Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Paige Summers couldn’t find Sweetie anywhere, so she hurried to Bloodfall Base with Ben.

They had notified the surrounding bases, and their team members gradually caught up to regroup with them.

She’d heard that the situation in Southreach was now dire.

Although the Vortex hadn’t grown any larger, it hadn’t moved outside of Southreach as everyone had hoped. Instead, it continued to rampage within the city. Because its trajectory was completely unpredictable, the city’s residents were in a panic. They were all afraid that the homes they had worked so hard to build would be the next to be engulfed.

But their lives were clearly more important than their homes.

They felt Southreach was no longer safe!

Many began to think about leaving.

This wasn’t just true for ordinary people; Superpower Users felt the same way.

The Power Corps was holding up relatively well. Although its members were anxious, the Vortex wasn’t an immediately fatal disaster, so it wasn’t enough to make them consider deserting.

But the members of the Hunting Parties, including the low-level superpower users who originally worked in the city, truly could not stay any longer. Many had already packed their belongings, preparing to flee to other bases.

This situation was a major headache for Maisie Joyce.

But worrying about it was useless. Keith Preston wanted to impose controls and forbid people from leaving the base as they pleased.

However, brute force would only stir up more unrest. Maisie Joyce knew this well, so after discussing it with Colin Koenig, she quickly summoned several Hunting Party captains to negotiate. She promised that if they helped The Power Corps salvage residents’ property and calm the public, The Government would reward them with Crystal Cores.

Some of the captains agreed.

After all, this was their home too, and some of them still had family in the city.

However, other captains refused to go along with it. For one, they felt the Vortex was too dangerous and didn’t want to gamble with their lives. ’Who knows when it might expand again? Or what if it just stays here forever? What future does Southreach have?’ For another, they were very interested in Concordia, the city established by Bloodfall. It was currently in the early stages of construction; if they went over now, they might be able to secure a better position.

They prepared to leave.

Maisie Joyce didn’t give these people a hard time, but she didn’t see them off with a smile, either.

Her attitude showed the poise of a major base—you’re free to go, I won’t force you to stay—but it also revealed her cold contempt for the Superpower Users who were abandoning it. They could leave now, certainly, but if they ever wanted to come back, it wouldn’t be so easy!

In the end, those who wanted to leave, left.

Taking advantage of their departure, a number of ordinary people who had been under the protection of these Superpower Users also left.

On the day they left, Maisie Joyce stood not far from the Vortex, her icy gaze fixed in the direction of the city gate.

Meanwhile, before Paige Summers could reach Bloodfall, she ran into Marcus Monroe and Sean Raines, who were on their way to Southreach, along with members of Bloodfall.

And... to her surprise, Zephyr Mercer.

Apparently, he and dozens of young members from the Mercer and Lowell families had arrived at the base two days prior.

Although Bloodfall United City had been officially registered with Central City, the Lowell and Mercer families were still uneasy, so they had sent him specifically to assess the situation and lend a hand.

Speaking of which, the Clan Leaders of both families were quite pleased about the establishment of Concordia.

The Mercer and Lowell families were clearly in the same boat now. Paige Summers had never forgotten the Mercer Family’s help back in Central City. When she had sent Ian Hughes to Central City, she had included gifts for both families—food and weapons—ensuring the Mercer Family’s share was no less than what she sent to the Lowells.

Zachary Mercer had always been a shrewd man.

Seeing how successfully Paige Summers was establishing herself in the south, he was all the more eager to strengthen their ties.

After all, this was a way of securing a fallback plan for the future of the Mercer Family’s descendants.

The Mercer Family was prosperous now, but who could predict the future? Twenty years ago, no one had thought the apocalypse would actually happen, right?

So, the old saying was absolutely right: more friends means more paths.

And if you were serious about maintaining a relationship, you had to show it with actions.

The Lowell Family was currently in Central City. And although they had their connection to the Mercer Family, the Old Master of the Lowell Family strictly ordered his remaining descendants to keep a low profile, so they almost never bothered the Mercers for assistance.

That left only Paige Summers in the south.

He naturally figured that establishing Concordia would require manpower at the start, and might even face resistance. So, he took the initiative and proposed to the Old Master of the Lowell Family that he intended to send people to provide some backup.

The idea was exactly what the Old Master of the Lowell Family wanted to hear. He seized the opportunity to select a few of his own clan’s young members to send over, to help protect his own kid.