Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Chapter 342

After weighing his options, Claire Chapman ultimately decided not to rush back to Bloodfall Base. Instead, he simply sent a messenger with a letter. It explained that he would depart immediately after the authorization ceremony.

His original agreement with Maisie Joyce was to help her truly secure the position of City Lord.

If he were to break his promise at such a critical moment, it would be going too far.

Besides, Ben and Mason Hayes were at the base. They would definitely protect Paige Summers well. Although Shawn Monroe was dangerous, he might not actually dare to do anything.

He reasoned with himself.

Unlike him, Marcus Monroe, upon receiving the letter, immediately arranged for his subordinates to take over command. He then took a small team and drove back to the base. Just the thought of Shawn Monroe shamelessly living at the base, and Paige Summers having to entertain him, made Marcus’s blood boil.

He even wished Paige wouldn’t be so rational. He hoped she’d hold a grudge and take this opportunity to teach Shawn Monroe a harsh lesson. It wouldn’t even matter if she killed him; he could handle any consequences!

But he knew Paige wouldn’t.

He knew her too well.

Paige indeed had no such plans. Shawn Monroe was essentially an envoy. Killing him would inevitably create friction with the Central City Government, so why bother?

Besides, although she disliked Shawn Monroe, he was currently showing great friendliness. He wasn’t necessarily someone she couldn’t cooperate with.

She didn’t actually like killing people unless it was absolutely necessary.

For the past few days, Shawn Monroe had been on his best behavior at the base.

Although his soldiers acted like they wanted to befriend the base members, they didn’t ask any inappropriate questions. Instead, they shared a lot of information about Central City.

This included Shawn Monroe himself. Although he had invited Paige Summers for a chat several times, he didn’t seem overly disappointed when she refused, just faintly regretful.

The overall harmonious atmosphere was beyond Paige’s expectations.

She had to admit, if she weren’t so familiar with Shawn Monroe’s face, she would have thought he was a completely different person based on his conduct alone. ’Could it be that he played the part of Seth Howell for so long that his personality underwent such a drastic change?!’

Speaking of the name Seth Howell, she wasn’t without her doubts. On one occasion, she tentatively asked Shawn Monroe why he had reverted to his original appearance...

She thought he would brush her off or refuse to answer, but to her surprise, he was very forthright.

”I confessed to Kiera Walsh.”

Paige raised an eyebrow. ”You confessed voluntarily?”

Shawn Monroe rubbed his nose as if embarrassed and smiled. ”Well, not entirely. You probably don’t know, but when I had my appearance changed to look like Seth Howell, it wasn’t through surgery. I found a Superpower User on the Black Market. His superpower, combined with a medicine, could completely alter a person’s appearance. You’ve witnessed that yourself.”

Paige nodded. When he stood before her as Seth Howell back then, he had indeed been flawless.

”But that Superpower User lied to me. He said the change was permanent, and I had truly prepared to live the rest of my life as Seth Howell... But I was severely injured in Norgate and was in a coma for a long time. During that period, for some unknown reason, his superpower started to wear off.”

”But I was so thin back then that it wasn’t noticeable. After I woke up, I realized the truth would come out sooner or later. I thought about it and decided it was better to be myself. So, I confessed to General Walsh.”

Paige’s mouth twitched. ’So this is what happens when you go to an unlicensed plastic surgeon...’

”And Kiera Walsh just accepted it?”

Shawn Monroe laughed. ”How could he? He almost killed me. However, his wife accepted it. She offered to adopt me as her godson.”

Paige understood in a flash.

’For Mrs. Walsh, having her husband’s supposed illegitimate son right in front of her must have been a thorn in her side. I heard she and Kiera Walsh have always had a good relationship, which would make accepting the situation even harder. On the contrary, she was probably thrilled to have the past overturned, with Shawn Monroe turning out to have no blood relation to Kiera Walsh.’

’As for adopting him as a godson...’

’On one hand, she saved Shawn Monroe’s life in this situation, so he would naturally be grateful to her. If he’s smart, given her status as the general’s wife, he might even treat her like his real mother, and she’d have gained a son for free. On the other hand, whenever Kiera Walsh saw Shawn Monroe, he would either let go of his grudges for the sake of their past relationship or stubbornly resist, hating that he was deceived and despising the sight of him. But either way, if the real Seth Howell were to show up one day, Kiera Walsh wouldn’t likely invest much emotion in him anymore...’

’No matter what, Mrs. Walsh couldn’t lose.’

Having figured out the key to all this, Paige couldn’t help but marvel at the woman’s shrewdness.

Seeing her understanding, Shawn Monroe’s smile widened. He added, ”Later, Kiera Walsh acknowledged me too. I naturally went along with it and ended up with the position of regiment commander.”

Paige smiled.

’It seems Kiera Walsh chose the former.’

She couldn’t help but tease, ”Congratulations. With that kind of backing, a promotion and a fortune are just around the corner.”

