Chapter 289: Chapter 196: Clingy
It was true Paige Summers didn’t need a shield to stand in front of her. But she wasn’t some invincible heroine; when faced with an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, she had her limits, too.
What she needed was a partner—someone she had a tacit understanding with, someone she could trust implicitly, someone to watch her back.
And out of everyone, the one she trusted most, the one she felt most comfortable relying on, was none other than Marcus Monroe.
Perhaps it was because she had met him so early on, and they had watched each other grow step by step. Or perhaps it was because they had been through so much together. Through it all, Paige had come to believe he was someone she could place her utmost trust in.
And she could tell it wasn’t just her; Marcus felt the same way.
That was why they had ended up together.
’What? You’re saying this is just trust, not love?’
’Don’t be ridiculous!’
’This is the apocalypse, you know?’
’If trusting a person this completely doesn’t count as loving them, then what does?’
’Shelter from the storm? A life free from want? Or are those things too mundane? Does it have to be something grander, like living and dying for her?’
’Like what Zephyr Mercer said? That with a single word from her, he would take on Sheldon Reid, no matter the cost?’
As for the former, Paige thought that was basically the recipe for raising a useless person, just like her past self. As for the latter... well, regarding Zephyr Mercer’s words, Paige certainly believed he was sincere. However, she figured that before he could even dare to do something so rash, his father, Patriarch Mercer, would lock him in a dark room until he came to his senses.
But she would never say any of this to Zephyr Mercer.
There was no need.
It was her private business, wasn’t it?
She had already been more than generous by explaining as much as she did. If he stubbornly refused to see reason and took things to an extreme over a simple crush, then all she could say was, he’d be digging his own grave.
And don’t call her heartless.
So much harm, so often, was done in the name of love.
Right now, when did she have the time to fret over such things?
After all, she was just a member of a wandering Hunting Party.
There were far too many other things waiting for her to do.
They didn’t stay at Rhonda Rhodes’s place for long before leaving.
She took Ben and Sweetie, and along with Sean Raines—who had just been interrogated by Rhonda Rhodes and finally cleared of being an Evil Cultivator with an organized plot for Corpse Refining—the group returned to the hotel.
Sean Raines gloomily retreated to his room. He needed some quiet time alone to soothe the "trauma" of his unjust treatment.
Paige had just stepped into her room when Vincent Vaughn arrived with news.
"The supplies were distributed ahead of schedule?"
Vincent Vaughn nodded. "Everyone was clamoring for them, and May Joyce couldn’t control the situation. In the end, she had no choice but to hand them out."
A smile touched Paige’s eyes. ’Just as I expected,’ she thought.
The reason she had taken the time to drop the supplies in May Joyce’s room right after returning to the hotel was, on the surface, because she was heading out and didn’t want to delay the pickup. In reality, this was the exact outcome she had been hoping for.
"So, have the people she contacted arrived?"
"It’s not that fast. Even though they have a contact point in Southreach, Space Ability Users aren’t a dime a dozen! They said it will be another two days."
’Another two days, huh? Hmm, that makes sense. Driving from Southreach to here, given the current road conditions, two days is already pushing it. Well then, I’ll just have to get more done in these two days,’ she thought.
She looked up. "You came... but it wasn’t just to tell me this, was it?"
Vincent Vaughn smiled sheepishly. "Actually, I think you’ve already guessed, Vice-Captain. I want to join Bloodfall. I’m making this request in all seriousness, and no matter what kind of test you have, I’ll..."
Before he could even get the word "accept" out, he heard a refreshingly direct reply.
"You’re in."
"Huh?"
Paige’s lips curled into a smile. "What? Are you surprised that I agreed?"
"Yeah... uh, no, no! I mean, I’m extremely sincere, so..."
"Mm, I know. Why else would I have taken you to the warehouse? Bloodfall values strength, but we also value character—you can tell just by looking at the other members. So, once you join, just maintain the same reliability and drive you have now."
Vincent Vaughn let out a huge sigh of relief and broke into a brilliant smile. "Yes, ma’am!"
Paige continued, "But there is still a test."
Vincent’s smile immediately vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "Understood."
Paige waved her hand dismissively. "Relax, it’s not difficult. I expect my door will be getting a lot of knocks soon. It’ll probably be members from May Joyce’s group coming to trade for Crystal Cores, and you’ll be in charge of handling them. Pay attention to two things. First, price all the goods at market value—not higher, not lower. You should be familiar with the rates. Second..."
She casually took out a list and handed it to him. "If any of the members on this list show up, you should tell them your reasons for wanting to join Bloodfall. Preferably in a way that might persuade them. You understand what I mean, right?"
Vincent Vaughn stifled a laugh. "Vice-Captain, you’re being far too subtle. You just want me to poach them for our team, don’t you?"
"Shh..." Paige put on a show of making a hushing gesture. "Don’t make it sound like I’m stealing people. As the saying goes, a wise bird chooses a good tree to nest in. I’m merely providing them with a better option."
