Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Paige Summers stayed in her workshop late into the night, until Marcus Monroe returned.

She had made a decision.

”You’re leaving Central City?” Marcus Monroe’s hand, holding a glass of water, froze mid-air. It took him a moment before he continued the motion.

Paige Summers nodded silently. After a long pause, she heard him ask, ”Why?”

”In the current situation, staying here just makes me a target. It’s pointless. If I leave, I’ll have the chance to do more...” She explained her thoughts in detail. Sheldon Reid was the commander of The Power Corps. To stand against him, she absolutely needed some armed forces of her own. Her plan to leave the city was twofold: first, to divert his attention, and second, to build up her own strength. Besides, while they weren’t short on Crystal Cores, they lacked people and materials for Artifact Making. And in Central City, right under the enemy’s nose, those things were hard to come by. Conversely, only by leaving Central City would she have more room to maneuver.

Marcus Monroe had likely considered these points himself, but they both understood that while it sounded easy, the path she proposed was incredibly difficult.

There were far too many unknown dangers outside the city walls.

Zombies, mutated flora and fauna, and other Superpower Users. There would be too many battles to face, with no backup and no resupply. It was hard to say they wouldn’t end up in a desperate situation.

Paige Summers was confident in her own abilities.

Marcus Monroe was not.

His first reaction upon hearing her plan to leave was resolute opposition. And after a moment of thought, his answer remained the same.

’I can’t let her face those dangers alone.’

’Claire Chapman? Bloodfall?’

In Marcus Monroe’s eyes, the former’s individual strength was respectable, but the latter was basically just a disorderly mob.

Most importantly, their loyalty was likely to Claire Chapman.

But if Claire Chapman were to have a change of heart... the consequences would be unthinkable.

He could pick out some of his own men for Paige Summers to take, but generally speaking, while their loyalty was commendable, their strength wasn’t enough for him to feel completely at ease.

So... ”No! I refuse!”

His tone was so firm that it caught Paige Summers off guard.

She hadn’t expected Marcus Monroe to still object after hearing her out. She asked tentatively, ”Why are you against it? Is there a flaw in my plan?”

’What if Claire Chapman has other intentions? What if the journey goes poorly and they run out of ammunition and supplies?’ ...Marcus Monroe was filled with questions, but they all boiled down to one thing: he couldn’t rest easy. He was afraid! Afraid that Paige Summers wouldn’t be able to handle it, afraid that she... would never come back.

His feelings for Paige Summers had deepened with the more time they spent together.

Marcus Monroe had once disdained such romantic sentiments, but after truly experiencing them, he discovered that a person’s emotions and trust ultimately need an anchor.

In this world, the only person he could entrust with all of that was Paige Summers.

The more he thought this way, the more he wished he could tuck Paige Summers completely under his wing and protect her from even the slightest harm.

But he had forgotten one thing.

Paige Summers was no greenhouse flower. Too much protection would only dim her brilliance. If this continued, how could Paige Summers ever stand shoulder to shoulder with him? This thought had flashed through his mind before, but it was ultimately overwhelmed by the fear of losing her. ’Compared to that, the most important thing is that she stays alive!’

Paige Summers understood his worries and couldn’t help but try to console him.

But no matter what she said, it couldn’t sway Marcus Monroe’s resolve. They talked for a long time, each sticking to their own position, and finally parted on bad terms.

Lying back on her bed, Paige Summers sighed.

The next morning, Paige Summers had wanted to find Marcus Monroe and have a calm discussion, but to her exasperation, the man left early, giving her no chance to speak. The matter of leaving, however, could not be delayed. After a moment’s thought, she decided to first find Claire Chapman to discuss the preparations for leaving the city: the roster of personnel, supplies, routes, final destination, and so on. The details were trivial yet crucial. Without proper arrangements, leaving the city would be a suicide mission.

Of course, another crucial part of the plan was how they would get out.

As she and Claire Chapman were discussing their plans, word soon reached Marcus Monroe.

He had been very busy lately, dealing with Government officials.

Sheldon Reid was aggressively pushing for an expedition against Norgate. To Marcus Monroe, his intention was obvious: he was trying to establish a sphere of influence completely under his control. He absolutely could not be allowed to succeed! So who could stop him? Naturally, it would have to be the officials in the various departments of The Government who participated in decision-making!

One of the four Governors had been very close with the late Mr. Reid, so he was bound to be supportive of the plan. This one would be difficult to approach.

As for the other three, according to Marcus Monroe’s intelligence, two of them, including Chief Consul Eustace, were against it. They believed the conflict with Norgate was not irreconcilable; it was a matter of approach. The communications project with Norgate was already underway and would be restored soon enough. It wouldn’t be too late to sit down and negotiate then. Moreover, in times like these, survival was paramount. It was utter foolishness for The Power Corps to be aiming its fire at other humans instead of the monsters outside the city.

In Marcus Monroe’s opinion, this line of thinking was very reasonable.

’What era is this? It’s an era where humanity is trapped! Instead of figuring out how to deal with the disasters outside the city and restore safety to all of Astoria, they’re just thinking about fighting for territory. Their selfishness is too great!’

But while the greater good was one thing, personal motivations were another matter entirely.

Take the ambivalent Consul Yardley, for example. He didn’t want to offend his direct superior, nor did he want to offend Sheldon Reid, who held military power. So, he chose to remain conveniently ambiguous. He wasn’t the only one in The Government with such a complacent mindset. ’After all, it’s safe inside the city, with plenty of food and water. The people in Norgate wouldn’t be crazy enough to attack Central City, right? So it’s not bad to just leave each other alone.’

Of course, there were also many who agreed with Chief Consul Eustace’s views.

Thus, the division within The Government was currently quite significant.

But Sheldon Reid wasn’t sitting idle. Ever since returning from his last trip outside the city, he had begun to spread a story.

The story claimed that Gryphon Lowell, the City Lord of Norgate, was secretly researching a medicine that could unlock the superpower potential in ordinary people. His men had infiltrated Norgate, stumbled upon this information, and captured a low-level researcher. According to the interrogation, the medicine’s development was already showing initial success. Perhaps in the near future, Gryphon Lowell would be able to establish his own superpower force, one that could rival Central City’s.

In the long run, this was a significant threat. But the most terrifying part was that the medicine was not 100% effective. A failure would result in the ordinary person who took it either dying or turning into a Zombie. Sheldon Reid himself, along with soldiers from The Power Corps, confirmed that Gryphon Lowell had indeed established an underground base outside the city specifically to store these Zombies. They even claimed these Zombies had started fighting and evolving on their own, producing a high-Level Zombie Leader!