Chapter 223: Brainless Leader, Quitting Caeluna

All eyes turned to the woman standing at the front. She had a neat, short haircut and was dressed simply in a short-sleeved shirt and long pants.

She had a very placid demeanor. Aside from being rather attractive, she seemed no different from an ordinary person.

But from the moment they learned her identity, no matter how placid her demeanor seemed, they could feel an oppressive pressure emanating from her.

Everyone had different expressions as they looked at her. Without exception, the first group of people who had joined gazed at Stella Sterling with respect, gratitude, and adoration.

The new batch of recruits, however, was different. They sized up the base’s top leader, wanting to see what was so special about her.

They were curious how a woman like her had managed to rise above so many men to become the supreme authority of Caeluna Base.

Their gazes held a mixture of scrutiny, curiosity, and cautious respect.

Stella Sterling took in everyone’s reactions.

She stood before the crowd, with Stephen Lawrence and the others behind and to the side.

Her gaze swept over everyone present. As her eyes passed over them, they all stood up straighter.

After looking them over, Stella Sterling’s first words were, "You’re barely passable."

Her very first sentence immediately stirred resentment among the new recruits.

Those recruited as logistical staff were fine with it; they just wanted a stable life here with food and drink, and didn’t care about much else.

But the others were different. They were either talented specialists or skilled fighters who had done quite well for themselves out on their own.

However, since most people were now surviving in groups, the space left for lone survivors was shrinking. They had no choice but to join a faction.

Caeluna happened to be recruiting at that time, so they chose to join.

They had assumed that people like them would be highly valued after joining, but the very first thing they heard was Caeluna’s leader calling them "barely passable" with a hint of disdain.

Their expressions soured, but remembering she was the boss and they were on her turf, they all swallowed their anger.

As if she hadn’t noticed their ugly expressions, Stella Sterling continued, "It is truly an honor for all of you to be able to join Caeluna."

"So in honor of this privilege, work hard from now on and serve Caeluna well."

No one had ever heard a speech like this before.

The first group of members had no extreme reaction. In fact, they felt that what Sterling said was absolutely right.

Being able to join Caeluna was indeed the greatest fortune of their lives.

So after Stella Sterling finished speaking, they began to applaud, their eyes fixed on her with a crazed adoration.

But the seventy or eighty newest members were not so pleased.

"What the hell? Is the leader of Caeluna Base brainless? What kind of nonsense is this?"

"Are these people crazy? What’s there to be so excited about?"

One after another, they spoke up, their voices growing louder until they could no longer be suppressed.

Behind her, Black Swan’s lips twitched. ’Sterling is powerful, but saying things like this... her emotional intelligence is a bit low!’

’Even if that’s what she’s thinking, she can’t just say it to their faces. Every one of them is proud and arrogant; how could they possibly stand to hear something like that!’

Although, in her heart, she also believed Sterling was right. It truly was an honor for these people to join Caeluna, just as it was an honor for her.

Seeing this, Stephen Lawrence and Shane Lawrence’s faces turned cold, and they started to step forward to intervene.

However, Sarah Sterling stopped them.

She looked at the disgruntled crowd with a calm expression. She even had someone bring her a chair and sat down leisurely, watching them vent their dissatisfaction.

After a while, the group finally realized something was off. They calmed down a little, remembering they were on someone else’s turf, and the person they were criticizing was the head of Caeluna.

Even if they felt this woman was completely unworthy of leading Caeluna, the others clearly didn’t think so.

Even if they were truly dissatisfied and thought Caeluna was nothing special, they should have waited until after they left, or at least spoken about it in private.

In an instant, the group that had just been filled with righteous indignation broke out in a cold sweat. They lowered their heads slightly and fell silent.

This was Caeluna’s territory; no matter how capable they were, they would be the ones at a disadvantage here.

For a moment, everyone was silent. The official members of Caeluna stared coldly at the newcomers.

’These people still don’t understand the situation. This is Caeluna! In Caeluna, whatever Sterling says is right.’

’They’re eating Caeluna’s food and drinking Caeluna’s water. What right do they have to be dissatisfied with Sterling?’

This was especially true for those with technical skills.

So what if they had skills?

Without a platform to use them, those skills were completely useless in the apocalypse.

And going to other bases?

Other bases already had their own people.

Not every talented person would be given an important role, and people with ordinary skills were not in short supply.

If Sterling hadn’t been there, and if she hadn’t remained silent, they would have already gone up to teach these newcomers a lesson.

After a moment of silence, Stella Sterling spoke from her chair. "Well, everyone? Are you finished with your discussion?"

Below, another wave of silence fell. No one dared to speak.

Some of them had already secretly decided to leave.

’Caeluna’s leader seems to be an idiot, and all the others are just her brainless followers.’

’At this rate, Caeluna is doomed to fail. Staying here probably leads nowhere.’

’Plus, after all their talk just now, they had already offended her.’

’Instead of staying, it would be better to leave today and find another path.’

Another silence descended. Stella Sterling didn’t seem to mind. She just said, "Well, I’ve said what I needed to say. As for Caeluna’s rules, I trust someone already made them perfectly clear to you when you joined, so I won’t repeat them. Now, if you have anything to say, feel free to speak up."

After hearing this, the new recruits, excluding the logistical staff, exchanged glances.

Some continued to remain silent, not saying a word.

Others simply wore scornful expressions, having already made up their minds to leave shortly.

Still others hesitated, looking like they wanted to speak but were holding back.

Seeing their reactions, Stella Sterling encouraged them, "Don’t be afraid. For today, you’re still considered newcomers. Say whatever you want to say. I won’t hold it against you."

"After today, you won’t have this chance anymore. From tomorrow on, whatever you have to say, whatever dissatisfaction you feel, you’d better keep it bottled up inside."

"Can we really say anything? Miss Sterling, you seem like a straightforward person, so I’ll be direct. I don’t think Caeluna is a good fit for me, so I’d like to quit. Please allow it."