18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 50

It took two days of hard work, but all seven water towers were finally installed.

The guys from 1803 had three, Stella and Jasper each had two, ready to be used with just a twist of the faucet.

Stella used water from Arcadia, but she still put on a show every day.

Before she knew it, two months had passed since the flood. The second batch of hydroponic vegetables had been planted, Snowy seemed to be pregnant again, and the first litter of rabbits had grown to over a pound.

Angela couldn't sit still; as soon as her injuries were somewhat healed, she would occasionally go out. Stella was growing lazier by the day, always pushing off tasks and fully embracing a laid-back lifestyle.

Even Jasper, who used to be tirelessly working like a machine, took a break. Apart from his daily dog training sessions, he would spare two hours to spar with Stella, then it was time for cooking.

He was flawless in every other aspect, but his culinary skills were subpar. Under Stella's guidance, his cooking was barely tolerable, a far cry from delicious.

"Not bad, congrats on your graduation."

Even though it was a bit heartless, Stella craved for some alone time. Arcadia had stocked up on a lot of delicious food, which she couldn't take out in front of Jasper.

Jasper, unable to repay her, handed her a walkie-talkie, "You can contact me if anything comes up."

Stella paused, why hadn't she thought of stocking up on these? Maybe she hadn't anticipated the possibility of teaming up.

"Thank you." This was much more convenient; if anything came up, she could just buzz him - no need to run around knocking on doors.

Jasper didn't visit again, allowing Stella and her dog to enjoy a hearty barbecue. They guzzled down soda, having a truly grand time.

In the morning, the walkie-talkie rang, and Jasper's voice came through, "Stella, are you giving Rosie her lesson today?"

"Yes, around ten o'clock."

"Why don't you come over?" Jasper suggested. "While you're setting tasks for Rosie, I can teach you some stealth and infiltration techniques."

Stealth and infiltration, that’s the legitimate skills of an assassin, including silent killing, various moves to strangle from behind, punching the throat, twisting the neck, and charging and pushing down to strangle.

Stella was instantly interested. Her own living room was indeed a bit cramped, so she readily agreed, "Alright."

Stealth and infiltration was close combat, involving physical contact and wrestling.

Jasper laid out some crash pads on the floor, and the first move was the neck twist that Stella had seen earlier.

He stood behind Stella, suddenly closing in like a bolt of lightning, one hand reaching for her slender neck, the other grasping her jaw. A fierce aura swept over her, and Stella instinctively wanted to resist. But before she could, he moved in close, targeting her hamstring, holding her neck and jaw steady with both hands. One strong squeeze, and her head would snap right off.

The sense of danger instantly transported Stella back to her past life, where she was on the brink of death. She couldn't die at the hands of those cannibals.

Just as she was about to fight back, a voice came from above her head, "Stella, don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The voice was calm, deep, but resolute.

Stella shook off the chaotic thoughts in her mind, realizing that Jasper was touching the joints of her neck, "Focus, don't get distracted."

The memories of the apocalypse were too traumatic; even if everything started anew, she was still extremely resistant to physical contact with men.

Stella kept taking deep breaths, telling herself not to confuse the past with the present. What she was doing now was for her own improvement. Only by becoming stronger could she prevent others from bullying her.

Jasper had noticed Stella's abnormal reaction last time, and promptly withdrew his hands, "I didn't mean to offend you."

"I'm sorry, it's my own issue." Stella composed herself and forced a stiff smile, "Let's go again."

Everything was different now.

Jasper started again, grabbing her neck and explaining the joints and pressure points. He did twist her neck, but without much force.

After teaching her the key points, they switched roles. However, Jasper was too tall for Stella to even dream of twisting his neck. Stella, standing at 5'6", was not short, but Jasper seemed to be around 6'3", a whole head taller than her.

Jasper sat on a folding chair, "Go on."

This was the first time Stella was touching a man, especially this intimately. Her fingers glided over the bones in his neck, "Here?"

She hadn't gotten it right, so Jasper grabbed her hand and moved it a bit to the side, "Yes."

