A woman in a black leather jacket was the first to speak.

Her gaze lingered on Stella Sterling’s face, a mix of envy and curiosity.

Hearing this, Stella Sterling looked over and saw a woman who appeared to be around thirty. Her features were decent, but her skin looked terrible.

Sallow and gaunt, she looked malnourished.

But in truth, everyone was in a similar state in this apocalypse. Her condition was even considered good.

Seeing Stella Sterling looking at her, the woman continued, "Don’t tell me Miss Sterling isn’t even willing to share something as simple as this?"

Her tone was a bit sour, as if she were calling Stella Sterling stingy.

Stella Sterling shrugged. "It’s not that I can’t tell you, but what’s in it for me if I do?"

’I have no connection to her. Even if it’s a simple thing to say, why should I tell her?’

The woman hadn’t expected that response, and her eyes widened. "Hey, we’re both women. We should help each other out. Isn’t that reason enough?"

"I suppose that’s barely enough."

Stella Sterling nodded. "It’s simple. Just take good care of your skin. Use skincare products."

The woman in the leather jacket hadn’t expected such an answer. Of course, she knew she needed to take care of her skin, but in this situation, where was she supposed to do that?

Even as the leader of a base, she had to brave the elements every day just to survive. Given the current circumstances, with nothing available, how was she supposed to take care of her skin?

You couldn’t buy skincare products anywhere now. When scavenging for supplies, everyone’s focus was on food and water. Who would waste energy looking for things like that?

’Could it be that she has some secret method she’s unwilling to share, so she made up this excuse to fool me?’

Facing the woman’s scrutinizing gaze, Stella Sterling simply held up her hands, her expression a clear ’believe it or not, I don’t care’.

If she didn’t believe her, there was nothing Stella could do about it.

After all, she really did just take good care of herself. She had lived a comfortable life and hadn’t suffered much from the ravages of the apocalypse, which was why she looked no different than she did before it all started.

She was telling the absolute truth, but in this apocalyptic world, besides her, the number of people who could achieve the same was vanishingly small.

’Probably no one would believe it anyway.’

The woman in the leather jacket was now half-convinced, half-skeptical of Stella Sterling’s words.

But the woman had given her answer, so what more could she say? She said, "In any case, thank you. I’m Chloe Lane, leader of Lane Base."

"Stella Sterling."

In response to the friendly introduction, Stella Sterling shook her hand amicably.

Just then, someone nearby snorted coldly. "See? Women can’t achieve anything great. Wasting time worrying about beauty at a time like this. It’s unbearably tacky."

Hearing this, Stella Sterling looked at the speaker with a smirk. "So what? You’re a toad, after all. It’s normal for you not to care about such things."

"What did you say?"

The man’s eyes bulged, seemingly shocked that Stella Sterling would dare speak to him like that.

At his demand, Stella Sterling repeated her words verbatim, putting extra emphasis on the word "toad."

The man was so furious his face darkened, and his eyes widened in rage.

At this point, Chloe Lane also chimed in, "That’s right. What we care about is none of your damn business. Just worry about yourself. You act like you’re so capable, but you’re not any stronger than I am. What’s with the high and mighty act?"

Hearing this, the man seemed to choke with anger, his breathing growing ragged.

Stella Sterling took two steps back. "Don’t tell me you’re going to die of anger just from this? That’s just pathetic. Don’t you try to frame me."

As she spoke, she pulled a handkerchief from somewhere and waved it in the air, as if shooing away his bad luck.

The people nearby were enjoying the show. Seeing the man so enraged, they all had looks of schadenfreude.

Chloe Lane burst out laughing. She glanced at Stella Sterling. ’This woman is definitely my kind of person.’

The man who had started the taunts was furious, but he was a base leader, after all. He wasn’t really going to die of anger over this.

He quickly calmed down, shot the two women a glare, and snorted. "I won’t argue with you two. But in this apocalypse, strength is what ultimately matters. Heh heh."

’Women like them could never beat men like us. Sooner or later, they’ll just have to submit to us.’

He turned to leave, but the next moment, he was kicked to the ground with a cry of alarm.

He instinctively reached for his gun, only to remember it wasn’t on him.

The onlookers were also startled, not expecting Stella Sterling to suddenly attack.

Stella Sterling looked down at him. "You’re right. In this apocalypse, strength is what matters. Tell me, if I were to kill you, would your subordinates be strong enough to avenge you?"

The man scrambled to his feet, putting some distance between himself and Stella Sterling. "What do you mean? This is Meridia Base! Are you trying to start a fight?"

Though his voice was loud, he lacked confidence.

He couldn’t figure out when she had attacked. He had clawed his way through hell to become a base leader; he was no weakling.

But just now, she had successfully ambushed him before he could even react. If she had intended to kill him, wouldn’t he be dead already?

He was panicking. That’s why, after realizing she was the one who attacked, he didn’t immediately fight back but instead brought up Meridia Base.

"Of course not. I always try to be a good guest and respect the hosts. I just wanted to ask you a question."

"After all, as you said, strength is what ultimately matters."

As she said this, Stella Sterling shot him a cold glare before stepping back to her original spot.

The man’s expression was ugly. He knew she was slapping him in the face, mocking his earlier words. Even when it came to strength, he was no match for her.

He was furious, but his reason still held. His subordinates weren’t here, nor was his gun. In a one-on-one fight, judging from what just happened, he was no match for her.

She hadn’t killed him only because they were at Meridia Base.

If he kept talking and provoked her further, he’d probably lose his life right here.

So, after taking a deep breath, he turned and walked away.

The onlookers sighed amongst themselves. Many of them knew him; he was famous for his explosive temper and for looking down on everyone.

They never expected him to suffer such a huge loss of face and actually swallow his pride.