Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

It wasn’t long before Bloodfall United City’s application received a directive from the Central City Government and was officially put on record.

When the news came back, everyone was thrilled.

But at this very moment, Maisie Joyce was feeling exceptionally glum.

A few days prior, she had sent someone to contact Marcus Monroe, hoping to speak with him in person.

But in the end, Marcus Monroe didn’t come. Paige Summers came instead.

At first, she had been happy about this.

She had always felt that Paige Summers was softer-hearted and more willing to compromise than Marcus Monroe. If Paige was the one to handle things, Maisie believed her proposal would have a much better chance of succeeding.

Unexpectedly, reality was a far cry from her imagination.

In some ways, Paige Summers was indeed more approachable than Marcus Monroe.

For instance, when Maisie Joyce was in trouble, if Marcus Monroe had been the one making the decision, he might not have taken her in. But Paige Summers, seeing that they were both women and that Maisie’s situation was both awkward and difficult, had agreed.

But when it came to the future of their base, it was a different story entirely.

Maisie Joyce, Colin Koenig, and the others had it all planned out. Southreach had long been the dominant power in the south, so they unconsciously held themselves in high regard. They believed that if a united city were to be formed, Southreach should, without question, be the main city. No matter how prosperous Bloodfall was, it was still a newcomer. Leaving aside other factors, its scale and population were far inferior to Southreach’s—it simply lacked foundation! Besides, they were all southern bases. Establishing a united city while bypassing Southreach was problematic in itself. ’Does Bloodfall intend to expand its power and directly challenge Southreach?’

With such thoughts in mind, even when they tried to remain calm and composed, their attitude betrayed their feelings.

As Paige Summers listened and watched, she found it all rather amusing.

Given Southreach’s historical status, it was understandable why they would think this way.

Unfortunately, even now, they had failed to grasp the situation clearly.

The incidents with Leo Joyce, the Zombies, and the Southern Front—all of these had greatly weakened Southreach’s strength.

And yet, even in its current state, Southreach still didn’t place enough importance on training low-level superpower users. Lucian had once said that it was incredibly difficult to build a decent Power Corps here.

Why? Too many constraints!

Whether it was food, weapons, or Crystal Cores, every request went through multiple layers of review, and even then, approval wasn’t guaranteed.

If you can’t even provide the basics, how are you supposed to cultivate talent?

That was one thing.

Furthermore, for a base as large as Southreach, they didn’t even have any Ninth Rank Superpower Users, let alone a Tenth Rank one.

It sounded ridiculous, but it was the truth.

Originally, the city had two Tenth Rank Superpower Users and several Ninth Rank ones.

But after Leo Joyce took over, he worried his position was threatened and used certain tactics to drive them all away, leaving only the old man from the Woods Family. Of course, that man had since passed away as well.

He had thought that after so many years, Southreach wouldn’t face another Zombie tide. As for a Beast Tide, the city’s numerous superpower users would be enough—death by a thousand cuts! He believed this would secure his position as City Lord. After all, he himself was an Eighth Rank Superpower User, and with a bit more effort, it wouldn’t be long before he could Promote. With no one else around, he would naturally be the number one person in Southreach...

How could he have ever predicted the twists that followed, or that he himself would suffer such a devastating blow?

And in the end, it was Maisie Joyce who became the City Lord.

Thinking of Leo Joyce, Paige Summers really wanted to shake her head at Maisie Joyce.

To help her, Lucian had subdued Leo Joyce with swift and decisive action, originally intending to eliminate him completely. But Maisie Joyce’s heart had softened... She couldn’t bring herself to kill Leo Joyce. She only crippled his arms and legs, then kept him alive and cared for.

Paige Summers considered this highly improper.

However, it wasn’t her place to interfere.

’In short, to put it bluntly, Southreach is a setting sun while Bloodfall is a rising one. When you compare the two, anyone would know which to choose!’

Yet Maisie Joyce and her people were still putting on airs as a major base. How could she not find that laughable?!

But laughable or not, Paige Summers’s refusal was still quite tactful.

After all, there was her connection with Lucian to consider.

’You don’t have to respect the monk, but you have to respect the Buddha!’

’I’ve really mellowed out since Annie came along!’

Still, she couldn’t let this trip to Southreach be for nothing. In her spare time, she naturally had her team members contact the leaders of some Hunting Parties, never forgetting an opportunity to poach talent.

Naturally, Maisie Joyce and the others were very displeased with her attitude.

Maisie Joyce and Colin Koenig took it better than most; they knew full well that even if the negotiations failed, they couldn’t afford to offend Bloodfall.

All they could do was bide their time and plan.