Chapter 140: Forced to Move

The moment she opened the door, Stella Sterling saw the couple who were her neighbors across the hall.

The two of them had managed to stay alive for the past two years.

Seeing Stella Sterling, the man hurriedly asked, "Miss Sterling, what happened? Do you need any help?"

They had been inside their apartment when they heard the loud crash. A commotion had followed from Stella Sterling’s place, so they figured something had gone wrong over there.

"Oh, it’s nothing. My place got struck by lightning. Left a huge hole in the roof."

Stella Sterling gave them a brief explanation, then ignored them and hurried downstairs.

Her words also served as a warning to them. They were in the same building; with her apartment now leaking, given the intensity of the downpour, it wouldn’t be long before the water overflowed...

And for those living across the hall from her, the situation wouldn’t be much better. If the floor became flooded, another lightning strike could mean disaster. If they were lucky, they might escape unscathed. If they weren’t... well.

No one would gamble their life in a situation like this...

As Stella Sterling rushed downstairs, a flash of schadenfreude appeared in Willow Young’s eyes when she heard what Stella had said.

For the past two years, everyone who was struggling to get by feared Stella Sterling. Moreover, Stella herself had abundant supplies.

Willow Young had felt that her own family’s stash of supplies was more than enough, but it had only lasted them a little over a year. After that, their supplies grew scarce, and they were forced to start rationing. Whenever they could, they had to venture outside to find food.

But Stella Sterling? It seemed like she never had to worry about such things.

Willow Young couldn’t even begin to describe how much she envied the woman, nor could she understand how Stella Sterling could be so lucky all the time.

Now, hearing that Stella Sterling’s apartment had been struck by lightning, leaving a massive hole, while her own home was perfectly fine, she couldn’t help but feel a secret delight.

’Looks like this Stella Sterling isn’t always so lucky after all. She has her moments of misfortune too.’

Her boyfriend glanced at Willow Young. Just that one look was enough for him to know what she was thinking, and he couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated.

He said, "Lulu, hurry up! Stop spacing out. Pack up our important things, especially the food. We need to get downstairs, it’s not safe to stay here anymore!"

Willow Young’s joy was short-lived. She hadn’t expected her boyfriend to tell her they had to move out too.

She grumbled, "Why do we have to move? Our place wasn’t struck by lightning. Besides, a lot of the windows on the lower floors were broken ages ago. How could living down there be as comfortable as our own home!"

"There’s no time to explain right now. Just listen to me. Move the important stuff downstairs first. If we can’t carry it, leave it. I’ll explain later!"

But her boyfriend didn’t answer her question. After saying this, he immediately went back inside to pack.

Although Willow Young was still unhappy about it, she didn’t waste any time. She also turned and quickly began to pack.

Over the past two years, she had discovered that her boyfriend was very sharp—smarter than most people. It was precisely because of him that her life these last two years had been relatively comfortable.

So, even though she didn’t understand why, seeing the grave look on his face, Willow Young didn’t dare to disobey.

Stella Sterling ran down a few floors and found an empty, unoccupied apartment, planning to spend the night there.

She couldn’t stay in this building for much longer. The water below had already risen nearly halfway up the building, and now the top was leaking. Soon, water would be pouring in from above as well.

The entire building would soon be submerged. If things continued like this, it would only get more and more dangerous.

However, under the current circumstances, she couldn’t leave the building tonight. Out on the open water, there would be no chance of survival. She could only wait for tomorrow, when the storm hopefully subsided, and then find a new place to live.

In her past life, she knew this building was very sturdy. For several years into the apocalypse, it had never collapsed or been washed away like some other buildings; it had always remained standing right here.

That was why she had chosen to live here. But she never expected that while the building was indeed sturdy and hadn’t collapsed, her top-floor apartment was now leaking. Water was pouring in from everywhere. Even if the building didn’t fall, it was no longer habitable.

After settling in, Stella Sterling went to inform Felix Lawrence, asking him to have Stephen Lawrence notify the others.

After all, they had worked together before, there was no bad blood between them, and Felix’s people were decent. Before she left, if she had the chance, Stella Sterling felt it was necessary to give them a warning about the current situation.

As for whether they chose to leave or continue staying in the building, that would be their own decision.

When she stepped out, she happened to see her former neighbors from across the hall, who had managed to move into the apartment now opposite her new one.

’Decisive, aren’t they!’

The two parties nodded at each other in greeting, and then Stella Sterling quickly walked away.

The people still alive in the building were all living on the higher floors, so they were relatively easy to find.

She left the task of notifying everyone else to Stephen Lawrence, while she went directly to the lawyer, Felix Lawrence, and told him what had happened.

After thanking Stella Sterling, Felix Lawrence excused himself and hurried off to gather the others for a meeting.

Before long, Felix Lawrence came to find her. He had news for Stella Sterling. "Miss Sterling, we can’t live in this building anymore. With the water rising from below and pouring in from above, our building will be flooded soon. It’s manageable during the day, but we’re worried about the thunderstorms at night. So, we’ve all decided that tomorrow, during the day, we’re going to take our important belongings and leave to find a new place to stay. I came to ask if you’d like to leave with us. We could all look out for each other."

Although Stella Sterling hadn’t joined his group and rarely interacted with the other residents, they were still in the same building. Since everyone had decided to leave, Felix Lawrence felt he should at least ask if she wanted to come with them.

Stella Sterling wasn’t the least bit surprised by their decision. Felix Lawrence was a smart man, decisive and quick to act, who knew when to make the right call.

She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, thank you. I prefer to go it alone."

Felix Lawrence recalled what his wife had told him earlier that day: Stella Sterling owned a speedboat.

With something like that, she had a much greater advantage than they did. If she were to travel with them, they would indeed just be holding her back.

Therefore, he didn’t insist. Seeing that Stella Sterling had already made up her mind, he didn’t say anything more to try and persuade her to leave with them.

Instead, he said to her, "After we part ways, who knows if we’ll ever have the chance to meet again. Please take care of yourself, Miss Sterling."

Stella Sterling smiled. "You too. I hope to see you all still alive next time we meet."

Stella Sterling’s words were blunt, but Felix Lawrence could tell she meant them with good intentions. He nodded. "We will. We’ll all do our best to stay alive. We look forward to seeing you again, Miss Sterling."