Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Chapter 356: Chapter 248: The Federation

Knowing they had a mission tomorrow, Paige Summers didn’t plan on staying for too long.

Her main purpose was to tell Boss Archer and the other veteran team members about The Foundry and get them prepared.

Jean Shields’ original plan to consolidate the Hunting Parties was likely no longer necessary with the fall of Norgate. Meanwhile, Bloodfall’s own base construction definitely had to be put on the agenda.

She had to consult everyone on whether they should continue to hold their position in Central City or relocate everyone.

She laid out the situation clearly and let them think it over themselves.

Paige Summers said her goodbyes and was about to head to District Four.

Just as she was about to leave, she ran into Nola, who had rushed back in a hurry.

To be honest, Nola had changed more than anyone else Paige knew. Her old, boisterous demeanor had been toned down significantly. Now, she appeared much more composed.

Paige Summers was pleased to see that Nola’s superpower had also Promoted.

’Excellent!’

’Let that bastard Quentin Sutton regret this for the rest of his life!’

Nola, on the other hand, hadn’t given that man a single thought. The moment she saw Paige Summers, she pulled her toward her room. "Don’t go yet! I have something to tell you!"

"What is it?"

Once they were in the room, Nola didn’t beat around the bush. "Do you remember me telling you about the Power User Federation?"

Paige Summers thought for a moment before recalling. "Yes. You said it has High-level Superpower Users of various ranks who guide low-level superpower users. I remember you saying you gained a lot from your visits."

Nola said admiringly, "You remember all that!"

"I don’t just remember; it left a deep impression. After all, it’s the only organization of its kind. I was planning to check it out myself, but I’ve never been able to find the time."

Nola was silent for a moment before saying, "Recently, I’ve noticed something isn’t right there."

’Recently again...’ Paige Summers asked cautiously, "What happened?"

"I made a good friend at the Federation. She’s also a Wood Element Superpower User, but she’s far more talented than I am. She reached the Seventh Rank at a young age. She was highly valued by the higher-ups and often received special coaching to help her Promote. Thanks to her, I also learned more about using my superpower than the other members. But a week ago, she disappeared!"

"Disappeared? Are you sure?"

Nola nodded heavily. "She’s talented, but very timid. She never joined a Hunting Party and rarely left the city. She made a living by helping people tend to mutated plants. Last week, we arranged to meet, but she never showed. I was worried, so I went to her place and found the door locked. She still hasn’t appeared."

Paige Summers said nothing.

’To be honest, this wasn’t the kind of trouble I was expecting.’

’There are many reasons why someone might vanish. It doesn’t necessarily mean she’s missing. She could have had a sudden emergency and didn’t have time to let Nola know.’

But Nola continued, "It’s more than that. To be precise, it’s not just her. Starting from the day she disappeared, at least a dozen people from the Federation have also vanished, one after another. They all have one thing in common: their superpower is at least Seventh Rank!"

Paige Summers shot her head up and stared at her, her expression one of undisguised severity. "You investigated this on your own?!"

Nola was taken aback by her intensity, but an immense sense of guilt immediately followed.

She lowered her head like a little girl who had done something wrong, awaiting a parent’s scolding, yet she couldn’t stop herself from trying to explain. "I just thought it was too strange... and Lana is a really good person, she..."

Paige Summers cut her off. "Don’t you ever do something like this again! Understand? If they were ’made’ to disappear as part of an organized plot, then the people behind it are definitely not someone you can handle alone! If I’m not around, you can still consult Boss Archer! Acting on your own like this is just asking for an early grave!"

Nola bit her lower lip and sidled over to grab her arm. "Don’t be mad! I was wrong, okay? I know you’re worried about me, but I haven’t been wasting my time lately. I’ve improved, at least a little. I know my own limits. I really just poked around a bit in secret; I don’t know much more. If you hadn’t come back, I was planning on asking Boss Archer for his opinion."

Paige Summers shot her a sidelong glance. Seeing Nola’s placating expression, she thought, ’some things never change.’ Just a moment ago, she thought Nola had become more composed, but who knew she’d pull a stunt like this in the blink of an eye.

’But, whatever...’

’At least she wasn’t completely reckless.’

"Alright, stop playing dumb. You think I don’t know you? You’re upset that you can’t find your friend, aren’t you?"

Nola froze for a second, then sighed after a long pause.

"Yeah. She helped me a lot. I... I can’t rest easy."

In some ways, Lana reminded her of the Paige Summers she had met back in The Dead City—beautiful, alone, and incredibly talented. Many men had coveted her, but she rejected them all, regardless of their status. She was such a timid young woman, but on this one matter, she was especially unyielding.

She had her flaws, but she lived by her principles.

Nola actually admired her for it.

