When Levi Young and Nadia heard about Ben, their surprise quickly turned into elation.

A living test subject! And a High-level Zombie at that! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The two research fanatics exchanged a look and demanded in unison, "Then let’s leave the city right now!"

Paige Summers let out a laugh, trying to calm their excitement. "Not so fast. We need to prepare before leaving the city."

Only then did the two of them calm down a little.

Nadia smiled sheepishly. "Right, you’re right. We actually need to prepare a lot of things, too." ’He can’t enter the city, so we have to make sure we bring all the necessary lab equipment and tools!’

Marcus Monroe chimed in, "We need to handle this carefully. You two gather everything you’ll need first. Paige Summers and I also need to go back and make arrangements. We’ll leave in a day or two. We’ll come pick you up then."

Paige Summers nodded.

Nadia quickly agreed, "Okay."

Levi Young, however, gave Marcus a deep look, his eyes holding a faint, unreadable complexity.

He didn’t know the two of them were together yet, but his powers of observation were sharp, and he could easily tell the atmosphere between them was different.

They were much closer than they had been in The Dead City. He felt an inexplicable sense of loss wash over him.

Seeing this, Marcus Monroe smiled faintly. ’I’ve met all sorts of people; I can probably see what’s on Levi Young’s mind more clearly than he can himself. Of course, I’m not stupid enough to point it out to Paige Summers. It’s much better this way, letting the boy back down on his own when he sees how things are. Everything will just fade away.’

The two didn’t stay long. After clarifying the plan, they left.

Afterwards, Paige Summers needed to go to Summers Armaments. Marcus Monroe dropped her off before heading to Jovitas alone to see Black S.

As soon as Paige Summers arrived at the shop, Nola greeted her with delight.

"You’re back!"

"I am." Paige Summers let Nola pull her down to a seat and glanced around. "How has the shop been lately?"

While she was away, Summers Armaments hadn’t been taking custom orders, only selling pre-made weapons. ’Those were all pieces I made for practice or in my spare time. The prices weren’t too high, but they weren’t cheap either. But with a single glance, it looks like most of them are gone...’

Nola smiled. "The weapons you make are really popular. Aside from three pieces, everything else has been sold."

The remaining three pieces were two whips and one boomerang. Not many people use these kinds of weapons, so it was normal that they hadn’t sold.

Paige Summers nodded in satisfaction. "You’ve worked hard."

Nola shook her head. "I should be the one thanking you!" At the thought of her past, her expression dimmed slightly. ’I’m grateful to Paige Summers from the bottom of my heart. If it weren’t for her, I’d never have a life like this. Even though I run into a little trouble at the shop sometimes, it’s so, so much more peaceful than my old life with Quentin Sutton.’

Paige Summers paused before asking, "You still can’t forget that man?"

Nola’s face twisted slightly. "How could I forget?! Every time I think of him, I wish I could kill him right then and there!"

Paige Summers sighed inwardly.

"In that case, I’ll keep an eye out for news about him for you. But killing him won’t be that easy."

"I know! I joined the Power User Federation, and I’m working hard on my Cultivation. Sooner or later, I’ll do it!"

Paige Summers asked, "The Power User Federation?"

Nola took a breath, calming her excited emotions. "Yeah, it’s an organization that Superpower Users started themselves. I found out about it by chance. It has High-level Superpower Users of every type, and sometimes they guide the lower-level Superpower Users based on their different superpowers. I’ve been a few times, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot."

Paige Summers was lost in thought. ’The founder of this organization is certainly ambitious.’

’As far as I know, many Superpower Users are secretive, jealously guarding the techniques they’ve figured out for themselves. They’re unwilling to share with others, especially other Superpower Users of the same type.’

’Because you can never be sure if they’ll end up being an enemy. If you meet on the battlefield one day, your opponent’s improvement means you’re in more danger!’

’But by that same token, it’s easy to stagnate.’

’Improvement comes from exchange.’

’Someone else’s stray thought could spark a new idea in your own mind.’

’The founder must have realized this.’

’Still, I have to say, this person is incredibly bold!’

She smiled. "That sounds great. When I get a chance, I’ll go check it out with you."

"Okay!"

The two chatted for a while before Paige Summers got a call from Marcus Monroe.

She walked over to a quiet place to answer it.

Marcus Monroe’s deep voice came through. "Paige Summers, I just got word that someone is looking into Nadia’s whereabouts."

Paige Summers’s expression turned serious. ’Could it be that same group that’s been chasing me?’

"Do you know who it is?"

"It’s not clear yet. They’re being very covert; we’ve only just barely detected them." Marcus Monroe paused, then added, "Don’t worry too much. Just be aware that this is happening. Don’t go to the warehouse for now. I’ll send people to protect her, and we’ll keep investigating their identity."

"Okay, I understand."

After hanging up, Paige Summers was lost in thought for a moment.

’Should we postpone leaving the city, or should I just have Nadia leave for a while to lay low?’

’I’ll have to discuss this with everyone later.’

She never expected that before she could take any action, the unexpected would happen!

That evening, just as the sky was turning dark, she was already back at her place, waiting for Claire Chapman and Marcus Monroe to return so they could discuss whether to leave the city.

But the people she was waiting for didn’t arrive. Instead, a stranger knocked on the door.

"Ma’am! I’m Liam, one of Boss Marcus’s men." As he spoke, the young man pulled a Crossbow from his side and handed it to her. "The warehouse was attacked, and someone’s been injured. But they’ve been moved to a safe place. The Boss is watching over them himself. He sent me to bring you there!"

’Attacked? Injured?’

Paige Summers’s heart skipped a beat.

’One glance was all it took. This was the first scatter-shot Crossbow she had made back in The Dead City. She had given it to Marcus Monroe personally. It was too important a weapon for him to ever give to someone else.’

’The man in front of me is definitely one of his!’

"Understood. Let’s go."

Anxious, she handed the Crossbow back, turned to close the door, and went downstairs with Liam.

The car was the one Marcus Monroe usually drove, which made her even more certain.

The car headed toward the Third District, and Paige Summers couldn’t help but ask, "Who was injured? Is it serious?"

"The Boss calls him Andy. I heard he got hurt saving the girl who was with him. The injury’s not too bad, nothing life-threatening. You don’t need to worry too much."

’Levi Young was injured...’ Paige Summers bit her lower lip. After a long moment, she asked, "What about the girl? Was she hurt?"

"She wasn’t, but... uh, she’s crying a lot."

The corner of Paige Summers’s mouth twitched. She let out a long sigh and said no more.

The car soon arrived in the Third District, entering a residential area and only stopping in front of a remote courtyard at the very back.

"We’re here."