"I get it! You can leave it to me!" Vincent Vaughn puffed out his chest. This was a perfect opportunity to prove himself, and he definitely wasn’t going to miss it.
"Very good." Paige took out a bag of Crystal Cores and tossed it on the table. "This should be enough. I have something else to do, so I’m heading out. The room is yours for now."
With that, Paige waved and headed out the door to find Claire Chapman and discuss their trip to Southreach.
She had wanted to set off as soon as possible, but Claire Chapman thought it would be better to travel with May Joyce. With her around, things would be much more convenient for them. Besides, Bloodfall was entirely responsible for saving May’s life. Even if they didn’t need a reward, they had to make sure Leo Joyce knew about it and remembered the favor he owed them.
Paige felt he had a point.
Since they had decided to take over The Foundry, it was necessary to get on good terms with Leo Joyce.
Otherwise, if he had a sudden whim and decided to cause trouble for them, it would be a major headache.
She agreed, and the matter was settled.
「Two days later.」 The people Leo Joyce had sent to escort May Joyce finally arrived, looking travel-worn. There were twelve of them in total, including one Space Ability User.
They were very polite to May Joyce, but that was as far as it went.
Paige didn’t know if May herself noticed, but as an observer, she could clearly see that their itinerary and all their actions had been arranged in advance, leaving May with no room to voice an opinion.
Perhaps she was already used to it.
When facing Claire Chapman and her, however, the men’s attitudes were much warmer. They sincerely welcomed Bloodfall’s decision to travel with them to Southreach.
The group set off on the road without delay.
The members of the Hunting Party that May Joyce had organized came along as well. As Paige had suspected, the team was her own private project. But now that things had come to this, Leo Joyce would certainly want to meet them.
Over the past two days, Vincent Vaughn had performed well on his test.
First, not only had he traded for a good amount of supplies, but he had also used fewer Crystal Cores than Paige had anticipated, all without causing any dissatisfaction. Second, of the more than thirty people on the list, half were eager to join Bloodfall. The other half were hesitant, hoping to decide after they returned to Southreach. According to Vincent, a few of those members still had family in the city.
Paige expressed her understanding and commended Vincent Vaughn on his competence.
The journey to Southreach was peaceful and smooth. Although the road conditions were poor, there were no Zombies, and they encountered very few Mutant Beasts or plants, all of which were weak.
This was only natural.
Every large settlement made it a priority to clear its immediate surroundings, especially the roads leading to other settlements.
Since there was no need to fight, the two-day journey didn’t feel long to most people. They could simply sleep much of it away.
But for May Joyce, two days felt especially short.
She knew Claire Chapman wouldn’t be staying in Southreach for long, and the thought that they might never see each other again put her in a terrible mood. Because of this, she seized every second she could to spend time with him.
For example, for the first time, she defied the orders of Leo Joyce’s men to ride in her own car, insisting instead on riding in Claire Chapman’s vehicle.
Claire Chapman was visibly awkward but couldn’t bring himself to refuse her.
Leo Joyce’s men gritted their teeth but ultimately had to accept it, driving their own vehicle behind Claire’s.
It was almost certain they were complaining in private.
Even Paige couldn’t help but roll her eyes dramatically when she returned to the car.
’If I didn’t know what Claire was really thinking, I’d assume those two were madly in love,’ she thought. ’They’re just so... clingy.’
In any case, whether it felt fast or slow, two days passed.
On the evening of the second day, they arrived at Southreach.
Outside Southreach stood a high wall, just like Central City, though not quite as tall. A dense metal mesh had been stretched across the top of it.
According to Lennie, who was more familiar with the area, this was Southreach’s unique Energy Net, invented just a few years ago. It functioned like a high-voltage electric fence and was highly effective against both ill-intentioned people and Mutant Beasts. Its effectiveness against Zombies was unknown, as the surrounding area had been completely cleared of them; you couldn’t find a single one nearby.
Paige was initially quite interested in it, thinking she might find a chance to take a look. But Lennie added that because the system could convert high amounts of power for extended periods, the equipment was especially precious. Ever since it was installed, Leo Joyce had it heavily guarded. Forget about ordinary people; even someone with May Joyce’s status probably couldn’t get near it without Leo’s personal approval.
The moment Paige heard that, she immediately lost interest.
However, it did give her an idea.
’When I have time, I can research it myself,’ she mused. ’I’m pretty confident in my abilities in this area. Producing something similar is just a matter of time. It would be great to use on the perimeter of our own base.’
After undergoing physical screenings and filling out personal information forms, everyone entered the city without a hitch.
May Joyce only needed to go through the physical screening, so she waited for them just inside the city gate after she was done.
Now that she was back in the city, she naturally had to return to the City Lord’s residence to see Leo Joyce.
This time, she didn’t dare to act willfully.
She could only cast one last look at Claire Chapman, say something along the lines of, "Don’t forget me," and depart, seemingly on the verge of tears.
Claire Chapman hung his head as he got into the car, not daring to look at Paige’s reaction at all.
’Sigh, I’ve done so many embarrassing things on this trip!’