Ever since returning with Paige Summers, she had lost count of how many times she’d regretted her past actions. Back in The Dead City, she and Paige had been friends, yet she had sided with Paige’s enemy—and with such a shameless man, of all people.

She had no doubt that even if it hadn’t been Paige Summers back then, he would have used her as a shield all the same.

But if it weren’t for Paige Summers, she surely would not have survived.

Not only would she have died, but it would have been an incredibly ugly death.

After all, no one would bother to put clothes on a dead woman’s body...

It was because of this remorse that she had shown kindness to Lana when they first met, which eventually led to them becoming friends.

Of course, after getting to know her, she realized Lana and Paige Summers were very different.

Their personalities were almost complete opposites.

But Lana had treated her with genuine sincerity, never hesitating to share anything she learned. With a friend like that, she couldn’t just ignore her strange disappearance.

That was what led to her paying closer attention and investigating in secret.

But the more she found out, the more alarmed she became.

"A lot of people visit the Power User Federation. There are activities twice a week, and most people just come and go. Very few, like me, attend consistently. To be honest, if it weren’t for Lana, I probably wouldn’t have gone so regularly either. Because of that, I ended up memorizing a lot of the ’familiar faces.’ Their Superpower Ranks are all higher than mine, so we never trained together, but I would usually see them at least once a week. After Lana disappeared, I asked around and found out that their situations were similar to hers. They were talented and had opportunities to receive private training, which is why they kept coming to the Federation."

"And here’s where it gets weird. This week, I went at the usual time, but I didn’t see a single one of them. You could say they went out on a Hunting Party mission, but they’re not on the same team, so it makes no sense for all of them to disappear at the same time."

"Later, I managed to get the addresses of three of them. When I went to check, I found that without exception, their doors were all locked, just like at Lana’s place."

"The more I thought about it, the more it felt wrong, so I went back to Lana’s place. I slipped inside when no one was looking. And I found that there was nothing in there but furniture! I know, you might say that she packed everything up herself. But that’s not it! Just this morning, I got a tip. Around the days Lana went missing, someone nearby got a small windfall. He’d found a bag full of women’s clothes and personal items. I had someone track the man down, and he confirmed it was true. He said there was even underwear and a broken flowerpot in the bag. He even had his wife bring out an article of clothing she’d kept because the fabric was too good to sell. The moment I saw it, I knew it was Lana’s!"

Nola grew more and more agitated as she spoke, gripping Paige Summers’s hand tightly.

Paige Summers didn’t pull her hand away. By now, she was more or less certain that the young woman named Lana really had disappeared.

’Assuming Nola isn’t just putting on an act with me.’

No woman would discard her own clothes like that, especially not her underwear. If she had left willingly, even if she wanted to throw them away, she wouldn’t have done it in such a crude manner.

In that case, the disappearances of the other Power User Federation members were likely no coincidence.

This whole affair was indeed strange.

’What would someone want with a bunch of unwilling Superpower Users?’

’Do they have some way to control them? Or are they being used for some other purpose?’

For a moment, Paige Summers couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

But one thing was certain.

The Power User Federation played a crucial role in all of this.

Even if they weren’t the masterminds, they had to be closely connected to them.

She thought for a long while before patting Nola’s hand.

"Don’t be in such a hurry. This probably isn’t something that can be solved overnight. For them to dare to do this in Central City, they must have some powerful backing. This isn’t the work of a minor faction."

Nola relaxed her grip and nodded, looking a bit dejected. "I thought of that, too, but..."

"Yes, I know you can’t let it go. But I need to think about the best way to handle this." Paige Summers’s voice turned sharp again. "Until I’ve made a decision, you are not to act rashly. No more investigating on your own, do you understand?"

"I know." Nola’s eyes were a little red. She understood the concern behind the words.

"Good." Paige Summers thought for a moment. "Write down a list of the missing people for me. If you have any other information, write that down as well. The more detailed, the better. I’ll help if I can."

"Okay! I’ll write it right now!"

Watching her write furiously, Paige Summers allowed a faint, fleeting smile to cross her lips.

By the time she got the list and left, the sky was already growing dark.

She drove back to her place in District Four and parked the car in the courtyard. Paige Summers got out and took a deep breath.

’This has been a long day. But the ones to come will likely be even longer.’

No longer hiding the exhaustion in her eyes, she pushed the door open and went inside.

"It seems you already know..."

The words came from inside the living room the moment she stepped in.

Paige Summers looked up at Sean Raines, who was sitting on the sofa. "You should have told me sooner."

He let out a soft sigh. "I wanted to let you get a good night’s rest last night. When I came by this morning, you had already left."

Paige Summers sat down across from him. "Fair enough. So, tell me. What news do you have on your end?"