Apocalypse Rebirth: Crazy from Day One

Stella Sterling hesitated for a moment. "Alright."

’Someone of his status won’t stay in this complex for long. Once the blizzard outside dies down, he’ll leave, and after that...’

’In this apocalypse, it’ll be hard for us to ever meet again...’

After a brief exchange, Stella Sterling left the 27th floor.

But this time, she had barely been home for a moment when there was a knock at her door.

At first, she thought it might be Gordon Ford and the other person, but then she heard a clamor of voices outside. It was noisy, and the voices definitely weren’t theirs.

Stella Sterling raised an eyebrow. ’Don’t tell me it’s more people from the building, here to beg me for food?’

It wasn’t that these people knew how much food she had; they just went from door to door, begging everyone. If they managed to find even one soft-hearted person, they’d count themselves lucky.

But after several groups had come to her door, crying and begging, she couldn’t help but wonder, ’Do I look like an easy target? Do I look like a nice person?’

’Wasn’t my attitude clear enough the last few times?’

’Coming here to beg for food won’t get you anything. In fact, if you’re not careful, it could get you killed!’

’Could it be that the commotion I caused before wasn’t loud enough? Or maybe they’ve all been cooped up inside and have no idea what I’ve done?’

As these thoughts ran through her head, Stella Sterling rolled her eyes in annoyance.

At least this group was more polite than the last. The knocking was gentle, and she didn’t hear any of the usual nauseating pleas.

So she just let them be.

Inside the medical room.

Stella Sterling was examining Stephen Lawrence. The hand he had broken was healing very well. At this rate, with a bit more rest, it wasn’t impossible that it would make a full recovery.

Stella Sterling was very pleased with this result. Her other treatments on him had also been handled quite well. There were some minor issues, but nothing serious.

Stephen Lawrence was relieved. Her mood seemed to be pretty good today. She just checked his old wounds and didn’t do anything else, which let him breathe a sigh of relief.

Hearing the noise from outside, his eyes darted around, and he asked tentatively, "Ma’am, those people outside are making such a racket. Aren’t you going to go deal with them?"

The last time people came begging for food, it had been his group. Some ended up dead, others wounded, and he himself had fallen into Stella Sterling’s clutches.

Now, another group of fools who didn’t know what was good for them had shown up. He was very curious to see how Stella Sterling would deal with them this time.

He also wondered which unlucky souls from the building it was, so blind as to provoke Stella Sterling.

’This woman is a ruthless she-devil. Begging her for food out of pity? What a joke.’

’They’d be better off praying that she’s in a good mood and won’t decide to go on a killing spree!’

Stephen Lawrence was reveling in their potential misfortune. His body even trembled slightly with excitement, but he didn’t dare make any large movements, afraid of attracting Stella Sterling’s attention and displeasing her.

SLAP! Stella Sterling’s hand shot out, striking him across the face. Her voice rose. "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!"

Stephen Lawrence didn’t dare touch his stinging cheek. He was furious but couldn’t show it, and he quickly shook his head to explain. "Ma’am, how could I dare? You’ve misunderstood me!"

Stella Sterling crossed her arms, looking down on him. "I don’t care what you’re thinking, but you’d better keep it in check. What I do, what I want to do—none of that is your business to meddle in!"

"If there’s a next time, I wouldn’t mind making sure you can never speak again. After all, all I need is a body to practice my medical skills on. Whether or not you can talk is of no concern to me."

As she spoke, Stella Sterling’s gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds.

Stephen Lawrence was terrified. His body trembled, and that little bit of resentment in his heart vanished, replaced by pure fear.

If he wasn’t tied to the chair, he would have already dropped to his knees to beg for mercy. He shook his head, pleading incessantly, "Spare me! I won’t do it again! There won’t be a next time!"

She looked down at him. "Behave. As long as you’re a good little test subject for me, I won’t make things difficult for you. Otherwise—"

Stella Sterling didn’t even have to finish her sentence before Stephen Lawrence began nodding frantically.

Stella Sterling gave him one last look, then turned and left.

’This test subject is actually pretty convenient,’ she thought. ’I have no plans to replace him.’

’He can be a little annoying sometimes, but overall, he knows his place and is obedient. Plus, he has a high pain tolerance. If I had to find another one, I might not get someone so suitable.’

’So, even if he has his own little schemes, a warning or two is enough. No need to actually... get rid of him.’

Stepping out of the medical room, she found the noise outside was still going. She checked her security monitor and saw more than a dozen people standing there—men and women, old and young. Regardless of age or gender, they all looked sallow and gaunt. Some were so starved they were nothing but skin and bones.

A few of them were holding small packages that looked like food. Normally, people this starved would have lunged forward to snatch it away.

But today, there seemed to be a silent, unified understanding. No one made a move to grab the items from their hands.

She raised an eyebrow. ’What are these people trying to do?’

Then she watched as the people at her door, seeing that she wasn’t opening it, refrained from any drastic actions. The person in the lead turned to the others and said, "The young lady who helped us isn’t opening the door. She probably doesn’t want to be disturbed."

"The girl on the 28th floor really doesn’t like to be bothered. Let’s not forget we came to thank her, not to cause her more trouble. Let’s go."

Hearing this, Stella Sterling raised her eyebrows again. ’The benefactor they’re talking about... could they mean me?’

In her heart, Stella Sterling already knew the answer, and what they said next only confirmed her suspicion.

"That’s right, that’s right. We shouldn’t bother her."

"Tripp Pence and his crew have been running wild lately, making our already difficult lives even harder. This past month under their thumb has been unbearable. Now, this young lady has taken care of them. That’s like getting rid of a public menace! We don’t have much to thank her with, but the least we can do is not disturb her peace!"

One person spoke passionately, and the others nodded in agreement. The few who were holding things placed their meager offerings at Stella Sterling’s doorstep. Then, the entire group bowed towards her door before turning and leaving quietly.