18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 544

Stella squinted in the direction he pointed, barely making out a patrol boat skimming the ocean's surface.

The crew seemed to be wearing uniforms from the Southern Base. Sure, there were patrols in these waters, but they were still over ten nautical miles from the dock. With fuel being so scarce, expanding the patrol area this much wasn't standard procedure.

Had something gone wrong?

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

Gunshots echoed, and several crew members dropped into pools of their own blood.

One of them, clutching a sharpened ice pick, was lunging toward Stella’s back...

Jasper fired his gun.

Stella spun around, quickly drawing her weapon, and took down the crew members scrambling toward the cockpit.

Did they really think they could pull one over on her? She had just let them dig their own graves.

The captain, terrified, stumbled backward, frantically trying to explain himself.

Stella raised her gun and sent him to meet his maker.

The patrol boat was closing in, and if they got much closer, they'd spot the cargo ship.

Without hesitation, Jasper took over the controls to stop the ship, while Stella dashed to the hold, releasing all the packaged glass and camouflaging it properly.

Up on the third deck, she released other supplies: steel rods, plates, several hundred pounds of aged grain, and medications.

This was a scavenger's pirate ship; nothing was out of the ordinary.

After setting everything in place, she hurriedly slid down the rope and launched the fishing boat into the sea, struggling to hook the two vessels together with the cargo ship's large iron hook.

Climbing back aboard, she saw the patrol boat even closer, gradually slowing to a stop.

One of the patrol soldiers picked up binoculars and began to scrutinize the scene.

About ten minutes later, the patrol boat approached the freighter and started hailing through a megaphone.

"Attention to the folks on the cruise ship, you have entered Griffith Base's territorial waters. If you are not survivors from Australia, please leave immediately."

Ignoring their hailing, Stella staged the scene to look like she and Jasper had just survived a brutal fight against marauding pirates. She walked to the bow and waved a red flag, signaling, “Friendly, hold your fire.”

As the patrol boat got closer, they were surprised to recognize Bran among them.

When Bran saw who was on the ship, he waved excitedly, “Sis, bro-in-law!”

The patrol consisted of five soldiers. Bran, climbing up eagerly, asked, “How’d you manage to snag a cargo ship?”

“Don’t even ask,” Stella grumbled, wiping sweat off her forehead with her blood-stained sleeve. “Your brother-in-law and I went out scavenging for supplies. We stumbled upon pirates hijacking a ship and nearly lost our lives.”

At the mention of pirates, everyone instinctively drew their guns. “Are you both okay?”

“We had a fight the night before last, wounded more than half of them before we were captured. But they started infighting, giving us a chance to turn the tables.”

The soldiers climbed aboard and saw the remnants of a gasoline fire and bullet holes on the deck, confirming a fierce battle had taken place.

Before they could ask more, Bran pulled Stella aside and whispered anxiously, “Sis, the boss is in trouble. I came out here under the guise of a patrol to find you. You and bro-in-law need to hurry back; you might still make it in time.”

Stella’s heart skipped a beat. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s sick, a severe lung infection, and he’s been unconscious for two days.”

Bran’s voice was urgent. “There’s worry about chaos at the base. Aunt Shu hasn’t made it public yet, but the hospital is out of the needed meds, and it’s getting worse by the minute.”

Stella’s mind buzzed, nearly losing her footing, but Jasper was quick to support her.

Bran assured her, “You go back immediately; I’ll handle the ship.”

As long as it wasn’t from Kindle Chest, the base wouldn’t take a cut of the scavenger’s haul.

Regaining her composure, Stella hopped onto the patrol boat, and Bran instructed his soldiers to escort the couple back, then to send for a few who knew how to operate the cargo ship.