Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

The trip from Stoneridge Base to The Foundry took over three days, not because they were moving slowly, but because the cleanup operation had already begun.

On the way to The Foundry, they dealt with any mutated plants, animals, or Zombies they came across.

After all, they were planning to build a base and would need to make trips to Southreach, so the cleaner the surrounding area, the better.

Even though these were just minor skirmishes, it was a good opportunity to observe the superpowers, habits, and even the personalities of their new allies.

From what Paige could tell, Leo Joyce’s Power Corps had decent strength but lacked experience. They certainly didn’t lack enthusiasm. As one would expect from energetic young people, they got fired up the moment a fight began, performing at their peak. What they lacked, however, was patience. So, if they ran into a difficult opponent, they would probably have a hard time holding out.

This was in stark contrast to Marcus Monroe’s people.

Mason Hayes and his people were, without a doubt, extremely experienced.

They—and all their squad members—had a habit of acting cautiously. They performed thorough reconnaissance and probing before engaging. When they finally did decide to strike, it was with over ninety percent certainty of a successful, decisive blow.

Neither combat style was definitively better than the other; they simply had different strengths.

The key was coordination.

During a break, she gathered Mason Hayes and the other captains, along with the squad leaders from Bloodfall, and shared her observations without reservation.

Then she asked for their thoughts on how to best coordinate their efforts.

They were all receptive to her words, so everyone shared their own perspectives, and the atmosphere was fairly positive.

However, perfect synergy couldn’t be achieved overnight.

So, after the discussion, Paige told them to give the matter more thought on their own time.

As for Leo Joyce’s Power Corps, she left them to Claire Chapman.

Okay, one look at his face told her the conversation hadn’t gone smoothly.

Paige shrugged at him. She’d expected as much, which was precisely why she hadn’t gathered both sides for a group discussion; it would have only soured their currently civil relationship.

In truth, she wasn’t too concerned.

’Leo Joyce wants to sharpen his fangs, doesn’t he?’ she thought. ’Well, that always comes at a price. It doesn’t matter if they won’t listen now. When they’re out there killing Zombies, on the brink of life and death, they’ll understand just how vital teamwork and coordination are.’

They arrived at The Foundry three days later and rested for the night.

Ben took the opportunity to go with Paige and check on the Zombies they had buried in the pit.

Paige watched Ben clear away the dirt and rocks. The Zombies inside immediately began to stumble out. ’Unbelievably resilient,’ she thought, impressed by their tenacity.

However, their numbers had dwindled significantly.

Driven by hunger, they had long since started to cannibalize one another.

’Good thing they were all Low-level Zombies,’ she mused. ’If they’d been mutated, one might have evolved into something powerful enough to give us all a real fight!’

’This sort of thing is fine once,’ she thought, ’but if we have the energy, it’s much safer to just eliminate them completely.’

This time, the two of them had energy to spare, and working together, they quickly finished off the remaining Zombies.

Ben harvested the Crystal Cores for a snack. Apparently, they tasted pretty good; after all, the ones that had survived were bound to be stronger than the rest.

Paige sat and waited for him to finish, tossing the gnawed-on corn cob into her space. Then she stretched, ready to head back and rest.

’The biggest downside of this operation is that with Leo Joyce’s men around, I can’t bring out any of my freshly grown vegetables. Being able to see them but not eat them is so frustrating!’

「The night passed peacefully.」

On the fourth day after leaving Stoneridge, they were finally ready to enter The Foundry proper.

The members of Bloodfall had mixed feelings about it.

’Who would’ve thought we’d have to come back to this place? No, scratch that—we might end up living here... Thinking about it that way, we’d better work our asses off now and clean it all out! No one wants to wake up to a Zombie knocking at the door!’

Meanwhile, the number of Zombies at The Foundry’s entrance had swelled once more.

This time, however, Paige didn’t have Ben lure the enemy out alone. Instead, they charged straight in.

It was just as Howard Jacobs would say: if one comes, you kill it; if two come, you kill them both.

And so, with unstoppable momentum, their contingent stormed into The Foundry!

Paige’s operation was, on the whole, proceeding smoothly. At that very moment, however, Marcus Monroe, far away in Central City, received some unwelcome news.

”So, you’re saying Levi Young and Erin Quinn are missing... and it’s highly likely they’ve fallen into Sheldon Reid’s hands?” Marcus Monroe sat on the sofa, his fingers drumming lightly against the armrest.