18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 555

Two days flew by in a blink, and the pair reported for duty right on schedule.

This batch of new recruits barely scraped together a hundred folks. Apart from Stella and Jasper, who had aced their exams, the rest had only made it in due to relaxed entry requirements.

On site, groups were being formed as different departments came to claim their new members. Jasper and Stella were already pre-selected; today was just a formality. But to their surprise, the one welcoming them turned out to be an old friend—Cole.

Their eyes met, and a whole conversation passed between them in that glance. Cole extended a hand with a smile, “Welcome aboard, you two.”

The newly formed special unit didn’t even have a proper office yet; they were temporarily housed in a military tent. When the trio arrived, eleven soldiers were already waiting—nine men and two women, all around Jasper’s age.

Cole took the lead, introducing himself, “Hey everyone, I’m the deputy commander of our little special squad…”

Once the introductions were over, and about five minutes had passed, an older officer, roughly Daniel’s age, arrived. His stern, square-jawed face made everyone snap to attention and salute.

“Good day, everyone. I’m Reagan, and I’ll be overseeing your department,” he said.

After a brief self-introduction and a few fiery military speeches about brotherhood and duty, Reagan addressed the group, “From now on, your commander Jasper will lead you in the search for the lost Kindle Chests, working towards a brighter future for Griffith.”

After the applause, Jasper stepped forward. Stella was both surprised and not.

Once the formalities were out of the way, Reagan handed Jasper a classified document and left, saying, “Come up with a detailed plan and report back to me once it’s ready.”

Jasper and Cole opened the file to find the exact coordinates where the Kindle Chests had gone missing. There were over a hundred locations listed, but only a dozen had been successfully recovered; the rest were still out there waiting to be found.

The data was dense and scattered; they would have to see whether these chests now stood on mountain peaks or lay in the ocean’s depths.

The team knew their real mission—execute the plan in coordination. Jasper didn’t make decisions on his own; instead, he sat down with his team to craft their strategy.

Eighty-plus Kindle Chests, even with Stella’s Arcadia to cheat with, couldn't be retrieved in one go. Besides, the base had thousands of eyes watching.

Cole pondered, “These Kindle Chests are huge; we’ll need transport ships, cranes, and other equipment.”

Jasper nodded, “The coordinates are all over the place; we need to start with the nearest ones and plan our routes accordingly. If the waters are tricky, we’ll have to adapt on the fly.”

As seasoned seafarers, everyone shared their knowledge of the seas they’d navigated. Stella listened intently, then drew a map, marking the locations of the lost Kindle Chests and devising 20 routes based on proximity for salvage operations.

With the plan set, they listed the supplies needed for long voyages. After double-checking everything, Jasper and Cole went to seek approval from their superiors.

The discussion alone took a day, and Stella spent her time at home lounging and snacking on watermelon. Jasper returned late at night, saying, “The higher-ups have agreed, but they can only provide minimal supplies. We’ll have to figure out the rest ourselves.”

A large transport ship, Cole’s nuclear-powered submarine, and Stella’s 2688 were enlisted—with the sub and Arcadia as backups in case of emergencies with the transport vessel.