18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 449

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.

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.