Chapter 290: Chapter 290: The Rain Stops, the Temperature Rises
The various bases had settled on the terms of their cooperation. They agreed that after returning to their own territories, they would each dispatch their top scientists to Meridia Base to jointly explore certain core technologies.
There had been a minor conflict on their way here, but the journey back was proceeding smoothly.
Many of them had now met Stella Sterling and witnessed the ruthless efficiency of her people.
Now, no one dared to cause trouble for Stella Sterling. A few came over to greet her and express their goodwill toward Caeluna Base, but most kept their distance.
Before departing, however, Miles Sanctus came to see Stella Sterling one last time. He didn’t say much, only leaving her with the words that they would meet again before taking his leave.
’We will indeed meet again.’
Stella Sterling nodded. It seemed her fate was quite intertwined with Sanctyr Base. ’We’ll be seeing each other again soon.’
’I just hope he can still smile so happily the next time we meet.’
"Hey, girl, hope to see you around!"
Chloe Lane, clad in her leather jacket, gave Stella Sterling a wave before boarding her own ship and departing.
"Have you noticed? The water level seems to have dropped a lot."
Julian Fletcher whispered to Seven Locke.
He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but on the return trip, he saw that a village that had been half-submerged was now fully exposed.
"The rain’s stopped, too."
Seven Locke said in surprise, looking up at the sky.
It had been raining for nearly two days; everyone was getting used to life in the downpour.
No one had paid any mind before, but now they realized the deluge had actually ceased.
Hearing this, Stella Sterling looked outside. The rain had indeed stopped.
Unlike the others’ happy relief, a grave expression fell over Stella Sterling’s face. "Full speed. Get back to the base now."
No one understood her reaction, but one thing about her crew was that they followed her orders without question.
So, upon receiving Stella Sterling’s command, they didn’t hesitate for a second, pushing the vessel to top speed as they raced for the base.
"It’s getting a little muggy."
The others were still chattering amongst themselves.
Stella Sterling could clearly feel the temperature around her steadily rising.
She knew the extreme heat was coming.
The temperature was still in the thirties, but it would soon hit the forties, fifties, and even sixty degrees Celsius...
When that happened, the heat wouldn’t just be unbearable. People would have to endure those soaring temperatures. Many were already without food, and soon, they wouldn’t even have water to drink.
She sat on the deck, watching the lush greenery streak past on either side.
’I know this sight won’t last much longer.’
’All these plants are going to wither and die...’
...
"Sir, Dr. Quinn came here with his people to find his parents. Should we bring him back with us?"
Aboard the Sanctyr Base ship, a crew member approached Miles Sanctus.
Miles Sanctus was not in a good mood. "Let him be. Don’t worry about it. He’ll find his own way back when he’s ready. By the way, since he’s in the area, put him in charge of the technology conference with Meridia Base."
He thought for a moment, then added, "And send a few men to protect him. We can’t afford any mishaps."
"That Dr. Quinn is critical to the experiments our base is currently developing. Nothing can happen to him."
If this were near our own territory, it would be a different story. No one would dare touch someone from Sanctyr Base after hearing our name.
But here, near Mirefall, things are different. This isn’t our turf.
The locals won’t necessarily show our base any respect. Besides, I’ve noticed things are much more chaotic here than back home.
Just in case, it’s best to have Dr. Quinn protected.
The crew member nodded and went to carry out the orders.
Not far away, a small yacht was moored near the shore.
Gordon Ford and Basil Xavier were inside.
Basil Xavier exclaimed, "Here they come! Those are the guys!"
Gordon Ford looked ahead. His expression turned icy when he saw the words "Sanctyr Base" on the vessel.
He had found out yesterday just who that man was.
Miles Sanctus, the leader of Sanctyr Base. The day before yesterday, he had publicly proposed to Stella Sterling, seeking a marriage alliance.
Gordon Ford smiled. He picked up a sniper rifle and took aim.
The moment he had a clear view of his target, he pulled the trigger.
Miles Sanctus collapsed, dead. The ship erupted into chaos as figures scrambled in every direction.
"Let’s go."
Gordon Ford said to Basil Xavier. He packed up the rifle, and they immediately sped away in the yacht.
Aboard the Sanctyr Base ship, a man who looked identical to Miles Sanctus lay dead on the deck.
The real Miles Sanctus stepped out from the side, his expression unreadable as he stared down at the body.
One of his men ran over. Miles asked, "Did you get a clear look at the shooter?"
The man shook his head. "No. We only saw the silhouette of a yacht. We couldn’t make out who was on it."
Hearing this, the expression on Miles Sanctus’s face grew even colder.
Sanctyr Base might have a reputation for being arrogant, but they had been deliberately restrained during this trip to Meridia Base.
He had even swallowed his pride after learning that Stella Sterling was the one who had injured his men.
They hadn’t offended anyone here. Who could possibly want him dead?
Looking at the corpse on the ground, he knew that if he hadn’t taken precautions for this trip, he would be the one lying there now, stone-dead.
The attacker had, without a doubt, been aiming for him.
’Who hates me this much?’
He wouldn’t rest until he got to the bottom of it.
He had the body carried away. A moment later, another perfect double of Miles Sanctus appeared on deck.
Meanwhile, the real Miles Sanctus disappeared back into the crowd.
Traveling at full speed, Stella Sterling and her crew returned to the vicinity of Caeluna Base in just over a day.
In that short day, the water level had receded significantly.
Large tracts of previously submerged land had begun to surface.
And in just over a day, they could clearly feel the temperature had risen dramatically.
Where before they had been secretly celebrating the end of the rain, now everyone sensed something was wrong.
The temperature was rising far too quickly. Even out on the water, they could already feel the oppressive heat.
Moreover, the long-absent sun was now hanging high in the sky, casting a blinding glare.
Though no one said a word, everyone was beginning to realize what was happening.
First, there was the blizzard, followed by the torrential rains. It seemed the natural disasters weren’t over yet. Extreme heat was likely next.
Everyone was filled with apprehension for the rest of the journey, and few dared to speak.
When they returned to the base, they found that the people there had also sensed something was wrong. For the past few days, they had been frantically spraying water over everything.
A flurry of heat-prevention measures had been implemented in just the last few days.
