18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 397

Julia's body was wracked with pain, and tears streamed down her face. "She's got antisocial tendencies, a temper like a lit fuse, and she even dared to go after the mayor's kin. If we don't lock her up and give her a proper grilling, she's bound to be a threat to the community. Who knows how many will suffer because of her?"

A crowd of onlookers began to chime in with agreement. "Yeah, she's the one who started throwing punches for no reason."

Some of them had witnessed Stella's violent assault on Julia. It was brutal—grabbing hair and smashing heads into glass with lethal intent. Such a pretty girl, now her face covered in blood.

There was another group, too. When they heard Lillian and Julia were related to the mayor, they quickly chose sides.

Sergeant Hayes looked thoughtful as he pocketed his recording device. "The voice doesn't sound right, but rest assured, Miss Chen, the military has audio analysis equipment. Even if the voice is different, the pattern can't lie. The department will verify the truth."

Audio analysis equipment? Julia's heart skipped a beat. This was bad!

Sergeant Hayes spoke with resolute authority, "Since there's a conflict of stories, I must ask you to come with us to the Dispute Resolution Office. This is a public space, and we can't have it disrupting business."

Julia was naïve, but Lillian was adept at reading the room. When she heard what Sergeant Hayes said, she knew something was off. Clearly, he was protecting Stella. They were strangers, and Hayes wouldn't help Stella without reason, unless it was an order from Daniel. He was always by the book, even reluctant to intervene in Julia's professional matters, but now he was cutting Stella some slack. Lillian felt a chill. How much did he know? Or had he known the truth from the start? If Daniel was serious, there wasn't anything his men couldn't find out. Julia was in danger!

She quickly thought of a plan, clutched her dislocated arm, and approached. "Sergeant Hayes, this is just a misunderstanding. Surely there's no need to go to the Dispute Resolution Office?"

Hayes wished it were a misunderstanding, but with orders from the mayor, he had to ensure not a hair on Stella's head was harmed. With such a public incident involving the mayor's family affairs, it wasn't his place to decide the outcome; he had to wait for further instructions.

He softened his tone seeing the mother and daughter both injured, especially Julia, who likely had her beauty marred. "Take Mrs. Gu and Miss Chen to the hospital to have their wounds treated first," he ordered his soldiers.

As for Stella and Jasper, they needed to gather the witnesses. Hayes followed them to the parking lot in front of the base's main gate. When he saw the trunk full of battered suspects, he couldn't help but twitch his lips. Tsk tsk, she was a tough one. The suspect was beaten to a pulp, miraculously still alive despite losing so much blood.

He waved his hand, directing the suspects to be taken to the Dispute Resolution Office. Without the need for an interview, the witnesses, scared senseless by Stella's ferocity, confessed everything clearly. They pleaded for the Kindle Society to punish them, not Stella, the devil incarnate!

Stella had no objections and headed back to Sector B. Meanwhile, Private Thompson drove to the hospital to take Julia and her mother home. Julia had lost three teeth, and her face was stitched up. Given the limited medical conditions, she was likely to be scarred. In a world ravaged by disaster, survival was paramount. While Julia grieved over her wounds, her greater fear was the revelation of the truth. Conspiracy to commit murder was punishable by death. So, when she saw Private Thompson, Julia turned pale as a ghost. Lillian felt the same, her entire body cold and rigid.

Thompson said little, only mentioning that the mayor had sent him to take them home. Arriving at the residential area, Thompson reminded them, "Ma'am, the mayor is still busy. He'll be home later." With that, he drove off. Back at home, Julia crumbled. "Mom, he..."

Lillian made a hushing gesture, scaring her even more. What did that mean? Were there surveillance devices at home? Lillian didn't speak but began to search every corner of the house. Finding no devices, both Sergeant Hayes' actions and Thompson's behavior left her deeply unsettled.

She had made a mistake. From the beginning, she had underestimated Daniel's emotional intelligence, subconsciously treating him like the man from thirty years ago who had given her unconditional trust and tolerance. Now Daniel was distant and inscrutable, like a deep lake whose depths were impossible to fathom. Lillian had no idea what would happen when Daniel returned. For thirty years, Lillian thought she had known her husband, but now she was afraid to even speak. The chilling possibility that their conversations could be under military surveillance was something that never would have made itself apparent.

The recent heart-to-heart she had shared with her daughter sent shivers down her spine just to think about it. In that moment, she seemed to age a decade, slumped in defeat on the living room couch, a far cry from her usual poise and grace. Mother and daughter exchanged worried glances, the tension of impending doom hanging between them. The anxiety of not being in control of their own fates was akin to being fish on a chopping block, awaiting the inevitable cut. To say they were being drawn and quartered would not have been an exaggeration.

After all, if Daniel had wanted to protect her, he would have downplayed the whole situation, not caused this massive uproar. What, she wondered, did she truly mean to him? Julia was just as anxious, now genuinely scared. Every minute was torture, waiting from noon until the dead of night, teetering on the brink of a mental breakdown. And then, at the edge of her endurance, the doorbell rang...