Chapter 327: Chapter 225: Loss of Emotion (Part 2)
It was a coldness so profound she couldn’t even lie to herself and call it some twisted form of concern.
Deep down, she could feel it clearly—his emotions weren’t fluctuating in the slightest. He was perfectly, utterly calm.
Paige Summers slowly lowered her arm and stared at him for a long moment.
Marcus Monroe didn’t look away. He met her gaze with that same, impossibly detached expression.
Paige Summers clenched her jaw until her teeth ground together.
She knew something was very wrong. He shouldn’t be like this. But in that moment, she also knew this was genuinely how he felt. Anger was all she could feel—or perhaps, it was all she could use to mask her other emotions. It seemed to be the only thing keeping her from completely losing her composure.
"Come on!" A strong arm wrapped around her from behind, pulling her back. "I need to talk to you," Sean Raines said, his voice urgent and serious. "Come with me!"
After resisting his pull for a moment, Paige Summers suddenly went limp. She lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable, and let Sean Raines lead her away.
The two of them walked almost to the mouth of the cave before stopping.
Sean Raines had already sent the guards outside to act as lookouts, and Sweetie had gone with them. So, it was just the two of them here.
Sean Raines let out a long sigh. "Something’s wrong with him. You must’ve noticed. No, it didn’t just start. He’s been off ever since he woke up. I have a theory, and I don’t know if I’m right, but I think it has to do with the Spiritual Attack he took. It’s like... his emotions were wiped away. Devoured. Yeah, that’s it. Anyway, you, uh... don’t take it to heart. I’m sure this isn’t what he really wants."
’Is that it? Maybe... maybe that’s it...’ Paige Summers thought to herself. At this distance, Marcus should have been able to hear them, yet there wasn’t the slightest ripple of emotion from him.
There was no way this wasn’t abnormal.
The same went for his attitude toward her.
But she couldn’t help the despair welling up inside her.
’In the end, I was too late...’
She forced a smile. "I know. It’s okay. At least he’s alive and not seriously injured. That’s the best news we could ask for."
Sean Raines said hesitantly, "Let’s just wait and see. I’m sure he won’t be like this forever."
His attempt at comfort was so obvious. Paige Summers shook her head, trying to cast aside her jumbled thoughts. She patted his shoulder. "I owe you one for this. So... I’ll have to trouble you to think about this too. Is there a cure for this condition, hm?"
Sean Raines’s eyes went wide. "You! Could you be any more shameless?!"
Paige Summers raised an eyebrow, smiling without a word.
Having a friend like him around did a little to ease her anxiety.
Just then, Marcus Monroe walked over. He glanced at them, his eyes devoid of emotion, and asked, "Where is everyone?"
Sean Raines frowned but answered anyway. "Most of them are out looking for Sheldon Reid. A few others are posted as lookouts outside. They’ll be back in a bit."
Marcus Monroe nodded.
"Good. Sheldon Reid... has to die."
He said it calmly, but the words sent a chill down to the bone.
A terrifying thought flashed through Paige Summers’s mind: ’Is this... is this really Marcus Monroe anymore?’
Of course, it was Marcus Monroe.
Sean Raines deliberately brought up past events in their conversation, and Marcus recalled them with ease, showing no signs of unfamiliarity. It was clear he was still the same person on the inside.
This put Paige Summers a little more at ease.
But the man before her was also different from the Marcus she knew.
The old Marcus Monroe would have been more cautious. No matter how much he hated Sheldon Reid, he would have waited for the Orange Team members to return before finalizing a plan, ensuring Sheldon was trapped with no way out.
But now...
Paige Summers and Sean Raines watched the man’s retreating back as he sprinted away after tossing out, "I’ll find him myself." For a moment, neither knew what to say.
Paige Summers sighed. He was already gone. Naturally, she couldn’t just stay here and wait.
Besides, the Orange Team members should be on their way back. They might run into them. Then they could see if the team had found anything.
"Let’s go."
Sean Raines slapped his forehead, clearly getting a headache from all this, but followed after Paige Summers nonetheless.
Marcus Monroe was incredibly fast. He seemed to know exactly where Sheldon Reid was, heading toward the next mountain peak without a moment’s hesitation.
Paige Summers and the others, with Sweetie in tow, followed close behind.
Sure enough, they ran into the Orange Team members along the way. They had already regrouped with the four lookouts and had clearly found something. But Marcus Monroe didn’t give them a chance to speak. He just waved them on, and the whole group pressed forward at a rapid pace.
No one objected as they moved, but the team members couldn’t hide the looks of surprise on their faces.
This meant that Marcus Monroe was heading in the right direction.
Paige Summers, following from the back, didn’t try to get ahead of anyone, so she couldn’t see their faces. But based on their actions, she understood that Marcus likely really did know where Sheldon Reid was.
’But what on earth was going on?’
Paige Summers’s mind was a mess.
However, now was clearly not the time to dwell on it. She did her best to push the questions aside and focus on the battle that was about to begin.
After about an hour of travel, they had crossed the third peak of Mount Silvanus.
Marcus Monroe suddenly signaled for everyone to stop.
In the valley that connected to the fourth mountain, his steps became lighter and slower.
’This must be the place.’
Paige Summers gestured for Sweetie to stay put and not follow any further.
She then moved forward, her hand tightening around her Crossbow.
’Sheldon Reid is still incredibly dangerous right now. Enough time has passed that I can’t be sure if he’s recovered his superpower. Killing him before he can act would be the best-case scenario. But if that’s not possible, if he can use another Spiritual Attack... I absolutely cannot let Marcus endure that again!’
Before she knew it, she had moved past the other Orange Team members and was now at Marcus Monroe’s side.
