In her previous life, Alice was a child born into the apocalypse. From childhood, her greatest desire was to read, but reading was an extreme luxury for ordinary civilians like her.
Most people, from birth, had to strive endlessly just to survive.
Only a very small number, those who were exceptionally lucky and had powerful parents, were privileged enough and had the time to attend school and read.
Alice had always envied those who could read, so as she grew older, when she met the boy who had read books, she fell for him uncontrollably.
Alas…
He rejected her politely, finding her illiterate.
Alice was truly heartbroken, but she couldn't change the fact that she was illiterate. Until one day, an accident occurred, and she inadvertently died in the jaws of a mutated creature.
At that moment, she thought she was doomed, but to her surprise, as her eyes closed in intense pain, when she regained consciousness, she found herself in another world, or rather, another era two thousand years after humanity’s time, the interstellar era!
A loud "bang" startled her.
Alice instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, and there she saw a middle-aged man with a full beard and a fierce scar across his face.
The middle-aged man entered carrying a wine bottle. His sharp gaze seemed to dismiss everything in the room. He quickly walked up to Alice.
Alice instinctively tried to dodge, but as soon as she thought of moving, she realized her hands were incredibly small and soft, so small… like a baby's.
However, before Alice could process this, the next moment, the middle-aged man kicked her directly. Caught off guard, Alice's small body was like a piece of trash, kicked aside by the man.
The man stepped over her and went straight into the room.
Alice came back to her senses and realized that her position had been blocking the man's path into the room. He must have been annoyed by her obstruction, hence kicking her away.
The spot where she was kicked began to ache, but Alice paid it no mind. In her previous life, living in the apocalypse, she had often endured far more terrifying pain. Being torn apart by mutated creatures without any medication was a painful and long process. The kick from that man was nothing in comparison.
Rather than dwelling on the pain, Alice was clearly more curious about her current predicament.
She remembered that while out hunting for food, she'd had bad luck and encountered a very powerful mutated beast. The beast charged at her, and she was certain she couldn't defeat it. She… was going to die.
Later, she was indeed bitten by the mutated beast. It hurt terribly, and then she lost consciousness. She woke up here.
Alice thought about it and couldn't help but lift her hands and secretly pinch herself.
Did that mutated beast not eat her, but instead infect her with poison?
She was fortunate enough to not die, but instead poisoned?
Was everything she was seeing now an illusion?
As Alice pondered, movement came from the doorway. A scantily clad woman entered, clinging to an old man. The old man leered, his hands restless, groping the woman.
As the woman and the old man entered, only the old man glanced at Alice. The woman acted as if she saw nothing, quickly embracing the old man and proceeding to engage in intercourse on the living room sofa.
Alice belatedly realized what was happening and quickly and cautiously crawled up, running outside.
The goings-on inside the house were inappropriate for her eyes. She decided it was best not to watch.
As soon as she got outside, Alice’s stomach growled. She was familiar with this feeling; it was hunger.
Her instincts from her past life told her that she should look for food now. Filling her stomach and staying alive was the most important thing.
Alice glanced back at the house. She vaguely understood that this was likely her home. The middle-aged man from earlier was her father, and the woman who was involved with the old man was her mother.
She looked at her small hands and feet. The age of this body was likely less than three years old. To be precise, she suspected this body was not even two years old, as she felt her balance was unsteady when she tried to stand and walk, her leg muscles weak and wobbly.
Would there be food at home?
Or perhaps not.
Alice’s mind raced logically.
After much hesitation, Alice finally decided to go back and check.
The combat in the living room was intense. Alice acted as if she saw nothing, walking past them, searching around the house.
She wanted to find the kitchen and see if there was any food.
However, after searching the entire house, she couldn't find anything resembling a kitchen. Instead, the two people in the living room seemed to have finished their activity.
The old man even looked at her with a lecherous, ill-intentioned gaze.
Alice felt nauseous and wanted to lash out, but she restrained herself, knowing that with her current small arms and legs, she would surely lose.
"The money!" the woman urged the old man.
The old man's expression suddenly soured. He seemed disdainful, or perhaps impatient. He picked up his clothes, put them on slowly, and then reached with his right hand to a device on his left wrist.
Alice saw the old man tap a few times, and immediately the woman’s face lit up with joy.
The old man left, leaving only Alice and the woman in the living room.
"I'm hungry," Alice said to the woman.
The woman’s face became impatient and displeased upon hearing this. "If you're hungry, go find food yourself. Why are you asking me? I don't have milk to give you!"
Alice: "..."
Alice suddenly began to doubt if she was this woman's child.
She thought about it seriously and finally concluded that this woman had no heart. Even if she were this woman's child, this woman might not be willing to raise her.
Alice mused, then quickly set off towards the outside with her slightly trembling legs.
The outside was dilapidated. She remembered seeing a garbage heap not far away when she first came out.
Perhaps there was food in the garbage heap.
Alice thought and walked towards the garbage heap.
She didn't think it was dirty to search for food in a garbage heap. In her previous life, if they could find food in the garbage to fill their stomachs, it would have been a blessing.
As it turned out, she had some luck. She quickly found food in the garbage heap. It was a bit dirty, even a little smelly, but edible.
However, her luck wasn't entirely good. After eating during the day, she suffered from diarrhea that night, a very uncomfortable experience.