Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Chapter 355: Chapter 247: Trouble

But official business... still needed to be done.

For example, she had to return to her team. And she needed to thank Wendy Lowell.

Also, she had to see Blake Morrison.

That kid, Zephyr Mercer, would definitely not think to write to his family. Since he had helped her, she couldn’t just let Blake Morrison and his parents worry like this.

That day, Paige Summers rested quietly for the night.

The next day, she scheduled her tasks one by one.

Now that Levi Young was in the lab, she estimated he wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon. The matter was of great importance, so it was fine to wait a little longer.

She went to find Wendy Lowell first, but unfortunately, she wasn’t there.

After some thought, she went straight to the Lowell Family’s estate.

When she left Central City before, the Old Master had clearly taken her side. It was understandable that she hadn’t been able to visit last time, when she’d been in a rush to save someone, but not paying a visit this time would be inexcusable.

But to her surprise, the Lowell Family’s... main gate was shut tight.

She knocked, but no one answered.

Her heart sank. ’Something’s happened!’

After a moment’s thought, she drove to the Mercer Family’s estate and went straight to Blake Morrison.

"Zephyr Mercer is safe in Southreach, so you don’t need to worry. Do you know what’s going on with the Lowell Family? Their gate is shut tight!"

Blake Morrison raised his eyebrows. Her breathless, rapid-fire way of speaking almost left him out of breath himself. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Don’t panic. Slow down. The Lowell Family ran into some trouble and went to lay low for a while, but your grandfather and your mom are both fine."

Only then did Paige Summers gradually calm down.

She suddenly realized that she wasn’t as indifferent to Wendy Lowell as she had imagined.

Perhaps it was because she was this body’s biological mother, or perhaps it was because her persistent affection had finally moved her.

She let out a breath. "Sorry, I was just so surprised, so..."

Blake Morrison cut her off bluntly. "I know, I know. Of course you’d be worried about your own family! They’re really fine. But it’s a long story. First, you tell me what’s going on with that kid, Finn!"

"Okay. Well, it’s like this..."

She gave a rough summary of how Zephyr Mercer had followed Bloodfall and gotten held up there. However, she omitted the entanglement between the two of them and was vague about Rhonda Rhodes, only saying that he had met a friend with whom he could exchange pointers. The former was unnecessary to mention, and as for the latter... frankly, she felt Zephyr Mercer should be the one to explain it to his family. She’d heard that Ancient Martial Clans were very particular about learning from outsiders or having outsiders learn their skills. Not knowing his family’s rules, it was better not to be presumptuous.

After she finished, Blake Morrison let out a long sigh of relief.

"Alright, as long as I know the kid’s alive and well, that’s enough." He paused, then suddenly gave a cold snort. "When he gets back, I’m going to personally make sure he has a terrible time!" The fact that he’d been tricked by a junior... if he couldn’t get his full measure of payback, he wouldn’t be able to rest in peace even in death!

Paige Summers looked away, feeling a little guilty. In the end, Zephyr Mercer had taken his place on the trip out of the city for her sake. Although she absolutely would not have approved if she had known beforehand, it still made her feel uncomfortable.

But Blake Morrison didn’t mention that matter at all. Instead, he went straight to the topic of the Lowell Family.

"The whole thing is strange. About two weeks ago, someone started targeting the Lowell Family. Their objective was unclear; they only went after the younger members of the family, one per day. The ones from the first two days died. After that, the Lowell Family was on guard. Realizing they were being targeted, they immediately restricted their younger members and locked their gates, but over the next three days, three more were severely injured. The Old Master of the Lowell Family is as shrewd as they come and naturally saw the situation clearly. The opponent was formidable, and fighting them head-on would be difficult. He immediately contacted several of the great Noble Houses, explained the situation, and asked for help. As you know, the Old Master has always been a good man. Even though the Lowell Family’s younger generation is far inferior, people were willing to help for his sake—and, of course, for yours. Especially for the Mercer Family, we definitely had to lend a hand."

’One a day... This method seems familiar. I’ve seen it in novels in my past life. It’s meant to both eliminate the enemy and terrorize them, driving them to a mental breakdown.’

’So vicious!’

Paige Summers gritted her teeth. ’Two weeks ago... Just who was it, and for what reason?’

She looked at Blake Morrison. ’He must know more of the inside story!’

Blake Morrison paused for a moment as if considering his words, then continued, "To be honest with you, this matter is actually a bit tricky. The most direct solution would be for the Mercer Family to send people to protect them, but that would only work for a time, not forever. Besides, my big brother sent people to investigate the enemy’s background, but they came up empty. That shows our opponents are quite capable. So, my brother came up with a plan. The Mercer Family has a secret location that’s extremely well-hidden. Our ancestors even left behind protections, so it’s absolutely safe. We haven’t really used it since the family came out of seclusion anyway, and it’s a waste to leave it empty. It’s the perfect place for your grandfather and the others to go and lay low for a while."

"As for what’s happening here, since the Mercer Family has gotten involved, we’ll definitely keep at it. But the key problem now is that the enemy has vanished! How frustrating is that? We can only shelve the matter for now! And it’s not a good time for the Lowell Family to return either..."

He didn’t continue, but his meaning was clear.

If the Lowell Family returned and the enemy reappeared, the Mercer Family could only resort to the first method, and the problem would remain.

