Chapter 80: Chapter 80: A Complaint Backfires

Pamela Sutton flew into a rage, lunging at Vivian Young to start a scuffle. The entire Lawrence Family was present; they weren’t about to let Pamela throw a fit, so they quickly pulled her off.

When Pamela Sutton saw she couldn’t win the fight, she plopped down on the ground and began to wail.

"Come and look, everyone! This family is bullying people! Come and see! So-called great benefactors who make righteous donations? They don’t even care about their own flesh and blood! It’s all an act! It’s all a lie!"

Pamela Sutton’s loud wailing quickly drew a crowd. Vivian Young trembled with rage, and Vincent Lawrence could only pull his wife into an embrace. All around them, the gazes of the onlookers were fixed upon them.

Not a single person spoke, but Vivian Young still felt their eyes stabbing into her like daggers. Sometimes, silence is more terrifying than words. It was so terrifying that Vivian didn’t dare to imagine what these people were thinking—what they would say about her, about Vincent, about her daughter and son, about their whole family.

’That monster! Why do we have relatives who bite the hand that feeds them?’

Pamela Sutton continued to wail. She had discovered this was the perfect way to get the family by the throat, leaving them speechless. Any attempt to refute her would sound feeble, and no one would believe them anyway.

Just as the family was seething with anger, Sue Lawrence slowly emerged.

’I want Pamela Sutton’s Healing Skill, but I can’t be bothered to take it piece by piece. I should just find a way to plunder it directly. Besides, this woman has no reason to remain in this world.’

She stared coldly at Pamela Sutton, her gaze like she was looking at a dead woman.

When Pamela Sutton saw her, she began to wail even louder.

"Sue Lawrence, you tell me! Where on earth is my son, Donovan Lawrence?! Did he disappear without a trace because of you, just like Ox?!"

Sue looked down and stared at her, and the gazes of the crowd shifted to fall upon her as well.

But Sue just smiled at Pamela Sutton. She leaned down, her lips brushing against Pamela’s ear as she whispered, "You guessed right. I slaughtered them both."

W-What?!

Pamela Sutton’s eyes flew wide. A moment ago, she was just putting on an act, but now, she was genuinely frantic.

"It was you! It really was you! Someone sent me an anonymous text. They said it was you! It was actually you! I’ll kill you!"

Pamela Sutton flew into a frenzy, lunging forward to attack. But Sue’s reaction was faster; she retreated in a flash as Elliot and Vincent Lawrence moved in from the left and right to hold Pamela down.

Pamela Sutton tried to activate her Superpower, but it was the Healing Skill. With zero Combat Power, it was a purely support-oriented Skill. What was she going to do, use it to heal the Lawrence Family?

So, her Superpower was utterly useless. Instead, Vincent and Elliot each pinned one of her arms, holding her down as she struggled violently.

"Sue Lawrence, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!!"

Sue lifted a hand and stuffed a strip of cloth into Pamela Sutton’s mouth. The woman could no longer scream, only let out helpless, muffled cries of "MMMPH! MMMPH!"

Sue looked up at the crowd, her gaze landing unerringly on Evan Lawrence.

"Uncle, are you just going to stand there and watch your wife make a scene? Or should I say, was this all your idea? Are you letting her run wild? Do you have some kind of grudge against your own older brother?"

She didn’t bother trying to explain anything. The accusations were baseless, and any explanation would only breed more suspicion. The best strategy was to drag out a bigger villain.

Sue had noticed Evan Lawrence a moment ago. Pamela had come to make trouble time and again. ’Could Evan really have known nothing about it?’

’That was impossible. And just as she’d suspected, she found the one hiding in the crowd, watching it all.’

However, Evan Lawrence clearly hadn’t expected Sue to spot him. He froze for a second, then panicked. He wanted to leave immediately, but it was too late. People were already turning to look at him.

Evan Lawrence’s expression turned ugly. His face darkened, but he quickly composed himself. As all eyes fell on him, he feigned ignorance and pushed his way through the crowd. "I... I just heard your aunt’s voice. What’s happening here?"

’He’s a pretty good actor.’

Sue smiled and pointed to the security camera above their heads. "There’s a camera up there, Uncle. Let me ask you one last time: when did you get here?"

Evan Lawrence was speechless.

He could barely resist cursing Sue for her complete lack of tact, but with so many people watching, he forced himself to hold back and glared at Pamela Sutton on the ground instead.

Pamela Sutton shuddered and lowered her head in fear.

Wasn’t it obvious what was going on?

Sue sneered, her eyes fixed on Evan Lawrence. "So, Uncle. How do you plan on handling this?"

"Heh, Sue," Evan Lawrence suddenly laughed. "It’s mainly because our Donovan is missing. We haven’t seen him, alive or dead. All our family’s money and supplies were with him. Now that he’s gone, we’re on the verge of starvation. We’re all one family, you have to help your uncle. Anything you can spare would help."

Pamela Sutton immediately lifted her head and pointed at the oranges on a table inside. "They have oranges! I haven’t seen a single orange until now, and they have six of them!"

Evan Lawrence smiled. "We’re not asking for much. How about you split them and give three to us?"

"In your dreams."

Sue shot him down immediately. Just as she expected, Evan Lawrence’s face darkened. He deliberately turned to the crowd and said, "Everyone, take a look! This is what they call relatives! They won’t even give us an orange! And I’m his own brother! I even saved Vincent’s life..."

"Cut that crap. Supplies are this scarce. To get oranges, you have to do what my brother and I did: go out on a mission in sixty-degree-below-zero weather, stay out for two days and a night, and risk your life for them. If you want them, then you go out and do it too!"

Zoe Sullivan’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear. Evan Lawrence opened his mouth to retort, but in the distance, Silas Hawthorne and his entourage were already walking over.

"What’s going on?"

He had seen the commotion on the main monitor. He was the one managing this air-raid shelter, and this was the first time since the apocalypse that anyone had caused such a public disturbance.

Evan Lawrence hurried forward. "Sir, we’re all family here. I just asked for a few oranges, and in return, they beat my wife up like this..."

Evan pointed at Pamela Sutton on the ground, who immediately began to wail pitifully.

"Oranges? What oranges?"

Silas Hawthorne’s voice was frigid, and even his handsome features seemed tinged with frost. Seeing the highest authority arrive, the surrounding crowd immediately snapped to attention. The atmosphere instantly grew tense and oppressive.

Even Evan Lawrence found himself swallowing nervously and slightly lowering his head. ’This Silas Hawthorne really is as imposing as he is strict,’ he thought.

"It’s those..."

He pointed at the six oranges on the table inside, his intention to accuse them clear.

However, Silas Hawthorne merely glanced at them before saying in a deep voice, "Those are the oranges from last night’s A-Meal. The A-Meal dinner includes a piece of fruit every day. Only those who have made the greatest contributions to the base are entitled to A-Meals. If you want some, there are missions tomorrow. Complete one, and you’ll get an A-Meal. Then you’ll have oranges, too."