Chapter 74


    It was only two miles to Rend Town, but the icy surface was slicker than a greased pig at a


    county fair. The so-called snow boots did no good. If anyone were to chase her, not only would she


    not be able to run fast, but she was likely to take a nasty spill.


    Ste, under the guise of digging through her backpack, pulled out a pair of ice skates from Arcadia


    and strapped them on. The skates were a bitrge, but with a few pairs of socks stuffed in, they fit


    just fine.


    Ste had learned to skate, but like a hound dog on a slippery porch, she was all wobble and no


    grace. She clumsily glided toward the outskirts of themunity.


    Before she could even get out of the neighborhood, two men burst from building 7, wielding clubs


    and charging at her. It was her fault for standing out so much. The arctic survival suits were


    designed to be brightly colored for search and rescue purposes, even in the graying weather.


    The two men were bundled up, wearing all their clothes regardless of the season; their greedy eyes


    were the only thing visible. Needless to say, they had their sights on Ste''s suit.


    Unfortunately for them, their shoes slipped on the ice, and they took a tumble before they could


    even reach Ste. By the time they managed to pick themselves up, she was long gone.


    Once she was out of themunity, she gradually found her bnce and skated swiftly towards


    Rend Town.


    She encountered a few survivors on the way, who watched with envious eyes as she shot past them


    on the snowyndscape. Damn, she was impressive! Here in the south, who else had such


    complete gear?


    They envied how well she was living, and then grimaced at their own pitiful state.


    The more she skated, the smoother she got, and she quickly arrived at Rend Town. Ste


    switched back into her snow boots, took Cooper out of her backpack, and headed towards the top


    floor of themercial city.


    In just a few months, the once bustlingmercial city was deste, with debris everywhere, and


    even sttered blood on the walls.


    In this unfamiliar environment, Cooper was particrly vignt, leading the way and ensuring that it


    was safe before allowing Ste to follow.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Only the top two floors of Rend Town were not flooded, and Ste found a secluded spot on the


    top floor that also offered a panoramic view of the surroundings. The roads and surrounding shops


    were all submerged underwater, and in the distance, the silhouette of a building could be vaguely


    seen.


    She scanned the area with her binocrs but didn''t spot any potential threats.


    The outside was freezing, especially when sitting still. Each breath she took felt like it was numbing


    her heart. This damn weather must’ve been below -30 degrees, right?


    Ste took out some foot warmers and stuck them on, then hugged a hot water bottle for warmth.


    She instructed Cooper to keep watch as she was going to rest.


    It was still early, but she hade out early to see if the person threatening her had any


    aplices keeping watch or lying in ambush.


    Ste nestled in a wind-sheltered spot, tending to her crops in Arcadia in her mind. She was


    nning to nt some peanuts.


    Cooper was a serious dog and kept a dutiful watch, ready to find and eliminate anyone who tried to


    steal his food.


    When she was tired, Ste would rest with her eyes closed, or scan the surroundings with her


    binocrs.


    At three in the afternoon, there was no sign of anyone suspicious, not even a ghost. Ste was


    patient, and it wasn''t until almost four o''clock that Cooper gave a low warning.


    When she looked through her binocrs, she saw a shadow slowly moving across the snow. The


    figure waspletely wrapped up from head to toe, making it impossible to discern their shape, but


    based on the direction they came from, she could already guess who it was.


    Ste checked her non-digital watch, then hid with Cooper. While hiding, she had Cooper kept an


    eye on the perimeter.


    The shadow slowly climbed to the top floor, scanning the surroundings with vignt eyes. Seeing


    that the ce was empty, they seemed to be taken aback.


    Ste, hiding in the shadows, couldn''t help butugh. It was as if she was the only one capable of


    standing someone up. She decided to let them wait a bit longer, to see who would grow impatient


    first.


    In the icyndscape, the chilling air felt like invisible needles piercing her body. Sadie was so cold


    that she was on the verge of passing out, but she was too stubborn to leave. It wasn''t possible. If


    Ste wasn''t afraid of Arcadia being exposed, she wouldn''t have left her home so early.


    Thinking about how carefree Ste was living, while she had to trade her body for food to survive,


    Sadie was frustrated to the point of fury! If she could get the jade pendant, she wouldn''t be in such a


    situation today.


    Life was unbearable, and Hector was nothing but a spineless man living off women. Despite having


    her as a girlfriend, he slept with Amanda for food. After sleeping with Amanda, he even pushed her


    onto other men in exchange for food.


    Just yesterday, he had forced Amanda to go out with Drew to earn their keep, all for a measly five


    pounds of food. Amanda was abused to the point where there wasn''t a single part of her body that


    wasn''t bruised.


    And yet, as Hector ate the food that Amanda had traded her body for, he felt no guilt. Instead, he


    started to brainwash her.


    Next time, it would be Sadie’s turn. If she refused, he would use the same methods he used on


    Amanda on her. There was no escape.


    Sadie was filled with hatred, but she knew that without Hector and the others, her fate would be


    even worse. She didn''t want to y this game anymore! She wanted to go home and sleep. She


    wanted to eat delicious food, and she wanted countless new dresses.


    How she wished this was all a dream, and that when she woke up, the world would be as it once


    was. Unfortunately, this was a dream that she would never wake up from.


    Sadie wanted to cry, but she was afraid that her tears would freeze her face. With no other choice,


    she stubbornly remained where she was, waiting for Ste to show up.


    Ste took out her thermos and drank some hot water, and only emerged from her hiding spot when


    she saw that Sadie was shivering so badly that she could barely stand.


    Sadie''s eyes lit up at the sight of her. "Ste." She knew it. Ste was afraid of Arcadia being


    exposed.


    Looking at her brand-new clothes, her confident andposed stride, then looking back at her own


    hodgepodge of clothes, ones she had found in the homes of the deceased, she felt nauseous. She


    had nightmares of the frozen deading back to haunt her.


    At this moment, jealousy surged within her. If she had Arcadia, then Ste''s life would belong to her.


    She had deliberately left Hector and the others toe here. This time, she had to seed, no


    matter what.


    Hearing the familiar tone in her voice, as if they were best friends greeting each other, Ste


    couldn''t help but think of how thick-skinned she was. "What do you want?"


    With no outsiders present, Sadie didn''t bother to put on a facade. She went straight to the point, "I


    know you have Arcadia."


    Ste looked intrigued. "How do you know I have Arcadia?"


    "You don''t need to know. All you need to know is that I do."


    Since they had agreed to meet, Ste didn''t bother to y dumb. "Yes, I do have Arcadia. But so


    what?"


    "Ste, I bear no ill will towards you. I genuinely want to be friends with you. If you let me stay on


    the 18th floor, I''ll keep your secret."


    "Just stay on the 18th floor?"


    With a confident smile, Sadie replied, "You have so many supplies in Arcadia, and we''re friends


    after all. It wouldn''t be too much to ask for you to share some with me, would it?"


    "How much do you want to share?"


    Knowing Ste to be stubborn and headstrong, Sadie decided to take a step back. "I''m not greedy,


    all I need is to be well-fed and taken care of."


    First, she would move onto the 18th floor and win over Jasper and secure her protection. Once her


    safety was ensured, she could then attempt to take over Arcadia.


    Jasper had a gun, he was handsome and a good fighter. Plus, she had Arcadia at her disposal.


    Surely, she could thrive in this dog-eat-dog world. In time, anyone who dared to bully her would be


    dealt with severely.


    Unaware of Sadie’s grand ns, Ste questioned, "And what if I don''t agree?"