18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 419

Jasper wasn’t just blowing smoke when he mentioned that the blue whale was covered in parasites—barnacles, to be exact. Thanks to an ancient virus, these barnacles had grown huge and were causing the poor whale more harm than ever.

A good scratch is hard to come by, and the itchy blue whale wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip. It went berserk, rubbing up against the submarine to try and scrape off the annoying barnacles.

So there it was, the whale scratching away and the submarine retreating. But the creature was relentless—a real thorn in their side.

After being jostled for over half an hour, Stella was feeling seasick. She closed the observation window and tucked the submarine safely back into the Arcadia.

Time was precious, so they didn't linger in the Arcadia for long. After about ten minutes, assuming the blue whale had moved on, they went back into the sea.

But less than five minutes later, the submarine started shaking again. That damned familiar feeling—it couldn't be that the whale had fallen for her sub, could it?

Stella tried several times to get away, but the whale’s affection was deep; it just wouldn’t give up. If you can't beat them, join them, she thought, deciding to lie back and enjoy the ride.

After two more hours of being rubbed, the world finally settled down. Waking from a nap, Rosie opened the observation window. Weird, it was dark outside. Checking the time in her room, it was only three in the afternoon. Something was definitely off. She quickly knocked on her brother and sister-in-law’s door.

With no peace day after day, Stella and Jasper got up without hesitation to investigate. It was pitch-black outside, and you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The observation window was made of several layers of sturdy special glass; it couldn’t be a quality issue, or water would have flooded in already.

Rosie climbed up to the second observation window, but it was still dark. Stella remembered there was a third observation window at the tail of the submarine and hurried to check it. No problem there—the light filtered down from the surface, and fish swam leisurely outside. So, the trio and their dog stared out of the window, even enjoying an afternoon tea.

Rosie was puzzled, “Brother, why won’t it get up?” Jasper explained, “Don’t let its size fool you. It’s clumsy and a poor swimmer, often falling prey to the ocean’s predators, getting caught in fishing nets, or just floating on the surface. That’s the story behind its name.” Rosie had an aha moment and patted its head through the glass, “I think it’s kind of cute.” Indeed, it was cute in an ugly sort of way.

However, while Stella put up with its antics, the sharks certainly did not. They came at it with bared teeth, ready to attack. The sunfish struggled but couldn’t get up. The water quickly turned red with blood, and the sunfish knocked against the sub in its struggle. They had to look away, unable to watch the bloody scene.

Seeing the sadness in his sister’s eyes, Jasper quickly closed the observation window. “The ocean is another world for humans, with the same law of the survival of the fittest. To protect yourself, you need to become stronger. You feel sorry for the sunfish, but big fish eat little fish, and little fish eat shrimp. It wouldn’t have survived to this day if it didn’t eat other creatures, right?” Rosie thought about it and couldn’t argue. “You need to remember this lesson. If you see someone in need, don’t rush to help. Think it through. Even if you decide to help, consider your own capabilities, ensuring you don’t endanger others.”

Jasper didn’t want to raise his sister to be heartless, but in a dark, apocalyptic world, it was hard to gauge the right amount of kindness. She needed to have a clear and independent mindset. Rosie nodded, understanding that her brother and sister-in-law were protecting her. She needed time to think and didn’t open the observation window for two days.

Stella and Jasper, however, would occasionally sit by the window, sipping coffee or flipping through magazines to pass the time. Then, out of the blue, they spotted a gray figure in the distance. Stella used the binoculars and saw it was a submarine, the same model as their 2688.