18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 268

Stella couldn't quite understand. She had merely bought a house, yet it seemed to have become a thorn in everyone's side. However, things should come to an end when they start looking up. She finally eased up and said, "If it was a misunderstanding, I'll let it slide this time. But don't expect me to be so forgiving next time."

After saying that, she slammed the accelerator to the floor, and the Hummer roared away at full speed.

Bran was left choking on her exhaust, nearly bursting with rage. Damn it, his last remaining off-road vehicle had been reduced to scrap metal!

Bloody hell!

As they left the neighborhood, Stella expressed her confusion, "What on earth is Bran up to?"

Jasper struggled to understand the mindset of the rich kid. After a while, he spoke up, "He defended you in front of his friends last time, and this time he intentionally crashed into you. He's probably trying to find a reason to get close."

Stella was equally baffled. Who knew what went on in the head of a rich boy?

"Do you think he knows something? Is that why he's trying to get close?" She was referring to the three cars or the secret of Arcadia.

Perhaps he had learned something about Eastwood Eden through Samuel, or even earlier. The Porras family, with their astounding wealth, had managed to survive the apocalypse for three years, looking even more radiant than before. They were even invited back by the Griffith city government to help with the economic development. They were clearly not simple-minded people. Moreover, upon meeting again, Stella could clearly see that Bran had changed.

Jasper's face was grave, "No matter what he's up to, we need to stay vigilant."

The newly built school hadn't started enrolling students yet. After some discussions with the higher-ups, it was temporarily lent to the Institute of Traditional Medicine for recruiting staff and handling the herbal medicine cultivation.

When Stella drove in, there were already many people gathered for interviews and inquiries.

Many lower-class survivors didn't have access to medicine. Learning some medical skills or growing some herbs seemed like a good deal. Unfortunately, not only did the institute require basic knowledge, but they also only offered one meal a day and no salary.

This was practically asking them to work for big love, and they were already struggling to fill their stomachs.

Upon learning the situation, many left in disappointment. The staff of the Institute of Traditional Medicine felt equally frustrated. Starting anything without funding was difficult. They wanted to hire people and pay salaries, but the extreme weather was harsh, requiring a great deal of effort to cultivate medicinal herbs.

They had exhausted all their funds on indoor temperature control for growing herbs. They too were working out of love, to preserve a civilization that had existed for thousands of years.

"Dr. Collin, are we going to return empty-handed this time?" A student asked with frustration, "We took such good care of the herbs we brought back last time, like they were precious gems, but still, half of them died. The ones that survived aren't growing well either."

Collin was disheartened, but he still tried to reassure the student, "Things will get better. We just have to be patient."

The Hummer was quite conspicuous, and as soon as they entered the school gates, they attracted everyone's attention.

Collin thought the car looked familiar, and then he saw Jasper and Stella getting out of it. He was overjoyed, "Jasper, Stella, what brings you here?"

"We live nearby and we're very interested in growing herbs, so we thought we'd come have a look."

Stella had mentioned during their last herb gathering trip that she was a medical student, and Collin had a good impression of her, "Are you here to apply for a job?"

Stella wasn't interested in working a desk job or growing herbs. She was here primarily to establish a relationship with Collin so that she'd have a reason to interact with him in the future. "Dr. Collin, actually, we're considering making a living by selling herbs. But we're not very good at growing them, so we thought we'd come here and learn from you."

Selling herbs for a living?

Collin was intrigued, "How did the seedlings you gathered last time turn out?"