18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 238

Stella returned to Apartment 5 early after a day's work, drawn to the verdant landscape that stretched before her.

The folks of Eastwood Eden were hard at work, tilling and sowing the land tirelessly for the past fortnight.

Corn was sprouting. Lush green vegetables promised a bountiful harvest in a week's time, but they were too precious to be consumed. Instead, the seedlings were carefully re-planted, nurtured to grow, and then sun-dried. The dried veggies could be consumed or traded for points.

The strength of the human spirit was evident in their toil. Not only did they cultivate the barren land within the neighbourhood, but they also ventured beyond its borders.

Patrol duties increased, but no one complained.

After two days of rest, Stella decided to gather firewood from the forest. The nearby woods had been stripped bare, forcing her to venture deeper into the wilderness. A round trip was no simple task.

They had to spend the night in the forest, returning only when she had gathered enough wood.

This time, she not only took the dog but also the rabbits.

She took only the first and second generations and the yet-to-grow babies. The fully grown rabbits that had reached a certain weight were slaughtered and stored in Arcadia.

She made sure not to do this in front of Snowy and Smoky. The deed was done in the next room.

Snowy and Smoky couldn't speak, otherwise, they would have protested against Stella. Damn it, they thought. They were always the ones to get the short end of the stick, while the dog was pampered and taken care of.

She stored the important stuff in Arcadia, put the rabbits in the trunk, and drove the Hummer to gather wood.

After much consideration, she decided to go to Ivywood Estates at the city's edge. The forests along the way were bare. Ivywood Estates had been destroyed in an earthquake.

Memories flooded back as she looked at the ruined villas. During the initial flood period, her team from the 18th floor often came here to gather resources. The fish they stored in Arcadia were still there, almost three years later.

How things had changed, she thought.

After climbing seven or eight mountains with the rabbits, she was breathless.

Standing at the peak, she could see the vast dead forest in the distance. The outskirts were not safe, forcing her to venture deeper into the forest. After almost a day of trekking, she finally reached the uninhabited depths of the forest.

The deeper she went, the more she could feel the miracle of life. Many of the dead trees were sprouting green buds, nourished by the rain.

She chose a flat forest area and started working with her tools.

Stella had an electric saw, while Jasper had a fuel-powered one.

Rosie, unable to help with the chopping, was sent to keep watch from a high ground with the dog.

They worked until sundown. Stella then started gathering the chopped branches, storing them in Arcadia under the cover of dusk. The branches were also valuable, tied together and stored to be used as firewood later.

It was dark before they finished working. They had originally planned to bring the trailer, but what if someone else was also gathering wood in the forest? Better to be safe, they thought, and set up a two-bedroom tent.

Rosie had set up tents before, so Jasper let her do it alone this time.

In the deep forest under the starry sky, they lit oil lamp and laid out a hearty meal to reward themselves for the day's hard work.

The rabbits were also rewarded with fresh hay and a bowl of crispy peanuts.

After dinner, they sat in the tent watching TV shows.

Jasper's hands were covered in dirt, and he was holding a piece of grass with a smile on his usually cold face. "Stella, I found it."

"What?" Stella asked. Jasper was usually quite calm and cold, so this smile was a rare occurence.

"I think it's this herb. It can cure the liver and lung diseases caused by the smog virus."

He found it under a tree. It was quite unremarkable and took him a while to identify.

Stella took it from him and stared at it for a while. Stella was stumped. She didn't recognize this either. After lunch, she didn't rest and instead pulled out a treasured copy of herbal medicine book that she had taken from the school library.

Jasper sat next to her and helped her go through the book.

After almost an hour, he pointed at a picture. "I think it's this one."

Stella stared at him. "You need to be 100% sure. Misidentification could be fatal."

He replied, "It looks similar, but not quite the same."

Dragonlily, a herb that could cleanse the liver and lungs and kill bacteria. It was mainly found in the southern mountains and required specific soil and water conditions. No wonder it wasn't widely cultivated - it was hard to grow.

Stella compared the real thing with the picture, the picture showed a fully-bloomed tulip, but the comparison was worlds apart. There wasn't the slightest resemblance.

"It must be this one. Seedlings differ greatly from mature plants."

Seeing this plant, Jasper's hazy memories gradually became clear. He remembered asking his professor to make sure it was the right plant before picking it. However, he still felt that there was a difference between the photograph and the real thing, "Could it be possible that the plant has mutated?"