Chapter 163
A massive truckload of ice cubes was all set to be picked up at five sharp. Monkey and his crew,
fearful of melting, had even prepared insted boxes.
They agreed to meet not far from their previous saltwater trading spot. Ste drove around from
another location.
Austin personally brought over the diamond raw stone, roughly the size of a basketball. One corner
was cut open, revealing a ssy sheen. Its texture was finely pure and wless.
Such high quality was a first for Ste. If it wasn''t for this catastrophe, she wouldn''t even have the
chance to admire it up close, let alone hold it.
She scrutinized it carefully, then stuffed it into her giant backpack.
After storing the gemstone in Arcadia for a while, Ste examined Arcadia with her consciousness,
her eyeballs nearly popping out.
Wow, it was huge! Really huge! She didn''t have an estimate about how much bigger Arcadia got
yet.
Ste instantly snapped back, "Austin, can you find more gemstones of this quality for me?"
Austin chuckled, "There''s definitely stock, but it''s all in the hands of the wealthy. You have precious
water resources. Why would you worry about not being able to trade for good stuff? When you
return from Swan Hill, we will continue our partnership. By then, even if you wanted the moon, I
would find a way to get it for you."
Ste was overjoyed, "Thanks for your help during this time, Austin. See you again."
Austin also enjoyed working with the two. They were capable, reliable, and even reminded him of
someone following him during their previous deals. Moreover, with the water they provided, he had
met many high society individuals recently, and his business had grown.
Back home, Ste brought Jasper into Arcadia.
Jasper took a quick survey, "Added about 1000 square meters."
"Not just that." Ste gestured for him to look up.
Jasper looked at the ceiling, and after a while, he said, "The ceiling''s higher."
They took a tape measure and found that the ceiling, which was originally 3 meters, was now 3.3
meters. Only the first floor had changed; the other floors remained the same.
This Arcadia was really interesting.
No matter what, today''s deal was particrly worthwhile, muchrger than the umted volume
increase over this period. This trip to Swan Hill was going to be a big one.
With the ongoing heat and drought, more and more survivors began to flee from Griffith.
Theycked the capital to enter the base, so they could only migrate towards the coast. Sea water
was still water. Where there was water, there was hope.
It was better to stock up early thante, otherwise, all the good stuff would be taken by others.
After all, not only the survivors were running out of food, but the local government was also running
short. They couldn''t possibly miss this opportunity. All coastal cities would fight for resources.
Ste thought for a moment, "How about we leave tomorrow?"
Jasper had no objections, but her Arcadia couldn''t hold living things, "What about the rabbits?"
That was a problem. Rabbits bred too fast, and now there were dozens of them, almost eating
Ste out of food.
What''s more, several female rabbits were pregnant now.
Ste made a tough decision and put all of Smoky and Snowy''s grandchildren and great-
grandchildren down and put them in Arcadia.
She then went downstairs to find the Moore family and asked Amber to help for a while, "We''re
nning on taking a trip to the coast, and we''re not sure when we''ll be back. Do you need
anything?"
The Moore family was free at home, and they always helped each other out, so they happily agreed
to help feed the rabbits.
Knowing the two had a vehicle, Katie asked them to bring back some salt. As for dried seafood,
who wouldn''t want to eat meat? But it required 4 pounds of grain to exchange for 1 pound of meat.
"Ste, if the dried goods are cheap, please get us a few pounds."
Ste readily agreed, and then took down eight rabbits. In addition, she took a few hundred pounds
of dry hay from Arcadia and left it in 1803, and left a water tower for the Moore family, "We may not
be back for a while, so you can use it if you need."
After making arrangements, she went upstairs to pack. She put all the valuables into Arcadia,
leaving only some furniture as a facade.
Jasper carried out tworge cardboard boxes, "Ste, you keep these."
Ste was surprised, "What are they?"
"Bombs."
Ste was startled and hurriedly opened the boxes. There were about a dozen in each box, which
looked rather crude at first nce. So these were homemade bombs.
Ste wanted to know if there was anything Jasper couldn''t do.
Before she knew it, he brought out two morerge cardboard boxes. Inside were sealed pottery. A
while ago, the two had collected a batch from a tile factory, and he had taken a few boxes.
Ste thought he''d taken them to take care of his need to go to the bathroom, not realizing they
were for another purpose.
Jasper exined, "These are Molotov cocktails."
Thank goodness it was the end of the world; otherwise, they would be in serious trouble.
With these guys, Ste felt more safe.
At the same time, Jasper reminded, "There are those who collect protection fees on the road, so
bring some potatoes."
Protection fees? Ste remembered. Not only had Austin warned her, but Monkey had also
mentioned that some people had set up roadblocks, and their power was not small.
Ste was resistant at heart, but considering the purpose of this trip, she still took a few bags of
potatoes.
At three in the morning, the rm rang. Jasper woke Ste up, then woke up the Cooper and
Rosie. They brushed their teeth, washed their faces, and changed into old, dirty clothes.
Better safe than sorry, Ste used her make-up skills to disguise everyone as scruffy and unkempt,
then put on clothes that reeked of sweat.
Let''s go!
The dog was a bit excited, having been cooped up at home since the extreme heat. If he went out,
his paws would be cooked. It was still hot at night, but at least the floor wasn''t scorching.
They descended the stairs, put Cooper and Rosie aside, and Ste, under the cover of night, took
out the seven-seater domestic miracle car.
This was what Jasper had brought back. Despite its battered exterior, he had reced everything
that could be reced inside, even the air conditioning was good, and he had added privacy film.
The tires were heat and wear-resistant.
To make room for cargo, all the rear seats were removed. Theyid down cardboard and a mat,
creating afortable spot for Rosie and Cooper.
Ste pulled the curtains to hide Cooper and Rosie, in case anyone peeked and had bad intentions.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Jasper didn''t turn on the headlights but put on night vision goggles.
The air conditioner was turned on, and they were off.
It was still dark, the car moving slowly, inching towards the seaside.
On the road, the asional dim light would flicker, marking other night wanderers. Ste and her
gang were in a car, while these individuals carried their bags on their backs, their faces masked with
uncertainty for the future, and a desperate longing for survival. They trudged forward, numb yet
resilient.
The daylight was too harsh, the sun melting the asphalt; the survivorscked the courage to
challenge its fiery rays.
Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.
Jasper tried his best to avoid them, yet they noticed him. Some people looked on with a mix of envy,
jealousy, and resentment, others chased after the car, yelling, "Wait, wait, take us with you."
There were even bolder ones, attempting to throw themselves in front of the car, with the reckless
attitude of ''if you won''t take me, you''ll have to run me over.''
Jasper gave them what they wanted, not by stopping the car, but by elerating even more.