18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 535

Daniel's face was unreadable as he simply replied, "No."

Stella’s expression softened as she began to recount her story. "With Russia and China both setting up bases in the Arctic, clashes were frequent, and casualties were a regular occurrence.

We ended up in the Arctic by chance and saved a few injured Russians. Little did we know, we’d ticked off China, who then kept trying to corner us.

We got lucky and teamed up with the Russians, managing to capture China's base, which scored us a share of the supplies. We've been doing alright for the past few years.

As the land started to re-emerge, we set out to find a new place to settle. We landed here a few times but didn’t find a suitable base, just a lot of danger.

After wandering for a while, we ran into some bounty hunters who helped us find our way here. We've got more supplies than we can carry ashore, so we stashed our submarine and fishing boat in a hidden cove a few hundred kilometers away. We need to retrieve them quickly.”

Stella chose her words carefully, not wanting to give too much away and risk slipping up near the base.

Arcadia wasn’t lacking in resources, but now that they’d decided to stay, they had to go about things the right way.

Daniel’s desire to make up for lost family time was genuine, but his life had always been country first, family second, and now he had a new family to consider.

He was the type to lay down his life for his country, an admirable trait for sure.

But who could guarantee he wouldn’t sacrifice his daughter for the same cause?

Stella wasn’t about to make a rash bet based on a brief encounter.

She was willing to share her past with him and had decided to stay in Griffith. Daniel couldn’t hide his delight, "Do you need me to arrange protection for you all?"

"No need, we'll be quick. But..."

Stella hesitated, testing the waters, "We've got a fair amount of medicine and weapons. Would it be alright to bring those back?"

Medicine would be welcomed, but there were strict policies about confiscating weapons for the safety of the base.

But there were always exceptions for special circumstances.

Daniel wasn’t sure how many weapons she had, but after a moment’s thought, he said, "You can have gun permits, but no more than six weapons and no more than a hundred rounds of ammo. You’ll need to register the specific models with the military."

Stella knew this was the furthest he could bend the rules, "Alright."

They had enough medicine from the Union Base to last them many lifetimes, but the base was in dire need of it, "We got our hands on a good amount of medicine. Can we trade it with the base?"

In the post-disaster world, medicine was scarce.

Minor illnesses went untreated, serious ones were a death sentence, not just for survivors but soldiers too.

"You can trade, but the hospital will have its own terms. What are you looking to get in return?"

"I’d like a red-brick house, at least a thousand square feet, with a fence no shorter than six feet. If there’s anything left, I’d like to buy some land to start farming."

Daniel was impressed by her foresight and high standards; she wasn’t one to sell herself short, "Sure, I’ll arrange it."

As they wrapped up their negotiations, Vanessa had dinner ready.

Seeing Daniel’s relaxed smile, Vanessa knew Stella had agreed to stay.

It had been years since Vanessa had seen him smile like that.

He was always so serious, like a machine that never needed rest, working himself to the bone.

Thanks to Stella, he was clocking out early for once.

The two decided to leave the next day and went back to their room early after dinner.

Rosie, not wanting to be a burden or cause for concern, volunteered to stay behind and take care of things, saying, "I’ll look after them."

Stella left dog food, jerky, and some bland, non-perishable foods, not forgetting to give Rosie a handgun for protection.

The next day, Stella and Jasper rose early, following the sounds of the others stirring.