Time passed quickly, and three days flew by in a flash. In the blink of an eye, the day of The Apocalypse Summit hosted by Meridia Base had arrived.
The people selected to accompany Stella Sterling to the summit had been chosen long ago. Besides Julian Fletcherâs trio, there were three other young people from the base.
These six people would attend The Apocalypse Summit with her, responsible for her safety.
Of course, most of the time, assuming nothing went wrong, these six were just for show. Stella Sterlingâs safety likely wouldnât require their intervention.
The reason she was still bringing six people was simply to let them gain some experience. After all, Caeluna Base was a large base, and there would be many more opportunities to interact with others in the future. These six needed to be developed.
Also, Stella Sterling was a leader, after all. It would be a loss of face to go out without an entourage.
Even though she didnât need them for protection, they could act as her assistants. If anything came up, she could order them to handle it.
Otherwise, sheâd have to do everything herself, and if word got out, sheâd become a laughingstock.
Meridia Base wasnât far from Caeluna, only a one or two-day journey.
After the selections were made, they had set off for Meridia Base in advance.
They had now been traveling on the water for two days.
They could see the tragic state of the various regions. Most cities had been reduced to rubble by the previous earthquake.
All the skyscrapers had collapsed, but among the ruins, they could see people moving about.
Along the way, Stella Sterling also saw the temporary aid stations set up by Caeluna Base.
Every aid station was overflowing with people, packed with the wounded.
Julian Fletcher and the others wore solemn expressions. The excitement they had felt was extinguished by the sight.
The scenery before them slowly grew familiar as they reached the outskirts of Meridia Base.
Stella Sterling had been here once before, on a boat from Meridia Base.
But this time was different. Below the high platforms of Meridia Base, numerous ships of all types were docked.
The main gate of Meridia Base was wide open. Armed personnel holding guns stood on both sides, while people in the middle were responsible for registration and reception.
Stella Sterling even recognized the person handling registration.
They docked their boat in the area designated for Caeluna Base. At the same time, many other people were around.
They were all from various factions and bases. They took the invitation from Meridia Base very seriously and had brought many people to attend The Apocalypse Summit.
Upon seeing each other, everyone began to size one another up.
Stella Sterling recognized some of them, but not others.
Some of the base leaders were people that even Julian Fletcher and his team, who frequently carried out missions outside, had never seen before. They were likely from more distant factions.
Those people had all brought large retinues; each leader was accompanied by at least ten or twenty people.
Moreover, all of them were carrying firearms.
It seemed that although these people had come for the summit, they were also worried about potential dangers and had made ample preparations.
Those who didnât recognize Stella Sterling were also sizing her up. When they saw she had only brought six people with her, a flash of contempt crossed their eyes.
This base had brought the fewest people of any they had seen.
They figured it was just a minor faction, not worth their attention.
âBut their leader is a beautiful woman. It would be fun to make a woman like that submit.â
In an instant, the gazes some of them cast on Stella Sterling turned malicious.
But some held back, not wanting to cause trouble.
However, representatives from two bases they hadnât seen before made no effort to hide it, brazenly leering at Stella Sterling.
Their gazes grew increasingly lewd, stopping just short of coming over to grope her.
In their eyes, her group wasnât strong at all, completely beneath their notice.
âSo what if that woman is their leader? If we wanted to, we could wipe them out with ease. Then we could do whatever we want with her.â
The people behind Stella Sterling were all furious.
"Sterling, let me go deal with them,"
Seven Locke said coldly.
Hearing her words, the people from the two factions sneered.
âJust the few of them think they can take us on? They must be dreaming.â
They looked at the female leader. âHer subordinate is so stupid. The leader should be able to read the situation. She should know weâre not people she can afford to offend.â
âExcellent. Weâll get to see how this woman apologizes to us.â
Stella Sterling fiddled with her fingers, merely glancing at those people.
âEver since I stopped hiding my appearance, I knew this face would attract attention in the apocalypse and bring me some trouble.â
âBut it doesnât matter. Iâm not afraid at all.â
Her voice was calm and cold. "I think their eyes are a bit redundant. Why donât you help them get rid of them?"
"Yes."
Seven Locke nodded. She and Fiona Flecher rushed out.
The others didnât move!
âJulian Fletcher and Seven Locke were more than enough to handle those people.â
The factions from farther away were stunned that these people actually dared to fight them. After a moment of shock, they were on the verge of bursting out laughing.
âTrying to take on so many of us with just a few people is ridiculous.â
âEven Sanctyr Base, the largest one in their region, wouldnât dare attack us with so few people.â
âI canât believe these people are so brainless.â
After giving the order, however, Stella Sterling paid them no more mind. Instead, she walked toward the people from Meridia Base in charge of registration. "My friends, Iâm dealing with a few guys who were disrespectful to me. That shouldnât be a problem, right?"
This was Meridia Baseâs territory, after all. Stella Sterling felt that if her people were going to make a move, she should at least inform the hosts.
âOf course, it was just a courtesy. My people would act whether they agreed or not.â
The man glanced at Stella Sterling, then at the other group. "None of you have entered the territory of Meridia Base yet. You can resolve your private matters on your own. Meridia Base will not interfere."
His words had a double meaning. First, since they werenât inside the base, they could fight if they wanted to, and Meridia Base wouldnât get involved.
Second, it was also a warning to Stella Sterling that once inside the base, they could no longer fight so casually.
Stella Sterling smiled. "Understood. Thank you."
There were still many other people present.
Some didnât want to meddle or get into trouble, so they handed their invitations to the Meridia Base staff and entered the base.
Others, though they hadnât caused any trouble themselves, wanted to stay and see what would happen.
They didnât rush inside, but stopped nearby, eager to watch the show.