Chapter 90: Chapter 90: The Helicopter That Came to the Residential Complex

Over the past few days, he had already come up with a grand idea. He wanted to rule their entire building, control all their food supplies, and make everyone inside work for him.

Then, even in the apocalypse, he wouldn’t have to worry. In fact, he could live quite happily.

From there, he would expand step by step, targeting the other buildings in the complex.

To conquer the building, he would have to deal with the troublemakers one by one. People like the woman on the 28th floor and the couple on the fourth floor were all obstacles to his growing power. They had to be dealt with.

"So it’s decided. We’ll start by targeting the households with fewer people, the ones who are easy to deal with. Anyone willing to follow us just has to hand over their food for us to manage, and they’ll be one of us. As for those who put up a fight... don’t hold back. The world has changed. It’s a world where the strong prey on the weak, so there’s no room for soft hearts!"

"Yes, Boss!"

The others answered in unison. Their voices were loud, creating an imposing atmosphere.

"Don’t worry, everyone. You were the first to follow us three brothers. I won’t forget your contributions. When our faction becomes powerful, you’ll be the founding members!"

His words were stirring. The others in the room grew visibly excited, as if they could already see a wonderful life ahead of them.

River Larkin, standing to the side, quietly curled his lip, unimpressed. ’Just this small group of people? With no weapons? They can act tough inside the complex, but that’s it. Expanding outward is just wishful thinking.’

Inside the room, regardless of what anyone was truly thinking, every face showed a look of surging excitement.

What they didn’t know, however, was that their actions over the past few days had already attracted the attention of many in the building, stirring up widespread resentment. To deal with them, a few people had already begun to band together.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Stella Sterling. She had no intention of getting involved in the complex’s internal squabbles, nor did she have any desire to build a faction here.

’Most of the people here are too weak. It’s questionable if they’ll even survive this blizzard, let alone what comes after. A faction built from them would be useless. There’s no point wasting my energy.’

’The ones who survive into the later stages are the only ones with real skill and ability.’

Her attitude toward the people in the complex was to leave them be, on the condition that they didn’t come looking for trouble with her.

’That said, I’ll have to find some time to take care of those three brothers from the Bell Family.’

’A grudge from my past life... If I hadn’t run into them, I could have let it go. But they’re right here under my nose. It would be an insult to myself not to get revenge.’

Meanwhile, she was in her medical room, treating Stephen Lawrence’s broken leg. Stephen Lawrence himself had already passed out from the pain; it was simply more than he could bear.

’He seriously wondered, was this woman really a doctor before? If so, any patient who ended up with her was just incredibly unlucky.’

When Stella Sterling came out of the medical room, she returned the steamed bun she had confiscated earlier that day.

She glanced at the time; it was already midnight. She took off her surgical gown, a satisfied smile in her eyes.

’Some things you just have to do yourself. Practice is what leads to rapid improvement. No amount of theoretical knowledge can compare to hands-on experience.’

’It’s just... a bit draining on the subject. It’s only been two days, and he’s already acting like he’s at death’s door. I wonder how long he can hold on.’

’Well, it can’t be helped. I wanted to get a little more practice in, so I put him through a bit extra.’

’Besides, I don’t want to waste my medicine, so he just has to endure the pain raw. It’s a bit rough on him, I’m sure.’

’I suppose I should give him slightly better food starting tomorrow. If nothing else, he needs to keep his nutrition up.’

’After all, a test subject like this is hard to come by, especially one who can endure pain so well.’

And so, the next day, Stephen Lawrence was surprised to find his meal had improved slightly. Instead of one steamed bun, there were two, along with a small plate of greens.

The greens, of course, were just a small portion taken from Stella Sterling’s own lunch.

Stella Sterling’s meals, as always, were excellent.

Stephen Lawrence saw her food, but having learned his lesson from the day before, he was very docile today, not daring to show any hint of dissatisfaction.

Especially since his own meal had improved today.

"Eat. Get your strength back. Don’t waste my food."

Stella Sterling said this and left. Stephen Lawrence’s body went stiff. He knew exactly why she wanted him to regain his strength!

The moment he thought of the agonizing, worse-than-death pain of her daily "treatments," the food in his mouth suddenly lost its flavor.

Another two or three days passed. Stella Sterling was curled up on the sofa, engrossed in her medical books. The past few days of practice had revealed many of her own shortcomings. Now was the perfect time to address them. By combining theory with practice, she was making rapid progress.

Just then, the roar of a helicopter echoed from the sky. Living in the penthouse, Stella Sterling heard it loud and clear.

She put down her book. Her first instinct was to go to the window, but on second thought, she hurried out the door and ran up to the rooftop.

In the distance, a small helicopter was flying toward them. Stella Sterling raised her binoculars and saw two men in military uniforms aboard, each with a backpack slung over their shoulder.

Stella Sterling’s gaze locked onto one of the men.

For a moment, her expression grew distant, her eyes clouded with confusion.

A name escaped her lips, almost involuntarily. "Gordon Ford?"

That name, that person... felt like a memory from a lifetime ago.

If she hadn’t seen him today, she might never have thought of him again.

’Come to think of it, including the seven years of the apocalypse in my past life... it’s been almost eight years since I last saw him, hasn’t it?’

Stella Sterling lowered her head, her expression complicated for a moment before she quickly regained her composure.

’But that’s all in the past. There’s nothing worth reminiscing about.’

She was about to turn and leave, but just then, a few more people came up to the roof. They fell to their knees, facing the approaching helicopter.

"Save us! Please, save us!"

Some knelt and begged for help, while others ran about, waving their arms frantically to attract the attention of the people on the helicopter.

It wasn’t just their building; the same scene was playing out on the rooftops of other buildings as well.

When those people saw Stella Sterling, they froze for a second, then instinctively gave her a wide berth before continuing their pleas for help from a different spot.

Meanwhile, from the windows of countless apartments in the complex, people reached out their hands, their eyes fixed on the helicopter with renewed hope.

Someone muttered, "Are they here to distribute relief supplies again?"

"We’re saved! It looks like we’re finally saved!"

Everyone cheered and cried for help, the once-lifeless look in their eyes now blazing with a desperate will to survive.

But they waited and waited, and no announcement came from the helicopter telling them where to collect supplies.