18 Floors Above the Apocalypse novel Chapter 624

Forget about weapons; if things got physical, Griffith would mop the floor with them, and China wouldn’t have a prayer of walking away unscathed.

Stella had their game all figured out. “They’re convinced we’ve got their cryo-pods and are desperate to get them back.”

Nicholas let out a frustrated growl. “It’s a baseless accusation. We’re not admitting to something we didn’t do.”

Bottom line: they had no proof.

The next day was another grueling six hours of back-and-forth, voices raised until everyone was hoarse.

Stella slumped in the corner, nearly nodding off.

Day three was a rerun, but both sides got slicker, their words more polished.

China, feeling out of their element, started to wilt. “Doesn’t matter, you owe us for those cryo-pods.”

Nicholas and his team exchanged amused looks, as if their foreheads were branded with: “Dream on!”

China was fuming but knew arguing further was useless. “Fine, forget the pods, but you’ve got to compensate us with livestock, medicine, and crop seeds.”

See, that was their real angle after all this haggling.

Nicholas acted as if he was weighing his options. “We can spare livestock, medicine, and seeds, but you’ll have to trade for them.”

China bristled, sensing the catch.

Nicholas had already discussed the matter with Mr. Daniel. Griffith was willing to extend the olive branch in the interest of peace, avoiding conflict where possible, but they wouldn’t be seen as weak.

Trade? China nearly lost it, ready to flip out.

Damn Aussies, they had already backed down enough, letting go of the stolen military gear and cryo-pods, not even pursuing their destroyed oil fields.

And now they had the audacity to make outrageous demands!

Sure enough, they were playing hardball.

The tug-of-war resumed until Nicholas stood up. “We’re not into arm-twisting deals. Since you’re not serious, we might as well call it quits.

The whole mess is on you. Out of goodwill and since it’s your first offense—our civilians are unharmed—we won’t press charges. But cross us again, and it’ll be a different story!

You’ve got three hours to clear out, or we’ll escort you off the premises.”

With that, he walked out with his head held high, the others following suit.

China panicked. “Hold it right there!”

As if they were some sort of authority to be heeded.

Nicholas ignored them and kept striding away.

China hurried after. “Wait, let’s talk this through, we can negotiate.”

Without looking back, Nicholas barked orders to his officers. “Major Griffin, Colonel Jiang, take the lead.”

China turned green. They thought this would be a smooth operation, but Griffith was playing hard to get.

They couldn’t leave empty-handed; they needed those supplies.

Back at the table, China listed their demands: a hundred head of livestock, a four-to-one ratio of females to males, plus herbs and seeds.

They wanted the lot, and the more, the merrier.

Their Western medicine was in ruins, and they couldn’t produce it quickly enough. They were keen on learning alternative methods, including herbal cultivation and acupuncture.

As for shore leave, that was out of the question.

The rest could be given, but in stages.

China was sour but had no leverage. “Fine, we’ll start with the livestock.”

Stella crunched the numbers, only willing to part with 10 pairs of livestock, 8 females and 2 males. The rest could be fertilized eggs; they could handle the hatching themselves.

These were rare breeds, not something you just give away.

The trade? Fuel.

Strength was the key; it earned respect from foreign adversaries.

This lengthy military negotiation had revealed rising stars like Kitty, who kept their cool under China’s aggressive interrogation. The team’s coordination was impeccable.

Nicholas felt a wave of admiration for the younger generation.

They were the future, and entrusting them with Griffith’s development seemed the right call.

When the destroyer docked at Griffith the following day, peace had been restored.

Well, not quite. The pier was bustling.

Next to the dock was the food processing plant, and workers from the military, government departments, and volunteers had all come out to welcome them back. The special salvage team was there in full force too.

Bran had even organized a welcome ceremony, picking wild daisies for Nicholas, Jasper, Stella, Kitty, and the others.

Lucas, Cody, and others had also arrived, greeting them with warm embraces.

In the heart of Griffith, amidst the clatter and cheer of their return, it was clear that despite the disruption, the community’s spirit remained unshaken, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.

The news spread like wildfire, stirring up a buzz that felt even more jubilant than if we’d won a World War. Everyone was beside themselves with excitement.

I mean, come on, this was China we’re talking about, and they had just tucked their tails between their legs and slunk off.

The whole poultry-for-fuel trade had also become the talk of the town. At first, folks were pretty ticked off about it. “Give them our poultry? They shouldn’t get so much as a feather from us,” was the general sentiment.

But once heads cooled and people gave it a good think, they realized it made sense. China had managed to snap photos of our farms; it was only a matter of time before our poultry would be out there anyway.

As long as no other act of God hit us, our farming would scale up and those birds wouldn’t be as rare as they once were. Might as well trade them for something useful now.

Our military had flexed its muscles to protect the security of Griffith, and that was something worth celebrating city-wide.

Bran handed Stella a bouquet of roses. “Sis, you’re the hero of Griffith now,” he said with a grin.

But wait a minute, Nicholas was standing right there. How did she become the hero of Griffith?