Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Agreeing, Leaving
Seeing that he was still glaring at her,
Stella Sterling nodded innocently. "I’ll be more careful next time."
’I’m not being wasteful, I’m just really thirsty.’
With that thought, she finished off the remaining half of the water bottle in her hand.
This made Professor Lawrence so angry he could only glare at her.
But Stella Sterling remained unfazed.
’I have water, so why should I put myself through that again?’
’Besides, sometimes you have to show what you can do. If I don’t give him a glimpse of my abilities, how will he ever be convinced to join my camp?’
Professor Lawrence was dismayed to see Stella Sterling down two bottles of water in an instant.
But he couldn’t beat her in a fight and didn’t quite dare to yell at her, so all he could do was glare.
However, the person before him was exceptionally thick-skinned; his glare clearly didn’t bother her in the slightest.
So he let out an angry huff and ignored Stella Sterling.
After a moment, he sighed, stood up, and said to Stella Sterling, "Alright, let’s go. I’ll go with you."
"Not going to run anymore?" Stella Sterling asked.
As if provoked by her question, Professor Lawrence glared at Stella Sterling again, but then he remembered that gestures like that had absolutely no effect on her.
He took a few deep breaths to keep himself from fainting from sheer frustration. "I’m done running. Even if I tried, you wouldn’t let me get away, would you?"
"Sorry, no."
Stella Sterling shook her head honestly.
Professor Lawrence was mentally prepared this time, so he remained much calmer. "In that case, why is a young brat like you still wasting time with idle chatter? Let’s go."
"If we don’t leave now, others might find us. If they catch up, you won’t be able to take me with you, and you’ll be in danger yourself."
’He understood that while the person before him appeared amicable, her resolve was firm.’
’He had assessed the situation clearly; there was no way he could escape from her grasp.’
’Despite her youth, her abilities were unfathomable.’
’In his position, he’d met all kinds of people and had even worked with elite bodyguards in the past.’
’But this young woman in front of him felt more formidable than any of them.’
’If he truly provoked her now, with no one else around, he would definitely be on the losing end.’
’Since she was still being patient with him, he knew he had to be smart and recognize the reality of his situation.’
’Otherwise, if her patience ran out, it wouldn’t benefit him in the slightest.’
’Of course, there was one more crucial point. As infuriating as this woman could be, he had to admit that out of everyone who had come to recruit him, she was by far the most polite and sincere.’
’She wasn’t like the others, who spouted pleasantries but clearly didn’t take him seriously.’
’And, of course, what he was reluctant to admit was that he’d been won over by her two pieces of bread.’
"Alright, let’s go now. Professor Lawrence, rest assured. Since you’ve agreed to come with me, I will guarantee your safety. Whether or not you ultimately decide to join my camp, I won’t let anyone take you away by force."
Stella Sterling nodded, her tone becoming much more serious and solemn.
She held a deep sense of admiration and respect for those who had made significant contributions to the nation.
So she stopped teasing him and adopted a serious attitude.
Her shift in demeanor made Professor Lawrence glance at her a few more times.
A faint smile touched his eyes. "Alright. I’ll trust you. If you can truly get me out of here safely, then I will join your base."
Hearing this, Stella Sterling’s eyes lit up. She spoke with earnest confidence, "Congratulations, Professor. You’ve made the absolute best choice."
After saying this, she said no more and simply led him away. ’Actions speak louder than words.’
Professor Lawrence, walking behind her, chuckled softly. ’In all his years, he had met so many people, but it was rare to see someone so confident in a time like this.’
’Perhaps this young woman really could deliver an unexpected surprise.’
’If she truly has the ability, and the faction backing her is just as strong, then what’s the harm in cooperating with them?’
’At the very least, compared to the others, this young woman was more to his liking. He didn’t find her nearly as irritating.’
Now that she had found her target, the journey out of the Kryllian Mountains went much more smoothly.
Even without Nathan Cheney and the others to clear the path and remove obstacles, Stella Sterling’s abilities made it more convenient for her to travel alone.
To avoid any unforeseen incidents, Stella Sterling pushed onward with few breaks. However, out of consideration for Professor Lawrence, she did stop once or twice along the way.
They encountered all sorts of sudden dangers on their journey, but she dealt with them all with ease.
Professor Lawrence remained quiet, but the look he gave Stella Sterling grew more and more astonished.
Previously, he hadn’t truly believed this young woman could lead him to safety.
Even if they didn’t encounter any other factions, they were deep within the Kryllian Mountains, a place fraught with danger where one could easily get lost.
But to his surprise, she was actually doing it.
For someone who seemed so flippant, her perception and reflexes were second to none, as if she were a seasoned veteran. She could almost always sense danger the instant it appeared.
Often, she would neutralize threats before they could even fully materialize, leaving him thoroughly impressed.
Moreover, the girl’s combat power was off the charts. Things he had considered grave dangers seemed to hardly count as threats at all when she was around.
’He had no idea where such a formidable individual could have possibly come from.’
And so, with Stella Sterling fending off threats and Professor Lawrence watching in constant amazement, the pair finally emerged from the depths of the Kryllian Mountains at dawn. The dangers lessened considerably once they reached the outer edge.
She arrived at the spot where they had left their boat.
Shane Lawrence and the others were not there.
But Stella Sterling wasn’t anxious; she decided to wait there for them.
Before they had set out, they had agreed to use a signal system. If they received her signal, they were to gather back at their original meeting point.
In these deep, old-growth mountains, much of modern technology was useless, so they had opted for a more archaic signaling method: fireworks.
She had already sent the signal when she found Professor Lawrence and began leading him away. Once they saw it, they would naturally come to this spot to rendezvous.
"Who are you waiting for?"
Professor Lawrence asked, seeing that she was no longer in a hurry to leave after they arrived.
"My people,"
she replied, offering no further explanation.
Professor Lawrence didn’t press further. Staring out at the distant surface of the water, he commented casually, "Did you notice? There was no thunder last night."
It was a strange, out-of-place comment. Stella Sterling looked at him and suddenly realized that since the previous night, she hadn’t heard any thunder.
Ever since the torrential rains had begun, the nightly thunder and lightning had been incessant, posing another major danger.
She hadn’t paid it any mind before, but now that he mentioned it, she realized it was indeed strange.
