Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Sean Raines said nothing, merely handing her a few sheets of paper.

Paige Summers glanced at him and took them.

A single look was all it took for her to understand his meaning.

It was a file.

The Lowell Family had gone to ground to avoid the heat, and nearly all their elite disciples had gone with them. These were not idle people; most of them held jobs with official positions on the outside.

This was how a network of influence was formed.

And now, that network had been forcibly torn apart, leaving vacancies that naturally had to be filled.

The replacements were all different individuals, but the powers behind them were not necessarily so.

Sean Raines had already investigated everyone’s background as thoroughly as possible. He had marked out who was in the same faction and who was at odds with each other.

The Lowell Family situation had seemed impossible to tackle.

However, with the Lowell Family forced out of Central City, those who had benefited from their downfall were the best point of entry!

It had to be said, this was a massive favor! Paige Summers scanned the documents, her gaze on Sean Raines turning serious.

However, before she could speak, he held up a hand. ”I was involved, but I don’t have that much pull. To be honest, this is mostly the work of the Thorne Family’s eldest, Irving Thorne.”

Paige Summers raised her eyebrows in slight surprise. It took her a moment to recall that before she had gone to Norgate with Sheldon Reid’s troops, this Irving Thorne had come to Summers Armaments to commission a weapon. She hadn’t had the time back then, so she had politely declined. She still remembered his excellent demeanor; he had simply smiled and said they could cooperate next time if the opportunity arose.

But aside from that one meeting, there was nothing else. Why would he suddenly appear and offer such significant help?

The confusion was written plainly in her eyes. Sean Raines teased, ”Forgotten about the admirers you’ve attracted?”

Paige Summers’s face darkened. ’Is this really the time for jokes?!’

”Alright, alright, my bad.” Sean Raines tactfully backtracked at once. ”Actually, I wasn’t kidding. He said it himself. He admires you greatly and has wanted to get to know you but never found the chance. That’s why he hopes to offer what little help he can this time.”

Paige Summers’s brow furrowed in thought.

It wasn’t because of what Sean Raines said, but because of the Thorne Family’s background.

Regarding the Thorne Family, she was actually more familiar with Irving Thorne’s father, Zeke Thorne, one of Central City’s four Governors.

His power was said to be considerable.

Of course, that depended on the comparison. He was still a cut below the other three.

But the other three Governors were all backed by powerful Noble Houses. The Thorne Family, on the other hand, had clawed its way up through Zeke Thorne’s intellect. His mind had won him considerable support within the new Government after the apocalypse. You could say Zeke Thorne was the representative of the grassroots faction within the Government. In fact, his supporters weren’t limited to the government; he had many in the military and among the common people as well. This Governor Thorne had a great reputation among the Hunting Parties, too.

But Irving Thorne... to be honest, she hadn’t really heard much about him.

”You must know about this Irving Thorne, right?”

Sean Raines’s eyes widened. ”You don’t?”

Paige Summers shook her head. ”Why, is he famous?”

”Well...” A playful smile appeared on Sean Raines’s face. ”Oh, he’s definitely famous. He was the first of the city’s younger generation to reach the Eighth Rank with his superpower, even earlier than you or Marcus Monroe. But that’s not why he’s famous. It’s because his superpower is... very special...”

”Oh?”

”Heh heh, this is just what I’ve heard, but it’s pretty much spot on. They say his superpower was originally Full Body Enhancement from the Original System, and he’s now reached a state where he’s invulnerable! But the weird thing is, after advancing to the Eighth Rank, every time he uses his superpower, he turns into... a woman!”

Paige Summers was stunned.

’Turns into a woman?’

’What kind of bizarre superpower is that?!’

Sean Raines added with feigned sympathy, ”Pretty tragic, isn’t it? Imagine, a grown man turning into a woman every time he uses his power... TSK TSK, how awful!”

The corner of Paige Summers’s mouth twitched. ”Are you gloating? Do you have a grudge against him?”

Sean Raines shrugged. ”No grudge. But the guy’s too smart, smart to the point of being annoying. Now that he’s finally got such a huge weakness, of course I have to talk about it. It’s not like it’s a secret anyway.”

Paige Summers let out a breath. ”Alright, but that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with me. What I want to know is, why is he really doing this?”

Sean Raines said dismissively, ”What else could it be? He’s trying to win you over. With Sheldon Reid’s fall, the Reid Family is a spent force. A whole group of people in both the Government and the military are going to be purged, and the power games are heating up. The other Governors have it easier; finding allies among the Noble Houses is relatively simple. But Irving Thorne’s father has it tougher. The other major Noble Houses have already picked their sides. Who’s going to switch to his camp for no reason? While some minor Noble Houses support him, they lack strength. His faction’s foundation is still too shallow! So he has to win over more people.”

He pointed to the file in her hands. ”There’s definitely an element of sucking up to Marcus Monroe in this. I think that’s why he was so eager to have me give this file to you, rather than find a chance to deliver it himself. He’s probably trying to show his sincerity and his own strength. Even Jovitas would need time to gather all the information in here. People from the Grant Family naturally have their advantages.”

’Is that how it is...’

Paige Summers looked down at the file, a bitter taste in her mouth.

After what had happened at Jovitas during the day, she understood very clearly that she... couldn’t rely on them anymore.

That made this gift all the more important.

Seeing her gloomy expression, Sean Raines couldn’t help but ask, ”Was it presumptuous of me to accept this on your behalf? Did I overstep?”

Paige Summers immediately shook her head.

She mostly understood what he meant.

If Irving Thorne sent it to him and he refused, he would only offend the man. It was better to go with the flow. Even if she couldn’t use it, she could find a chance to leak the information. Irving Thorne wouldn’t be so tactless as to insist on taking all the credit.

However, she would probably need Sean Raines’s help with the Lowell Family’s matter later. There were some things he needed to know.

Paige Summers took a deep breath and looked up. ”For now, I can’t trust Jovitas, so this information is extremely useful to me.”

Under Sean Raines’s astonished gaze, she continued, ”Let me put it this way. In fact, I went there today, but they wouldn’t breathe a single word to me about the Lowell Family. You understand what that means, don’t you?”

”Y-Yes, of course.” Sean Raines rubbed his chin, taking a moment to process it. ”Could it be because Marcus Monroe isn’t here, and the people under him made the decision on their own?”

”Hah. The person in charge of Jovitas right now is Black S. There’s no way his subordinates would go over his head on this. So, this must have been his decision, and it won’t matter even when Marcus Monroe gets back.” After a pause, she added, ”Besides, Marcus and I agreed to spend some time apart. It was my idea.”

”What?!” Sean Raines shot to his feet. ”And he actually agreed?!”