Chapter 259: Chapter 259: Meeting Old Acquaintances
Noticing their stares, Stella Sterling looked over at them.
The two men, like frightened birds, immediately averted their gazes the moment she looked back. They lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.
That woman was indeed beautiful, but in their eyes, she was a harbinger of death.
’How could her subordinates be so powerful?’
’Just two of them wiped out all our men.’
’What about that woman, then? Could she be even stronger?’
Seeing their reaction, Stella Sterling burst out laughing without a care, as if openly mocking them.
She waved a hand. "Let’s go. We don’t want to scare anyone."
Her laughter felt like a series of slaps across their faces. They were furious, yet utterly powerless.
After all, they had only brought so many men, and now every last one was dead at the hands of her people.
’Provoking that group again would be courting death. Even with Meridia Base’s presence, those people wouldn’t attack them easily, but what if they were pushed too far? What if not even Meridia Base could protect them then?’
So, despite the humiliation burning within them, they could only endure it and let the personnel from Meridia Base lead them to the venue.
A short while later, Stella Sterling and the rest of her subordinates also arrived at the venue, walking to the area designated for Caeluna and taking their seats.
She gave a few instructions to Ronan Fletcher and the others, then left.
People were still trickling in, so the gathering hadn’t officially started yet.
Stella Sterling began to wander around Meridia Base. The base member who had brought them in had told them that aside from restricted areas, outside guests were free to tour the other locations.
"Brother, come on. For old times’ sake, can’t you just help me out with this?"
"Sorry, I can’t help you with that!"
"I see, you just don’t want to help. You’re still hung up on the past, aren’t you? That was so long ago. Why are you still holding a grudge? Can’t you be a bigger person?"
The sound of two people talking carried from a distance, and Stella Sterling glanced in their direction.
She saw a long-haired man who was currently dealing with a fat man beside him, a look of impatience on his face.
The fat man had started out with a fawning, sycophantic expression. But when he saw that no amount of flattery would sway the long-haired man, he instantly changed his tune, and his words turned nasty.
The long-haired man, however, maintained a nonchalant air the entire time, clearly not taking the other man seriously.
Stella Sterling had a faint impression of the long-haired man. She had been his neighbor for a day, and his unique appearance made him memorable.
He was still as sloppy and unkempt as ever, looking a bit unreliable, but the clothes he wore were no longer the tattered rags from back then.
He was now wearing the uniform of a Meridia Base member.
As for what status that uniform represented within the base, Stella Sterling didn’t know. After all, she hadn’t spent much time in Meridia Base and wasn’t familiar with their internal affairs.
However, judging from the fat man’s initial attitude, the long-haired man’s current status was likely anything but simple.
In the past year or so, things everywhere had been changing quietly.
Sensing Stella Sterling’s gaze, the man looked in her direction as well.
A flash of astonishment appeared in his eyes when he saw Stella Sterling’s face.
Stella Sterling gave him a nod.
He didn’t expect the woman to acknowledge him. He was taken aback for a moment, then nodded back at Stella Sterling in greeting.
As for the man beside him, he was completely ignored.
Kael stared at Stella Sterling. The more he looked, the more he felt she seemed familiar, a lot like someone he had met before.
Although he hadn’t interacted with that person much, her eyes had been very beautiful, just like the eyes of the woman in front of him.
They looked very similar, too, except one had been very tan, with rough-looking skin...
...while the person before him had fair, smooth skin and was stunningly beautiful.
He spoke with some hesitation. "Excuse me, miss, have we met before?"
Before Stella Sterling could speak, she suddenly heard someone call her from behind. "Stella? Is that you, Stella?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Stella Sterling turned around and saw two people in Meridia Base uniforms walking toward her.
She knew both of them.
One was Lydia Magnus, and the other was Lydia Magnus’s boyfriend.
Over a year ago, they had come to Meridia Base together. However, Stella Sterling was only visiting for a while, whereas Lydia Magnus and her boyfriend had officially joined the base.
But after entering the base, it was so large that unless they specifically sought each other out, the two of them hadn’t met since.
Stella Sterling nodded. "Long time no see."
The long-haired man to the side, hearing a member of his own base address her that way, had a flash of realization.
’So this really is the woman I met a few times before,’ he thought. ’She’s just much more beautiful now.’
’The face is the same, but the feeling she gives off is completely different. If you didn’t look closely, you’d never realize they were the same person.’
He looked at the two people running over. They were wearing the most basic uniforms of Meridia Base.
’They must be internal members of the base, but just ordinary ones.’
’They know her?’
’But her appearance changed so much after she left the base. How did that woman recognize her at first glance?’
By now, Lydia Magnus had run up to Stella Sterling. No one here knew the pre-apocalypse Stella Sterling better than she did.
’She looks exactly the same as before!’
Although she was very curious how Stella could still look so beautiful in the apocalypse, she was genuinely happy to see her familiar friend.
Stella Sterling stood where she was. Seeing Lydia Magnus so overjoyed, her own expression remained as calm as ever.
After rushing up to her, Lydia Magnus started to hug Stella Sterling, but she suddenly thought of something and stopped, simply standing in front of her.
"Stella, where have you been this past year?"
She had looked for her over the past year, only to find that she was no longer in the base.
But now, seeing how well Stella looked, she knew she must have been doing extremely well over the past year, and she felt relieved.
Stella Sterling didn’t answer her question, instead saying, "You’re doing well in Meridia Base. That’s good."
Lydia Magnus nodded emphatically. "Mhm! We worked hard and became official members of the base. It’s not like the old days, of course, but given the current situation, I’m already very satisfied with how things are."
