Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

The deaths of two researchers at The Research Institute caused barely a ripple.

Paige Summers had specifically asked Irving Thorne about it. He confirmed he’d heard; the director of The Research Institute had made a strong request for increased security, but that was all.

’The two must not have been important figures at the institute,’ Paige Summers figured.

That put her mind at ease, somewhat.

After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to call Nadia.

Given their relationship, not calling would have been more unusual.

From Paige’s cryptic words, Nadia gathered that Levi Young was with her, which gave her some peace of mind. In turn, Paige came to understand just how much influence Nadia’s mentor wielded. He had managed to protect Levi by fabricating a temporary off-site mission for him, thus avoiding suspicion from The Research Institute and the military.

At least, not openly.

But private suspicions were likely unavoidable.

So they still needed to lay low for a while.

Levi Young himself didn’t mind hiding indoors one bit. It gave him the chance to focus on observing Ben’s condition. According to him, Ben might complete his evolution very soon.

Paige Summers felt once again that his decision to stay might have been the right one.

She had also been keeping a close watch on the situation at the Power User Federation.

The number of people coming and going had indeed decreased over the last two days, but it wasn’t exactly deserted. The Superpower Users’ expressions seemed normal, giving no indication of internal turmoil.

’Those two must have just been grunts,’ Paige thought, ’so their deaths didn’t cause a major stir. But there must have been some repercussions. For example, the mastermind would likely tighten their control over the Power User Federation’s activities while simultaneously trying to identify their enemy.’

In any case, she wouldn’t know how this all affected her specifically until it was time for her ”tutoring session.”

With Levi Young around, the wait wasn’t so bad.

His research on the virus affecting Ben and Nora Lowell had already yielded preliminary results.

After analyzing Ben’s current cellular structure, he concluded that Paige Summers’s theory was most likely correct. There was a seventy percent probability that Ben had become a Zombie because he had been deliberately injected with the Zombie Virus.

The virus’s components were difficult to analyze with current methods, so he couldn’t be completely certain.

However, he speculated that it wasn’t a pure virus. It was mixed with another type of microbe that was not only harmless but actually had a cell-activating effect. But as for what kind of microbe it was, or how the two were fused together—he still had no answers.

”I need more time to study and confirm this!” he said.

Paige believed him.

Just as he’d said, he was self-taught and had ”grown up wild,” so he possessed an unusual tenacity, a stubborn resolve to see things through once he set his mind to them.

In the blink of an eye, the day she was scheduled to go to the Power User Federation arrived. Paige had already made arrangements with Irving Thorne. He had stationed people on the perimeter and would be monitoring the situation personally. If things took a turn and force was necessary, they would coordinate with Paige on the inside to take down their opponents.

In his words, ”At this point, we’ll just have to destroy as much as we can.”

Paige wasn’t so pessimistic.

Or perhaps it was just that she was quite confident in her acting skills.

Still, she had to take the necessary precautions.

”I’m heading out,” she said to Levi Young, having finished her preparations. ”You remember everything I told you?”

He grumbled unhappily, ”It’s just about Ben, right? Don’t worry. I’ll hide him well. I won’t let anything happen to him, even if something happens to me! Besides, can’t you just listen to me this once and not go?!”

Paige shot him a glare. ”Nothing can happen to you, either! And no, I can’t!”

Levi Young was about to grab her arm to persuade her further when Paige suddenly stopped short, holding a hand up as if listening. A moment later, her brow furrowed. ”Someone’s coming. A lot of them. Get inside. Go to Ben’s room! If they make a move, you get Ben out of here, just like we planned. Got it?”

Levi Young bit his lower lip so hard it nearly bled, but he did as she said.

Paige listened again. They were definitely heading for this house.

They were almost at the door.

She took a deep breath and opened the door.

She could only see two people walking toward her, but she knew that at the same time, the yard was surrounded by at least a dozen more.

Thankfully, Sean Raines had been extra thorough because of Ben. He had specifically built a tunnel in Ben’s room. It wasn’t very long, but it was enough to escape the encirclement.

”Who are you? Why are you trespassing?” she demanded, her expression stern.

The older of the two men smiled at her. ”Captain Summers, don’t worry. We mean no harm. We just have a few things we’d like to say, but we were worried you might not be receptive... It’s not very convenient out here. Why don’t we go inside and chat?”

’This attitude... is very strange,’ Paige thought, growing suspicious. Still, she couldn’t sense any intention to attack.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she said, ”Fine. Come in.”

The three of them sat in the living room. Paige stared at the unhurried pair across from her, growing more confused. ’They have something to say, but they’re just sitting there in silence? What’s that supposed to mean?!’

”What did you want to say?”

The two men exchanged a look that seemed tinged with resignation. Finally, the one who had spoken earlier said, ”It’s like this. We heard you’re investigating the Power User Federation, so we came to deliver a message. The people behind it are not to be trifled with. It would be best if you backed off.”

Hearing this, Paige actually felt relieved. ’So this isn’t about Andy.’

”Is that a threat?”

”No, no!” the man said hurriedly. ”That’s not what we mean. It’s just... it really is dangerous. As powerful as you are, you can’t shake them.” Seeing that Paige remained unmoved, he added, ”Let me be blunt. The people involved are at this rank.” He crossed his index fingers to form a plus sign, the character for ”ten.” ”And there’s more than one. You should reconsider!”

’More than one...’ Paige lowered her gaze.

If he was telling the truth, that meant besides the one from the Dudley Family, there was at least one other mastermind.

No.

She immediately rejected her own thought.

’If it were only two, he wouldn’t have phrased it that way. The way he said it... must mean there are more than two of these heavyweights!’

She drew a sharp breath.

Superpower Users above the Eighth Rank were already rare in Central City, let alone Tenth Rank ones... they were exceedingly so. By her estimate, you could count them on two hands, and she had somehow managed to target a good portion of them at once.

It was all very strange.

The Lowell Family had never been ostentatious, and in terms of power, they were several rungs below the top tier. How could they have provoked so many powerful enemies?

Though she was shocked and worried, she contemplated this for a long moment before slowly standing up. ”I appreciate your kind intentions. I know what I need to do. I have other business to attend to, so I won’t keep you.”

The two men across from her exchanged another look but didn’t get up. They clearly understood that she had no intention of backing down.

One side was trying to show them the door, while the other refused to leave.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Just as they reached a stalemate, the sound of deliberately heavy footsteps came from outside the door. A flash of delight appeared in the eyes of the two men on the sofa as they shot to their feet. Paige, however, felt her expression freeze.