18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 526

No matter what’s inside the Kindle Chest, brute force ain’t gonna crack it open. Crafted from some kind of special material, crowbars, power saws, and drills are useless. Only the military brass has the remote control and the codes.

If you’re lucky enough to never come across one, great. But if you do, there’s no ignoring it.

Stella tucked 1037 into Arcadia. She probably never guessed it, but the arrival of 1037 had everyone, including the dogs, in high spirits, leading to a celebratory seafood feast that night.

That night, Stella had a dream. She was leaving Griffith for the Kindle Society when a military vehicle blocked her path, and a guard motioned for her to stop. Daniel stood beside the vehicle, looking all serious and stern, but his eyes widened in surprise when he saw her step out. In that moment, he knew exactly who she was.

Stella woke up in the middle of the night to the soft sound of rain tapping against the window. Jasper stirred beside her. “What’s up?”

She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Had a dream.”

“What about?”

“Something from a long time ago.”

Sensing her mood, Jasper pulled her closer. “Good or bad?”

Stella thought for a moment. “I guess... it was good.”

They slept in until they woke naturally, only to hear Rosie yelling from outside, “Cooper, where did this dead snake come from?”

A snake? Stella’s sleepiness evaporated, and she hurried out of bed. Their dogs had been out early, playing, and had brought back a snake, tails wagging excitedly, unaware of the danger.

After checking them over carefully, Stella was relieved to find no injuries. The snake wasn’t big, and they couldn’t identify its species, but it didn’t have venomous fangs. It must’ve been a sea snake that came ashore after their ocean habitat was disturbed.

Crocodiles, seals, snakes—they were all gradually making their way onto land. Stella felt an unprecedented premonition: maybe the natural disasters were over, and the ecosystem was slowly recovering. This realization made her happy.

Once she was sure the dogs weren't poisoned, the family continued their journey and soon stumbled upon an abandoned fishing boat. The inside was surprisingly clean, free of silt. Stella found fish bones nearby, figuring survivors had landed there but couldn’t make it on land, so they took to the sea.

Rosie whipped up a cake loaded with fruits for New Year's Eve. They planned to celebrate, but instead found themselves facing an endless desert. But hey, a desert’s just another adventure, right?

This newly-formed desert was nothing like the pristine sands from later times; it looked more like a high plateau basin formed from severe drought, with dried mud crusts here and there. They came across marine skeletons and the ruins of collapsed cities—once bustling metropolises now reduced to desolate sands.

Mostly on the road, Stella didn’t bother cooking a New Year’s feast; they just ate what was available in Arcadia. After watching the evening's entertainment and winding down, they slept in Arcadia.

The desert wasn’t exactly thrilling, so after breakfast on New Year’s Day, they took out a helicopter to cross the sands. Stella piloted with Jasper assisting. It took over two hours, but they made it back to the vast wasteland.

Sometimes they faced sandstorms, other times scorching sun and pelting rain. With no end in sight, they didn’t know how long they’d have to walk.