

Even Jasper, who used to be tirelessly working like a machine, took a break. Apart from his daily dog training sessions, he would spare two hours to spar with Stella, then it was time for cooking.

He was flawless in every other aspect, but his culinary skills were subpar. Under Stella's guidance, his cooking was barely tolerable, a far cry from delicious.

"Not bad, congrats on your graduation."

Even though it was a bit heartless, Stella craved for some alone time. Arcadia had stocked up on a lot of delicious food, which she couldn't take out in front of Jasper.

Jasper, unable to repay her, handed her a walkie-talkie, "You can contact me if anything comes up."

Stella paused, why hadn't she thought of stocking up on these? Maybe she hadn't anticipated the possibility of teaming up.

"Thank you." This was much more convenient; if anything came up, she could just buzz him - no need to run around knocking on doors.

Jasper didn't visit again, allowing Stella and her dog to enjoy a hearty barbecue. They guzzled down soda, having a truly grand time.

In the morning, the walkie-talkie rang, and Jasper's voice came through, "Stella, are you giving Rosie her lesson today?"

"Yes, around ten o'clock."

"Why don't you come over?" Jasper suggested. "While you're setting tasks for Rosie, I can teach you some stealth and infiltration techniques."

Stealth and infiltration, that’s the legitimate skills of an assassin, including silent killing, various moves to strangle from behind, punching the throat, twisting the neck, and charging and pushing down to strangle.

Stella was instantly interested. Her own living room was indeed a bit cramped, so she readily agreed, "Alright."

Stealth and infiltration was close combat, involving physical contact and wrestling.

Jasper laid out some crash pads on the floor, and the first move was the neck twist that Stella had seen earlier.

He stood behind Stella, suddenly closing in like a bolt of lightning, one hand reaching for her slender neck, the other grasping her jaw. A fierce aura swept over her, and Stella instinctively wanted to resist. But before she could, he moved in close, targeting her hamstring, holding her neck and jaw steady with both hands. One strong squeeze, and her head would snap right off.

The sense of danger instantly transported Stella back to her past life, where she was on the brink of death. She couldn't die at the hands of those cannibals.

Just as she was about to fight back, a voice came from above her head, "Stella, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The voice was calm, deep, but resolute.

Stella shook off the chaotic thoughts in her mind, realizing that Jasper was touching the joints of her neck, "Focus, don't get distracted."

The memories of the apocalypse were too traumatic; even if everything started anew, she was still extremely resistant to physical contact with men.

Stella kept taking deep breaths, telling herself not to confuse the past with the present. What she was doing now was for her own improvement. Only by becoming stronger could she prevent others from bullying her.

Jasper had noticed Stella's abnormal reaction last time, and promptly withdrew his hands, "I didn't mean to offend you."

"I'm sorry, it's my own issue." Stella composed herself and forced a stiff smile, "Let's go again."

Everything was different now.

Jasper started again, grabbing her neck and explaining the joints and pressure points. He did twist her neck, but without much force.

After teaching her the key points, they switched roles. However, Jasper was too tall for Stella to even dream of twisting his neck. Stella, standing at 5'6", was not short, but Jasper seemed to be around 6'3", a whole head taller than her.

Jasper sat on a folding chair, "Go on."

This was the first time Stella was touching a man, especially this intimately. Her fingers glided over the bones in his neck, "Here?"

She hadn't gotten it right, so Jasper grabbed her hand and moved it a bit to the side, "Yes."