Apocalypse Rebirth: Crazy from Day One

Chapter 563: Chapter 572: A Discovery

Having a brilliant and powerful leader was incredibly important. It saved them from making countless mistakes.

They felt blessed beyond measure to have joined Caeluna Base, as if they’d spent lifetimes earning such good fortune.

Many of those who had taken their own lives at Caeluna Base some time ago had relatives still living there.

At first, these relatives had harbored some resentment toward Stella Sterling. Although they still respected her, they couldn’t shake the thought that their loved ones had died over something that wasn’t even a certainty. They kept telling themselves not to blame Sterling, but the feeling would sometimes creep back in.

But after witnessing the recent chaos outside, that last bit of resentment had vanished without a trace.

Only now did they realize that Sterling had truly been saving them.

If Sterling hadn’t taken those measures, who would have been the first victims when their relatives inevitably mutated?

It would have been the people closest to them—themselves.

In that sense, Sterling had saved them yet again.

The memory of their resentment toward Sterling filled them with an unbearable sense of guilt.

Some even ran to the gate of Stella Sterling’s villa, where they knelt, weeping and bowing their heads to the ground.

However, Stella Sterling was busy studying her medical texts inside her personal space and had no time to spare for them.

"Lawrence, what in the world do you think Sterling is doing? She hasn’t come out in nearly half a month. She’s not eating or drinking... is she really going to be okay?"

Shane Lawrence and Stephen Lawrence stood in the distance. Shane gazed toward Stella Sterling’s villa, his eyes filled with unconcealable worry.

Sterling hadn’t shown her face since the last meeting; the door to her villa hadn’t even opened once.

He was deeply worried. ’Could it be? Is Sterling still blaming herself for what happened that night?’

Stephen Lawrence shook his head. "I don’t know. But if Sterling is doing this, she must be working on something very important."

’The boss didn’t tell me anything this time, so I have no idea what’s going on.’ He was worried, too.

’But as the second-in-command of Caeluna Base, I can’t let it show. If I seem anxious, everyone else will panic.’

"But Sterling hasn’t asked anyone to bring her food. Can she really keep going without eating or drinking?" Shane Lawrence asked hesitantly.

"Don’t worry. Sterling always keeps supplies stocked in her villa. She used to do this all the time back when we were together. There’s nothing to worry about!"

Stephen Lawrence said. He knew about her personal space, so he wasn’t concerned about her going hungry or thirsty.

Hearing Stephen Lawrence’s reassurance, Shane Lawrence could only set aside his worries for the time being and nod.

The two cast one last glance toward Stella Sterling’s villa before leaving to attend to their duties.

They had been incredibly busy lately, dealing with internal matters and clearing out the mutated individuals outside the base.

Everyone in the base was constantly busy.

Although the major bases that had freed up their forces had begun clearing out the mutated, there were still countless monsters roaming outside, seemingly impossible to ever fully eradicate.

No one knew how much darkness people had endured to survive over the past three years of the apocalypse, or how many had consumed that tainted meat.

The worst part was that the mutation’s incubation period varied for each person. As long as someone appeared normal, there was no way of knowing whether they were truly human or a ticking time bomb.

Recently, cooperation between Meridia Base and Caeluna Base had increased, with personnel from both sides frequently going on missions together.

Communication between the higher-ups of the two bases had also become more frequent.

Mr. Magnus also asked for news about Stella Sterling from time to time. But when he was told that Stella still hadn’t emerged from her villa, he could only shake his head helplessly.

’That girl Sterling must have locked herself away to research a solution,’ he guessed.

’She’s pushing herself too hard.’

’But I can’t bring myself to stop her, because I’m also hoping she can actually find an answer.’

’People are dying outside every single day. It’s a heavy burden on anyone’s heart.’

’There are too many times when you’re fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with a comrade one second, only to be forced to strike them down the next. That feeling... it’s absolute torture.’

’So, even though I want to tell Stella not to push herself so hard and to take a break, I’m not in any position to do so. I can’t.’

And while every base was preoccupied, no one noticed that the bodies of many of the slain mutated were quietly vanishing.

With so many of the mutated being cleared out daily, no one paid any mind if a few bodies went missing here and there.

Or perhaps some did notice, but they dismissed it as insignificant.

「Meanwhile, Stella Sterling finally had a breakthrough.」

She rubbed her sore, strained eyes, set the medical text aside, stood up to stretch, and stepped out of her personal space.

’All this time, I’ve just been focused on these books. I ate when I was hungry, drank when I was thirsty, and spent every other waking moment reading. When I couldn’t go on, I’d just sleep for a bit.’

She had completely lost track of time. When she realized she had been secluded for over half a month, Stella Sterling herself fell silent for a moment.

’Half a month has already passed... The situation outside must be getting severe.’

She was silent for a moment, then a smile flickered in her eyes. "But after half a month of research, I’ve finally made some progress!"

Just as she thought this, her stomach growled.

’I should get something to eat first,’ she decided. ’I haven’t had a single proper meal this whole time. Even a body made of iron can’t take this kind of abuse.’

’Besides, now that I’ve had a breakthrough, I can afford to relax a little. I’ll get cleaned up, eat my fill, and then I can start the next phase of my research.’

Stella Sterling opened the door to her villa and called for Stephen Lawrence. "Have the kitchen make me something to eat. Something light."

Stephen Lawrence was just making his daily trip to see if his boss’s door was open. If it hadn’t been, he was starting to worry enough that he was considering forcing his way in, just to make sure she was safe.

But to his surprise, just as he reached the entrance, the door swung open.

He froze for a second, then nodded repeatedly. "Right, of course! You’re out! I’ll have someone see to it right away. Just a moment!"

Seeing his boss in such a pleasant mood helped to dispel some of the gloom that had weighed on his own heart for days.