Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Striving for a Perfect Connection

"Shut up!"

Stella Sterling cut his scream short. Grabbing a nearby roll of tape, she sealed his mouth shut.

At last, it was quiet. Her brow smoothed out.

"It’s my first time, so mistakes are bound to happen. A few more practice runs and it’ll be fine. Otherwise, what use are you to me!" she explained. Her words, however, offered him no comfort.

In fact, he would have preferred she didn’t explain at all. Her explanation terrified him.

’Does she mean I’ll have to go through that pain a few more times?’

He now seriously doubted he would leave this house alive. ’I’m going to die from the pain, aren’t I?’

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Stella Sterling began again. A cold sweat broke out all over Stephen Lawrence’s body. Before, he could at least scream to alleviate some of the pain. Now, with his mouth taped shut, he couldn’t even make a sound. He could only endure it. It was sheer torment.

"This time, it’s done!"

An unknown amount of time passed. Just as Stephen Lawrence’s consciousness was fading, he heard those words. At that moment, they sounded as beautiful as celestial music.

He opened his eyes. ’Is the torture finally over?’

Yes, he suspected she was torturing him on purpose. He knew that even a normal doctor performing surgery without anesthesia would inflict pain beyond what an ordinary person could bear.

But no matter how inexperienced she was, how could she make a rookie mistake like reattaching his hand backward?

"Very good. The hand is reattached perfectly. Everything is perfect. Whether this hand can heal and be used normally will depend on your recovery. You have to be careful. You must not move this hand at all, okay?"

When Stephen Lawrence opened his eyes, he saw her standing before him with a smile, instructing him with a gentle expression.

His mind wavered. He began to wonder if he was being too petty, if he had misunderstood her. She was being so gentle—

’Maybe she really did just make a mistake before because she lacked experience?’

As he thought this, the image of her previous ferocity flashed through his mind, and he immediately shook his head to banish the thought.

’I’d have to be insane to think that!’

Stephen Lawrence hurriedly looked at his hand. He saw that it was indeed perfectly attached to his arm. He could even feel the subtle connection between his body and the hand.

His hand was really reattached!!!

Stephen Lawrence was overjoyed. He turned to Stella Sterling, full of gratitude. "Thank you!"

This time, his gratitude was genuine. No one would choose to be one-armed if they had a choice. Now that his hand was reattached, how could he not be happy?

At this moment, all the torture he had endured seemed worth it.

"You’re welcome!"

Stella laughed softly, turned, left the room, and closed the door.

’I had indeed been doing it on purpose. At first, it was to torture him. Later, it was for practice. An opportunity like this was rare, so of course, I had to practice my skills and strive for perfection.’

’As for whether he was in pain?’

’He was a man who had tried to harm me. Why should I care if he was in pain? Besides, he didn’t die from it, so what’s the problem?’

Feeling no guilt whatsoever, Stella Sterling changed out of the surgical gown and went into the bathroom.

A little later, she emerged in a fresh set of clothes. She glanced at the time and saw that it was already two in the morning. Her brow furrowed.

’I was too focused. Five or six hours passed without me even realizing it. Looks like I won’t be getting up early tomorrow. I’ll have to sleep in.’

With that thought, she delayed no longer, returning to her bedroom and going to sleep.

Having solved a difficult problem, Stella Sterling slept very soundly. Little did she know, the residents in the apartments below and in the building opposite hers had spent the entire night in a state of anxiety because of the noises coming from her room.

「The next day」

Stella Sterling woke up close to noon. The first thing she did was enter her space and harvest the mature crops.

She then picked out what she wanted to eat for lunch before exiting the space.

Inside the medical room, Stephen Lawrence sat limply on a chair, sporting large, dark circles under his eyes. Stella Sterling had removed the tape from his mouth last night, revealing two deep bite marks on his lips.

He had bitten himself yesterday when the pain became unbearable.

He had been in too much pain to sleep at all yesterday. His entire body ached, and combined with hunger, he felt completely powerless.

His eyes darted to the room’s door from time to time. For the first time, he found himself somewhat looking forward to Stella Sterling’s appearance.

’I’m so hungry. Back home, I still have some food I managed to scrounge up. At least when I was hungry, I could gnaw on a piece of bread.’

But now, after losing so much blood and having had nothing to eat or drink since yesterday, he was hungry, thirsty, and in pain. Every second was an agonizing ordeal.

Throughout the morning, he had looked toward the door countless times, but it never opened.

’Did Stella Sterling forget about me, or does she just not care if I live or die?’

’Sometimes, I wish I could just pass out from the pain. That would make the time easier to endure.’

’I never would have thought I could withstand so much. It seems even heaven doesn’t want me dead. Perhaps good fortune awaits me in the future.’

’If only... if only I get a chance to escape. If I ever get my hands on Stella Sterling in the future, I will never let her go. I will return the torture she inflicted on me, doubled.’

CREAK.

The door opened. Stephen Lawrence immediately looked over, pleasantly surprised. When he saw Stella Sterling, a fawning smile appeared on his face. "Miss, are you here to bring me food? You really are a woman of your word!"

He didn’t dare utter a single word of complaint. His face was all smiles, but combined with his ghastly complexion, the effect was rather grotesque.

At that moment, Stephen Lawrence’s eyes locked onto what Stella Sterling was carrying, and he swallowed hard.

Stella Sterling watched him with a half-smile. This man certainly knew how to bend and adapt. ’If he hadn’t crossed me, he might have done quite well for himself.’

She placed a steamed bun and a cup of water in front of him. "Eat."

’It wasn’t much to me. In normal times, this would be nowhere near enough for a grown man.’

’However, I’m well aware that for many people outside right now, even getting a single steamed bun is an extravagant hope. Many have to make one last for several days.’

’If this wasn’t the worst of the food I have stockpiled, I wouldn’t have even given it to him.’

As she expected, Stephen Lawrence’s eyes lit up, and he was secretly pleased. ’She even gave me a steamed bun. She’s quite generous.’

He took it, broke it in half, and tucked one piece inside his clothes. Then he put the other half in his mouth and began to savor it slowly.

A flicker of understanding crossed Stella’s eyes. She then turned and walked out.

Her lunch was still laid out in the living room. Stephen Lawrence caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and froze.

He couldn’t see clearly what was there, but he could make out several plates. ’She’s eating that much?’