Apocalypse Rebirth: Crazy from Day One

Chapter 331: Chapter 331: I’m a Good Person

Stella Sterling’s voice carried a threat.

The little boy instantly stopped struggling, even forcing his tears back.

He blinked his big eyes at Stella Sterling, looking utterly pitiful.

Such a sight would have softened the heart of anyone with even a shred of kindness.

A child that age, with that kind of expression—who wouldn’t be overcome with sympathy?

But Stella Sterling simply watched him calmly, her brow furrowed.

She loosened her grip, and the boy tumbled into the grass. He opened his mouth to wail again, but one cold glance from Stella Sterling made him choke it back.

He sniffled, looking aggrievedly at Stella Sterling.

’How can this person be so cold-blooded? How could she be so ruthless to a little kid like me?’

Stella Sterling looked down at him. "Were you the one messing with my car door earlier?"

A four or five-year-old child, even before the apocalypse, wouldn’t have been completely clueless.

Besides, a child his age would have been born before the apocalypse. After three cruel years of it, even a truly naive kid couldn’t possibly be as ignorant as they once were.

So, Stella Sterling was certain he understood exactly what she was saying.

But clearly, the boy had other ideas. He shook his head, a confused look in his eyes, pretending he didn’t know what Stella Sterling was talking about.

"Kid, I’d advise you not to play innocent with me. I’m not very patient."

Her eyes met his, a faint smile playing in them.

But the words she spoke were not nearly as pleasant as her expression.

Hearing Stella Sterling’s words, the little boy’s eyes darted about as he seemed to ponder something.

’He desperately wanted to keep playing dumb, to use his youth to his advantage and confuse her, hoping she’d let him go and drop the matter.’

But looking at the composed woman before him...

’He knew she was different from the kind-hearted young women he’d met before. One look was enough to tell she wasn’t easily fooled, nor was she the soft-hearted type.’

’His usual tricks probably wouldn’t work on this woman.’

So he reached up, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and looked up at Stella Sterling. "Yes. When you were gone, I tried to open the car door to see if there was any food. I’m really hungry. I want to eat."

Unfortunately for him, he hadn’t been very lucky. He couldn’t get the door open, and he wasn’t strong enough to smash the window. Before he could succeed, she had already returned.

He had tried to hide.

But unfortunately, his bad luck held, and he was discovered.

His honesty took Stella Sterling by surprise for a moment.

She had expected him to deny it adamantly.

Just as she was about to speak, the little boy looked right at her and asked, "So, are you going to kill me, miss? Am I going to die?"

As he said the word "die," a trace of fear still flickered in the little boy’s eyes.

Despite his young age, he already had a clear concept of death.

He was far from clueless.

The boy before her was calmer when speaking of death than many adults Stella Sterling had met.

But a trace of fear still flashed through his eyes involuntarily.

She chuckled lightly, looking at him. "You think I’m going to kill you?"

Faced with Stella Sterling’s question, the little boy’s brow furrowed, and he actually seemed to be thinking it over seriously.

After a long moment, he looked at Stella Sterling. "You will."

’In the short time since they’d met, he had already figured it out: this ’big sister’ who was so much older than him was not the soft-hearted type.’

He had also seen what happened in the darkness earlier.

She had been utterly merciless.

He had seen too much in the years he’d spent with his parents.

Most people these days were cold-blooded and ruthless.

’There was no escaping today.’

At that thought, he lowered his head. He had understood this clearly for a long time.

He had known ever since his parents decided to abandon him and run away on their own.

His heart had already confirmed it.

’In this dog-eat-dog world, how could a five-year-old boy like him possibly survive?’

’These last few days of life were just borrowed time.’

"Hm? Do I look that scary? Why are you so sure I’ll kill you?"

Seeing the boy’s dejected expression, Stella Sterling crossed her arms.

"Miss, you’re so long-winded. Why don’t you just get it over with?"

Knowing it was useless to play pitiful in front of her, the boy decided to throw caution to the wind.

A hint of impatience even appeared on his young face.

’She’s obviously going to kill me, so why is she asking so many questions?’

"Haha."

Stella Sterling wasn’t offended at being called long-winded. She laughed and said, in a tone that was half-joking and half-serious, "Give me a reason. If what you say makes sense, I might be in a good enough mood to let you live."

"After all, I’m a great philanthropist, soft-hearted as can be. Not some murderous maniac."

The little boy didn’t believe a single word of that last sentence.

’If he hadn’t seen what happened earlier, he might have actually believed her.’

’But he had seen with his own eyes how she’d toyed with those other people.’

’This person had nothing to do with kindness.’

’Besides, he was an adorable kid acting pitiful and innocent, and she still looked so fierce. How could she possibly be a "great philanthropist"?’

Still, her words about possibly letting him go had registered.

So, his eyes darted around for a moment. "Because I can tell you’re a smart person, miss. And in this world, smart people don’t show mercy."

"You’re right."

Stella Sterling nodded, offering a word of praise.

’Hearing her praise brought the boy no joy. Her agreeing with his point of view only meant she thought the same way, which proved she wouldn’t show him any mercy...’

His spirits sank, but he continued, "And... I was nearby when you killed those other people."

Convinced he wasn’t going to survive, the little boy no longer bothered hiding anything. He even admitted to Stella Sterling that he had witnessed the killings.

Stella Sterling stared at him. The boy was completely calm as he said this, as if he were talking about something as mundane as eating or drinking.

’Then again,’ she thought, ’for a child to have survived this long in the apocalypse, he must have seen and experienced such things long ago.’

’When you see it enough, you naturally stop being afraid. You become calm when talking about it.’

Just as calm as when he’d asked her if he was going to die.