Chapter 21


    Ste peered at the floating object, drawing closer, not realizing it was a corpse, until she poked it


    with her oar.


    Initially, the sight was shocking and stomach-churning, but after seeing a few more, she grew


    ustomed to it. Floating bodies had been amon sight in her neighborhood ever since she


    had set out.


    With her eyes on the clock, she noted that a minute had passed since she had released the rope


    into the water, and there was still no movement.


    Two minutes…


    Three minutes…


    Four minutes…


    Anxiety began to gnaw at her. Ste yanked the rope twice, but there was still no response. Even


    the most skilled swimmers could onlyst a minute or so underwater. Even though Jasper was


    known for his diving prowess, four minutes seemed overly long. She had a bad feeling about this.


    Just as she was about to pull on the rope again, the water surface broke with a loud ssh. Jasper


    emerged. "I checked several stores. All their doors have been pried open, and they''ve been cleaned


    out."


    Cleaned out? Who could have done such a thing?


    Lukas looked disappointed. "We can''t find gas. Even if we had food, we wouldn''t be able to cook it."


    They had been quick, but not quick enough. They had been beaten to the punch. Ste nced at


    Jasper. These fast-food joints had been flooded the day after the hurricane. Even if some of the


    owners had tried to salvage their stocks, it was unlikely that they would have been able to pry open


    all the stores. The floodwaters were too murky and fast-flowing for anyone without a diving mask


    and strong swimming skills to seed.


    Unless these stores had been looted as soon as the disaster struck.


    She had a hunch. "We need to try our luck at the propane station. Hopefully, they haven''t cleared


    everything out."


    N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    They hade out here, after all. There was no way they were going back empty-handed. They''d


    have to try their luck at the propane station.


    Ste pulled out her waterproof bag and took out her phone. She showed the offline map to the


    others. "It''s around here. I think there''s a huge tree at the entrance."


    The ce was about four miles from Sunrise Sanctuary. It wasn''t too far, but it was in a rather


    remote area.


    After figuring out the location, the trio set off in their intable boat towards the propane station. The


    suburbs were filled with bungalows, all of which were now submerged in water, making the area


    seem incredibly deste.


    On the way, they encountered firefighters trying to rescue stranded individuals. Upon seeing their


    boat, the rescuers tried tomandeer it to help transport the stranded people. Jasper ignored


    them, and the trio continued to navigate through the flooded city.


    With the city transformed into a vast ocean, it was difficult to make out directions. Ste used her


    binocrs and said, "Go straight and turn right. There''s something green sticking out of the water. It


    should be the tree."


    They slowed down as they approached the tree, and just as Ste had predicted, it was indeed a


    giant tree. The once tall tree was now almost entirely submerged, with only its topmost leaves


    visible above the water.


    They tied their boat to the tree. Ste gave a general direction, and Jasper, with his diving mask on,


    dived into the water. After about two minutes, Jasper resurfaced. "I found it, but the station has a


    roll-up door and a sliding metal gate. It won''t be easy to pry open."


    He signaled to Ste to bring him the crowbar from his bag.


    Lukas looked on in silence. Why was it that he was the only one without any professional gear?


    Ste had gear in Arcadia, but she couldn’t just fish it out in front of them. When she saw that


    Jasper had a simple diving mask, rope, and binding rope in his bag, she didn''t hesitate to put on the


    mask, tie the rope around herself, and said, "I''ll go down and help. Keep an eye on our


    surroundings. If anything happens, pull the rope immediately."


    Lukas nodded. "Be careful."


    The floodwaters were freezing. Ste dived in and swam towards the propane station, guided by the


    light from her waterproof shlight. She also took out her steel pliers. From a distance, she saw a


    faint light and swam towards it.


    Jasper was standing in the water, trying to lift the roll-up door, but the water resistance made it


    incredibly difficult. Ste swam over to help him lift the door. Their eyes met, and they put their


    strength together to lift the door.


    Slowly, the roll-up door lifted, revealing the sliding metal gate behind it. Jasper took the steel pliers


    from Ste, cut the chain on the gate, and together, they pulled the gate open.


    The inside was dark. As they were about to swim in, a dark shadow darted towards Ste. Jasper,


    with his quick reflexes, pulled her away. The shadow grazed the top of her head, and she quickly


    swam up. Ste shone her shlight towards it, and from the shape, it appeared to be a propane


    tank. And it wasn’t just one. Many propane tanks floated out from inside the station, all vying to


    reach the surface.


    Ste instinctively wanted to grab one but realized that these were probably empty tanks. Filled


    tanks wouldn’t float that easily due to their density. She took out her high-beam waterproof shlight


    from her pocket and scanned the dark surroundings. She could faintly see several tanks in a corner.


    She swam over and tried to lift one, but it was too heavy.


    Jasper was stronger. He managed to lift a tank and swam out of the building. He then pulled the


    rope tied around him. Lukas grabbed the rope and pulled it. They quickly surfaced.


    Ste climbed onto the raft and helped lift the heavy tank. It was likely left behind because the


    owner didn''t have time to move it.


    "You guys stay up here and catch them. I''ll go down and bring the rest up." Jasper took a breath


    and dived back into the water.


    The water pressure was intense, and holding her breath made Ste feel ufortable. She sat on


    the boat to catch her breath.


    Lukas was on guard, scanning their surroundings with his binocrs. Suddenly, he said anxiously,


    "Ste, someone''sing."


    Ste stood up, and sure enough, an intable boat was rapidly approaching in the rain. There were


    at least four or five men on it.


    Lukas pulled the rope urgently, and Ste searched for a weapon for self-defense. Jasper surfaced,


    dragging a propane tank with him. By the time he climbed onto their boat, the other boat had


    already drawn near. Six burly men, each wielding a steel pipe, said, "We''ve imed this station. If


    you''re smart, you''ll hand over everything you''ve salvaged."


    "Bro, we don''t have a diving mask."


    Another oneughed wildly. "That''s simple. They can salvage everything for us."


    "Exactly. And leave the raft and your supplies. If you do that, we might consider letting you go."


    Each man was tattooed and muscr. It was clear they were gang members. Especially in a society


    where order had broken down, the world had be a yground for thugs. They didn''t consider


    the trio''s feelings at all and treated them as if they were already their servants.


    Lukas looked terrified, gripping his crowbar tightly as he stared at them.


    Ste reached into her pocket. "Sure,e and get it."


    "Wait right there, little girl. We''ll be right there." The menughed lewdly and steered their boat


    closer, with their eyes on Ste like hungry wolves.


    Just as they were about to reach their boat, Ste was about to pull out her weapon. But Jasper


    was faster. He quickly fired two shots...