18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 497

The gasoline fire spread like wildfire, turning the base into a blazing furnace. Flames hungrily consumed the circuits and surveillance systems.

In some control room, over half of the large monitors flickered and then went dark.

The boss was about to blow a gasket, cursing up a storm. "Get me that damn wolf!"

Explosions, flames, scorching heat, thick smoke, suffocation...

Base members flooded in non-stop. They navigated through the inferno—some aiming to attack Stella and Jasper, others choking on the smoke, and a few making a break for the outside.

Unity had never been their thing; they were a ragtag bunch held together by selfish motives. None had expected to miss out on the spoils while taking all the hits.

No one in their right mind would put anything above their own life.

And now, with the boss's legs chopped off, who was left to cling to?

Not to mention, this wasn't even the real boss, just one of his many stand-ins—a sub-leader who'd gotten separated from the main fleet during a massive storm at sea.

Separated? Who knew the real story?

After all, this fleet was under the command of the China National Defense Department, specifically tasked with transporting critical tech assets.

Despite the boss's formidable military might, internal strife within the faction was intense. The two parties would have gladly seen each other dead, while the sea, air, and land branches wracked their brains to swindle budgets from the congressional bigwigs.

How else could you explain the exorbitant price tags on coffee cups and toilets?

Each department was its own little kingdom, with heads so powerful they wouldn't even listen to the head of state.

So it was very possible that this stand-in boss had intentionally gone AWOL with valuable assets in tow.

After all, why let someone else play king when you can sit comfortably on the throne yourself?

As the saying goes, once one starts running, others follow.

In the chaos, Stella and Jasper switched outfits, making sure to don gas masks.

The base was a melting pot of ethnicities, with plenty of Eastern faces, so in the confusion, those with slower wits failed to recognize the two.

Those who did recognize them, were swiftly dealt with.

They nabbed a high-ranking guy, trembling like a leaf. "Please, don't kill me, they're on sublevel three."

In a life-or-death moment, he spilled everything.

The underwater base had three levels—the lowest housing the grunts, the second for mid-ranking members and holding cells, and the third was the plush digs of the high-ranking officials, complete with entertainment areas and an armory.

"Take us there," Stella ordered, her gun pressed to his temple.

The man coughed incessantly from the smoke. "You need an iris scan to access the third floor, and I don't have that clearance."

Stella didn't buy it and threatened to end him.

"If you don't believe me, I can take you there," he offered.

So, the man led them through a maze of corridors, trying to escape at one point, only to be shot in the thigh by Jasper. He howled in pain, crumpling to the ground.

"There are several checkpoints to get to the third level."

One for a password, another for fingerprints, then the iris scan, and finally a voice recognition check.

The man didn't even know the password; he was just looking for a chance to bolt.

Seeing he was useless, Stella raised her gun to send him to meet his maker.

"I can't get to the third floor, but I can take you to the holding cells," the man pleaded, his voice barely a whisper. "There are many people there; you might find your friends or even family."

The holding cells? Stella thought of what Ivans had mentioned and the Belarus survivors they had captured before.

"Where?" she demanded icily. "Take us there."

The man dared not play any tricks and obediently led them to the cells.

The prison was massive and divided into sections.

The innermost area was segregated by skin color and gender, while the outer section had individual cells. Union Base members would randomly pick prisoners for their cruel amusement when they were bored.