She’d have to have been kicked in the head to even consider that.

As for the Sterling Family, if they thought she would go out looking for Yara, then they could just wait.

With this in mind, she took out the document with her name on it—the one she’d taken from Yara Sterling’s room—and began to read.

The more she read, the deeper her brow furrowed, until she finally broke into a cold sneer.

In her past life, and even up until now, she had assumed Mr. and Mrs. Sterling had no affection for her because she had been found so suddenly. But now, it seemed she’d been wrong from the very beginning. Finding her was no accident.

The Sterling Family had known she was their daughter all along. They simply had no intention of taking her back—not until they discovered her kidney was a match for Yara Sterling.

No wonder she could never win their affection in her past life, no matter how hard she tried. They had only acknowledged her because they wanted her to donate a kidney to Yara Sterling. How could they possibly have any real feelings for her?

Strangely, even though she found the whole thing outrageous, she felt remarkably calm. She wasn’t even particularly angry.

’Perhaps, after everything that happened in my last life, nothing Mr. and Mrs. Sterling could do would surprise me anymore!’

That night, Stella Sterling was jolted awake from a dream. She felt her special space tremble slightly. Fully waking, she entered the space and discovered it had changed significantly. It was much larger than before, and a layer of hazy mist now floated above the planting area. Before her very eyes, she could see the seeds she had planted growing vigorously. The fruit trees were already over a meter tall, and the vegetables were ready for harvest.

It definitely hadn’t been like this when she was in the space that afternoon. In just half a day, everything had matured so much.

She knew it was all related to the changes in the space.

Wisps of ethereal mist swirled around her. She felt as though her space had gained a touch of spiritual energy; the flow of time in the planting area had accelerated significantly.

These changes filled her with joy. ’The better the space becomes, the better my life will be in the future.’

Elated, she didn’t waste any time. She spent an hour in the space harvesting the mature vegetables and setting aside seeds for the next planting. Only then did she exit the space and go back to sleep.

’I still have other jade and jewelry. I’ll throw them all into the space’s exchange zone when I get the chance. I wonder what other benefits they’ll bring me.’

’And from now on, I’ll have to keep an eye out for these special materials. I can’t just focus on hoarding food.’

With things looking up, she was filled with a sense of security and slept soundly through the night.

Time passed. The snow fell relentlessly, almost never stopping. The drifts had already reached halfway up the second-floor windows. The first-floor residents were completely snowed in, and the oppressive feeling of being trapped led to constant complaints in the residents’ group chat.

They complained that property management was doing nothing and wasn’t even trying to find a solution. The management, helpless, could only play dead and stay silent.

Getting around was difficult, and few supermarkets were open in this weather. People had to walk long distances to faraway stores just to buy anything.

And even then, they couldn’t buy much at a time.

Still, many people ventured out each day. But a growing sense of dread about the snowstorm was spreading, and the mood online became increasingly grim.

Stella Sterling, however, hadn’t even stepped out her front door. She ate three square meals a day, right on schedule. Breakfast always included milk and eggs, while lunch and dinner consisted of two dishes and a soup, with a varied menu each day.

She would occasionally glance at the messages in the group chat but never replied.

For the rest of her time, she focused on working out and studying medicine. Every night, she would enter her space to practice her marksmanship. It was as if she were cut off from the world, living entirely in her own.

In the past, she would have found this life boring. But now, a life where she wasn’t constantly on the move, where she didn’t have to worry about where her next meal was coming from—to her, this was the very definition of bliss.

She didn’t have to worry about food like everyone else. She didn’t have to venture out into the blizzard. She was immeasurably more fortunate than others.

And now, she had to use this time to improve herself and become stronger.

She knew this blizzard was only the beginning. Other disasters would follow. She couldn’t hide in this apartment forever; sooner or later, she would have to go out and fight for her survival.

’Every bit stronger I become now increases my chances of survival later.’

The phone rang. Stella Sterling turned off the TV and answered, listening quietly to the voice on the other end. "Stella, it’s been days. You still haven’t found Yara?"

She took a sip of tea before replying languidly, "It’s a blizzard out there, and her phone’s unreachable. Where am I supposed to look for her?"

"You haven’t been out? Then what about Yara? We don’t even know where she is! How can you just stay home and ignore her!" Wanda Larkin’s voice rose several octaves, her tone sharp.

Stella Sterling didn’t reply, but a soft chuckle could be heard from her end of the line.

Wanda Larkin’s anger flared. "If the emergency lines weren’t down, I wouldn’t be calling you! Stella Sterling, don’t you dare think that with Yara gone, you’ll have all our affection to yourself. I’m telling you, if anything happens to Yara, I will never acknowledge you as my daughter! As long as you bring her back, then—"

Before she could finish, Stella Sterling cut her off. "You can save your affection for your precious Yara. I’ll just consider myself an orphan. Here’s a friendly tip: if you see me in the future, you’d best stay far, far away. Or else—"

With a laugh, Stella Sterling hung up the phone.

Not proactively retaliating against her parents was a sign she still had a shred of humanity left; she couldn’t bring herself to strike at her own flesh and blood. However, that blood tie wasn’t much of a restraint. If they insisted on pushing their luck with her, she could truly become inhuman.

Stella Sterling stood up, her gaze cold and distant.

Just then, a wave of shouts erupted from apartments throughout the building. Her phone chimed with a message from River Larkin: "Quick, check the residents’ group chat! Something’s happened!!!"

Stella Sterling raised an eyebrow. Puzzled, she opened the group chat. Someone had forwarded a message: Mirefall’s largest supermarket had announced it would be closing its doors starting tomorrow, only to reopen after the snow stopped.

The news had already been confirmed as true and was spreading through every social circle in Mirefall.

It was a bombshell. Following this declaration, several other supermarkets issued similar announcements, sparking widespread panic.

"It’s starting. First, the major supermarkets are closing, cutting off everyone’s source of supplies. Then the power and water will go out. This apocalypse has finally, truly arrived!"

Stella Sterling murmured. It was now the fifth day of the apocalypse. In the early stages, aside from the inconvenience of travel, life had remained relatively normal, so order hadn’t collapsed yet.

But soon, the water, power, and food would be cut off. Combined with the lethally cold snow, the order of civilization would finally shatter, and humanity would descend into madness.

Survival would come down to every person for themselves.

"And now, the real madness begins!"