Apocalypse Rebirth: Crazy from Day One

Chapter 395: Chapter 405: Felix Lawrence’s Territory

Felix Lawrence’s territory wasn’t within the city of Veridia, but inside a cave on a nearby mountain in the suburbs.

Although it was a cave, the inside was a world of its own.

Someone had clearly fixed the place up, partitioning the interior into separate rooms.

Although it was rudimentary, it was stocked with life’s necessities and had a lived-in atmosphere.

However, everything inside was incredibly crude. Some items were even tattered and torn, looking like they had been scavenged from some forgotten corner.

The one silver lining was that despite its dilapidated state, the cave was kept very clean. There were no strange odors, so one didn’t feel an immediate sense of discomfort or smell anything unpleasant upon entering.

Stella Sterling curiously took in her surroundings.

On the way over, she had heard Felix Lawrence mention that he had about thirty or forty people under his command, all of whom were holed up on this mountain.

When things got too tough and they ran out of food, they would go up the mountain to dig for roots and strip bark from trees. It was enough to help them hang on for a while and keep from starving to death.

Their situation was actually considered quite good. Many people couldn’t even get their hands on tree bark or roots.

And in the cities, countless more people had starved or died of thirst.

Felix Lawrence and his people had discovered this place by accident. Deep within the mountains, it was highly unlikely anyone would find them, as long as they didn’t deliberately reveal their whereabouts.

That was why River Larkin had assumed he’d already left Veridia.

"Haha, my place is a bit crude, but it’s livable. It’s certainly a far cry from your big base, but I’m more than satisfied just to have a place to call our own."

"Some other group stumbled upon this place before we did. We had to fight them for a long time before we finally... took care of them and secured it for ourselves!"

As he said this, a hint of pride crept into Felix Lawrence’s voice.

But then he remembered who he was talking to, and how much worse off he was in comparison. The smile on his face faltered.

"I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to put up with our conditions for a while, Miss Sterling. Since it’s just the two of you, I’ll have someone clear out a private room for you. As for your young follower, I can have him share a room with my son. What do you think?"

Felix Lawrence hesitated when he mentioned Andrew Shaw, then continued.

’He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around why she would take a five-year-old boy as a subordinate.’

’He had already asked enough questions earlier. As for something like this, which was ultimately unimportant, he held his tongue no matter how curious he was.’

He still felt a little embarrassed as he said this.

’I invited Miss Sterling here as a guest, but now that she’s arrived, I have to scramble to clear out a room for her, and the person with her doesn’t even get his own space.’

’This is really an imposition on them.’

’Sure, the living conditions here were better than what many people had; at least it was a safe place to rest your head.’

’Some bases might not even measure up. Those large bases have huge populations but limited space, so many members are crammed together in even more crowded conditions.’

’His place was crowded too, but it was still a little better than that.’

’But he couldn’t help but think about Miss Sterling’s status. The place she came from must have been very comfortable, and she surely had her own private quarters.’

’Compared to the conditions she was used to, this place was undoubtedly a huge step down.’

’It wasn’t just that the living space was much smaller. Here, a room was just a room. For things like water, you had to go to a central point and wait for it to be distributed.’

’The big bases were a different story. He’d heard that in some of them, you could get electricity and running water right in your room, as long as you had points or whatever to pay for it.’

’Of course, you had to work hard and risk your life to earn those things, but at least there was something to strive for, a goal to work toward.’

’But here? It was a struggle just to guarantee everyone’s basic supplies. There was nothing left over for luxuries or waste.’

So he was worried she would look down on his setup, and a look of shame crossed his face.

’I run into an old friend, I sincerely invite her over, but when she gets here, I have no way to properly host her. It’s just embarrassing, no matter how you slice it.’

"Put up with what? This place is great! It’s clean and tidy. Besides, it’s secluded and secure. Where else could you find a spot like this, Brother Lawrence?"

Hearing this, Stella Sterling just smiled and patted his shoulder.

There wasn’t a trace of disdain in her eyes, and her words were completely sincere.

’My life is pretty good now, but because of my past life, I can actually endure a lot of hardship.’

’When one could enjoy a comfortable life, of course one should. But when those conditions weren’t available, Stella Sterling could adapt.’

’In her past life, she’d stayed in all sorts of places and survived conditions far tougher than this.’

’So why would she ever look down on a place that was clean and tidy?’

’Come to think of it, in her past life, she had it even worse than Felix Lawrence did now.’

Hearing Stella Sterling’s words and seeing the genuine look on her face, Felix Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief.

He was deeply impressed by Stella Sterling.

’Miss Sterling is capable and powerful, and she lives a good life, yet she doesn’t put on any airs.’

’That alone put her above so many others. At least, the powerful leaders he knew were mostly arrogant, looking down their noses at the world.’

But Stella Sterling wasn’t like that at all.

He could tell her praise was sincere, not just empty words to save his pride.

Admiration filled him, and in that moment, so did a thrill of excitement.

It was the middle of the day, a time when everyone was usually resting.

The small cave was quiet, free from the usual clamor. Felix Lawrence called a man over and gave him a few instructions, telling him to prepare a room for Stella Sterling.

The man looked at Stella Sterling, his eyes darting back and forth speculatively.

’Lawrence brought back a young, beautiful woman. What’s her relationship to him?’

’We’d all heard that his wife passed away some time ago. Now Lawrence has brought back a new woman and is even giving her a private room.’

’Even the child she brought with her is going to share a room with the Young Master.’

’Something about this seems very strange.’