After finishing the tea, the man had already changed his mind.

He had originally planned to rest here for a short while and then leave. He’d thought about wandering the mountain to find some food, fill his stomach, and stock up on supplies before setting off again.

But now he’d changed his mind. He decided to stay.

He decided to stay, even though he knew this faction currently consisted of only two people—he would be the third.

Previously, he would have thought they were just playing games—trying to recruit people when they had nothing.

But now he had rationalized it for himself. ’Although he was joining a place that was still being built from the ground up, they clearly had some strength. It was just that they were only now starting to make their move.’

’Just because they have nothing now doesn’t mean they truly have nothing.’

As a result, the rest of their conversation went smoothly.

Stella Sterling learned the man’s name was Shane Lawrence. He had been an electrician and was also a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction.

Before the apocalypse even began, he had published several posts online about surviving such a scenario.

He was a firm believer in the online analyses of potential apocalyptic events, so he and his wife had stockpiled a large amount of supplies before it all began.

Since he was an electrician, he was able to consider many different angles. He and his wife managed to live safely in a small cabin they’d built for two years.

It wasn’t until two years later, when their supplies ran out and the apocalypse showed no signs of ending, that they were forced to venture out in search of food. As for his wife...

At the mention of her, Shane Lawrence’s eyes burned with anger.

After a long moment, he continued, saying his wife had been killed by his friend.

After their food ran out and their home was washed away in a flood, they ran into a friend of his.

He trusted the man, as they had grown up together like brothers in the same village.

This friend was different from him. For the past two years, he had been constantly fighting and struggling with others over resources. As a result, he was far more experienced in the laws of apocalyptic survival than Shane and his wife were.

Trusting him, Shane and his wife traveled with the man, following his lead most of the time.

He never expected, however, that his friend’s personality had changed drastically over the past two years. He was no longer the person Shane once knew.

His friend would sell out anything for personal gain. He lived by the apocalyptic code of the strong devouring the weak and had completely lost his humanity.

One time, they discovered a small convenience store.

His friend and a few others guarded their main camp, while he and several others went to transport goods from the convenience store.

His wife was feeling a little unwell at the time, so he had her stay behind at the camp to rest.

But he never imagined that would be what led to disaster. That beast made an improper move, and in the ensuing struggle, beat his wife to death.

When he returned and found out what had happened, he tried to kill the man. But Shane had lived a relatively peaceful life for two years; he was no match for someone who had been constantly fighting to survive.

Not only did he fail to get his revenge, but he also nearly lost his own life.

Later, someone else in their group couldn’t bear to watch and secretly helped him escape.

Then, by chance, he saw the address Stella Sterling had left behind.

He had nowhere else to go at the time, so he decided to give it a shot.

He managed to get his hands on a rickety little boat in Mirefall, scrounged up some fuel, and came here on a whim, just to see what would happen.

After hearing his story, Stella Sterling simply looked at him calmly and began to explain the situation here.

"Don’t be fooled by the fact that we only have two houses right now. Things are about to change in a big way. Stick with me, and while I can’t promise you much else, I can guarantee this: as long as you’re loyal and willing to work, you will never go hungry."

’Never go hungry!’

In this apocalypse, the impact of those words was immeasurable. Shane Lawrence had nowhere else to go anyway, so he agreed without hesitation. "You can count on me. You’re giving me a sanctuary, and I swear I’ll treat this place as my own home. I’ll do my utmost to protect it and be loyal to you!"

’Even though there was hardly anyone here yet, how could this not be an opportunity for him? Once their faction was properly established, he would be one of the founding members.’ 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

’So what if they had nothing right now? That didn’t seem to matter anymore.’

Stella Sterling nodded. She didn’t press him about his past, offer sympathy for what he’d been through, or deliberately bring it up again.

Stories like his were all too common in the apocalypse.

She then told him about her current plans, including the preparations for expansion.

Hearing this, Shane Lawrence felt even more reassured.

’The woman before him had a long-term plan; she wasn’t just acting recklessly.’

’And by the way she spoke, it seemed she already had everything ready. Otherwise, she wouldn’t sound so confident.’

Next, Stella Sterling called Stephen Lawrence out. She had the two men introduce themselves so they could get to know each other, learn about one another’s skills, and figure out how to work together to get things moving.

By the end of the afternoon, the three of them had grown much more familiar with one another. Shane Lawrence was more relaxed around them, but the shadow in his eyes never fully lifted.

"From now on, you two can discuss things together. I’m going to go make some preparations. We’ll have a meal together later to welcome our new member and to celebrate the official founding of our little faction."

At these words, Stephen Lawrence’s eyes lit up. After all this time, he’d never once eaten with the Boss. He knew her meals were always incredible. It looked like he was finally in for a feast tonight; no more eating rehydrated, moldy instant noodles every day.

That evening, Stella Sterling prepared a meal. There was chicken, fish, and green vegetables—a full seven or eight dishes, all in generous portions. On top of that, she even brought out a few bottles of beer.

Stephen Lawrence was no longer surprised by such things, but Shane Lawrence was shocked. "Isn’t this too wasteful? There’s no way the three of us can eat all this."

’Most importantly, where did Stella, their leader, even get these ingredients? Was it really possible to eat this well in the apocalypse?’

"Today is a special day."

Stella Sterling glanced at him and then looked down. ’She could probably finish most of this food by herself.’

"Beer... I can’t remember the last time I had a beer."

Stephen Lawrence stared at the meal before him, at the bottles of beer, and swallowed hard.

In the two years he’d been with the Boss, he had never gone hungry. But his diet consisted of steamed buns or bread, with a bowl of plain congee on a good day. Now, gazing at the steaming, aromatic, and colorful feast before him, he could barely contain himself. If the Boss hadn’t yet moved, he would have already dug in.