Paige Summers understood completely. In fact, she was already extremely grateful that the Mercer Family was willing to help to this extent.

Blake Morrison understood what she was thinking and spoke before she could say anything. "Let’s not bother with the pleasantries. We can just talk about the situation!"

Paige Summers quirked her lips into a slight smile.

’She hadn’t planned on letting her gratitude be just a superficial gesture anyway. In the future, there would certainly be an opportunity to repay them.’

So she said, "If the enemy could still make a move even when they were behind closed doors, was there a mole?"

Blake Morrison nodded in approval. "You’ve got a sharp mind. There were indeed two of them, but your grandfather found them and cleaned house before they left. The only ones who went to the secret location are trusted family members. As for the peripheral members who stayed behind, the Mercer Family and a few other houses are watching over them, and there have been no casualties so far. The enemy vanished completely. They probably know that killing these people wouldn’t affect the Lowell Family and would only risk exposure, so they haven’t made a move."

"Honestly, a lot of people are paying close attention to this. No one expected such a force to be hiding in Central City. Since it happened to the Lowell Family, everyone feels a bit of that ’if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold’ sentiment, so they’ve all been reasonably diligent. But for no one to have found a single clue... that’s just bizarre."

Paige Summers put a hand to her forehead.

’Yeah, it’s true. This whole thing really is tricky.’

’The enemy is so good at hiding that even these Noble Houses can’t find them, let alone me.’

’Perhaps the only possibility lies with Jovitas...’

’An information source isn’t something you can just avoid because you want to. It looks like her next stop would have to be there.’

In truth, she wasn’t entirely unworried about Marcus Monroe either.

So, after bidding farewell to Blake Morrison, she went directly to Jovitas, had a smooth meeting with Hugh Whitlock, and first asked for news about Marcus Monroe.

The man’s attitude was quite enthusiastic. He only said that Marcus Monroe was on his way back to the city with the Central Army. But beyond that, he claimed to know nothing.

Paige Summers had expected as much.

’Marcus Monroe’s safety wasn’t in question, but would he really tell his subordinates whether he was happy or not, or what he was up to?’

Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

But she immediately suppressed those thoughts and bluntly asked about the Lowell Family.

Hugh Whitlock said with a troubled expression, "Actually, as soon as this happened, we sent people to investigate. But the enemy is too elusive. We tried tailing them several times but were always shaken off, and we didn’t find any valuable clues."

Paige Summers stared at him, her gaze sharp.

Hugh Whitlock felt a chill run down his spine from her stare. ’Did she... see through something?’

On the surface, he remained calm and said, "Since this concerns the Lowell Family, we absolutely will not slack off. As soon as we find anything, we will definitely inform you!"

Paige Summers sighed inwardly, thanked him politely, and turned to leave.

’I didn’t detect any flaws in Hugh Whitlock’s words, but my intuition tells me he’s hiding something. What’s more, there are at least three masters lurking around this very room. This has never happened before. The reason it’s different this time is probably to prevent me from forcefully interrogating him...’

Once in her car, she silently gripped the steering wheel, taking a long time to calm down.

She couldn’t help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

’They really think highly of me, huh!’

’No matter what, I’m not so naive as to start a fight in Jovitas.’

’It’s not like I don’t know how strong their defenses are. The number of Superpower Users they have in the shadows is definitely more than three—not even ten times that would be surprising!’

’After all, that’s their territory!’

’This matter... I can only wait and see.’

’I just wonder what role Jovitas is playing in all this?’

’Marcus Monroe probably doesn’t know. He’s coming back later...’

’That’s good, too.’

After composing herself, she sharply turned the car around and headed for Bloodfall’s base.

The members of Bloodfall were naturally very happy to see her, especially the veteran members led by Boss Archer, but their happiness was tinged with a bit of restraint.

Paige Summers knew exactly why and decided to address it directly. "You don’t need to worry about the Lowell Family’s situation! Although there were some losses, their core strength has been preserved. They haven’t suffered any crippling damage."

Boss Archer let out a breath of relief. "That’s good. Nothing else matters. As long as the people are safe, they can always make a comeback sooner or later!"

Paige Summers smiled and nodded at him.

"You’ve all worked hard recently, too. It’s thanks to you escorting them that Andy and Erin Quinn were able to return safely."

Lucy Lee winked at her. "Listen to you. Andy isn’t just your little brother, he’s the team’s precious property! Besides, we’re the ones who profited from this trip."

"Oh?"

Lucy Lee said teasingly, "Now our Boss Archer’s relationship with the Taoist Association is rock solid. They said that from now on, if we need talisman paper or anything, not only will they give us priority supply, but they’ll also give us a forty percent discount!"

Everyone else burst into laughter, but Paige Summers didn’t. "Don’t take it lightly. I’ve seen Sean Raines use talisman paper before. It’s definitely good stuff, and it doesn’t even consume your superpower."

"But from what I’ve seen, they aren’t that powerful, and they’re pretty expensive."

"It depends on who makes them and what kind they are. Later, Boss Archer, you should get in touch with them and find out the details. The team will pay for it. Each of you should keep two on hand—defensive ones, speed-enhancing ones... that kind of talisman paper. At a critical moment, it might just save your life!"

Her words were practical, and everyone couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Anything could happen outside the city. If your superpower really runs out, being able to stall for even a little while could be the difference between life and death!