18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 23

That was true, after yesterday's turmoil, the military department promptly adjusted their strategy and decided to deploy the troops to maintain stability. Unlike the police, the military wouldn't hesitate to fire their guns. Their mission was to safeguard the nation's stability.

Stella recalled that in her past life, the military had also been deployed and dealt with a bunch of troublemakers with an iron fist, which finally stabilized the situation. She observed the outside through her binoculars, and sure enough, she saw soldiers in their military uniforms patrolling on motorboats with live ammunition.

Intermittent gunshots had been going off all morning, making the world seem a lot quieter.

Lukas spent a good while disassembling and reassembling a portable gas stove. After changing several parts, he finally managed to fix it. Feeling a sense of accomplishment, he gladly offered to repair the stoves for Stella and Jasper.

Angela and Lukas invited Stella for dinner as a token of gratitude for offering them shelter. They cooked a pot of stewed vegetables and a dish of spicy potatoes. Stella had brought the potatoes, and they had already started to sprout. They had to be cut off and then blanched in hot water.

Although the meal was simple, both Angela and Lukas almost teared up. For the past twenty days, this was the first time they had eaten hot dish and had a comforting hot bath. The feeling of having a full stomach was truly wonderful, it made them feel alive again.

"Stella, without you, we might have still been crammed in a shelter." Angela toasted with a glass of water, her face serious. "Today was a bit simple, but once things get back to normal, I'll treat you to a feast in a five-star hotel."

"That sounds great, if we get the chance."

As they were eating and chatting, Lukas spoke up, "With the military present, it's a lot more stable outside. I heard the government is moving supplies to the department store. Citizens can purchase on a limited basis according to need. Shall we go tomorrow?"

"Yes, but we have to go early."

"Also, a lot of people have been diving underwater to salvage supplies today."

Lukas continued, "The biggest supermarket near us was packed with people, but it was too deep. Ordinary people didn't have the equipment, and there were rumors of several people being swept away. Some skilled divers managed to salvage some stuff, but most of it was damaged. Even so, they couldn't bear to throw it away."

Angela sighed, "If it wasn't for Stella's reminder, we would be starving right now."

The department store opened at eight, so they set alarms for six. After a bit of tidying up, they left at six thirty. Jasper stayed behind to watch the house.

It was still dark at six thirty, but there were already quite a few people out and about. It took them an hour to reach the department store. They entered directly from the fourth floor, the waterlogged world was damp all over. Looking up, the three saw a sea of heads.

The store was on the sixth floor, but the line had already reached the fourth floor. There were even people who had come the night before to queue, just to get a chance to enter. There were soldiers with live ammunition patrolling the area. Given yesterday's forceful measures, the place was bustling, but no one dared to cause trouble.

The three of them quickly got in line.

As time went on, more and more people were pouring in. The doors opened on time at eight. They let in 50 people each time, giving them only five minutes. They cleared the place on time. The

restrictions were very strict. Each person was only allowed to purchase 2 pounds of grains, payable by cash with their ID.

Three hours of queuing, five minutes of shopping.

It was a spacious store, so you had to not only be fast with your hands but also swift on your feet. The three of them had agreed that rice and flour were the most filling. Don't touch things like instant noodles and snacks.

Stella chose rice, while Angela and Lukas each got 2 pounds of both.

100 dollars a pound! It’s not the time to complain about the price though.

The quality of the rice was very average, but it was good to have. It would only get more expensive in the future, and later on, when the paper money became worthless, it would be too hard to even use as toilet paper.

Griffith had a large population, and the grain would soon be snatched up. The government would continue to release more, but they would be salvaged from the water and dried. Even though it would go bad and be harmful to the body, you wouldn't be able to get it even if you wanted to.

Stella decided to spend the 2000 dollars she had.

Angela was afraid that the rubber boat would get damaged, so she thought about buying a spare one, but it was priced at 10,000 dollars. Prices of sauce, dried vegetables, and other groceries had also skyrocketed several tens of times. The cost and risk of going out were too high. The three of them chipped in a few items and spent the 2000 dollars, but what they managed to stuff into their bags wasn't much.

More and more people were queuing outside, and there wasn't much stuff left in the store.

As they were descending the stairs, they happened to spot Hector and Sadie in line. The two were very intimate, holding hands, while the girl from 1202 was standing behind them. She was so thin that her eyes were sunken in, and she looked completely listless. Looking at her, Stella couldn't help but think of her past self.

Spotting Stella, Hector instinctively let go of Sadie's hand and smiled, trying to greet her. Stella averted her gaze coldly, pretending she hadn't seen him. They left the store and got on the rubber boat to leave.

Seeing that it was still early, Lukas suggested, "Cody lives quite close to here. Why don't we go and check on him?"

They had been in contact with him the day after the typhoon hit, but there had been no news since then. Stella thought for a moment and agreed. Other than his poor choice in women, as a friend, Cody didn't have many flaws.

Stella had received help from Angela in her past life, and she only had two friends from childhood to adulthood, Lukas and Cody. If conditions allowed, she still wanted to lend a hand.

It took them an hour to reach the neighborhood where Cody lived, and based on her memory, they found his apartment on the 8th floor. They knocked for a long time, and a woman's voice came from inside, "Who is it?"

"We're looking for Cody."

"There's no one here by that name. You've got the wrong place."

When Cody moved, the three of them had helped, so it was impossible for them to have gotten to the wrong place.

The woman's voice didn't sound young; it probably belonged to a middle-aged woman.

"Mom, who is it?" A boy's voice came from inside.

"Strangers, they got the wrong door."

Stella frowned, feeling that something was off. But no matter how much they knocked, the people inside just ignored them. They ended up disturbing their neighbors, instead.

Stella saw an old lady open her door, and quickly went over to ask, "Ma'am, does Cody live next door?"

The old lady had a pained expression on her face, and shook her head, unwilling to say anything.

Lukas had a bad feeling and took out a few ounces of rice from his bag.

The old lady hesitated for a while, before letting the three of them in. "You're looking for the polite young man who speaks very amusingly, right?"

Lukas quickly nodded.

"He's a nice young man, but he's quite naive. He brought a fierce woman into his home and got kicked out."

The old lady shook her head as she spoke. "When the typhoon first hit, that woman came over with her parents and two children. It was the young man who risked danger to go and pick them up. At the time, I thought they were siblings, but I never expected him to get kicked out after a few days."

Lukas was shocked. Stella was in disbelief. Angela, who was clenching her fists, couldn’t utter a word.

"He banged on the door multiple times, but the lady inside refused to open it. In the end, helpless, he had to stay in the hallway until the day of the rescue came."Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Refuge areas were divided by district, and the stranded residents from this neighborhood were relocated to the Griffith Hotel.

Lukas couldn't possibly fathom how Cody had managed to survive these past few days.

How could there have been... such a detestable woman!

"Now, what do we do?" He was so infuriated it felt like his liver was aching.