Chapter 281


    Ste sat bolt upright, her heart pounding. It took her a moment to realize that she had been


    dreaming and that the world outside her window was still bathed in the bright sunlight.


    Jasper stirred awake at her sudden movement. "What is it?" he asked.


    "I...I had a bad dream," Ste admitted, wiping away the sweat from her forehead. The dreams had


    felt so real and vivid. She could still feel the terror lingering in her heart.


    "You know the guy who was sitting next to Branst night?" Jasper guessed.


    "I don''t know him personally, but there''s some bad blood between us," Ste confessed, recounting


    the details of the recent burry incident at Bentley''s office.


    Living next to the rich and powerful had its drawbacks. You never really knew whose nest you were


    poking into.


    Not only were the three top-tier off-road vehicles off limits now, but even the samurai sword and golf


    clubs were deemed too dangerous for their use. It was just their rotten luck.


    Death was everywhere in this post-apocalyptic world, but Bentley, this domineering CEO that came


    straight out of a romance novel, seemed invincible.


    After having breakfast, Ste took stock of their inventory in Arcadia. The weapons and supplies


    they could no longer use were all locked away, preventing any impulsive decisions in moments of


    crisis.


    The four members of Lukas'' group shared one walkie-talkie. Ste didn''t know their exact schedule


    and didn''t want to disturb their work hours, so she didn''t reach out to them.


    But days passed, and they made no effort to contact her either. She picked up the walkie-talkie


    several times, only to put it back down again.


    When it was time for Collin''s ss, Ste decided to drive to Swan Hill to pick him up and drop him


    back home after ss.


    In the meantime, she used a scanning pen to scan each page of the thick medical books and copy


    them onto her digital device. Books were precious, and she didn''t want to risk damaging them. It


    was better to return them as soon as possible.


    Not only did she return the books, but she also gave him a USB sh drive containing scanned


    copies.


    Collin was thrilled. The apocalypse had struck so suddenly that many precious books and resources


    couldn''t be saved and had perished in the floods.


    Ste thought for a moment. "Dr. Collin, if you need it, I have a scanning pen you could borrow."


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    Collin didn''t refuse. He hoped that one day the apocalypse would end, and the remnants of their


    civilization could be passed on to the future generations.


    When Ste wasn''t having sses, she was tending to her herb garden. Arcadia''s medicinal fields


    expanded continuously, while the variety of crops being cultivated decreased.


    Under Rosie''s care, the chickens, ducks, and geese were growing quite well. Ste collected


    another batch of eggs and continued incubating new life with their egg incubator.


    Just then, the walkie-talkie rang. It was Ang''s voice. Her health had improved, and she wanted to


    get more herbs. From her voice, Ste could tell that Ang was feeling a lot better.


    Ste was d. She prepared the herbs and also took 5 pounds of crushed corn kernels with her.


    Austin was at home, so she took Cooper and Rosie to Austin’s ce.


    Jasper decided to go with Ste.


    Only Ang was at home. Her health had improved after taking anti-depressant medication, and


    having books and music forpany had helped boost her spirits.


    Ste not only gave Ang acupuncture treatment, but also adjusted her medication.


    Seeing Jasper after two years, Ang''s emotions were mixed. If it hadn''t been for his self-defense


    lessons back on the 18th floor, she wasn''t sure if she could have survived till now.


    Jasper was a man of few words, but he was always there to protect Ste. Their journey together


    was truly enviable. And then there was herself, making a mess of things.


    Depression often led to overthinking. Ste sent Jasper away tofort Ang. "In fact, I''m quite


    envious of you."


    She truly meant it. She had underestimated Lukas.


    Ste was an orphan. Jasper''s parents had passed away. Since Rosie was young, there were no


    family conflicts when they interacted. But Ang''s family wasplicated. If she and Jasper were


    in their shoes, they might not have been able to stay asmitted as Lukas was.


    "Your health is not a big issue, and you need to ovee your emotional problems. Think positively


    and you''ll get through this," Ste encouraged.


    As they drove back to themunity, a loud rumbling noise came from above. It sounded like


    helicopter des.


    Ste looked up and sure enough, a helicopter was descending towards the rooftop of the Porras


    family''s mansion. The entiremunity was buzzing with excitement.


    While others struggled to get a car, the Porras family had managed to acquire a helicopter. And it


    was brand new. How could one not be envious?


    But envy wouldn''t get them anywhere. They simply weren''t as fortunate.


    After dinner, Ste took Cooper for a walk. As luck would have it, she ran into Bran, who was


    dressed in his coat.


    He had somehow gotten hold of a mastiff, which he kept on a golden leash. "Hey,dy, wanna have


    a dog fight?" he asked.


    Ste ignored him. His dog was just a pet, but Cooper was herpanion.


    But as it goes, "when kings meet, they fight". The mastiff and Cooper both bared their teeth, their fur


    standing on end.


    The mastiff lunged towards Cooper, but Bran had a firm grip on the leash. However, the sudden


    lunge caused Bran to lose his bnce and fall face-first onto the ground, his slipper flying off his


    foot.


    With Bran dragging behind, the mastiff''s speed was reduced. And in a fight, speed was everything.


    Cooper, however, was a big and muscr German Shepherd. He charged at the mastiff like an


    arrow released from a bow, knocking it off its feet.


    Before the mastiff could recover, Cooper leapt onto it, his jaws mping down on its throat. With


    onemand from Ste, Cooper could easily sever the mastiff''s jugr.


    Bran sat up, his face and hands scraped and bruised from the fall. His precious face!


    He looked in the direction Ste was looking and was stunned. His dog had been beaten. It was just


    too much. Bran sat down on the ground,pletely shocked. He couldn''tprehend why the end


    of the world seemed to have a personal vendetta against him. Every time he managed to scrape


    himself off the ground, he was knocked down again.


    He was humted by the kids with military and political background at the baseg, and now even the


    homeowners in the suburban neighborhood bested him. He was truly heartbroken and felt like


    crying. He wanted to justy down, ept his fate, and wait for the end.


    Ste looked down at him with an air of superiority, "My dog has already won. Do you want to


    continue?"


    If he wanted to continue, the Porras family would have dog stew for dinner tonight.


    Bran was utterly humiliated. "Miss, I was just kidding. Did your dog really need to take it so


    seriously?"


    "My dog was just kidding too."


    Alright then, it wasn''t the first time he had been humiliated. Bran awkwardly got up, limping as he


    slipped on his loafers. "You win. What do you want as a prize?"


    Without hesitation, Ste pointed towards the rooftop of the Porras family''s house. "You can lose


    that to me."