18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Chapter 597
Partings are always bittersweet, and Stella did her best to smile. "Dr. Collin, I'm sure Willowbrook will flourish quickly. Maybe next
time, it'll be us visiting you."
Deep down, she'd wanted to ask him to stay just a bit longer.
But Collin, ever the rational one, had turned her down. "With you at Griffith, I have no worries. Willowbrook needs me more."
His selflessness left Stella speechless.
Collin patted her shoulder. "Stella, people come and go. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
The time had come, and the delegation began boarding the speedboats to the offshore docks.
Mentor and apprentice hugged, and Collin picked up the backpack she'd given him, waving goodbye.
Stella watched until he disappeared from view, her heart heavy with sorrow.
Not long after, a convoy of military jeeps rolled in.
Staff Officer Daniel and others disembarked, and folks like Reagan and Nicholas came to see them off, their laughter and
genuine sentiments filling the air.
Stella approached with gifts in hand. "Dad, godfather."
The gifts were plentiful: tobacco, liquor, tea, and the quick-acting heart-saving pills she had made herself.
Her acknowledgement of family ties wasn't public knowledge in Griffith, so when Stella called the staff officer "godfather,"
everyone was taken aback.
Before the staff officer could react, Nicholas's mouth twitched.
He felt like a fool, thinking he'd been so sly and discreet, only to find out they were all family.
His emotions churned, but as a seasoned warrior, he quickly regained his stoic demeanor as if nothing had happened.

The godfather, pleased with his gifts, grinned at Daniel. "Old Gu, this departure spans thousands of miles. You better take good
care of my goddaughter; don't let anyone push her around."
"I will," Daniel assured him.
"Don't just say it; make sure you do. If even a hair on her head is harmed, I'll hold you accountable," the godfather said, though
his words carried a deeper message for the others listening in.
After exchanging pleasantries, the other higher-ups also shared their goodbyes.
In the crowd, Stella searched for Rosie, who was chatting with Dylan in a corner.
Dylan held a bag of hotpot ingredients, his gaze intense as if trying to etch Rosie into his very soul.
Finally, he said simply, "Rosie, take care."
Rosie nodded with a smile. "You too, Dylan. Stay safe on your journey."
As the Willowbrook military personnel began to board the ship, Dylan, as the staff officer's guard, had to stay close by.
Even through the crowd, Stella could hear the sound of his heart breaking.
Rosie stood on the dock, waving at him from a distance, her smile forced.

Ten days later, the Willowbrook delegation departed.
They hadn't come empty-handed, and neither did they leave Griffith without tokens.
Live poultry was inconvenient to transport, but they took plenty of fertilized eggs,
as well as seeds for herbs and crops that Willowbrook lacked.
This was common knowledge among the survivors, but other matters were discussed behind closed doors.
Even Stella was in the dark about those.
As the Willowbrook submarine faded into the distance, Stella drove Rosie home,
while Jasper had to attend a meeting due to his military rank.

Rosie was unusually quiet on the drive, seemingly lost in her thoughts.
When they had said their goodbyes in the New Town Villa District, Rosie had been
a naive young girl. Having lived next to Dylan for years, she had developed
feelings that were different from those for anyone else.
Stella didn't intrude on her young friend's thoughts.
It was late when Jasper returned home, and Stella was nearly asleep.
The results of the military negotiations were finally revealed.
As expected, the staff officer didn't come for nothing; the two sides had agreed to a joint operation to salvage the Kindle Chest.
Willowbrook's military had hundreds of precise locations where the Kindle Chests had been lost, and they would send teams to
search and determine if conditions were right for recovery.
Griffith would handle the salvage operations, and the resources found within the Kindle Chests would be split evenly.
This was an offer Griffith couldn't refuse.
Firstly, Willowbrook was the continuation and inheritor of Australian civilization. Put simply: Willowbrook was the legitimate heir,
while Griffith was the lesser branch.
Secondly, Griffith was just starting out and, in both size and strength, was no match for Willowbrook. In a world ravaged by
disaster, survival was more important than internal strife.
And thirdly, who would complain
about having too many resources? If Griffith wanted rapid development to withstand calamities, they needed more resources.
This was a win-win cooperation, with no losers.
Stella had anticipated this outcome and accepted it calmly, but with a hint of
surprise, she asked, "No one objected to this proposal?"
Staff Officer

Daniel and the staff
officer were old friends with a deep bond forged in battle. Moreover,
their ultimate goal was one
Australian civilization, so
representing the interests of both cities made the negotiations go
smoothly.

But where there's power, there's interest, and it's never all smooth sailing.
Stella hummed. "Nicholas?"
"Yes, some of his confidants stirred the pot, but Dad and the staff officer managed
to settle things smoothly."
No military leader lacked intelligence.
Nicholas had been making waves, and had it been just an internal conflict, it would have been
understandable since it involved net
personal interests. But now, he was endangering the relationship
between the two cities for his own gain.
He had taken advantage of the chaos during the moth disaster to curry favor at
the hospital, likely sowing discord in front of the staff officer to pressure Daniel.
But Nicholas had underestimated the staff officer's magnanimity.
Had the staff officer been fixated on military power, he wouldn't have sought and welcomed the forces of the five major Kindle
Societies.

For the sake of the base's development, he was willing to compromise far beyond what others could imagine.
In other words, even if Griffith had been unyielding, the staff officer wouldn't have engaged in a lose-lose battle.
The calamity was devastating enough; there was no need for further human tragedy.
His mission was to lead Willowbrook's development and continue Australia's five- thousand-year-old civilization.
He was on a mission, eager to spark a revolution that would sweep through the masses, a desire that burned within him far more
fiercely than anyone could
imagine.
Such grand aspirations were beyond the grasp of a power-hungry individual like Nicholas.
Some discussions weren't laid out in the open conference room but held behind closed doors between Staff Officer Si and
Daniel.
Despite Nicholas's hustle, the arrival of the Willowbrook delegation didn't quite play into his hands.
Stella couldn't help but wonder how Daniel would handle the subordinates constantly throwing wrenches in his works.
The culprit behind the hospital poisoning had met an untimely end, leaving no evidence for the military to trace. Though no
concrete proof was in hand, everyone seemed to have their suspicions.
Thankfully, Bran was astute; otherwise, Stella would have been the one to take
the fall.
Power struggles were one thing, but dragging innocent lives into the fray was another level of contempt.
Yet, amid the turmoil, the atmosphere was subtly shifting.
Being exceptionally skilled was one thing, but having the military titan of Willowbrook, Staff Officer Si, take her under his wing as
his goddaughter was another.
With the two cities forging a partnership, frequent exchanges were on the horizon.
Protected by two towering figures, it would be difficult for her not to rise to

prominence.
Power attracts followers.
But Stella remained modest, carefully crafting her image as a figure of reverence.
With her path blocked, many turned their scheming eyes toward Bran.