18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 454

The outline of something pressed against the fabric of Stella's pocket, revealing its shape... it looked like... a gun!

No one dared to mess with Stella after that; eyes shifted away in silent understanding. In these times, it's best not to poke the bear. Forget about trying to find an easy mark, or it might be your last mistake.

The ferry sped across the water, and by the time they arrived at Area A, Jasper had just 10 minutes before his shift started. He hurried off to check in.

Huh, when did old Mr. Howell start playing lapdog? The boss is a guy, for crying out loud.

The admin guy at East Base looked about forty-five, appeared rather lean, but carried himself with a military bearing. Definitely not the kind of guy who’d be chasing tail.

Hmph, just wait until we're back home; I’ll sort him out.

Jasper, with Stella by his side, introduced her with ease, "This is my wife."

The boss, Mr. Jiang, used to run things at East Base and was now the second-in-command at Ocean Point Naval Station. He was the one who interviewed Jasper the day before and seemed quite impressed, saying Jasper reminded him of his younger self.

Stella pondered that everyone loves a pretty face, even battle-hardened officers. Mr. Jiang was all good and funny, except for being a bit on the short side, like a skinny cucumber. Even shorter than Stella, he probably just made the cut for the draft.

Justice had seen all kinds in his lifetime, and it only took a glance for him to recognize that these two were no ordinary folks. With so much work to be done at the base, his job was to scout for talent.

He couldn't help but talk shop, "Mrs. Ginger, may I ask where you were employed before? Would you be interested in serving the base? We can discuss compensation."

Stella smiled, "Thanks for the generous offer, but I was just a student before the calamity struck. Honestly, I'm not skilled in anything."

"Ah, a student, that's good." Justice's smile was as serene as a Buddha's. "Medical school, right?"

Stella's heart skipped a beat. How did he know? Did they exchange information with South Base, and she was checked out?

Justice's expression turned serious, and he saluted Stella and Jasper, "Comrades, thank you for bringing our hero home."

Stella was taken aback. No wonder Jasper was given such courtesy; it all made sense now. It must have been Hans and his team who brought back the ashes of the airman, and it happened that the admin department was the point of contact, and they knew her and Jasper's names.

Justice saluted them as a sign of gratitude, "Thank you both, not only for letting a hero return home but also for sharing the coordinates of Hope Point with our fellow survivors."

Initially, Hans didn't want to disclose it, but he couldn't just not ask. Those who owed a debt of gratitude to a hero needed to be remembered. So he not only asked but did so in detail, although there wasn't much Hans knew.

Exchanging glances, Jasper spoke up, "We did what we had to do."

Following protocol, Justice went over the incident again. Before telling Hans and the others, the trio and their dog had aligned their stories. Stella repeated it, "When the plane went down, our submarine just happened to be surfacing for air. He... he passed away from a heart attack..."

Justice didn't question it; the pilot had been diagnosed with a heart condition in the eighth year after the disaster and had been reassigned to an administrative position. The team had risked everything searching the ocean for a habitable place like Hope Point, losing many along the way, including the pilot.

Eventually, they ran out of people to send, and after his persistent requests, they made an exception for him. The base had grown to over 12,000 people, thanks in no small part to him, but still... No, he had anticipated the worst outcome, which is why he insisted on returning to the skies.