18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 17

If Arcadia were to grow by a hundredfold, Stella would not waste a single second scouring the expanse of this city. This was better than helplessly watching precious survival resources go under, and people resorting to brutal fights over a moldy loaf of bread.

The reality was harsh, and Stella had to look out for herself.

She gathered her thoughts and continued her race against the flooding waters.

Milk, yogurt, powdered milk, goat milk, soy milk powder, cereal, sugar in all its forms...

The water had reached her thighs, and she didn't have time to read labels or be picky. Her hands swiftly swept the shelves, grabbing whatever she could. Even if it wasn't her favorite, it was better than letting it go to waste.

Canned goods, dried fruits, chocolates, energy bars, biscuits, cheese, chicken legs, wings, beef jerky, lamb bites... Arcadia filled up at an alarming pace.

After grabbing a heap of pasta, Stella headed to the instant food section. Instant noodles, condensed soup, instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal, instant pudding - you name it, they had it. But due to the storm, the stock had dwindled.

In her past life, she had to gnaw on tree bark and consume clay to survive. Towards the end, she even had to use a stick to dig a pit for a makeshift toilet.

Arriving at the condiments section, she immediately hoarded the essentials, oilive oil, corn oil, canola oil, and tea oil. She took the bigger bottles that took less space when it came to mayonnaise, ketchup, yellow mustard, and vinegar. There were dozens of brands lined up on the shelves. She had swept them all clean.

Whenever she came across something she liked, she even scooped it up from the water. She would not waste anything.

In the end, she didn't even bother to read the labels as she swept them into her cart. The water had risen to her waist, and despite wearing a waterproof suit, she felt the chill seeping in, making it difficult to move. But this was her last chance to hoard goods. The more she could gather now, the less chance she would have to fight people for food later. It was a pity that the ground floor was flooded, otherwise, she could have collected more precious resources.

When the water reached her chest, she felt herself starting to float, and most of the goods were either sinking or floating on the surface. Collecting supplies had become more difficult, but luckily, Arcadia was already filled to the brim, even the toilet was almost stuffed full.

Just as she was about to scoop up some snacks floating on the surface, a beam of light swept across the nearby area. Stella was shocked. Was there another scavenger around?

The flashlight was on, and she quickly hid behind a shelf, on high alert. She had no idea how many people were there, and it would be difficult to fight in the water. Plus, she had already cleared the second floor of its valuable goods. If Arcadia was discovered...

Stella couldn't take that risk. She took out a portable diving mask from Arcadia, put it on, and quietly swam towards the fire exit. The floodwater seeped into her waterproof suit, making her body feel extremely heavy. She held her breath as she swam and stripped, only surfacing when she couldn't hold her breath any longer to catch a gulp of air through the mask.

Judging by the sounds, it seemed like there was only one person. Stella let out a sigh of relief, exerted a great deal of effort to push open the fire exit door, and headed towards the rooftop via the stairs.

She didn't turn on her flashlight. Panting, she took a break and ate some chocolate to replenish her energy. Only when the feeling of dizziness subsided did she continue her barefoot journey to the rooftop.

The rooftop was empty, and the second floor was already half flooded. As she was leaving, Stella took one last look at the Hummer she had her eye on in the parking lot. It was the same model as the one from room 1801. Not only was it high and powerful, but it also had a domineering appearance that could easily knock over a regular SUV. It was a true post-apocalyptic battle vehicle.

Unfortunately, Arcadia was already full. When faced with a choice, she chose the more comfortable and versatile RV instead. She patted the hood of the car, feeling as if she was parting with a piece of her own flesh. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Before long, these cars would all be submerged and then swept away by the flood. Such a pity.

The water level was rising rapidly, and the currents were getting strong. Her rubber raft could easily be swept away. Stella had no choice but to take out her inflatable raft. There were many obstacles underwater, and she was afraid of puncturing the raft, so she dared not go too fast.

The entire city was plunged into darkness, and the visibility range of her waterproof lamp was limited. She could only move slowly through the water. The inflatable raft was easy to operate, but the noise from the motor could easily alert others. Luckily, the storm had just subsided, and the government was actively carrying out rescue operations. Even if people nearby heard the noise, they would probably think it was the fire brigade.

Stella didn't return to her apartment. Instead, she raced against time to another location.

The next location was a three-kilometer distance away, and due to the darkness, it took her half an hour on the inflatable raft. She reached a six-story electronics commercial building, three floors of which had already been flooded.

Stella used a window breaker to smash the fourth-floor window and climbed in, heading straight for a solar technology company's retail store.

Thankfully, she had received a promotional flyer before the storm. The latest model of a type of solar generator had caught her attention. It had high-efficiency solar panels, off-grid power generation, flexible frequency inverters... you could either use it for efficient, concentrated power generation or use city electricity for fast charging. Most importantly, it had a storage battery box with a capacity of up to 100 degrees. A whopping 100 degrees, enough to power several air conditioners or heaters at the same time!

Of course, the price was also stunning – 680,000!

Stella couldn’t afford it, but she remembered where the retail store was. Compared to it, other generators were mere trash. After making sure there was no one in the mall, she took out a crowbar and started prying at the roller shutter door. The store wasn’t big, so she headed straight for the new generator displayed in the center after prying open the door.

The display only had the storage battery and inverter. She pried open the back door of the store’s warehouse to find the accessories, and found another generator of the same model, which she didn’t hesitate to take. The solar panels and brackets took up a lot of space, and the rest of Arcadia was already full, so they could only be placed on the balcony. In case the accessories got damaged, she took all the remaining ones as well.

When she realized that there was still space on the balcony, she also took several portable storage batteries. Although their storage capacity was much lower, they could be directly charged, which was quite good.

The mall had many other expensive appliances, but Arcadia had no more space.

It was already past five in the morning, and she had to get back before dawn. The current was getting stronger, and Stella braved the storm in her inflatable raft, going against the wind.

Approaching Sunrise Sanctuary, she turned off the motor and paddled to the calm water under the building, and in the dark, she swapped the inflatable raft for the rubber one.

The day was breaking, and she could vaguely make out objects. Just as she paddled to the window of her apartment, she noticed another raft. No, it was an inflatable raft.

There was a man on the raft, putting things into the window. Judging from his silhouette, it was a man, and he turned around and saw Stella.

There was no time to hide; Stella immediately became alert...