Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Recruiting Everywhere

"What does that have to do with me!"

Without turning her head, Stella Sterling kept her eyes on her book, her tone dismissive.

"How could it not? I know for a fact that Gordon Ford’s crazy about you. Who knows, you might even become my sister-in-law one day!"

Basil Xavier grinned, his tone teasing.

Stella Sterling glanced at him. "Is that what Gordon Ford told you?"

"Of course not. But I can tell he treats you differently from everyone else. He’s so obvious about it, anyone with eyes can see. Does he really need to say it?"

Stella Sterling said nothing more, her gaze returning to the book in her hands.

Basil Xavier couldn’t figure out what Stella was thinking, and for a moment, he was at a loss for how to continue the conversation.

In the end, he did his best to steer the conversation toward Gordon Ford. He found that while Stella wasn’t exactly enthusiastic, she listened intently and would occasionally offer a short reply or ask a question.

After a bit of back and forth, the initial chilly atmosphere gradually faded, and Basil Xavier breathed an inward sigh of relief.

He and Gordon Ford were close, and since Gordon liked Stella, he naturally didn’t want to be on bad terms with her.

Time passed quickly, and the people outside the room were a noisy, bustling crowd.

The boat was completely full, so Ethan Young gave the order to pick up speed and leave. They would no longer linger on the water searching for survivors.

After that day, Stella Sterling rarely left her room. She exercised inside during the day and only went out for some fresh air at night.

She hadn’t seen Lydia Magnus or the others again either.

She found the base member who had helped Lydia Magnus that day to ask about them. Once she learned that Claire Xavier was out of any serious danger, she didn’t inquire further.

As for Timothy Chase and his brother, they hadn’t been seen on board since being led away that day. They must have been thrown off the boat.

More than half of Mirefall was now submerged. The mix of collapsed and still-standing structures made the city look like a flooded ruin.

Even though they were no longer stopping to rescue survivors, the boat couldn’t move very fast. Buildings were everywhere, making it difficult to navigate.

Besides, it was impossible to see what lay hidden beneath the floodwaters. One wrong move, one collision, and they would be finished.

The pilot had to be extremely cautious, not daring to push the speed.

It took several days of sailing to reach the outskirts of Mirefall.

As for the location of Meridia Base, no one outside its own members knew where it was.

’The boat’s picking up speed. It looks like we’re about to leave the city center!’

Stella Sterling sat in her room, beads of sweat on her forehead. She looked like she had just finished exercising, and the strands of hair at her brow were damp.

She had just picked up her book when she felt the boat suddenly accelerate, leaving its previous crawl behind.

Caught off guard, she lurched forward. Fortunately, with her quick reflexes, she managed to grab onto something and steady herself, avoiding an undignified tumble.

The other people on the boat, however, weren’t so lucky.

A chorus of panicked shouts erupted from outside, followed by a period of noisy commotion before things finally quieted down.

Still, some people outside continued to murmur among themselves. A few tried to run out onto the deck to see what was happening, but with so many people crowded there, they nearly caused a stampede.

The incident drew out some base members to restore order. They used a megaphone to tell everyone to return to their places.

Stella Sterling was sitting on a pile of cargo, giving her a higher vantage point. Seeing the commotion gradually die down, she shifted her gaze toward the rear of the boat.

This was the first time she had seen Mirefall from such an angle. It was like looking at a new world, one that possessed a desolate beauty—bleak and silent.

She raised her binoculars and looked back. Deeper in the city, not everywhere was flooded. Some areas were still safe.

She could see the flicker of human figures in many places, bringing a hint of life to the desolate city.

In the distance, people had already begun fishing on the water’s surface.

The great flood had hit two days prior. No one was on the water then; the currents were too strong, and no one dared to risk it.

But now, two days later, with conditions seeming slightly better, many people had no choice but to brave the dangers and emerge from their safe havens.

They had no choice. The currents were still treacherous, but they were out of food. If they didn’t come out to fish, they would have nothing to eat and would starve.

The water was dangerous, yes, but as long as they were careful, there was a sliver of a chance. With no food, all they could do was wait to die.

Moreover, many people were well aware that there was no telling how long this disaster would last. The fish in the water wouldn’t be there forever; one day, they would be gone. They had to catch as much as they could now and store it for the future.

’Yes, once the fish are gone, they won’t know where to find food. Then they really will just be waiting to die.’

Suddenly, her gaze fixed on a particular spot where a large crowd had gathered. Someone was holding up a banner that read: Base expanding recruitment. Join with just five pounds of food.

A crowd was surging toward the recruiters. Even with the five-pound food requirement, people were desperate to join.

’Just as I thought. The various bases are starting to show themselves.’

’Joining a base isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’

’But not many of them have any real power. Most just use the "base" name while being nothing more than small factions, sustaining themselves by collecting food from new recruits.’

’It’s obvious a base like that can’t possibly protect anyone. The people who join not only hand over their food for nothing, but they also have no security or guarantee for their life within the base.’

’Once inside, they’ll just be endlessly exploited.’

’In her past life, she and Lydia Magnus had joined a base just like that.’

Her gaze swept across the scene. This wasn’t an isolated incident; similar crowds had formed in several other places.

She also saw people who didn’t have enough food resorting to robbing others just to meet the entrance fee for a base.

Tragedy unfolded after tragedy. The base recruiters saw it all happening but didn’t intervene. They let the people fight and struggle, ignoring the violence completely. As long as they received the required amount of food, they would hand over an entry token.

Her eyes flickered. ’If I want to establish my own power base, I can’t do it alone. I’ll have to recruit people eventually, too.’

"What are you looking at?"

A voice suddenly sounded beside her. Louis Grant had spotted her. He scrambled up from the other side and sat down next to her, asking curiously.

The next moment, his eyes widened when he saw the binoculars in Stella Sterling’s hands.

"Even I didn’t get one of these! Don’t tell me Ethan Young gave it to you? He’s treating you way too well!"