18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 567

Before the political team was fully assembled, Mark was swamped with back-to-back issues that needed resolving. He was so busy he barely had time to catch his breath, let alone stay in the loop about the latest developments.

The idea of starting a livestock farm was a stroke of good fortune, especially after the land had sunk, leaving him worried that all the poultry might be gone forever.

Naturally, the conversation turned to Stella.

Mark’s face lit up with optimism. “That’s fantastic news. I’m all for it.”

Stella threw him a curveball, “But the food processing plant wants to collaborate, and they’re asking for a 50% stake.”

Mark remained calm and friendly, “What do you think would be a fair percentage?”

The responsibility for civic affairs, including the food processing plant, now fell under his jurisdiction. However, there were so many areas to oversee that he hadn’t gotten around to that particular sector yet.

Stella thought it over carefully. “No more than 20%.”

Mark’s brow furrowed slightly, indicating he neither agreed nor outright refused the proposition.

Stella laid her cards on the table. “Mark, I’m serious about this negotiation. It’s not just the farm; it includes the crops as well. And later on, we might even get into medicinal herb cultivation.”

The cost of the glass greenhouses wasn’t a concern, but the ongoing expenses for land and energy to combat cold spells or sudden freezes would require the base’s support.

Naturally, tax breaks would be the icing on the cake.

Stella was being straightforward as a test for Mark, who also figured into her strategic planning.

After some thought, Mark replied tactfully, “Thank you for your support. I’ll have to mull it over and get back to you later with an answer.”

Stella smiled, “Great, I look forward to hearing from you.”

As Mark stood up to leave, he paused by the door, “Stella, do you believe we can restore Griffith to the way it is in our memories?”

“With you here, and with people like you, I’m confident we can make it happen.”

Mark left, his silhouette against the sunlight seemed a bit taller.

After inspecting the farm, the group departed.

Rosie was incredibly hospitable, insisting on giving everyone a few pounds of fresh veggies to sample the quality of the greenhouse produce and to see if there were any areas for improvement.

The officials left, amused and holding their bags of vegetables.

Rosie had lunch at the farm, and Stella brought out some bread, sautéed bacon with dried vegetables, and a light porridge, asking her to call Josef and Poppy over to join them.

She then headed for the population registry at the civic center.

There was still no word on LukasAngela.

The staff member was courteous, “Stella, as soon as there’s any news about them, I’ll let you know immediately.”

Being strikingly beautiful and the daughter of a leader, everyone on the base knew her, and the staff didn’t dare slack off.

Even if there were some who didn’t recognize her, her appearance and attire gave her away.

The whole base envied Jasper, wondering how many good deeds his ancestors must have done to marry the daughter of the base leader.

Not only was she beautiful, but she was also incredibly capable.

Green with envy, some lamented the unfairness of fate.

Stella ignored all the stares and walked home with Cooper.

After feeding her thankless pets, she harvested some crops from Arcadia and then planted cotton in the freed-up land.

Jasper didn’t return until the evening.

The hot weather had him sweating profusely after a day of handling exchanges at sea.

They received seven Kindle Chests, a box of desalination systems, a box of crop seeds, a box of excavators, a box of lithography machines, a box of precious artifacts from various eras, a box of simple textile equipment, and a box of office supplies.

Stella pondered, “We should keep an excavator.”

The possibility of the Kindle Chests being buried underground was high, and she wasn’t keen on getting blisters from shovels again.

In other words, whether it was fabric or kelp, 14 people would get to share half.

Fabrics were precious, and the military suggested that the team members keep as much as they needed, with the option to convert the rest into credits.

Stella wasn’t interested in material wealth, but the other team members were thrilled.

Not only did they get a free holiday, but they also struck it rich overnight.

They agreed to the exchange, planning to save their credits for housing.

“Jake and the others asked when you’re free; they want to take us out for dinner.”

Tagging along with them had its perks, and Stella wasn’t about to refuse, “Are they still living at sea?”

“Their cargo ship has decent living conditions. They’re not in a rush to come ashore, busy converting containers into homes.”

Stella was pretty tired from the trip, and since there were no immediate tasks, she decided to rest for a few days.

At that time, she had no idea that the recent salvage had caused quite a stir throughout the base.

The land had been turned upside down several times, nearly scraping it bare.

Yet the special team had returned from just one outing with such valuable materials.

Suddenly, everyone was wildly enthusiastic about the sea, eager to venture out and salvage.

Not just the lower ranks, but even the higher-ups were proposing ideas.

The base was in need of everything, and the ocean was vast. Salvage efforts shouldn’t be limited to Kindle Chests.

Could they salvage other materials?

With proposals came opposition.

Reagan was the first to voice his dissent, “The risks of the ocean are too great. Stumbling upon 26 crates of pristine fabric is just a lucky break. Our salvage crew is short-handed as it is. Our top priority should be to locate the Kindle Chest as soon as possible. We can’t afford to drop the ball on the big prize while chasing after peanuts.”