Aries originally intended to handle the wounds casually, but the glass had embedded quite deeply, and the blood seemed unstoppable. She had to retrieve the first aid kit, applied some medicine to herself, and wrapped a few layers of gauze. By the time she finished, it was well past three in the morning.
Taking off her jacket, Aries didn't bother changing into pajamas, she just lay down on the bed and slept. When she woke up the next day, it was around nine in the morning.
Usually, by this time, Estrella would have already left her mansion.
Aries squinted, lying in bed for a while. Around ten, she got up, freshened up, ate something quickly to fill her stomach, and called Alfonso, asking him to wait for her outside the mansion.
"Go to the warehouse," Aries said as she got into the car. The lack of sleep made her voice sound a bit hoarse, and her mind felt somewhat drowsy. She put on her headphones, hugged herself, leaned against the seat, and began catching up on sleep.
Observing Aries, Alfonso didn't disturb her and silently started the car, leaving Estrella's mansion.
The car moved smoothly, and Aries fell asleep not long after. She dreamed of something from a long time ago, something related to Estrella.
Aries and Estrella's first meeting was in Zone D.
The safe zone didn't have a real prison. Limited space and a growing population made the safe zone very crowded, with no extra room specifically for those who made mistakes. For those who erred, they were usually just thrown into Zone D.
Every day, a limited amount of food and supplies were distributed. Surviving was a skill, and if you couldn't survive, it was fate. In reality, it was considered relatively humane.
So, Zone D was more like a dumping ground for the safe zone. Estrella was thrown into Zone D.
Young Aries often stood at the border between Zone D and Zone C, gazing towards Zone C. She was born and raised in Zone D and had never known what the inside of the safe zone looked like. She never thought about going to see it herself; she was just curious.
Zone C looked much better from a distance than Zone D, at least with intact buildings. Aries often saw people coming in and out of houses there. She stood there for a long time, and occasionally, people from Zone C felt her gaze, showing a disgusted expression before quickly leaving.
Young Aries didn't know why she was disliked, but she remained a frequent visitor to the spot. After being full, if she had nothing to do, she would come here for a while, until one day, a car came from the direction of Zone C.
At that time, Aries had never seen a car. Out of caution, she used her ability to become invisible and watched as the car smoothly stopped in Zone D. A man got out of the car, roughly pulling a girl out from the back seat.
That was the first time Aries saw Estrella, looking extremely disheveled.
The car stayed in Zone D for less than five minutes, then hastily drove away, as if staying for an extra second would contaminate it with bacteria. Only the girl was left behind.
At that moment, Aries understood; she was probably a new member of Zone D.
Estrella at that time looked to be around thirteen or fourteen, clothes in disarray, disheveled hair obscuring her face. She had an overall gloomy appearance, making people feel uncomfortable. She watched the car drive away with open eyes, neither crying nor calling out. She didn't chase after the car, just stood there for a while, then turned and walked in the opposite direction of Zone C.
She walked unsteadily, and her posture was somewhat strange. Because of this, Aries looked at her for a bit longer, but didn't pay too much attention. After all, staying in that spot, she had seen too many such things.
For the next two days, Aries didn't see Estrella again.
Later, when she went to the supply station to get food, she found quite a few people gathered outside, cursing. Aries concealed herself and listened for a while to understand what was going on.
It turned out that there was an issue with the food supply at the station. The new supplies from above had not arrived yet, so today's food distribution was more than half less than usual. Normally, the food distributed at the supply station was not enough to satisfy hunger, and now, with the reduction, the dissatisfaction in Zone D increased.
Miley, as the manager of the supply station, guarding such a large warehouse, had undoubtedly been accused of embezzling supplies. Despite the grievances, the people of Zone D only vented their anger outside the station gates. They didn't dare to actually do anything, knowing how formidable Miley was.
Eventually, Miley couldn't take it anymore. She rushed out and without saying a word, detonated two explosives, leaving the troublemakers burnt to a crisp. The troublemakers scattered in fear.
After watching the commotion, Aries went into the supply station to get some food. Once in hand, she weighed it, realizing it was indeed pitifully little. It seemed that Zone D wouldn't be peaceful for some time, at least until the supply station received replenishment.
After obtaining the food, Miley chased her away. Given the recent turmoil, Aries didn't want to stay longer to avoid getting caught up in any trouble. However, before leaving, she suddenly thought of Estrella. She casually asked Miley about her, but he impatiently claimed he had never seen such a person.
Aries let it go.
As expected, Zone D, with its supplies cut off, became more restless, just as Aries had guessed.
Incidents like food theft and even murder, not uncommon in Zone D, became even more frequent. It wasn't clear where the rumors originated, but there was talk that if the population in Zone D decreased a bit more, the remaining food could last a few more days. This cruel excuse fueled the brutality of these people. In just one afternoon, the number of fresh bodies in Zone D increased significantly.
Aries was still growing, and the meager provisions from the supply station weren't enough for her. So, quite naturally, she joined the ranks of plunderers. Leveraging her ability to become invisible, she felt right at home. The food she snatched was stained with blood, but she didn't mind. In fact, she found it quite delicious.
Aries continued to plunder until late at night, stabbing the last person to death in a filthy alleyway, deciding to end her hunting for the day. However, during the body search, she didn't find any food but unexpectedly discovered two pieces of chocolate.
Aries had the fortune of tasting chocolate once before, a gift from Katalina, an unforgettable delicacy in Zone D. Aries was overjoyed, even though the chocolate had melted inside the packaging for who knows how long. She felt very happy, just smelling the sweet scent seeping through the seams of the packaging made her mouth water.
