18 Floors Above the Apocalypse



Jasper pulled Stella into his arms, "Don't let your thoughts run wild; it's not certain that something bad has happened to him."

Stella had this one flaw - a brutal upbringing and surviving two apocalypses had made her expect the worst.

"He's the leader of the Kindle Society, so he knows the nation's rebuilding. It's been months since the continental collision, and survivors from bases all over the country have been coming here. If he were okay, why hasn't he shown up?"

"The ocean currents are tricky and often beyond our control. If he hasn't arrived yet, maybe he's just been carried off course, but he'll get here eventually."

Wanting to keep her from feeling guilty, Jasper comforted her, "Stella, even if you had decided to take him with you back then, he wouldn't have left." Stella fell silent. Yeah, Daniel wouldn't have left.

From the moment he took on his duty to the country, his fate was sealed. His life belonged to the nation and the people. If Stella had forcibly taken him away, he probably would have lived the rest of his life in unrest.

Stella understood, and yet she didn't.

"Having saved so many people before, do you regret it now that it's all come to this?" she asked.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Jasper thought back calmly, "No regrets."

The thing was, fate had given him a chance to choose again. He chose to live differently. Yet he had to admit, every time he saw soldiers and officers sacrificing for their country, it left a bitter taste in his mouth. After all, he had become a deserter.

So, Jasper understood Daniel's choice. Even if Stella had told him everything about Arcadia, his decision would have remained the same. "If you'd forced him to leave, it would have only soured your relationship."

Stella knew in her heart that even if given another chance, she probably still wouldn't have spoken up because Daniel's answer would have been the same. But every time she used Arcadia, she felt as though she owed Daniel. She had never acknowledged his identity, yet she was benefiting from his sacrifices. This conflict left Stella restless.

"I believe he'll pull through," Jasper said, taking her cold hands. "Stella, if you get to see him again, I hope you'll follow your heart and not live with regret."

Her heart's decision? To this day, Stella wasn't clear whether her feelings for Daniel stemmed from guilt over Arcadia, from the scant blood relation they shared, or from respect for his sacrifice as a soldier of the nation.

"It's normal to be confused for a while; time will give you the answer."

Stella thought it made sense and leaned on his shoulder to calm down.

That night, after shutting the sliding metal gate, Rosie and Cooper took room 372, while Stella and Jasper took 370, with the living room space in between. The place was tight, and as they lay side by side, there wasn't much room to move around in their Arcadia. But returning to the world of humans, it still felt comforting to be back.

As dawn broke, sectors 1-3 came alive with military discipline, waking up for the day's tasks. The steel walls did little for soundproofing, and the noise lasted for over half an hour before quieting down.

With nothing much to do, the trio and the dog stayed in bed till almost 8 AM before getting up to brush their teeth and wash up in Arcadia, and then came out for breakfast. They had plain soup with noodles.

Without any plans to settle just yet, Stella wasn't in a hurry to plant potatoes. Instead, they planned to explore Ocean Point Naval Station. They packed Cooper into a backpack, and the trio left with their inflatable raft.

The chosen area for the sea was quite calm, apart from the two to three-meter-high waves during the tide, making it an ideal place for human habitation. Reportedly, the site was chosen using the ancient divination tool of the Bagua compass, along with modern scientific detection methods - a truly auspicious piece of land.

The raft wasn't fast, and they leisurely circled the construction platforms at sea. Aside from Area B, which was already complete, the other platforms bustled with activity, with survivors being moved in during construction. It was noisy, but safety measures were firmly in place.

Seeing the large maritime construction equipment, Stella asked in surprise, "The base doesn't have power yet. How much fuel does this equipment use in a day?"

Jasper surveyed the platforms, "The large equipment probably runs on nuclear power, to keep going without stopping. The smaller ones are the fuel guzzlers."

Stella thought that made sense, especially since the large machines had no exhaust pipes. The scale was immense, like ants viewing an elephant - this was the power of national infrastructure, a global marvel in island creation.

But why not build the platforms in conjunction with land reclamation? Elevating the seabed should make platform construction easier. Before the disasters, ships like the Titan Whale and Titan Kun were already legendary in creating artificial islands. It seemed strange not to use their designs

now.

Of course, Stella was an outsider to these matters, and the experts surely had their reasons.

Besides the heavy machinery, many

workers were on site. Whether

enlisted military or ordinary

et

survivors, everyone had to follow orders without question. Times had changed since before the disasters; with oil dwindling daily, conservation was a must, and wherever human labor could replace machinery, it was deployed.

The construction site was grand, with just the six platforms under construction spanning nearly thirty kilometers. Once all twenty were completed, it would be a massive city.

Seeing boats fishing for sea creatures, Stella curiously approached, "Are those safe to eat?"

The fishermen, clad in protective gear, worked together to haul the aboard, "No, we wouldn't dare eat these now. They're for scientific experiments to see if we can remove the toxins from the fish."

Since the oceans had been contaminated by ancient viruses, humanity had almost lost its source of meat. Over the years, survivors had grown weak. Relying solely on vegetables or grains, their strength couldn't be restored, so finding a way to access meat was vital. The science department had been researching for years and seemed close to a breakthrough. Once successful, a continuous supply of meat would become available.

Seeing that they looked fit and willing to chat, Stella seized the opportunity to ask, "What if someone wants to eat meat? What do they do?"

The men chuckled at the beautiful woman's question, "That's easy, you just eat maggots."

Maggots? The ones that crawl through waste? Stella's stomach turned at the thought.

"Not those kinds. Maggots are rich in protein, and they're not something you can have at every meal."

Stella felt nauseous.

Rosie was young and curious. She had seen bugs but never maggots teeming in waste, "Uncle, how do maggots come about?"

"They're cultivated by the science department, I think they're raised using fermented waste."

As they continued the conversation,

Stella contemplated the new

realities of survival in this reborn world. The uncles were all men seasoned by life's trials, satisfied as long as they had enough to eat to keep their bodies running. They didn't pry or overthink things, that was just asking for trouble. They didn't care much about where their food came from - as long as it didn't kill them, it was fine by them.

The thought of potential problems made Stella queasy, but she chose to ignore them, "Can the viruses really be completely eradicated from the fish?"

"I can't be sure," admitted the man with a hint of uncertainty, "but the researchers are pretty confident."

The workers couldn't help but dream, "If that day ever comes, we're going to eat meat every day and make up for all the years we went without."

Since the viral outbreak, humanity had halted fishing, which allowed sea life to proliferate at an astonishing rate. Every time they cast theirs, they reaped a bountiful harvest.

After making her rounds, Stella headed back to Area B, just in time to see a notice being put up by the manager-it was a job posting for a gardener. Rosie's interest was piqued in an instant. She read the notice several times before she finally walked away...