Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Paige Summers had to admit, the man’s bluntness surprised her.

Plenty of people had taken a fancy to Marcus Monroe. In Jovitas alone, the men and women eager to throw themselves at him were probably enough to let him play the groom every night.

But for someone to say it so openly in front of both of them... that was a first!

Paige Summers suddenly chuckled.

”You have good taste, I’ll give you that. But unfortunately, he’s already mine!” ’Want to steal him from me? You’ll have to get my permission first. You can’t just run rampant because you’re a Cultivator!’

The man’s gaze shifted to her. After scrutinizing her for a moment, he let out a curious ”Oh?”

The next moment, he closed the distance, arriving before the four of them amidst a fragrance of peach blossoms.

Paige Summers didn’t dodge. She could sense the man had no intention of attacking them. This, in turn, only piqued her curiosity. ’What is he trying to do?’

Rhonda Rhodes, however, moved to block the man’s path.

”Don’t you get any ideas about them.” ’The Carmine Sect is notorious for its essence-draining techniques and has countless ways to rob a person of their senses. While he himself wouldn’t fall into the trap, and Ben would be fine, the same couldn’t be said for the two behind him.’ ’The whole reason he was helping Paige Summers was to repay a debt; he couldn’t very well let her come to harm on his watch before he’d even managed to help.’

That was why, knowing he was likely no match for the man, he had still stepped forward.

The man snorted, visibly impatient with him. With a wave of his long, wide sleeves, he instantly attacked!

This was the first time Paige Summers and the others had seen Rhonda Rhodes truly in action.

The reality... was far from what they had imagined.

There was none of the magnificent spectacle one might imagine from a battle between Cultivators.

They waved their hands back and forth, attacking and defending. Besides the extreme grace of their movements, the fight looked even less spectacular than one between Superpower Users... But Paige Summers could still sense a powerful force surging between them.

Then, she noticed that Rhonda Rhodes was losing.

She frowned, discreetly glancing over at Ben and making a subtle up-and-down motion with her hand.

Ben paused for a moment in understanding, then nodded. A moment later, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble slightly.

Paige Summers immediately cried out, ”The ground’s shaking! Is this place going to collapse?!”

Marcus Monroe played along, swaying his body a couple of times, but the glance he shot Ben was pensive. ’For a Zombie, he’s a bit too smart...’

The man had created this peach grove himself, so he naturally saw through such a petty trick in an instant.

Nevertheless, he stopped his assault, choosing not to press his attack against Rhonda Rhodes.

This further confirmed for Paige Summers that the man had no killing intent.

The man stood several meters away, watching Paige Summers with a smirk. ”Seeing as you’re a clever girl, I’ll give you a chance. Tell me, who stole the Voidspawn Worm and gave it to you?”

A thought struck Paige Summers. ”Could it be that you’re the one who raised this Voidspawn Worm?”

”Of course.” The man lifted his chin, saying disdainfully, ”The Spiritual Energy in a place like this is pitifully scarce. How could there possibly be a wild one? I painstakingly raised it to use in a medicine, only for some son of a bitch to steal it while I was away!”

”A son of a bitch indeed!” Paige Summers agreed, her eyes shifting thoughtfully. ”That son of a bitch not only stole your worm, but he also brewed it into some random medicine and forced me to drink it. It’s what turned me into... this!”

The man faltered, pausing for a moment before speaking. ”So that’s what happened...” He frowned, then after a long moment, added, ”You, come here. Let me take a look.”

Rhonda Rhodes opened his mouth to object, but Marcus Monroe caught his arm. He turned to meet Marcus’s gaze, and his open mouth snapped shut. In the end, he said nothing more.

By then, Paige Summers had already walked up to the man and extended her wrist.

Seeing her frank and trusting demeanor—so unlike one who questioned him—a flicker of pleasure showed in the man’s eyes. He shot a mocking glance at Rhonda Rhodes before finally placing his fingers on Paige Summers’s wrist.

After a long moment, he withdrew his hand.

”Do you wish to be restored to your original self?”

”Of course!” Paige Summers said. ”You have a solution?”

The man’s face was full of smug satisfaction. ”I raised the worm, so of course I have a solution. However, my help comes at a price.”

”Name it.”

”First, tell me who stole the worm.”

”I didn’t see it myself, so this is just a guess, but their names were Silas Dudley and Seth Walsh. However, they’re both already dead.”

The man spat, ”Dead?! They got off easy!” Then, a look of doubt crossed his face. ”You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Paige Summers laughed. ”They lived in Central City and were rare Tenth Rank Superpower Users. They probably stole the Voidspawn Worm to research some kind of rejuvenation medicine in a private laboratory. If you don’t believe me, you can go check for yourself.”

Her gaze was sincere. The man stared for a moment before nodding slowly. ”So they were Tenth Rank Superpower Users. I suppose they had some ability, then. No wonder they managed to steal my worm.”

In other words, he believed her.

Paige Summers smiled and said nothing more.

Marcus Monroe, who had moved to stand behind her at some point, interjected, ”What’s the price for your help?”

The man looked him over. ”And what if I said the price was you?”

Marcus Monroe smiled faintly. ”I belong to her. Even if I stayed, it wouldn’t be of my own free will, so what would be the point? Besides, while I think highly of myself, I must admit there are plenty of other men in the world just as good as I am...” ’If all he wanted was just *a man*, this would be much simpler.’

The man’s gaze swept over the pair, not missing the look of perfect understanding that passed between them. He felt a pang of frustration.

’It’s so hard to find a man I like, and of course he’s already taken. How dull.’

Just as he was stewing in his frustration, he caught sight of a certain someone staring at him warily out of the corner of his eye. A smile suddenly bloomed on his face.

”Very well. I’m not one to break up a happy couple, so I’ll just make do with him!” As he spoke, he pointed a finger at Rhonda Rhodes.

Paige Summers and Marcus Monroe followed his finger with their eyes, both of them freezing in surprise.

As much as she wanted to return to normal, Paige Summers would never push someone—especially an acquaintance—into the line of fire. Besides, Rhonda Rhodes’s revulsion toward the man was painfully obvious.

She immediately shook her head. ”Then never mind.”

But Marcus Monroe asked, ”Could you elaborate on the terms of his stay?”

The man raised an eyebrow, but his gaze was fixed not on Marcus Monroe, but on Rhonda Rhodes. ”The one who stays will, of course, have to be with me day and night. He’ll have to do whatever I tell him to. If he dares to show the slightest defiance... I’m sure he has no desire to experience the essence-draining techniques of The Carmine Sect!” As he spoke, his face was overflowing with malice, leaving no one in any doubt that if Rhonda Rhodes were to stay, he would not be treated well.

Paige Summers’s face twitched.

’So it really is about essence-draining... She’d thought that sort of ”miraculous” practice—draining yin to nourish yang, draining yang to nourish yin, and all that—could only happen between men and women. She never expected it could happen between two men. And clearly, the man before them was only interested in men.’

’That made it even more impossible for her to agree.’

She was just about to speak when Marcus Monroe cleared his throat and cut in. ”For this sort of arrangement, you should naturally pick the most powerful candidate. I wonder if you’ve seen the leader we have up there? He would be the most suitable.” He was, without a doubt, talking about Leo Joyce!

Paige Summers’s eyes went wide. She nearly burst out laughing.

’This was the absolute epitome of ”better you than me”!’