18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 44

Stella was taken aback. The man standing opposite her was a former SWAT officer. She felt out of his league. However, backing down wasn't in her nature. She believed that challenging the big guns was the way to level up, "Alright, bring it on."

In fact, Angela had been itching to spar with him for a while, but never found the right opportunity to propose it. Now the opportunity had falled on Stella’s lap.

After exchanging greetings, she wasted no time in throwing punches his way, engaging him in combat. She was like a young bull, unafraid and ruthless in her attacks.

But in front of Stella, Jasper seemed like a seasoned master, displaying a sense of effortless skill. No matter how fast or fierce her moves were, he always managed to dodge and counterattack, leaving Stella in a bit of a bind.

Living through three years in a post-apocalyptic world in her last life, coupled with her refusal to accept defeat, it completely sparked Stella's competitive spirit, making her moves less conventional. They were vicious techniques she had taught herself. Though they were crude, they proved particularly effective when facing enemies in this dog-eat-dog world.

Upon seeing the two engage in combat, Cooper, the dog, immediately assumed the role of peacemaker, lunging at Jasper from behind and clamping down on his shirt, pulling him away. In a swift move, Cooper had pulled off a classic 'monkey steals the peach' maneuver.

Caught off guard by Cooper's interference, Jasper was unable to dodge in time and was caught off guard. His body stiffened instantly, and his typically cold, handsome face turned beet red.

Stella was equally shocked. Finding herself at a disadvantage, she felt like she was reliving a nightmare of being cornered in the post-apocalyptic world. This sparked a fierce determination in her, and she subconsciously resorted to using a cheap shot.

She landed a hit on his groin.

The air suddenly became still, and the atmosphere turned eerily awkward. She quickly withdrew, stepping back a few paces and turning her face away in embarrassment, "I'm sorry."

After a long silence, Jasper finally spoke, "You've got good skills, just don't use them on me."

The pain was indescribable.

Stella felt so embarrassed that she wanted to hide. This technique had indeed been effective, she had used these underhanded tactics to escape being cornered and counterattacked successfully in her past life. Just didn't expect that a momentary lapse of concentration caused this move to be used on Jasper.

Cooper, who had been acting as a peacemaker, was equally dumbfounded. Why had they stopped fighting?

Jasper exited the living room and stood at the door, calling, "Cooper."

Cooper cocked his head at Stella, waiting for her approval before leaving with his food bowl.

"You did well, always protect your owner when faced with bad guys," Jasper patted its head in approval, "However, I'm not the bad guy. I'm your teammate."

Hearing this exchange outside, Stella covered her face in embarrassment. How was she ever going to face him again?

Without saying anything, Jasper handed Rosie over to her.

After teaching and sending Rosie back, Stella found Jasper's door locked. He had taken the dog out. Just then, Katie came up for treatment, and Stella let Rosie stay in the room to play.

In the midst of the acupuncture session, Jasper returned with Cooper, holding a bundle of bamboo in his hands.

Seeing Katie there, he didn't greet her and entered the room with a dark expression. He was probably still upset.

When Katie left, Jasper came to pick up Rosie, carrying a black plastic bag in his hand, "This is what Cooper caught."

Stella opened the bag to find a fish weighing about three or four pounds.

There were many fish ponds in the outskirts of Griffith, so finding a fish in the flood wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that Cooper had actually managed to catch one. This dog was getting better and better every day.

"How do you like your fish?" Jasper asked.

Stella wanted to apologize for her rash behavior in the morning, "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry." Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

If she hadn't brought it up, it would have been fine. Upon hearing her apology, Jasper's face turned red again, and he looked extremely uncomfortable, "It's alright. I'm fine."

After a moment of silence, he added, "Rosie and Cooper can't eat spicy food. What about salt grilled fish?"

When Cody and others heard about Cooper's prowess, they all gave a thumbs up, "Our dog is awesome. From now on, whether we get to have meat will depend on Cooper."

Cooper seemed pleased with the praise, "Woof!"

It had been a few days since they had a meal together. Jasper wasn't skilled in cooking, so he took out three pounds of pork belly.

They couldn't always cook in 1803, as the smell of food would attract unwanted attention. Since there wasn’t enough space in Stella’s kitchen, they decided to move the operations to 1801.

In order to show her sincerity in apologizing, Stella not only cooked herself but also brought some veggies.

Dealing with the fish was a bit of a challenge, but it was no biggie for her, and the others certainly wouldn't complain If she messed up. After all, this was a live fish. Hardly anyone in this day and age could have the luxury to eat fresh fish.

As expected, Cooper was hailed as a hero. Cody and Lukas wished they could worship him, "Why don't we take Cooper out for a walk more often? Who knows, he might continue to catch fish."

Stella didn't agree. With just the two of them? They might end up needing the dog to protect them. Life outside was tough, and if people saw Cooper, they might set their eyes on the dog.

Cooper, however, was very excited, wagging its tail at the mention of going out.

As Stella was busy with the fish, Jasper was washing the pork belly, "Rosie loves pork belly. I messed up last time and gave her an upset stomach. Can you show me how to cook it this time?"

"Sure, no problem."

She was also curious about Jasper's disastrous cooking skills. This wasn't the first time Rosie had gotten an upset stomach.

After the fish was ready and the cutting board was cleaned, it was handed over to Jasper. He seemed to be pondering how to start.

"Cut it horizontally, about the size of ice cubes."

With clear instructions, things became easier. He started cutting quickly.

Despite Jasper's lack of cooking skills, his kitchen was well stocked with ingredients. Even garlic and old ginger were available. Stella stood by, patiently instructing him.

Angela wanted to help, but watching the harmonious scene in the kitchen and considering the recent tutoring sessions between the two, she felt there might be something brewing between them.

It wasn't that she was overly sensitive, but Jasper was usually very cold towards everyone except Stella, whom he seemed to treat with a bit more warmth. As for Cooper, he absolutely adored him. So, she decided not to intrude.

The pork belly was cut, blood was drained, and it was blanched and drained. Oil was put into the pot to stir-fry the pork pieces until slightly yellow.

Stella stood by guiding him, noticing that Jasper seemed a bit nervous when handling the spatula. She was puzzled. How could a man who killed people be afraid of cooking?

Sensing her surprise, Jasper explained, "When I was a kid, I was naughty and insisted on helping in the kitchen. I ended up spilling hot oil on my arm and never stepped into the kitchen again until I brought Rosie here and started learning to cook."

No wonder his cooking was so terrible. It turned out he had a psychological trauma.

Remembering the morning's awkwardness, Stella not only taught him how to make pork belly, but also taught him how to cook some other home-style dishes.

Jasper was listening intently, only to be interrupted by Rosie. "Jasper, you are hopeless. You even mess up dishes following recipes."

Jasper felt little embarrassed.

Rosie clung to her like a lifeline. “Stella, your cooking is heavenly. We wish we could eat your food every day."

Jasper patted her head gently. "I will learn, I promise."

He genuinely lacked the knack for cooking, finding it hard to comprehend the culinary terms like "al dente", "Baste", etc.

"Rosie has become much more lively recently, thanks to you."

Upon sending Rosie off to play with their dog, Jasper turned to Stella. "I can't cook, and I don't know how to handle kids. If there's anything I need to know about Rosie, please let me know."

Stella had been wanting to share her thoughts, but she had been hesitant due to their new budding relationship. Now that he asked, she decided to speak upfront. "Rosie is generally a good kid, but she might be having some issues with her temperament."