18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 499

The pain in her gut was unbearable, and Stella fought to stand, only to cough up a mouthful of blood.

At the same moment, a net flew through the air, ensnaring both her and Jasper.

Ignoring her own predicament, Stella reached out to nudge Jasper, who had also been shot and lay motionless. "Jasper," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Jasper was drenched in blood, unresponsive.

Knowing how crafty the Australians were, the leader didn’t approach. Instead, he ordered his men to drag Jasper over and pressed a gun to his head. "One wolf's life isn’t enough. How about adding his?"

Stella tried to stand, but the blood in her eyes blinded her. "Don’t hurt him," she pleaded desperately.

The leader sneered arrogantly, "Give me one good reason."

"I can give you my power, but you must let him go. If not, I'll kill myself right now."

"Threatening us?"

The gang erupted into laughter, as if they had heard the world's most absurd joke.

Stella joined in the laughter, then pressed the gun to her own temple. "My power chip is hidden in my brain. If I blow my brains out, the power will disappear with me. Let him go, and I'll give you the power."

The leader narrowed his eyes dangerously, "Are you bargaining with me?"

"If you don't believe me, you can try," Stella said weakly. "But think it over. The power chip is unique; it can only be used for two hours a day, and overuse drains the spirit. If it exceeds two hours, it becomes useless."

The leader stared at Stella, trying to gauge the truth of her words.

Every corner of the base was under surveillance, both visible and hidden, and every move they made was under his watchful eye.

The man was skilled but had no powers.

The woman had powers, but she seemed increasingly weary. They had been overheard whispering that her power was nearly depleted and they needed to act fast.

Riddled with bullets, Stella wouldn’t last much longer.

Seeing her on the brink of death, the leader relented, "Fine. Give me the power, and I'll let him go."

Stella's power wasn’t just for storing things; people could vanish and reappear on the spot, meaning she could only disappear where she stood.

Once they pinpointed her weakness, they were confident she couldn’t escape.

He was reluctant to trust the Australians, known for their cunning and deep strategies.

But now, he had no choice.

Initially, they wanted to deal with them because they were close to the Russians and skilled in healing.

They were just three people—either join or die, an easy task.

But they turned out to be a bottomless pit. His men disappeared without a trace, yet the Australians were unscathed.

This was the Arctic, his territory, and he couldn’t tolerate threats to his rule.

So they lured Snowflake into the base to eliminate them.

They threw everything they had at them, even risking the base itself...

This was not the outcome he wanted!

With the base in shambles and his forces decimated, even if he killed these two today, he would be left maimed.

Would the survivors still obey him?

Only he knew how hard-won his position was.

Despite their brotherly facades, his men were opportunists, ready to turn at the slightest hint of lost profit.

He couldn’t risk it; he needed that power.

With it, even if the base was in ruins, he’d still be the boss.

So, he used Jasper's life as a bargaining chip.

But Stella didn’t trust him and demanded an oath before God.

"I don't trust you, but I do trust your God! If you lie, may you be struck down with furious vengeance."

The leader hesitated, but they remained deadlocked, Stella's finger tight on the trigger.

As she spat out another mouthful of blood, the leader wavered, considering the possibility that she wasn’t lying and that the power would indeed vanish with her death.

At that moment, someone behind him gave a subtle wink.