Chapter 235 The only female leader.

Ivy, Thomas, and everyone else turned toward the speaker.

A rugged-looking man stepped forward. His hair was unevenly chopped as though it had been cut with a dull knife, and although his clothes were torn and dirty, his muscular build was impossible to miss. He stood confidently beside his wife and children.

"My family and I are staying at Commander Erick’s base," he declared firmly. "There’s no way I’m believing that some random person is offering complete strangers three meals a day with meat and a place to sleep. That kind of thing simply doesn’t exist anymore."

"There isn’t any problem with that," Ivy replied calmly, showing no sign of anger or disappointment. "I’m not forcing anyone to come with me. Every decision is yours to make."

The man simply snorted before stepping back.

"Please... can we join?" Another masculine voice interrupted the tense atmosphere.

Both Ivy and Thomas’ group turned toward the source.

Standing there was a young man supporting a visibly pregnant woman by the arm and neither of them belonged to Thomas’ team...Instead, they had apparently been hiding nearby, quietly listening to every word Ivy had spoken.

The man nervously scratched the back of his neck before bowing respectfully.

"I’m very good at making coffee, matcha, fruit juice, smoothies, and all kinds of beverages," he explained hurriedly. "Before the apocalypse, I owned a beverage store. Business was doing well until the apocalypse destroyed everything."

His eyes dimmed briefly before he looked back at Ivy with hope shining within them.

"Captain Ivy... please accept my wife and me into Hope Base. I promise I’ll work harder than anyone else. I won’t disappoint you."

His pregnant wife also lowered her head.

"Please," she whispered softly.

Ivy smiled gently at the couple.

"It’s alright," she said reassuringly. "The two of you are welcome to join Hope Base."

The couple’s faces instantly lit up with joy.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you so much, Captain Ivy!"

Both husband and wife repeatedly bowed deeply, gratitude overflowing from every movement.

Watching them, Ivy couldn’t help letting out a light chuckle.

"Alright, that’s enough," she said with a smile. "There’s no need to thank me so many times."

After doing a quick count in her mind, Ivy realized that twenty people had now agreed to join Hope Base and that number alone had made the trip worthwhile.

"I can’t believe all of you actually believed this woman." A sharp feminine voice suddenly cut through the cheerful atmosphere.

Everyone instinctively turned toward the speaker.

The woman who had spoken was the wife of one of Thomas’ teammates....the same family that had openly refused Ivy’s invitation moments ago. She crossed her arms tightly across her chest before looking at everyone with obvious disappointment.

"I’m honestly shocked," she continued, shaking her head. "None of you can tell at a glance that this woman is obviously a fraud. You’re all far too gullible."

"A fraud?" Thomas repeated, raising an eyebrow as he folded his arms across his chest.

"And why exactly would she pretend to be Captain Ivy if she isn’t?" he asked calmly. "It’s not like lying about something like this benefits her in any way. What exactly would she gain from deceiving us?"

"She could get every single one of you killed!" the woman shot back without hesitation. Her voice rose as she pointed accusingly at Ivy. "What if she’s working for another base? What if they’re using her to lure desperate survivors away so they can be handed over as food for monsters?"

Several nearby survivors immediately exchanged uneasy glances while the woman continued before anyone could interrupt her.

"Have all of you forgotten what some research bases are doing these days?" she demanded. "They’re capturing monsters, experimenting on them, observing them... and some are even rumored to feed living humans to those creatures for research."

She slowly turned toward Ivy, glaring at her with unconcealed hostility.

"So tell me..." she sneered. "What qualifications do you have that make you the leader of Hope Base?" Her eyes narrowed. "Just who the fuck do you think you are?"

"She’s Captain Ivy." A deep masculine voice suddenly echoed from behind the crowd.

Everyone immediately turned toward the newcomer.

Commander Erick slowly walked over with Darren following closely behind him.

The moment the surrounding survivors recognized him, many subconsciously straightened their backs.

Erick stopped beside Ivy before turning his cold gaze toward the woman.

"She is Captain Ivy," he repeated firmly. "The founder and owner of Hope Base. The woman who built one of the strongest survivor bases in the apocalypse from nothing, the only female base leader who has earned the respect of countless survivors."

He looked around at everyone present before finishing in an authoritative voice.

"Captain Ivy."

The declaration struck the crowd as shock spread across nearly every face.

As for the woman who had repeatedly called Ivy a fraud...Every trace of confidence disappeared from her expression, replaced by overwhelming embarrassment and disbelief as the reality of the situation finally sank in.