Hearing this, Shawn Monroe’s smile slowly faded. After a long moment, he said faintly, ”Right now, I just want to move forward, one steady step at a time.”

As he spoke, he stopped walking and looked at Paige seriously.

”I’m someone who’s walked the line between life and death. While I was recovering, I thought a lot of things through. I used to think I was living freely, but in reality, I was just radical. I was so stupid back then. I thought the world should revolve around me, that I should be the City Lord of The Dead City, standing in a position to look down on everyone else. But when I was lying in bed, without even the strength to turn over, I finally understood that reality... isn’t like that. I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you in the past. In the future, I hope I’ll have a chance to make it up to you!”

Shawn Monroe’s tone and expression couldn’t have been more serious and sincere. Paige was stunned for a moment before she came back to her senses.

As for his words, she couldn’t say she didn’t believe them—he really did seem vastly different from before. But to say she believed them... she still had her doubts.

In the end, she could only give a dry laugh and say, ”There’s no need to make anything up. Let’s just all live our own lives in peace.”

Shawn Monroe was silent for a moment before saying, ”You’re right.” He understood that she couldn’t just let go of the past in an instant. If he wanted to mend their relationship, it would be a long road.

Since the current Shawn Monroe showed no aggression whatsoever, Paige let her guard down just a little. However, she didn’t reduce any of her necessary precautions; she wouldn’t relax on this matter just because of his attitude. For example, after the base was rebuilt a second time, the residential areas were separated. The eastern residential area where she lived was an absolute no-entry zone for outsiders. This wasn’t just true for her area, but also for the factory and farming districts.

The people assigned to watch Shawn Monroe would not be withdrawn. The semi-finished surveillance equipment was also put to use.

Her feelings weren’t unimportant, but the facts were more important.

Fortunately, Shawn Monroe made no out-of-line moves.

Other than touring the permitted areas, he just chatted with his men in their quarters. There was nothing suspicious.

Until that day came.

It was the sixth day since the letter had been sent to Marcus Monroe. By her calculations, he should be on his way.

The thought of seeing him soon put Paige in a very good mood.

When Marcus was around, she would occasionally find him annoying. He wouldn’t let her do this or that, and from time to time he would brazenly demand to listen to what their son was doing, using it as an excuse to get his hands all over her... Recalling those moments, Paige couldn’t help but blush.

But now that he was gone, her shyness faded, replaced by a growing longing for his good qualities. Even his bossiness had started to seem endearing.

The baby’s movements were becoming truly frequent and strong now. Every time the baby moved around in her belly, she couldn’t help but think, ’If Marcus could feel our little guy being so active, I wonder what kind of silly grin he’d have on his face!’

Lost in thought, she would begin to smile silently.

Her good mood lasted until evening.

Just as she was getting ready for bed, she faintly heard a commotion outside.

She frowned. Feeling uneasy, she got dressed again. She didn’t alert Wendy Lowell and walked alone toward the source of the sound.

The closer she got, the more alarmed she became.

A team member was already running toward her, and he was coming from the direction of Levi Young’s lab!

”Deputy Base Chief, what are you doing here!”

”What’s going on?”

”Well...”

”Tell me the truth!”

The team member gritted his teeth and had no choice but to say, ”They’re saying the experimental subject is missing. Everyone is splitting up to look for her!”

’Nora Lowell... is missing?’

A chill shot through Paige’s heart.

She forced herself to focus and asked, ”Have Captain Hayes and Captain Warren been notified?”

”Yes, Captain Hayes has already rushed over. He’s directing the search.”

”Good. You can go.”

The team member said worriedly, ”You should go back and rest. Captain Hayes said not to disturb you.”

Paige closed her eyes and waved her hand. ”It’s fine. Go do your work.”

Although she said that, the team member didn’t leave, instead standing by her side in a protective stance.

Paige stood her ground, her face grim as she watched more team members run off in various directions.

”Paige!” Shawn Monroe called out as he hurried toward her, his face full of concern. ”Did something happen? All of a sudden, the base is...”

”What are you doing here?” Paige interrupted him, already pulling out her crossbow as she spoke.

However, before she could raise her hand, a wave of weakness washed over her limbs, and she couldn’t even stand steady.

The crossbow clattered to the ground, and her body swayed, on the verge of collapse.

”Deputy Base Chief...”

A call rang out in Paige’s ear, but it was cut off halfway, as if someone had been forcefully choked.

Paige was completely drained of strength, and her mind grew fuzzy.

She was vaguely aware of being caught and leaning against someone.

But before she could struggle to regain consciousness, she blacked out.

A smile playing on his lips, Shawn Monroe scooped her up into his arms. He glanced at the team member on the ground, then turned and left without hesitation.

At that moment, everyone else had been dispatched to search for the missing Nora Lowell, so no one witnessed this scene. A few minutes later, a figure appeared here and walked slowly toward the lab.

A moment later, a weary and worried-looking Paige Summers appeared before the crowd. ”What’s the situation?”