Chapter 35


    As soon as Ste stepped into the apartment building, it didn''t take long for people to notice the


    dog. Suddenly, their mouths watered at the prospect of a meaty meal.


    Cooper, the dog, bristled and bared his teeth. His eyes were filled with a killer''s intent. Ste


    brandished her sword. "Who wants to eat my dog? Step forward."


    Shock rippled through the crowd. Since when was there a dog on the 18th floor?


    The audacity! They didn''t even have anything to eat, and yet the people of the 18th floor wanted to


    keep a dog! Were they feeding the scarce food to a dog instead of them?


    In an instant, anger surged in their hearts.


    "Nonsense, that''s a stray from outside." An astute observer recognized Cooper. "He often hangs


    around outside theplex. I''ve seen him several times."


    "That''s right, I''ve seen him a few times too. Once, he almost bit my kid."


    "Let''s kill him, and we can all share."


    With a swift motion, Ste sliced the nearby trash can to pieces with her sword. "If you want to eat


    meat," she challenged, "you''ll have to ask my knife for permission."


    Recalling her swift, head-chopping skills, the crowd took a few steps back in fear. Yet, some were


    still discontent. "Lady, this dog ain''t yours, you can''t be so domineering."


    "If he''s with me, he''s mine."


    "Look, we''re all struggling here. How about this, we kill it and give you half, and we split the rest."


    Others nodded in agreement. "That sounds fair. She takes the biggest share, and we''ll be happy


    with some soup."


    "I don''t like dog meat," Ste sneered, swinging her knife towards the man who proposed the idea,


    "But your meat should be pretty good!"


    "Ah...!" The man stumbled back in fear, falling onto the floor, and wetting his pants in terror.


    Damn, Ste was ready to kill.


    Fortunately, he wasn''t critically hit, but his arm was shed open and was bleeding profusely.


    Seeing this, even the most disgruntled among them didn''t dare to ask for meat again and could only


    watch as Ste led the dog upstairs.


    Just as Ste managed to fend off those who wanted to eat Cooper, Hector was ready to stir the


    pot. "Ste, you''re really cold-hearted!" He burst out of his room, fuming at Ste. "Are you satisfied


    now? Ken is dead!"


    The others stood by the door, staring at Ste with vicious eyes. No one tried to intervene.


    Before Ste could say anything, Cooper lunged and bit Hector''s leg. Caught off guard, Hector let


    out a deafening scream and swung his stick at Cooper''s head.


    Agilely avoiding the blow, Cooper''s eyes were filled with murderous intent.


    This was the man! Before, he hated Cooper and said Cooper was always dirty and stinking of fleas,


    that it wasn''t a surprise that someone would want to throw him into a butchery. Because of this man,


    Ste had cut off his food supply and ignored him ever since.


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    Holding a grudge, the dog attacked again.


    Hector was shocked and scared. He waved his stick frantically.


    Ste stepped in, forcing Hector to step back with a swift strike of her knife.


    "Ste, you''re hitting me for a dog?" Hector was angry, and his face revealed a savage anger.


    "Have you gone mad? It''s just a dog."


    "It''s a dog, but you''re not a man."


    "You think you''re justified in killing Ken?"


    Ste couldn''t help butugh at Hector''s twisted logic. "Did I injure Ken? Was it me who refused to


    take him to the hospital and just watched him die?"


    Hector''s face turned ugly. "If it wasn''t for your cold-hearted refusal to lend us money..."


    "Have you no shame?" Ste looked at them coldly. "If I were you, I would have taken a knife to the


    man who injured Ken to avenge him. But you''re all cowards. Not only did you not avenge him, but


    you also med his death on me and bullied women. Is it really that good to be a freeloader?"


    "Who...who the hell is a freeloader?"


    "How many times have you freeloaded? You know it yourself." Ste mocked, "And who gave you


    the courage to keep causing trouble in front of me?" With that, she plunged her knife into Hector''s


    leg.


    Hector screamed and fell to the ground, and the others rushed to help him. "Ste, we can talk this


    out, you''re going too far."


    Ste headed upstairs. "This time I stabbed your leg, but next time, it''ll be your heart. Cherish your


    life while you still can."


    No one dared to stop her, and their faces were filled with resentment. Sadie, who had her hair


    shaved, stood behind the door, fuming at the useless men.


    As soon as she reached the 17th floor, Ste was stunned by the sight before her. The door at the


    staircase was covered in spikes.


    More specifically, countless iron nails were welded onto the door, and their sharp ends were


    pointing outwards.


    Not just one door, but all three of them. Not even a mouse could sneak in now.


    And the four of them were busy at work. Sparks were flying from the welding, creating a dazzling


    light.


    When she came upstairs, Cody lifted his protective mask. "Ste, what do you think of our fortress?"


    They had found welding acetylene while collecting materials in the office building. They had brought


    back rebar and nails to turn the 18th floor into an impregnable fortress. This way, they could sleep


    soundly at night without worrying about intruders.


    Ste could only give Cody and Lukas a thumbs-up for their creativity.


    It was rumored that the 18th floor had supplies, and Hector and Sadie must have contributed to that


    rumor. Rather than living in fear, it was better to build a hard protective shellyer byyer.


    The power of a team was perhaps reflected in this kind of creativity.


    Ste was quite pleased. At least she knew she couldn’t havee up with such an idea.


    "Wow, you brought a dog back?" Cody''s eyes lit up, excitedly saying, "Lukas, we have dog stew to


    eat tonight."


    Cooper decisively turned around, huffing and growling.


    Ste squatted down to soothe the dog, shouting angrily at Cody, "This is my dog. If you dare touch


    a hair on its body, I''ll stew you first."


    "When did you get a dog?" Cody was surprised. "This one clearly looks like a stray."


    "Isn''t it the stray from the entrance of theplex?" Lukas felt it looked familiar. "Ste used to feed


    it."


    "It saved my life once." Ste''s face was serious as sheid down thew. "I didn''t bring it back for


    you to eat. If you dare toy a finger on it, I’ll deal with you."


    Having found dried beef, sausage, and ham from the office building, Cody and the others were not


    particrly meat-craved. However, in this special environment, many people ughtered their pets


    for food, so who would waste precious food to keep a dog? Food was a life-savingmodity, and


    every day many people starved to death.


    Cody and Lukas didn’t understand, but it wasn’t only them. Even Ang couldn''t get it.


    Unexpectedly, Jasper remarked, "This dog has a decent physique. If trained properly, it could easily


    handle two or three grown men at once."


    "You indeed have a good eye," Ste couldn''t help but admire him. "Earlier, he was being cornered


    by seven or eight people outside, but surprisingly, he didn''t let them get away with anything. He


    even capsized their rubber boat."


    Suddenly, both Lukas and Cody felt like they were even worse than a dog when it came to physical


    strength.