Aries carefully tucked away the two pieces of chocolate, then invisibly walked out of the alley. However, at that moment, she suddenly heard some faint noises. She paused, turned back, and went back into the alley.
Without dispelling her invisibility, she walked cautiously inside. There were still people in the alley; she was sure of it. Aries walked all the way to the end of the alley and finally found Estrella behind a dirty dumpster.
The end of the alley was filled with a nauseating smell, a hint of excrement, and Estrella, holding her frail body, curled up in the corner, gasping for breath.
She was crying.
Aries stood in front of her for a moment, but the surrounding smell became unbearable. So, she decided to dispel her invisibility, pulled up Estrella's hand, and lifted her.
Aries suddenly appeared in front of Estrella. She was startled, started struggling, but after two days without food or water, her strength was no match for Aries, a child even smaller than her. She was practically lifted up.
"I won't kill you," this was the first thing Aries said to Estrella.
Perhaps, it was due to this sentence that their initially unconnected fates began to intersect. However, at that time, neither of them could have imagined what would happen later.
Estrella looked at her, eyes filled with suspicion, slightly hunched, a cautious posture like a cat with its fur raised. It was evident she didn't trust Aries at all. However, despite her weakness, not even having the strength to resist Aries, she still glared with a warning not to mess around.
Aries, who was young at the time, experienced a mix of emotions for the first time, finding the feeling quite novel. Disregarding Estrella's resistance, she dragged her away from the foul-smelling alley.
Influenced by Zhao Lie's kindness, Aries, upon seeing Estrella's pitiful state, shared one of her only two coveted chocolates in D District with her. She informed Estrella that she could go to the supply depot daily to get food.
After conveying this information, Aries left. Aries didn't know if the weak Estrella could survive in D District, and she didn't worry about it. Their interaction was limited to that moment, and Aries never took the initiative to protect anyone.
The next time Aries encountered Estrella was after a considerable amount of time had passed. Aries wasn't sure how long, as she didn't keep track of days during her childhood; surviving each day was an achievement.
At that time, Estrella had a sharp gaze, seemed mentally stable, and appeared to have adapted to life in D District. Although her clothes were dirty, they covered her entire body, unlike the women in D District whose tattered clothing barely concealed anything.
They met in front of the supply depot. Aries remembered Estrella, and Estrella remembered Aries. However, when their eyes met, they said nothing, as if two strangers had exchanged glances.
After inquiring, Aries learned that Estrella was intelligent. Not only did she manage to preserve herself in the cannibalistic environment of D District, but she also had followers. However, the rumors about how she recruited her underlings were varied and often involved dirty speculations.
Estrella provided Aries with the opportunity to leave D District. One day, as Aries exited the supply depot after collecting food, she was ambushed by a group of people. Aries, who had grown accustomed to smooth sailing thanks to her abilities, had let her guard down. When she realized the trap, she concealed herself and assessed the situation. The crowd, instead of panicking at her sudden disappearance, stood firm, indicating they were specifically targeting her.
Suddenly, a gap opened up in the human wall, and Estrella appeared. "I won't kill you," she declared, holding her arms. "I'm not looking for trouble; I just want to talk to you."
The phrase "I won't kill you" resonated with Aries, as it was something she had said to Estrella in the past. Now, with Estrella expressing the exact opposite, the words held a special significance—a coded language understood only by the two of them.
For some reason, Aries dropped her invisibility and asked, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Follow me and work for me. I'll take you out of here." Estrella's proposition hung in the air, challenging Aries to make a decision.
"Leave here and go where?" Aries didn't ask Estrella what tasks she had in mind. She couldn't think of a place other than D District where she could find her own refuge.
The dream concluded with Estrella's face. Her lips were slightly parted, and before she could utter a word, Aries woke up.
They had arrived at the warehouse, and Aries woke up at just the right time. She rubbed her eyes, took out a piece of chewing gum from her pocket, tore off the wrapper, popped it into her mouth, and started chewing. Then, she got out of the car.
The people guarding outside the warehouse had spotted Jiang's car from afar and promptly informed Scarface. Aries, just as she stepped out, happened to see Scarface approaching.
After exchanging casual greetings, Aries inquired about the progress of the interrogation. "It's almost there. I think that guy is about to spill the beans. We should have results by today," Scarface confidently stated while patting his bald head.
"Well, you better be careful. You know Estrella's rules. I don't need to remind you," Aries, who was slightly behind Scarface, said in a nonchalant tone.
"I know, I know. Thanks for putting in a good word for me with Estrella. If you ever need anything in the future..."
Scarface turned his head, not seeing Aries, and reflexively turned around to look back. Still, he couldn't see her figure. He hesitated for a moment, and then his face twisted in shock and terror. Opening his mouth to speak, his throat suddenly burst open, and after a moment, blood spurted out.
With a thud, Scarface lay motionless. The henchman walking in front jumped in surprise, turned around, and widened his eyes in shock.
"Boss!!"
The people inside the warehouse heard the commotion and rushed out. Seeing the scene, they were all dumbfounded. They stopped at a distance from the corpse, afraid to approach.
Scarface had been stabbed in the throat, blood sprayed all over, but strangely, at the spot directly facing his corpse, the bloodstains mysteriously disappeared, as if blocked by something.
She's there... she's standing right there! But I can't see anything!
Aries dispelled her invisibility, appearing in everyone's line of sight. She held a blood-dripping dagger in one hand and kept the other hand in her pocket. Her body and face were covered in Scarface's blood, and her expressionless demeanor was more unsettling than a ghost.
Some people were frightened, retreating several steps until they fell, others panicked and fled, and some were completely stunned, standing frozen in place. Aries was unfazed by the varied reactions.
"Estrella doesn't keep useless people. You know what to do," she declared.