Chapter 480: Chapter 489: The Leisurely Stella Sterling

"It’s just up ahead."

In front of them lay a pile of ruins.

Hunter Night’s voice was laced with excitement as he gazed at the rubble.

The area was surrounded by abandoned buildings, making it hard to spot.

And by the looks of it, no one had discovered this place yet. It hadn’t been disturbed.

This meant the supplies inside had likely not been discovered either, which greatly increased their chances.

Stella Sterling looked over. The site was covered in a mound of collapsed structures.

The supermarket they mentioned had to be somewhere beneath this rubble.

It had collapsed during the earthquake and was buried underneath.

The Three Tigers Corps had twenty-two members in total. Eight of them stayed behind at their camp to guard their things.

The remaining fourteen had all come out. Including Stella Sterling and Zane Xavier, their group numbered sixteen people.

Each person held a tool and wore lightweight, breathable, sun-proof, and heat-resistant clothing as they got to work.

The Three Tigers Corps had already scouted the area. Although the surface was a pile of ruins, the convenience store below hadn’t completely collapsed.

This meant the supplies inside were likely well-preserved.

The mere thought of this motivated everyone to work with great effort.

Stella Sterling looked at the tool in her hands and also started to move.

’Ever since my rebirth, I’ve rarely done this kind of work.’ She only put in any effort when she happened to stumble upon supplies or was searching for something specific she needed.

As for general supplies like these, she had always left them for others who needed them more.

And last time, when she gathered supplies on a large scale, she had also given them to others, taking none for herself.

Since her spatial dimension was already well-stocked, Stella Sterling had lost much of her interest in gathering more supplies.

She would only get excited if there was some kind of treasure made of special materials.

’Besides, even when I did gather supplies in the past, when faced with a large area covered by ruins like this, I would just use my spatial dimension to suck everything up first and then throw out the useless junk.’

’Simple and fast!’

’Digging with a tool like this... it feels like a distant memory.’

She hadn’t done this kind of labor since her rebirth, so Stella Sterling’s movements were very clumsy, as if it were her first time.

Her actions quickly drew the attention of the members of the Three Tigers Corps.

Some of them stopped working to watch her.

They suspected she was trying to slack off. ’She doesn’t want to help but still wants a piece of the pie, so she’s just putting on an act.’

’In this apocalypse, who hasn’t dug for supplies in the ruins?’

’Her act is so fake!’

Many of them were disgruntled. ’If she didn’t want to put in the work, she shouldn’t have come. But here she is, putting on this show. Isn’t it obvious she doesn’t want to work but still wants a cut? That’s just shameless.’

Many people were very unhappy, but Hunter Night suppressed their complaints.

Hunter Night was also displeased with Stella Sterling’s behavior, but he held his tongue for now, considering the food she had given them.

’We brought these two along today to give them a hand, but if they think they can just slack off, the Three Tigers Corps aren’t fools.’

’After all, we already agreed that the supplies will be distributed based on each person’s contribution. If they joined this operation with the intention of being lazy...’

’...then I’ll just give them a smaller share when we divide everything up.’

"I guess I’ve gotten too used to the easy life. Even my old skills have gotten rusty,"

Stella Sterling muttered with a sense of helplessness.

’Since my rebirth, I’ve been well-prepared with plenty of supplies, so I never had to worry about food or drink. And as my powers grew stronger, I could handle trivial matters like this with ease. I never needed to go through such trouble.’

’But now, to avoid attracting attention, I’m just digging with a tool like everyone else.’

She had only been working for a short while, but she already felt a bit strained and out of practice.

’But in my past life, this was something I did all the time. To save time and get more supplies, I was an expert at searching for resources in the ruins—fast and precise.’

’And now it’s only been a few years since I was reborn, yet things I used to know so well now feel unfamiliar.’

She shook her head, feeling a momentary wave of emotion.

But then she scoffed inwardly. ’So what? So what if I’m rusty?’

’After all, people are meant to develop and improve.’

’The skills I was familiar with in my past life are unfamiliar now because I no longer need them. I don’t have to gather supplies like I used to.’

’Even if I do gather supplies, I have much faster methods.’

’This just means I’ve become stronger and don’t have to struggle like before. It’s a good thing, nothing to be embarrassed about.’

But then she caught the disapproving glares from the Three Tigers Corps members. She froze for a second, then instantly understood why they were looking at her that way.

’They probably think I’m someone who wants a cut of the loot without putting in the work.’

Stella Sterling didn’t bother explaining. Instead, she got back to work.

It was indeed awkward at first, but as she got the hang of it, memories from her past life flooded back, and Stella Sterling’s movements became much more skilled and swift.

She wasn’t interested in these supplies; she had just come along to blend in and because she had nothing better to do.

But since she had agreed to come, she couldn’t just slack off.

At the same time, she would take a share of the supplies they found. Whether she needed it or not, she had put in the labor, so it was only right that she receive her due.

Just as Stella Sterling was thinking this, she suddenly heard heavy panting from beside her.

She turned her head and saw Zane Xavier, tool in hand, working his heart out and letting out loud HUFFS and PUFFS.

He even had an excited look on his face.

She gently tugged on Zane Xavier’s arm. "Why are you working so hard? Save some of your strength."

Before Zane Xavier could reply, she continued, "I know you want to do your part so you can get a bigger share later, but you need to conserve your energy in case of unexpected danger."

"Otherwise, remember that we aren’t really one of them. If someone really shows up to snatch the supplies, or if any other danger appears, and you’ve exhausted all your strength, do you think these people will risk their own lives for you?"

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