18 Floors Above the Apocalypse



The kilometers melted away in the blink of an eye, like a lightning bolt cutting through the calm sea. Whitecaps reared up like flying swords, rushing towards them with unstoppable force.

Jasper buckled his seatbelt as the yacht sped across the serene ocean, heading straight for Iran's hideout. Giant waves churned in their wake. Stella stood on the aft deck, gripping the safety rail, her gaze locked on the rampaging squid chasing them.

Those squids were incredibly fast, their deep red tentacles writhing like the hands of the devil, stirring the wind and waves as if they had rockets strapped to their backs. The tentacles rose dozens of feet into the air, smashing down and creating massive waves that could send anything flying.

Even from a distance, Stella felt like the spray was hitting her face. Jasper's skills were beyond question; the yacht was flying across the water, but its top speed paled in comparison to the mutated North Sea leviathans.

The yacht cut a straight line, the shortest route, but the enraged squid burst forth with incredible power. In less than half an hour, the distance had shrunk from several kilometers to just a few hundred meters. If they had another burst of speed, a tentacle could slam down and flip the yacht in an instant.

500 meters, 300 meters, 200 meters, 100 meters...

The spray hit Stella's face like a whip, soaking her clothes through. A massive tentacle slammed down, landing less than 50 meters away. Stella turned to look forward, barely making out Iran's constructed nest.

It was a rare chance, one she didn't want to miss. She shouted into the walkie-talkie, gritting her teeth, "Speed up!"

Jasper pushed the throttle to its limit, charging toward the target. The yacht, like an arrow piercing the clouds, stormed Iran's stronghold. The sentries atop the wooden tower were shocked, and when they realized what was happening a few kilometers away, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Enemy invasion! Enemy invasion!! Enemy invasion!!!"

A three-tier alarm blared throughout the base. Iran's men quickly took their positions, raising guns at the approaching yacht. Several kilometers seemed far, but it approached so quickly. As Iran's weapons targeted the yacht, it suddenly zigzagged, the rolling waves obscuring the view and disrupting the squid as they charged forward.

Iran lacked heavy artillery; they had to rely on submachine guns, their eyes locked on the yacht. Submachine guns had an effective range of 200 meters, and they were waiting for the optimal shooting distance. The aircraft had harpoons, usually used against giant marine creatures. Each one used was one less in their arsenal, and they too needed careful aiming.

The yacht was large; even if it circled the wooden tower, its full-speed impact was unpredictable. "Damn it, they must be crazy, going for a suicide attack! How did they find this secure and hidden place?" The sentries on the wooden tower watched in horror as the yacht crashed toward them, especially when they saw the countless red tentacles chasing it. They couldn't help but scream.

"North Sea Leviathan! King Squid!" They had once hunted a solitary North Sea leviathan, using countless harpoons, flipping fishing boats, even losing an aircraft, paying a heavy price for the kill. Now, numerous tentacles churned the water, with at least dozens of squid joining the fray. The world had gone mad!

They screamed in despair, "We're

doomed!" Iran, with submachine

guns in hand fired wildly. With only a few hundred meters remaining, Jasper sharply turned the yacht. The rampaging king squid couldn't stop in time, charging with unstoppable force. Bullets rained on the ed tentacles, and the king squid grew even more enraged, its numerous tentacles crashing down on the ships.

The black aircraft was sent flying. The tentacles wrapped around the fishing boats, pulling them violently into the depths. The entire fishing vessel tipped over, Iran's men were crushed into pulp by the tentacles and flung into the churning sea. All at once, there were screams and roiling waves.

Many tentacles climbed aboard the warship, flipping and pulling until, amidst the rocking, it collapsed... The red tentacles twisted around giant underwater pipes, pulling, stirring, crashing, wrapping, twisting... Dozens of squids, like demons rampaging from hell, destroyed every obstacle in their path, making the once feared Iran seem like paper tigers-easily crushed.

Aircrafts sank, fishing boats capsized, and cargo ships were dragged. In the face of absolute power, even machine guns hitting the king squid were useless. Instead, they only provoked more fury and a more brutal retaliation. The giant tentacles swept across, smashing the wooden tower, Iran's men screaming as they fell into the sea.

Stella and Jasper didn't enter Arcadia but stopped the yacht at a distance, quietly admiring the king squid's masterpiece. King squids didn't eat humans, especially mutated ones. They simply vented their rage, leveling every obstacle in their wake. Bloody waves churned, the rapidly spreading scent of blood drawing in schools of sharks, snapping them up with crunchy bites.

Stella stood on the deck, her fingers intertwined with Jasper's, watching the sea's wooden towers collapse, Iran's base slowly sinking. The king squids seemed unsatisfied,

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searching for a new target, then locking onto the distant yacht. Then, they shot forward! With the target destroyed and no Iran left, Stella was daring but not foolish enough to challenge the impossible. Together with Jasper, they swiftly slipped into Arcadia.

The launched North Sea leviathans, losing their target, crashed back into the depths. Outside, there was a storm of blood and fury, but inside Arcadia, there was peace and tranquility. Stella opened the escape pod, releasing the two captives. Cooper rushed over, whining and pawing at his human.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Stella soothed the agitated creature, "It's okay, I'm fine." Cooper then turned to paw at the trainer, barking, "Woof!" Rosie suppressed a laugh as she explained, "Cooper was so worried earlier, it wanted to go out and fight." Ever since their ocean drift, Cooper hadn't had any battles to fight, making it quite restless, sometimes waking with a start at night.

Stella stroked his head, leading him off the yacht. As her feet touched the solid earth and she breathed in the fresh scent of green grass, Cooper completely unleashed its nature, running wild in The Garden. The sea was too elusive; humans still preferred the land.

Even as Rosie had grown up, she ran alongside Cooper, calling, "Cooper, wait for me!" The two romped through the garden as Stella and Jasper entered the villa. Surviving a close call, they embraced each other tightly.

Stella looked up, "Jasper, was I too headstrong?" she mused, having dragged him into danger. Jasper considered for a moment, "A little, but I trust you." In a world ravaged by catastrophe, being alive meant е facing risks. Luring the mighty Kraken to quash the turmoil in Iran was undoubtedly a perilous venture, but to engage them in real combat was equally fraught with the risk of life and limb, necessitating the selection of the optimal strategy.

Stella wrapped her arms around his waist, "I trust you, too." Without his cool composure and consistent performance, she would never dare to provoke the great Kraken. Dangerous, yes, but in the end, victory was theirs.