Chapter 110: She Is Not Your Prisoner

This community may be chaotic, but it’s not much better anywhere else. Once people run out of food, they’ll do whatever it takes to survive.

That’s when disputes will break out. Slowly, gangs will form, each looking out for their own interests. It’s inevitable.

Basil Xavier and his people worked for the government. Although they’d heard about the situation outside, they never had to worry about food or shelter. Without experiencing it firsthand, they could never truly know how cruel the world had become.

Basil Xavier swallowed, unable to form a response. He had a point. Since he’d never been in their shoes, he really had no right to judge.

"So what was the deal with those people just now? Was that a different gang?"

After a moment of silence, Basil Xavier spoke up again.

’Today’s group didn’t seem to be with the one from yesterday. They looked a bit more righteous, too.’

’Probably because their leader is a more decent person.’

’But why did they come looking for Stella Sterling?’

’And what role does Stella play in all this, alone amidst these gangs?’

’From what he’d observed, the leader of that group placed a lot of importance on Stella. You could even say he was a little wary of her.’

’It seemed Stella Sterling was no simple figure in this building.’

’He was very curious. Did Gordon Ford know his friend was like this?’

"You wanna know? Then go find out yourself. How should I know?"

Stella Sterling shot him a look and scoffed.

’She hadn’t gotten involved in the building’s affairs. While she had a general idea of the situation, she hadn’t known who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.’

’But now it seemed that Bell and his cronies had been one faction, causing all sorts of trouble in the building, and the remaining residents had banded together to deal with them.’

’The leader of this new group appeared to be the bald man from the fourth floor.’

’She didn’t know anything about this bald man from the fourth floor or what kind of person he was. But as long as he didn’t cross her, they could coexist peacefully. She didn’t care who he was.’

’As for Bell’s crew, most of them were already dead by her hand. The few who remained were no threat, but she couldn’t rule out the possibility that they were secretly trying to recruit again.’

’The human heart was the hardest thing to predict. There would always be people like Bell and his ilk in the world. Even if she killed them, others like them would just pop up to take their place.’

’She knew the gist of it, but why should she tell *him*?’

Basil Xavier was once again left speechless by Stella Sterling’s words. He scratched his head and glanced toward Gordon Ford.

’This woman was Gordon’s friend, so he’d naturally treated her like one of his own people, but she was a little too cold!’

’How did a guy like Gordon end up falling for a girl like this? She was impossible!’

Stella Sterling paid no mind to what he was thinking. She turned to Gordon Ford, her tone icy. "Your wound hasn’t healed yet. If you keep being so careless, you might as well go stand in the community garden and put yourself out of your misery. Save yourself the trouble of dragging this out!"

Without waiting for Gordon to reply, she slammed the door in their faces. SLAM!

To be honest, Gordon Ford and Stella Sterling had known each other for years, and she had always been so gentle. This was the first time he’d ever seen this fiery side of her. It was like seeing a completely different person.

He let out a low chuckle.

Basil Xavier didn’t understand what Gordon found so amusing. "Your friend has a really weird temper. And I’m starting to suspect you never really knew her at all."

Gordon’s expression was serene, his voice cool. "We were apart for eight months. We’ve grown a little distant, that’s all. It’s fine. We’ll get to know each other again, slowly."

’Maybe he really hadn’t understood her completely before, but it wasn’t too late to start now.’

Basil Xavier gave him a strange look, a thought stuck in his throat that he wasn’t sure whether to voice.

’Her attitude was just ’a little distant’?’

’He scratched his head, not knowing what to say. Maybe this was just how the two of them always interacted. Maybe he was the one who didn’t get it.’

His mind couldn’t help but drift back to the first time he saw Stella Sterling. She had cut a man down without batting an eye, without a single moment of hesitation. Even though the world was different now, her ability to adapt was a little *too* strong.

Her calmness after taking a life... that wasn’t the reaction of a normal person.

If she hadn’t been the one to save his life, and if it weren’t for her relationship with Gordon, Basil Xavier would have steered well clear of someone like her.

He didn’t know if Stella Sterling had always been this cold, or if the changed world had forced her to become this way—if she had seen and done so much to survive that it had hardened her.

He didn’t say anything on the way downstairs. It wasn’t until they were back in their room that he looked at Gordon Ford seriously. "For real, though. I think there’s something off about your friend. She’s too cold, Gordon. Do you really know her at all?"

Gordon Ford glanced at him, his expression showing none of the gentleness he’d had in front of Stella Sterling. "I know what you’re trying to say, but I’d like you to stop probing. She’s not your suspect. You don’t need to get to the bottom of her business or figure out what kind of person she is."

"’Maybe you think she’s a little too cold, and combined with your first impression of her, you’re jumping to conclusions. But how can anyone survive in this world if they aren’t a little ruthless?’"

"’We haven’t experienced the cruelty of the outside world recently, so we don’t know how hard it is to survive out there. But the woman I knew was always gentle. I don’t know what she went through to become the way she is now, but there have to be reasons.’"

"’Besides, those men from yesterday... didn’t they deserve to die?’"

As he finished, Gordon’s voice grew even colder, and a murderous aura emanated from him.

Basil Xavier shut his mouth, saying no more. He couldn’t refute Gordon’s words.

’It wasn’t that he had anything against Stella Sterling. She had helped them so much and even saved his life. Deep down, he was grateful.’

’He was just... deeply curious about her. He couldn’t help but want to figure her out.’

’But Gordon was right about one thing: she wasn’t his suspect. He shouldn’t be investigating her. After all, she wasn’t hostile toward them—at least, not at the moment.’

He said, "Alright, I get it. I didn’t mean anything by it."