18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 2

After paying the deposit, Stella dashed to the largest outdoor supply store in downtown.

Two inflatable rafts, four rubber dinghies, earthquake and fire emergency kits, tents, fire axes, climbing ropes, telescopes, radios, waterproof flashlights, ultra-large capacity solar chargers, and so on.

She couldn't skimp on survival supplies; they all had to be of good quality.

Seeing a major customer, the store owner enthusiastically recommended storm jackets and sleeping bags, "There's a store-wide discount today, and the quality is guaranteed to satisfy you." Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

Stella looked unimpressed, "Do you have anything that can withstand minus sixty or seventy degrees?"

The store owner was shocked, "This is the south; you can wear short sleeves in the winter."

"I'm going to the Arctic for research soon."

Realizing she wasn't joking, the store owner immediately contacted colleagues, telling Stella: "We have polar cold-weather gear and mummy sleeping bags. Used together, they can definitely withstand the cold, but they are expensive and located out of state."

Online reviews seemed good, and the store could send them express, promising they'd arrive by tomorrow afternoon. Stella bought two sets of each, spending over six thousand dollars.

She spent another twelve grand at the outdoor supply store, hauling a truckload of goods, and secretly stowed them in her Arcadia when no one was looking.

The inflatable rafts needed diesel, but diesel wasn't sold to individuals. Stella went to the auto repair shop to buy an oil extractor and barrels, filled her car at several gas stations nearby, then drove to a

secluded area without cameras to extract the fuel into the barrels. After several trips, she amassed 500L of gasoline.

The end of the world was chaotic, with all sorts of violent incidents, so she went to a gun store. The owner brought out his top-of-the-line products. Grabbing three sets of anti-stab suits, and two sets of bulletproof vests, Stella, without pausing for breath, drove to the largest clothing wholesale market on the outskirts.

Down jackets, military coats, cashmere sweaters, thermal underwear, scarves, gloves, socks, snow boots, lightweight sneakers, warm shoes, and slippers. She bought everything she could think of and might need, not caring about brands, just quality.

She splurged twelve thousand dollars at the clothing wholesale market, then rushed to the neighboring daily necessities wholesale store.

Air conditioning blankets, down quilts, especially cotton quilts, she ordered three of each, all packed in compression bags.

Shampoo, shower gel, laundry detergent, tampons, tissues, toothpaste and toothbrushes, thermos flasks, lighters, hot water bottles, and so on. She bought 20,000 hand warmers alone, life-savers in extreme cold.

She found some rare items online, glass kerosene lamps, and windproof waterproof lanterns, antiques from the 60s and 70s. She bought five of each, "Do you have kerosene?"

They did, but it wasn't a hot seller. The store only had 100L in stock. Stella bought it all, asking the store owner to deliver wick for the lamps. They were much more durable than candles.

Alcohol stoves, fuel blocks, portable gas stoves... Thinking of the electricity in Arcadia, she also took a few induction cookers.

Insecticides, disinfectants, drinking water purification tablets, mosquito repellent, etc. She bought anything she could think of, for a total of twenty thousand dollars.

Next to it was the fruit wholesale market, apples, pears, watermelons, kiwis, bananas, melons, starfruit, blackberries, grapes, and so on. She spent another six thousand dollars on about twenty kinds of fruit.

When she left the wholesale market, it was already dark. Several missed calls were all from Cody, leaving a message on WhatsApp saying the goods were ready. Stella drove to his company, and there were over twenty large boxes of goods, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, iodine, gauze, even tetanus vaccines. These were all lifesavers in a disaster; although she spent more than forty thousand dollars, it eased Stella's anxiety somewhat.

Cody transferred her two thousand dollars as a commission, "You asked for too many miscellaneous items. Many drugs aren't available, and I had to get them from colleagues."

"I'll deliver the goods first, and I'll treat you to a big meal in a few days." Sitting in the driver's seat, Stella reminded him, "A strong typhoon is coming. You should stock up on food and oil at home."

Cody, however, didn't take it to heart. There were already more than a dozen typhoons this year, all of which were more bark than bite.

After storing the medicine in the Arcadia, Stella went to the food street near the university town, ordering barbecue, beer, and fried chicken.

The food street was bustling, full of young students and couples, their youthful faces full of vitality, oblivious to the impending disaster.

The barbecue took a while to cook, and Stella was attracted to the glowing charcoal. Indeed, in the hustle and bustle, she almost forgot the most important thing. She immediately asked the owner for

the contact information of the charcoal, coal balls, and liquid gas sellers. She called each one, asking them to deliver the goods tomorrow.

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side. These stores were in low-lying areas, and the government ordered them to move their goods. They had no time these two days. All three stores were in the same area, and Stella didn't even have time to eat her barbecue, driving over immediately.

Charcoal was cheap but took up a lot of space. Stella checked Arcadia and only bought five hundred pounds of smoke-free high-temperature charcoal, plus charcoal stoves and ignition aids. One bottle of liquefied gas could last two months, so she bought ten in case Arcadia lost power.

Honeycomb coal was durable, but this year there was a nationwide power shortage, coal prices skyrocketed, a coal ball cost two dollars. She gritted her teeth and bought two thousand.

When she got back to her apartment it was nearly nine o'clock, Stella took a short break and went into the Arcadia to organize the chaotic supplies. To save as much space in the Arcadia as possible, the liquid gas bottles, coal balls, and charcoal were all piled in the kitchen. She removed all unnecessary packaging from the supplies, packed fluffy items in compression bags, and stacked them layer by layer to the ceiling.

She spent over twelve thousand dollars in the day, just enough to fill the small room and kitchen, estimated to take up about fifty cubic feet.

Just as she finished, she was suddenly kicked out, and fell out of the Arcadia. Stunned, Stella tried to get back in, but an invisible barrier blocked her.

Damn, the Arcadia swallowed all her supplies!