His jawline was sharp, easy to grip. Both of her hands started to applying force simultaneously. Stella, being a medical student, had studied human anatomy. Once she overcame her psychological barrier, she spent half an hour twisting Jasper's neck.

Rosie, having finished her homework, opened the door, and Cooper dashed out. Seeing his owner playfully twisting the instructor's neck, the dog instantly wanted to join in, "Woof!"

He pounced on Jasper, pushing him with force. The dog seemed to say, "Human, hurry, come twist my neck."

"Can a dog's neck be twisted?"

"Yes."

The dog kept interrupting, making it impossible to continue the lesson, so Jasper squatted down to feel the dog's neck.

Cooper had a strong sense of self-preservation and sensed his ill intentions, instinctively baring his teeth. Jasper put on a stern face and gave a command, "At ease."

Cooper put away his playful demeanor and stood at attention, ready to listen to orders, but his body was resistant.

However, when Stella touched him, his body was as soft as cotton, his tongue hanging out as it kept leaning into her.

Come on, owner, hurry up. This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

This dog didn't seem very serious. Stella took him back to 1803 for isolation. Cooper was important, but she also needed to seize every moment to improve herself. Now was the end of the world. Countless people, whether they were from this apartment building or survivors from the outside, were becoming more and more ruthless in the harsh environment. If she wanted to survive, she would have to get ahead of them.

The lesson continued, and Stella quickly learned various ways to twist a neck. She was a quick learner and could easily apply her knowledge.

After bringing the dog back from 1803, Stella quickly ate some cereal, then sat on the sofa to study a diagram of the human skeletal structure.

Which bone should she target for a fatal strike? Which acupoints would make the body go weak and limp if hit? These were all lethal moves.

"Woof!"

Stella snapped back to reality, only to find that the dog was throwing a tantrum. He refused to eat his dog food and even had his butt turned towards her.

"Oh dear, who upset my Cooper?" She quickly put down her medical book, came over to comfort the dog, "My Cooper is the cutest."

Hmph, he turned his head away, ignoring her in a huff.

After petting Cooper’s head for a while and tempting him with some chicken drumsticks, the dog finally forgave her and offered his neck.

‘Come on, keep twisting.’

It was then that Stella realized what had been bothering Cooper. The jealous mutt.

"Cooper, no matter who I meet or get along with, you're always the most important one in my heart."

Such an insecure pup, Stella thought, pulling him into her arms. "Life is only going to get harder, and the 18th floor isn't a safe haven. I know you want to get stronger to protect me, but I want to get stronger to protect you, too. Let's grow stronger together, always protecting each other, okay?"

Cooper cocked his head to one side, perplexed but interested. Blinking, he rested his paw on her hand.

What a warm and affectionate pup! Definitely deserving of a treat. Stella rewarded him with a hot dog.

In the afternoon, Jasper trained Cooper for four hours., with various attacking and dodging strategies, even running up and down the stairs increased to 80 rounds.

By the end of the grueling workout, Cooper was panting and flopped onto his dog bed, exhausted.

After thoroughly studying human anatomy and pressure points, and training under Jasper's guidance, Stella felt that she was making great strides.

Jasper was astounded at her improvement. He had never seen someone with such a high aptitude for learning. In just a few short days, she had mastered everything, and even managed to surprise him by using the moves unexpectedly during their sparring sessions, making it hard for him to stay focused.

Jasper held nothing back. Not only did he teach her stealth and infiltration tactics, but also hand-to- hand combat and close-quarters battle techniques. In particular, during their close-quarters combat training, they would get entangled on the training mat, making it hard to distinguish who was who.

This was a competition, and both of them were strong-willed and determined to win, their fighting spirits high. Cooper watched them with keen interest, ready to jump in at a moment's notice if Stella was at a disadvantage.

Rosie was near tears. "Stop fighting, you two!"

She loved both of them, but who should she support? In the end, Rosie clung to Cooper in an attempt to prevent him from joining the fight.

"Woof!"

Let go of him! Seeing Stella being pinned down by Jasper, Cooper bared his teeth, his eyes flashing with anger. He needed to get in therr. He had to save her!

Rosie couldn't hold him back. Cooper broke free and lunged at Jasper.