Stella Sterling, shouldering her black bag, found a place to sit down.

The ship was already crowded with survivors rescued from the water, and with the addition of the new group, there was barely any room to stand. People were packed shoulder to shoulder.

Stella Sterling stayed in a corner, eating a fish. She still hadn’t had lunch, and crowded places were always inconvenient for that.

However, of the few fish she had just grilled, she had only kept one for herself, tossing the rest into her dimensional space.

The aroma attracted the gazes of some people nearby. Under normal circumstances, someone might have tried to snatch it.

But now, they were on this ship. With people maintaining order, no one dared to act rashly.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Stella Sterling quickly finished the fish.

’Looks like I won’t be able to fix myself any extra meals for the rest of the time on this ship.’

She didn’t know where the headquarters of this Meridia Base was, but since she’d run into them, she figured she would check it out and get a feel for their situation. Afterward, she could make specific plans to head to the place she’d set her sights on.

’After all, I’m all on my own. I can go wherever I want, with nothing tying me down.’

"Make way, make way!"

"What’s going on?"

"This doesn’t concern you, so stay out of it! Move aside!"

A commotion rippled through the crowd as several uniformed people cut a path through them. Everyone hastily made way, their hearts filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

Stella Sterling noticed the disturbance and also looked toward the group.

But she didn’t expect them to stop right in front of her.

After seemingly confirming her identity, a woman in a blue uniform approached her. "Hello, ma’am. We need you to come with us."

Though the woman’s expression was gentle, her tone left no room for negotiation. She watched Stella Sterling warily, her eyes filled with caution.

Moreover, the others who came with her had positioned themselves around Stella Sterling. Their bodies were slightly tense, forming an encirclement, their gazes grim.

It was as if they were prepared for Stella Sterling to make a move, ready to subdue her instantly if she did.

"Is there a problem?"

Stella Sterling paid no mind to their actions, nor did she show any sign of panic. She simply watched them calmly, though she was on high alert internally.

"Don’t be afraid. We just need to conduct a routine inspection. It’ll be fine."

The woman in front said in a gentle voice, seemingly trying to soothe Stella Sterling.

Even though she could tell the other party was calm, she didn’t dare lower her guard.

According to the information they had received, this woman was an extremely dangerous individual. With so many people around, they couldn’t risk provoking her.

Hearing this, Stella Sterling raised an eyebrow.

The woman’s words sounded nice enough, but none of the many people who boarded the ship with her had any issues or needed a "routine inspection." Yet here she was...

’There’s definitely something wrong here, no doubt about it.’

Judging by their formation, it was clear they had targeted her. Refusing wasn’t an option.

Hiding the coldness in her eyes, she nodded and followed them, her gaze scanning the surrounding area. If things went south, she was ready to bolt at any moment.

Seeing her cooperate so readily, the few people from Meridia Base breathed a sigh of relief.

They kept Stella Sterling surrounded in the middle, dispersed the onlookers, and led her to another area.

Only after they had left did the surrounding people begin to whisper cautiously among themselves.

"What’s the deal? Didn’t that person just get on the ship? Why was she taken away?"

"She just got here, what could she have done? Don’t tell me the people from Meridia Base took a liking to her because she’s pretty and are planning something..."

"Don’t be ridiculous. In the last couple of days, the people from this base have acted honorably. They’re not the type to do whatever they want."

"I bet there’s something wrong with her identity. That’s why she was taken away."

The crowd murmured, with all sorts of theories floating around.

The people who had boarded with Stella Sterling certainly had a deep impression of her. They were just confused. They had all come aboard together, so why was she the only one taken away? ’Will we be taken away individually later, too?’

A sense of unease settled in their hearts.

Timothy Chase wore a smile, a hint of smugness in his eyes. He was in high spirits.

"Ma’am, please hand over the bag on your back for us to hold on to. We will return it to you after we’ve confirmed there are no issues!"

Stella Sterling was led to a room piled with clutter. After they went inside, one of the men spoke in a cold voice.

They stared nervously at Stella Sterling’s bag.

Seeing their expressions, Stella Sterling now understood why they had brought her here.

’It seems someone snitched on me.’

She didn’t do as they said. Instead, she just looked at them calmly. "You should know this is a completely unreasonable demand. You brought me here for no reason and are now making such a baseless request. Is this how Meridia Base operates?"

By the end, her tone was tinged with displeasure.

Harry’s expression changed. "Meridia Base has always acted with integrity. Ma’am, I’ll ask you to watch your words."

After saying this, she also seemed to feel they were in the wrong, so she explained, "Someone reported that you are carrying extremely dangerous items. For the safety of others, we have no choice but to do this."

As she spoke, a few more people were brought in. Stella Sterling looked over and saw it was Drake and his group.

She raised an eyebrow. ’Looks like this group was reported, too.’ She already had someone in mind.

Drake was a little surprised to see her as well, but he quickly looked away.

Harry continued where she left off, "We need to search you. If you don’t have anything on you, we will naturally return your belongings."

At this point, Drake also understood what was happening. He shouted, "So what if I have a gun? I only use it for self-defense! I haven’t hurt any innocent people! You’re going to confiscate it for that?"

"This makes me suspect that you, Meridia Base, have some other motive!"

Harry and the others were now in a difficult position. Although they were rescuing civilians, they didn’t have a habit of confiscating the belongings of others who joined the base.

Besides, these people hadn’t even joined the base yet.

But a gun was something no ordinary civilian should possess. If the owner had malicious intentions, it would be a devastating blow to the other common people.

That was why, upon receiving the report, they had immediately split into two teams to bring both groups here.

But they hadn’t expected them to be so uncooperative.

For a moment, both sides were locked in a standoff.

Since they were, after all, on someone else’s ship, Stella Sterling had no intention of clashing with them head-on. She softened her tone and said, "I understand your concerns. But just as he said, we only have them for self-defense. As long as no one starts trouble, we won’t use them carelessly. You can rest assured."