Chapter 510: Chapter 519: Shame

’Even if I trained for another ten years, I’d still be no match for Sterling. To think I was worried I might actually hurt her... that was just wishful thinking.’

Thinking this, the guilt in her heart faded a little, but only a little.

’No matter how powerful Sterling was, she was still her master, their boss. She had just harbored killing intent toward her own boss, the leader of their base. She had even tried to land a killing blow. That alone was a crime punishable by death.’

Her ignorance of the situation didn’t excuse her offense.

’At this thought, she shot a look at Black Swan. ’If she knew it was the boss, why didn’t she just tell me? She just stood there blinking her eyes nonstop. How was I supposed to know what that meant?’’

’After all, who could have imagined that this person, who looked completely different, was their Sterling, a woman as beautiful as a Heavenly Immortal? The difference between the two was just too vast.’

She shot Black Swan a fierce glare.

Standing a short distance away, Black Swan scratched her head innocently, feeling a bit bewildered.

’You can’t blame me for this,’ she thought. ’I was being so obvious with my hints. If she still couldn’t figure it out, there was nothing I could do. Besides, the boss clearly wanted to tease her a bit. I couldn’t just go against her wishes and make it too obvious. That would have just displeased her.’

’In the end, it just comes down to our lack of chemistry. If only the two of us were a bit more in sync, able to understand each other with just a look or a gesture, then something like this would never have happened today.’

So, faced with Seven Locke’s angry glare, Black Swan simply smiled back at her.

’When I get the chance,’ she resolved, ’I’m definitely going to spend more time with Seven Locke and work on the chemistry between us.’

’Let’s be clear,’ she told herself, ’I’m not doing this for me. It’s for the good of everyone. After all, the two of us will have plenty of opportunities to work together in the future.’

’So, improving our chemistry is absolutely necessary.’

At that moment, Seven Locke couldn’t be bothered with her. She turned to Stella Sterling, her knees buckled, and she knelt. "Sterling, I’m sorry! I actually attacked you just now. Please, Sterling, punish me!"

Stella Sterling didn’t help her up. Instead, she said, "If, in that situation just now, you had let your guard down—if you had just stood there and let me attack you—*that’s* when I would have punished you."

"Because as my subordinate, if you don’t even have that basic sense of danger, then I have no need for you!"

"However, you didn’t do that. You’re not a complete idiot."

Hearing this, Seven Locke gave a sheepish laugh and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Sterling didn’t truly blame her.

The relief was mixed with a sense of shame.

"Get up. Look at the way everyone is staring at me."

Seven Locke scrambled to her feet. She was a squad leader, after all; kneeling like this in front of so many people was rather embarrassing.

Since Sterling wasn’t going to punish her, there was no need to prolong her own suffering by insisting on kneeling.

She stood up and, alongside Sterling, looked toward the group of people from Caeluna Base in the distance.

At that moment, the group was frozen in place, unsure whether to advance or retreat, their faces etched with confusion.

They had rushed out the moment they sensed something was wrong, but the battle was already over before they could even get close.

It had ended in a completely one-sided fashion. Their captain had been utterly powerless against the strange woman.

They were furious and wanted to get revenge, but then the situation suddenly shifted. The strange woman pulled back, and their captain was looking at her with excitement, even calling her "Sterling."

They were completely baffled. ’Sterling? Could she mean *our* boss, Sterling?’

But the woman in front of them looked nothing like her. Yet, the attitudes of both Black Swan and Seven Locke made them suspicious.

They hesitated for a moment before walking over, their eyes fixed on the unfamiliar woman.

Seeing the confusion in their eyes, Seven Locke’s own gaze flickered. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, and she decided not to reveal Stella Sterling’s identity to her friends.

’I just made a complete fool of myself,’ she thought. ’I can’t be the only one to lose face, right?’

However, to her surprise, the group didn’t immediately attack Stella Sterling. Instead, they looked at her in confusion and asked tentatively, "Sterling? Are you... Sterling?"

They had heard Seven Locke call the strange woman that. While they hadn’t caught everything that was said, they had heard the name "Sterling" loud and clear.

Combined with the strange attitudes of both Seven Locke and Black Swan, they had already started to form a suspicion, even if they weren’t entirely certain.

But an idea had already taken root in their minds: this completely unfamiliar woman was very likely their base’s leader, Sterling.

One by one, their eyes filled with suppressed excitement.

Seeing their reaction, Seven Locke’s eyes widened in surprise, a flash of disappointment crossing her face.

She had been waiting for them to mistake the boss for an enemy, attack her, and get taught a harsh lesson for their trouble.

That way, she wouldn’t be the only one who had been humiliated.

But who would have thought they’d all gotten smart? They had already sensed that something was off and naturally wouldn’t make the same mistake she had.

Seeing these familiar faces again, a smile touched Stella Sterling’s lips. She nodded at them. "Yes, not bad. It looks like you’ve all made some progress during this time."

Hearing Stella Sterling’s words, the crowd’s eyes flashed with excitement and joy. This woman really was their Sterling.

But that was quickly followed by a flash of shame in their eyes, and several of them lowered their heads directly.

One of them spoke up, embarrassed. "Sterling, we’ve been useless. We’ve brought shame to your name. We’ve run into a lot of trouble lately, and that’s how we ended up in this state. We hope you can forgive us!"

The more they spoke, the lower their heads sank.

Sterling had just praised their progress, but in reality, they had let themselves fall into a pathetic state.

They had disgraced Caeluna Base and felt they didn’t deserve Sterling’s praise at all.

Seeing their reaction, Stella Sterling nodded in satisfaction. ’The fact that they know how to reflect on themselves means they’re not too bad,’ she thought.

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