Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Yara Sterling
Stella Sterling had already given these orders some time ago.
This time, before she left for Meridia Base, she had also specifically instructed Stephen Lawrence and Shane Lawrence to pay close attention to this matter.
Then, those from Caeluna Base who went out on missions also noticed this anomaly and reported the news back.
The two men in charge of the base recalled the orders Stella Sterling had given them earlier. They sensed something was amiss, and so for the past two days, they had been frantically preparing to store up water.
Once the heatwave arrived, water would be even more important than food.
Without food, people could still hold out for a time, but without water, survival was impossible.
Fortunately, when the base was first built, Stella Sterling had already taken precautions based on the disasters she knew of from her past life. She had made preparations, taking all sorts of situations into account.
So now, as Caeluna dealt with the situation, they weren’t in a complete panic.
The moment they entered the base from outside, a wave of coolness washed over them, dispelling the oppressive heat that had clung to their bodies.
Only then did they realize they had been drenched in sweat. Their clothes were soaked through, sticking to their skin uncomfortably.
"What’s with this weather? Why is it so hot?"
The group chatted as they walked deeper inside. As it grew cooler, their irritation began to fade.
"Looks like the weather’s about to change again. It’s way hotter today than yesterday. I just touched a rock outside, and it was so scalding hot I nearly burned the skin off my hand."
Julian Fletcher exclaimed. It had been so hot that if Sterling hadn’t been there—and if it wouldn’t have been so improper—he would have stripped off his shirt and pants to wander around in just his boxers.
Though he hadn’t gone that far, he had stripped off as many layers as he could. Even so, he was still sweating profusely, looking completely lethargic.
After returning to her private villa, Stella Sterling summoned Stephen Lawrence to ask about the base’s situation over the past few days and to give a few more orders.
"By the way, a couple of days ago, did two of the men I took with me return? And did they bring two people back with them?"
’She was thinking of the leaders of the other two bases. When they left Meridia Base, she had Nathan Cheney arrange for people to tail them and to eliminate them when the opportunity arose.’
’Now, she wasn’t sure what the status of that operation was.’
Stephen Lawrence’s memory was jogged. He nodded. "Yes. Professor Lawrence is already making masks in their likeness. They should be ready soon."
The two men who had followed their master to Meridia Base had returned with her message.
Although they didn’t know why their master wanted this done, as soon as they heard the arrangement came from her, they immediately notified Professor Lawrence, who had already begun the preparations.
"Very good. Keep an eye on this. When the time comes, find two men with similar builds and demeanors to those two. Have them assume their identities, return to their bases, and bring those bases under our control."
As Stella Sterling spoke, Stephen Lawrence understood her intent.
He nodded excitedly.
After giving this instruction, Stella Sterling dismissed Stephen Lawrence.
It had been sweltering outside, and after the difficult journey back to the cool base, plus everything she’d done over the past few days, Stella Sterling was tired. All she wanted now was to get some proper rest.
Stephen Lawrence knew his master’s temperament, so he only reported on the most important matters. Once he was finished, he left immediately.
However, not long after he stepped out, he ran into someone who was rushing about. He quickly stopped the person to ask what was going on.
When the base member saw it was Stephen Lawrence, he quickly said, "Lawrence, we encountered someone outside. She was rude and crude, and she even dared to curse at Sterling!"
Hearing this, Stephen Lawrence’s expression turned cold. "Who?"
’Cursing their leader right in front of them? Did that person have a death wish?’
’Besides, their base had rescued so many people recently. How could someone they rescued be cursing Sterling? What was going on?’
"I don’t know her. She’s a woman in her twenties, looks filthy and smells awful. She’s someone our aid station rescued. But when she heard Sterling’s name, she went crazy and started screaming curses. We tried to stop her several times, but she wouldn’t listen. In fact, her cursing just got nastier."
"At the time, a few of us were about to just eliminate the ungrateful woman."
"But then she claimed she was Sterling’s younger sister. Of course, we didn’t believe her at first. With Sterling’s current name and status, the line of people wanting to claim kinship with her would be a mile long."
"But in the end, the woman was able to clearly describe Sterling’s appearance and state her age. We couldn’t be sure if she really was Sterling’s sister or not, so we brought her back."
Hearing this, Stephen Lawrence’s expression grew grimly uncertain.
’Even if that woman really were Sterling’s sister, knowing Sterling’s personality, she wouldn’t tolerate such behavior.’
’But if she really was Sterling’s sister, things could get complicated.’
He said coldly, "Even if she is Sterling’s sister, judging by her behavior, their relationship can’t be good."
After a moment’s thought, however, he added, "Have someone keep an eye on her for now. I’ll report this to Sterling. By the way, did she give a name?"
"I think she said her name was... Yara Sterling."
’The same surname, Sterling.’
’Maybe her identity is real after all.’
With that, Stephen Lawrence had a better idea of what was going on.
He didn’t go to Stella Sterling immediately. His master had had a tiring few days.
This matter wasn’t urgent anyway, so he decided to wait until Sterling was well-rested before telling her.
As for Sterling’s so-called sister, he wasn’t too worried. Even if she really was Sterling’s biological sister, judging by her conduct, her relationship with Sterling was clearly poor—they were probably even on opposite sides.
Still, they couldn’t just kill her. He had to hear what Sterling thought about it first.
And so, when Stella Sterling woke up, she was informed that someone claiming to be her younger sister had arrived.
She was also told that this person had been screaming curses at her right before revealing her identity.
Stella Sterling didn’t even have to think to know who it was.
’Someone who hated her so much that they’d start cursing at the mere mention of her name... Besides Yara Sterling, she couldn’t think of anyone else.’
’It had been almost three years. She hadn’t paid any attention to Yara Sterling’s whereabouts for a long time. To think she was right here, nearby.’
