Chapter 362: Worry
Chapter 362: Chapter 362: Worry
"Come on over! What are you all standing there for?"
Andrew Shaw hadn’t made a very good impression before, having already displeased Stella Sterling several times.
Now, Andrew Shaw just wanted to do a good job and make Stella Sterling happy.
Stella Sterling had the dark, skinny young man summon these people, so she must have had her own purpose and plan.
So, when he saw them stop in the distance without taking another step forward, Andrew Shaw took the initiative and called for them to come closer.
Hearing his words, the people glanced at Andrew Shaw. Their expressions shifted when they saw such a small child, and then they looked back at Stella Sterling, seemingly pondering something.
They looked behind Stella Sterling and the boy, but they didn’t see anyone else—only the woman and the child.
At that moment, the wariness in their eyes did lessen somewhat, but they still made no move.
Stella understood their reservations. She glanced at the dark, skinny young man.
After seeing the look Stella Sterling gave him, the dark, skinny young man hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and jogged over to them.
"Spike, don’t be rash!"
Startled, the people near him stepped forward to grab him, but the dark, skinny young man was very agile. They were a step too slow and could only watch helplessly as he ran toward Stella.
The dozen or so people’s faces changed, and they looked at the dark, skinny young man with worry.
Before, in a city this large, no one knew anyone else, but they had experienced so many upheavals over the past few years.
Now, in such a huge city, only their small group was left, struggling to survive together in the ruins.
During this time, they had all gotten to know each other, looking after one another and developing bonds.
The dark, skinny young man was the youngest among them. He was usually the most nimble and was always happy to help the "old folks."
Everyone liked him and trusted him a great deal.
It was precisely because of this that when he told them about the offer, they came to check it out, despite suspecting it might be a trap.
But now, seeing him run so impulsively toward those two, they couldn’t help but stomp their feet in anxiety.
’Isn’t Spike usually so clever? Why is he being so rash now?’
One of the older men even shouted toward Stella Sterling’s group, "You people, if you want to do something, do it to us old folks! Don’t you dare lay a hand on the boy!"
A few other elderly people chimed in, "That’s right! If you need to grab people for labor, take us! Let the children go!"
"He’s still young and doesn’t have much strength for work. We may be old, but we can still work for many years! If you’re going to take someone, take us!"
Hearing these words from behind him, the dark, skinny young man, Spike, suddenly stopped. The rims of his eyes grew red, and his fists clenched tightly.
He looked up at Stella Sterling. "You’re not going to trick me, are you?"
Normally, if someone had questioned her like that, Stella Sterling would have just told them indifferently to take it or leave it.
But today...
She glanced at the anxious people behind him, shook her head, and said earnestly, "I’m a great person. You can completely trust me."
Stella Sterling had told many people that she was a "great person," but every time she said it, she had a devil-may-care attitude.
It never looked convincing at all.
But this time, when she said those words, Stella Sterling was very serious. Even the look in her eyes was earnest as she gazed at him.
And so, in the next moment, the dark, skinny young man walked over to her side.
He turned his head to the people behind him and said, "Grandpa Lawrence, Grandpa Ward, Grandma Shaw, Mr. Pence, I believe this big sister. She’s a good person and won’t trick us."
"Besides, look! All this on the ground is food!"
As he spoke, Spike pointed to the items laid out on the ground, his eyes shining.
The others were tempted, but still worried.
Although Andrew Shaw, who was standing to the side, didn’t know the full story, he seemed to have guessed a few things from their brief exchange.
He took two steps forward, his big eyes wide with innocence, and said in a childish tone, "Grandpas and Grandmas, this big sister of mine is really nice. She saw that you were in a pitiful state and wanted to help you. She really doesn’t have any ill intentions."
"Besides, look, there are only two of us. Even if we meant you harm, what could we possibly do to all of you?"
Stella Sterling glanced at him but didn’t stop him.
She was in a rare mood to do a good deed today, and she planned to give the things she had collected to the remaining people in this city.
However, these people were scared because of what had happened before. They were highly vigilant and didn’t trust her.
Andrew Shaw’s words were quite effective. He was, after all, a five-year-old child, and a child of that age could easily make people lower their guard. Moreover, the survivors looked around again and again, confirming that there were no other suspicious people behind them.
Furthermore, after Spike went over, the woman hadn’t done anything to him.
They relaxed a little more.
Then, one of the slightly older men stepped forward, looked at Stella Sterling, and said, "Young lady, Spike told us earlier that you’re willing to give us some food to help us. Is that true?"
"It’s true. This is all for you."
Stella Sterling nodded.
Andrew Shaw gave her a strange look. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that the woman’s voice was much gentler now than it had been before.
After hearing this, the people’s eyes lit up as they looked at the items on the ground. ’Is all of that really for us?’
It felt like they were dreaming. ’And this young woman... doesn’t she need this food herself?’
’Food is so precious right now. Why would she help them for no reason, and give them so much of it?’
This was precisely the reason for their concern. This young woman was different from the people who had come to capture them before; they had never seen her.
So, she probably wasn’t connected to those people.
They just couldn’t figure out why she would do this. Why would she help them like this?
’After all, there’s no need for her to do this. We’re all complete strangers.’
This forced them to suspect a trap. Even though she might genuinely have good intentions, the situation was just too bizarre, and they couldn’t help but worry.