Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Marcus Monroe naturally knew more about the Lowell and Dudley Families than Paige Summers did. But he wasn’t omniscient. For example, he still hadn’t figured out why that old vampire from the Dudley Family was targeting the Lowells.

”The Lowell Family had some standing, but they were far outclassed by the Dudleys. Even if they had gotten in the Dudley Family’s way, there were plenty of ways to suppress them. There was no need to try and wipe them out completely...”

Having calmed down, the two of them snuggled together, leaning against the headboard to plan their next steps.

Since Paige Summers wouldn’t give up on taking action, Marcus Monroe naturally couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Besides, he never planned on letting the Dudley Family get away with it in the first place! It was just that his original idea—to keep her out of this mess—had to be abandoned.

Paige Summers rested her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, but her mind was racing. ”It wasn’t just about wiping them out. Their methods were designed to make the Lowells die in terror and confusion! They only gave up after the Mercer Family intervened.”

”Mmm. Zachary Mercer probably guessed some of it. He helped the Lowell Family while going along with Blake Morrison’s wishes, but it was also a way to show the Dudley Family that he didn’t approve of their methods!”

”Does Zachary Mercer... also know about that old scumbag from the Dudley Family and his... bloodsucking?” Paige Summers asked slowly.

Marcus Monroe’s lips curved into a mocking smile. ”How could he not? It’s not just him. The Clan Leaders of the major Noble Houses probably all know. People go missing in the city every so often. Even if they weren’t sure at first, they’d naturally investigate and find out over time. Don’t underestimate the power of the Noble Houses!”

Paige Summers flipped over and knelt on the bed, staring at Marcus Monroe in disbelief. ”They know, and they just let him do it?!”

Seeing her eyes wide with incredulity, Marcus couldn’t help but reach out and pinch her cheek, his tone both doting and helpless. ”After the apocalypse, people’s moral bottoms have been dropping lower and lower. What’s a little bloodsucking? There are far worse things out there! That superpower experiment Gryphon Lowell ran in Norgate, using people as test subjects—you think that doesn’t happen in Central City? The difference is, no one else would be as brazen about it, nor would the numbers be so high. At least, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to let ordinary people notice something was wrong!”

He pulled her into his arms again, sighed, and looked out the window.

In truth, there were many other things like this.

He just had never wanted to tell Paige Summers.

In Jovitas’s ”service” districts, beautiful young men and women were carried out and buried every few days. For some Superpower Users, the way to relieve stress was to torture those weaker than themselves.

It wasn’t just in Jovitas; some scions of the Noble Houses would also hold similar ”banquets” from time to time.

In their eyes, a human life was worth less than a pet Mutant cat or dog!

Fundamentally, they were no different from Old Devil Doyle.

Outside, the sky was beginning to lighten.

But the haze had not dispersed; everything was shrouded in a dreary gray.

”The apocalypse has gone on for so many years that everyone has had to learn to look out for themselves. The truly selfless people are all long dead. Anyone who can carve out a place in Central City’s complex web of power understands this. The Clan Leaders of the Noble Houses, the high-ranking officials in The Government and the military—they may not like what Old Devil Doyle does, but they have no choice but to look the other way. Trying to destroy a Tenth Rank Superpower User is no easy feat. It would likely cost the lives of many High-level Superpower Users, and that’s a loss they can’t afford.”

”What’s more, the threat outside the city is ever-present. For the last two years, the Mutant Beasts have been in a dormant period, but one can imagine that when they enter their active period, they’ll be even stronger. A Beast Tide could come at any time... When that happens, the value of a Tenth Rank Superpower User will far outweigh the value of the people he’s destroyed.”

Paige Summers bit her lip hard, her chest heaving. ”No matter how powerful one person is, he’s still just one person! Are they really expecting him to save an entire city all by himself? Sacrificing the blood of so many Superpower Users just to sustain him... The people who cover for him are fostering a twisted social structure! They’re telling every Superpower User that if they can reach the Tenth Rank, they can do whatever they want in this city!”

Marcus Monroe gave a strange smile. ”You think that’s not the case already? Why do you think The Government and the military are so tolerant of us, even to the point of abandoning Sheldon Reid? Keep in mind, many of them were mentored by Owen Reid back in the day. And why is Jean Shields trying to push Bloodfall to become the leader among the Hunting Parties? Why is Jovitas able to control the Black Market and sell information so freely? If we were just low-level superpower users, do you think we’d still receive such preferential treatment?”

He shook his head. ”Maybe not ’do whatever they want,’ but they definitely get the highest degree of immunity. The higher the rank, the harder it is for a Superpower User to advance. The city has more and more Seventh Rank Superpower Users now, but the number drops sharply at the Eighth Rank, and there are even fewer at the Ninth Rank. As for the Tenth Rank, as far as I know, there are no more than ten in the entire city. The Noble Houses pour countless Crystal Cores into this every year, but High-level Superpower Users above the Seventh Rank aren’t so easy to come by.”

Paige Summers was silent for a long time before she asked, ”Before, one of your men told me that besides that old scumbag from the Dudley Family, there are other Tenth Rank Superpower Users in his faction...”

”Mmm. Among the Tenth Rank Superpower Users, only Silas Dudley is high-profile; the others keep their identities hidden. But judging from the actions of various parties, the Walsh and Carter Families, who took over parts of the Lowell Family’s influence, probably each have one. They should be on Silas Dudley’s side. Additionally, the Chandler Family has one, most likely Commander Chandler’s older brother. Jean Shields should have one backing her as well, but he’s always been very low-key and has no family, so I don’t know what his relationship with her is. As for the others, they probably don’t have family backing. No one knows their origins except for Consul Eustace.”

Paige Summers immediately understood. ”They’re sponsored by The Government?”

”You could say that. The whole point of Central City implementing Credit Points as its currency was to collect more Crystal Cores. A huge portion of them are used to support those few individuals.”

Paige Summers nodded.

’In other words, if she wanted to kill Silas Dudley, the Walsh and Carter Families would be bound to interfere.’

’Three Tenth Rank Superpower Users, plus a number of other Superpower Users at the Seventh Rank or higher...’

’With odds like that, it was no wonder Marcus Monroe had tried to stop her.’

Marcus Monroe knew what she was thinking and raised an eyebrow. ”Now you see why I didn’t want you to go? You, Irving Thorne, and your handful of people would just be serving yourselves up on a platter for those old devils!”

Paige Summers thought for a long while before a startling idea popped into her head.

She rolled over again to face Marcus Monroe, her eyes burning. ”Not necessarily. I might not be a match for the other two, but when it comes to Silas Dudley, I actually have some confidence...” She paused briefly before adding, ”But now that we know so much of the inside story, I think we can play this game on a much bigger board!”