18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 226

After dinner, all the windows were drawn and the three humans and a dog sat harmoniously on the sofa, quietly watching a movie.

Suddenly, the intercom crackled to life. Jasper paused the movie and signaled for quiet.

It was Mark, "Jasper, do you and Stella have a moment?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I've got something on my mind, could you come down if it's not too much trouble?"

Mark sounded hesitant and confused. Mark was always the problem solver, only asking for help when he really couldn't figure something out. It seemed like this was one of those times.

Jasper looked at Stella and they exchanged a glance before replying, "Alright."

They got dressed and headed downstairs. As they stepped outside, Mark was waiting nearby, looking rather grim.

"What's up, Mark?" Stella asked.

Mark looked uneasy, "This afternoon, the city council sent someone over. They want us to free up some buildings to accommodate the homeless refugees."

Stella had had a bad feeling when she saw the devastation in Griffith and the homeless refugees everywhere.

Thanks to the early warning, countless survivors had lived. This was undoubtedly a good thing, but it brought about new problems, such as how to provide for their basic needs?

These were all issues that the government would have to figure out.

The rebuilding process hadn't even started yet; they couldn't just leave them out in the open. That would be even more dangerous.

Eastwood Eden had remained standing in the massive earthquake, and wasn't densely populated, so naturally it caught the eye of the government.

"Did you agree, Mark?" Stella asked, frowning.

Mark was sympathetic towards the refugees, but he was also rational. If they were let in, the residents couldn’t just sit back while watching the refugees suffer.

But if you had a little and someone else had nothing, it would only be a matter of time before resentment brewed. They had just harvested sweet potatoes, and everyone could get a share of water every day, while the refugees had nothing.

Mark knew that once the refugees were let in, it would be difficult to get them out again.

As a psychologist, Mark was well aware of the dangers of human nature. Once the refugees moved in, who would be in charge? Perhaps even safety could not be guaranteed.

"I couldn't agree, but it's a special time. Even if I don't agree, the government will forcibly seize the houses and arrange for them to move in."

Mark knew that if he refused, the government would start a forcible process. He had to tactically say he would convene the community members to discuss, trying to buy time to formulate a strategy.

But the community members were ordinary people. If even Mark couldn't think of a plan, how could they? So, he wanted to hear Jasper and Stella's opinions. With his over twenty years of experience, he knew these two were not ordinary people.

Maybe, they could find a solution?

However, he overestimated them. Neither Jasper nor Stella had the power to confront the government.

If they were in the government's position, they would also choose to do the same. They couldn't fight the government; there would be no good outcome. Since the government had approached, there was no room for maneuver.