18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 251

The community had a decent harvest. The potatoes were all good quality and quite uniform in size.

Together with the seed potatoes they'd planted, the two of them had harvested around 2000 pounds of fresh potatoes.

Satisfied that everything was in order, Stella returned the solar generator to Eastwood Eden.

Just as they were about to leave, Mark called them over, "The villas in Newtown are almost complete. I happened to see some wealthy folks secretly choosing their houses at the community center yesterday.

“There are only 50 villas in the first phase and construction materials are scarce, so no one knows when the second phase will begin. I suggest you go choose your house as soon as possible."

Stella was taken aback. She hadn't expected the need to rush. She'd been naively waiting for an official announcement.

Why would the authorities insist on building villas when there was such a shortage of materials? Of course, it was all about payback. They had seized factories, land, and assets from the wealthy and business owners and had to provide something in return.

Why did a three-bedroom villa cost 50,000 points? Because from the very beginning, it was not intended for the average person. The 50,000 point price tag was just a way to raise the bar so that the lower-class survivors couldn't reach it.

"Thanks, Mark."

They set off for Newtown, bumping along the rough roads.

Stella asked, "Are there any second phase villas in Newtown?"

Jasper pondered, "I don’t think so, but there are plans for second and third phase condos."

There was no choice. Only a handful could afford villas and the authorities had to cater to the lower-class survivors. So it wasn't as simple as saving enough points to live in a villa. Stella had a bad feeling that the prospect of getting a villa seemed slim.

Purchasing a house was never a simple matter. Those with connections had already chosen their homes before the sale began. Meanwhile, the honest folks who waited for the sale to start, even if they lined up at three in the morning, faced the disappointing reality of sold-out signs.

They hadn't been to Hope Bay in two months and the changes were dramatic. Construction was in full swing and the half-built houses were a dull gray.

The condos were all six stories high with rooms of about 80 square feet where you could touch the walls just by turning around.

The streets were well planned, all simple dirt roads.

The community center was bustling with people earning points and exchanging goods. After a bit of wandering, they finally found the inconspicuous property center where two employees were dozing off.

Stella politely said, "Excuse me, I'm here to choose a detached house."

The female employee didn't even look up, "They're not on sale yet. Go back and wait for the announcement."

Stella didn't get mad, "Aren't most of them already chosen? What does the sale have to do with it?"

"A detached house, right?" The male employee on the right looked up, "How many points do you have?"

"50,000 points."

"House selection is ranked by the number of points. This batch is not available for those with 50,000 points. Wait for the next batch."

Stella squinted, "According to the initial rules, 50,000 points are enough. It didn't say anything about the number of points."

"You're right, but under the same conditions, priority is given to those with more points. Please understand."

Well, that was an official-sounding explanation. If this were outside the community center, Stella would have already drawn her knife.

What a sham, the final interpretation right always lies with the authorities.

But slicing people wouldn't solve the problem. There were only 50 villas, and causing a scene wouldn't help.

Stella took a deep breath, pulled out two bottles of bourbon from her bag and passed them over, smiling, "Could you help us out?"

Bourbon? The employees' eyes lit up. After a glance at each other, they quickly hid the bottles. "Ahem, you're lucky, there's only one house left."

Stella didn't believe her. They were probably all reserved for the upper class.