18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 61

Stella was more than willing to make the trade, her dog was a sucker for canned goods. Over a hundred pounds of fish was swapped for 20 cans of dried food.

Gordon was equally pleased with the fish from Joey and his group, fed up with dog food. The fish no matter how plentiful, could only last so long when shared among a lot of people in a neighborhood. “Joey, do you have any more?”

Joey was cautious, “How much do you need?”

“How about we trade every three days, two thousand pounds each time?”

“No can do, either tomorrow or the day after. Time waits for no man.”

Given the overflow from the reservoir, many fish had been swept away. It was only a matter of time before others discovered the reservoir, so they needed to act fast.

The entire neighborhood feasted on fish, so there was no need for secrecy. Gordon and his group agreed to continue trading, “We meet here after dark tomorrow; we’ll take however much you have.”

Daytime was too risky;night was safer.

After the trade, they retreated.

Stella and her group were particularly cautious, making sure they weren’t being followed before heading back to the neighborhood.

With five hundred pounds of dog food and the supplies exchanged with Monkey and his group, today's harvest was quite abundant.

However, after the initial joy, they discovered a major problem. They were so focused on trading that they forgot to charge their fishing equipment.

“What do we do now?” Joey fretted, “We already promised Gordon and his group.”

Food was a precious commodity they couldn’t afford to lose.

Cody suggested, “Why don’t we ask The Monkey’s group to charge it?”

That group was ruthless. Charging equipment would cost 200 pounds of fish. The danger wasn’t in giving up the fish. It was letting them see the fishing equipment, which could lead them to the location of the reservoir.

Even though they had been reliable so far, it was the end of the world. People’s intentions could change in an instant. Monkey could be fattening them up for slaughter.

Stella had plenty of ways to charge the equipment, but she couldn’t reveal them.

To everyone’s surprise, Jasper stepped up, “I’ll take care of charging it. You guys don’t need to worry about it.”

His aura was intimidating, so no one dared to ask how he was going to charge it. Not to mention the Moore family, even the people from 1803 were afraid to ask.

Even if they did, Jasper wouldn’t answer. People were naturally drawn to mystery. Jasper was undoubtedly mysterious; everyone knew it was dangerous to pry. Their lives could be at stake if they broke the peace by asking too many questions.

Despite their casual demeanor, those in unit 1803 were aware of the boundaries. They didn’t receive the same treatment from Jasper as Stella did. Not only did they not ask, they even helped keep Jasper’s secret.

So the crucial task fell to Jasper.

It was late into the night, but they remained vigilant, silently hauling their resources upstairs.

The Moore family had the most fruitful harvest this time. They not only got over a hundred pounds of dog food, but also several pounds of rice and fried fish. If they rationed it, they could survive several months.

Katie was anxious, listening for any noises outside and quietly letting her son and daughter-in-law in. Upon learning that they received 1.5 shares of the haul, she whispered, “The people from the 18th floor are good to us. We must remember this kindness.”

“Mom, we know.”

They spent the night packing their goods into several portions, hiding them in closets, ceiling panels, and inside the range hood. People can be ruthless, and these supplies were their lifeline. They couldn’t afford to be careless.

Stella had it easy, just tossing everything into Arcadia.

Angela made a pledge, “Stella, we still have food. When Cooper runs out of dog food, feel free to come and get some.”

Stella didn’t beat around the bush, “Sure, I’ll trade you something for it when the time comes.”