18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 68

Cody's playful jab had Stella laughing, not bothering to rebut. If she was really a jinx, she secretly wished this icy chill would never arrive.

A quick observation revealed that Jasper was as stoic as ever, and his expression was neither sad nor happy.

Cooper was a bit restless, and still had not settled down after four hours of training, making occasional whimpering sounds.

Uncertain of when the severe cold would strike, Stella kept the electric blankets, down comforters, and cotton quilts at the ready. She put on thermal clothing before going to sleep. The intense training during the day had drained her energy. She had planned to stay up late but was soon fast asleep.

Abruptly, Cooper's noisy barking and the crackling of the walkie-talkie woke her. Stella opened her eyes and was hit by the bone-chilling cold. Sharp squeals of rabbits echoed in the room. She switched on the flashlight to find over 20 rabbits huddled in Cooper's bed, shivering uncontrollably.

"Stella, Stella!" Jasper's anxious voice came from the walkie-talkie.

"I'm... I’m here." Her teeth were chattering from the cold.

He urged her through the walkie-talkie, "It's getting cold. Get dressed quickly."

The air felt like a knife, making it hard for her to speak.

Stella brought Cooper and the rabbits into Arcadia. As the warmth enveloped her, her stiff limbs took a while to thaw.

She quickly pulled on the clothes she had prepared earlier: thermal gear, cashmere sweaters, fur coats, multiple pairs of socks, snow boots, scarves, and a warm face mask.

She bundled up Cooper in thermal gear, a cashmere sweater, and a fur coat. The two rabbits, Smoky and Snowy, were also wrapped like little balls. The rest of the rabbits were stuffed into a foam box lined with several blankets. Whether they survived or not, was up to fate now.

After all these preparations, Stella poured herself a steaming bowl of hot ginger tea, the spicy warmth spreading through her throat and stomach.

Just as she stepped out of Arcadia, the loud knocking on her door made her ears ring. "Stella!" The force was so strong that even the stainless steel door seemed to give in.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Stella called out.

As she stepped out, the icy air hit her like a blade. The cold air took her breath away, causing sharp pain in her chest. Cooper was coughing and kept scratching his nose with his paw.

After bringing the rabbit's nest into the room, Stella hurried to open the door to find Jasper kicking it. The moment she opened the door, an anxious voice reached her. "Stella, are you alright?" As he spoke, he wrapped a fur coat tightly around her.

Stella stared at Jasper, who was wearing a giant coat, in surprise. For a moment, she was dazed. But she quickly snapped back to reality. "I'm fine, I was just stunned by the cold. I thought I had gone deaf."

"As long as you're alright." Jasper buttoned up her fur coat and then knocked on the door of room 1803.

The occupants of room 1803 had been awakened by his earlier knocking and were now frantically putting on warmer clothes. "Got it, got it!"

Wrapped in two fur coats, Stella now resembled a ball.

Noticing that Stella was a little slow, Jasper shook her by the shoulders. His expression looked stern. "Go back to your room and start a fire for warmth."

"Okay." Stella turned to go back to her room.

Jasper reminded her, "Don't lock the door."

Stella didn't. Once back in her room, she got the kettle out. Seeing that the door of room 1801 was still ajar, she quickly went in. "I've made some ginger tea. You and Rosie should have some to warm up."

Rosie was bundled up like a ball on the bed, and her little face was pale from the cold. She was shivering and couldn't speak. Jasper picked her up and carefully fed her the hot ginger tea. "Careful, it's hot."

After gulping down a full mug, Rosie finally revived. Her lips trembled as if she were about to cry. "Jasper..."

"Don't cry. Your tears will freeze and your face will end up getting frostbite."

Stella poured him a cup of tea and hurriedly knocked on the door of room 1803. The three occupants were in a frenzy, putting on warmer clothes. Their hands and feet were freezing and they were shivering uncontrollably.

Especially Cody, his face was turning purple from the cold.

They wrapped themselves in fur coats and quilts, anything that could keep them warm. The southerners were shivering, feeling uncomfortable as if their heart was numb. It took a few cups of hot ginger tea to revive them.

"Stella, you... you really are a jinx." Cody huddled on the couch, and his teeth were chattering from the cold. “If it wasn’t for the million you found, we’d all be dead tonight.”

They had bought heavy clothes, quilts, and other warming items to wastefully spend the cheap paper money. Ironically, it had ended up saving their lives.

Angela and Lukas were hugging each other tightly. Stella warmed up faster, and managed to start a fire for warmth, still shivering.

Seeing that the three were alright, Stella finally left feeling relieved.

The door of room 1801 was still open, so she went in again. “How’s Rosie?”

Jasper was starting a charcoal stove. “She’s warmed up after the hot ginger tea.”

Rosie was huddled under the blankets, and only her bright eyes visible. "I'm okay. How's Cooper?"

"Woof!" The long-ignored dog finally found an opportunity to prove his robust physique. Unfortunately, he was wrapped up so much that his muscles weren't visible.

Seeing Cooper wearing fur, Rosie instantly felt better and reached out to pet his dark face.

The charcoal stove was lit, warming up the room considerably. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Stella got up to leave, reminding them, "Don't seal the doors and windows too tight. Leave a little gap for ventilation." In her previous life, people had died from CO poisoning because they had sealed their rooms too tightly.

Jasper lit two charcoal stoves and handed one to Stella. "You be careful too."

Stella paused, suddenly remembering that she still had his fur coat on. She quickly took it off to return it.

"Keep it. I'm not as cold as you."

No, apart from her hands, feet, and face, the rest of her body was pretty comfortable, probably thanks to the thermal clothing.

She looked at Cooper, guessing he was probably feeling better too. So, she insisted on returning the coat. "Don't get sick. Rosie still needs you to take care of her."

Jasper didn't refuse again but insisted on giving her the charcoal stove. Unable to refuse his kindness, Stella accepted it.

Knowing everyone on the 18th floor had survived, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did she pay attention to the noises coming from the floors below, which were quite loud.

After closing the double doors, Stella hurried back to her room to check the thermometer. Just as she thought, the room temperature had plummeted to -19 degrees Celsius.

In a coastal city down South where winter averaged a cozy 15 degrees Celsius, and the historical low had always remained above freezing temperatures. Imagine then, the catastrophe of a drop from 20 degrees to minus 19 degrees- a chilling fall of nearly 40 degrees.

More terrifying than the cold, however, was the threat of hypothermia. The rapid loss of body heat in such a brief span of time could cause the core body temperature to plummet, leading to shivering, respiratory and cardiac failure, among other symptoms. In the worst-case scenario, it could even result in death.

Indeed, it was not the cold itself but hypothermia that accounted for the massive loss of human life. Many people didn’t even get the chance to wake up and drifted off to their death in their slumber. In their dreams, everything was beautiful. The rain had finally ceased and civilization would be restored.

"Woof!"

Snapping back to reality, Stella got a power cell from Arcadia, along with a space heater, and electric blanket...