Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

After nearly twenty days of clearing, they had approached Norgate, stopping at a location roughly fifty kilometers away.

Paige Summers was constantly thinking about it. ’What are the Government and the military planning? They said we were just clearing the road to Norgate, but from the looks of it, they’re planning to go inside.’

’But is Norgate really that easy to get into?’

In the original novel, it was true that Nora Lowell and Shawn Monroe had successfully taken the city and made a glorious return.

But according to Blake Morrison, Gryphon Lowell was no simple man. Back then, many coveted the title of Norgate’s City Lord, but he was the only one who managed to secretly amass enough power to challenge the incumbent and actually succeed.

Compared to the plot of the original novel, which no longer seemed to apply at all, Paige Summers was more inclined to trust Blake Morrison’s assessment.

’I can’t just write him off as a scumbag simply because the novel said he was swayed by pillow talk and exiled the female lead, Nora Lowell. He might have been a terrible father, but to have ruled Norgate for so many years as its City Lord, he had to be exceptional in some way!’

Therefore, the odds of the military forcing their way in with just over two hundred people were slim to none.

The leaders of The Power Corps had to know this, too.

’So, they’re probably planning to negotiate, or something along those lines...’

But whether Gryphon Lowell would even be willing to negotiate—and how they’d go about it—were major questions.

’The risk is significant!’

’What’s most frustrating is that even though we ran into zombified animals twice on the road, I had no chance to pull them into my space. They were all shamefully wasted!’

’It’s so depressing to think about. What am I even here for?!’

Well, at least Lucian Chapman’s deliberately smug expression in her presence had pleased her. It proved her trip hadn’t been a total waste.

The northern region was dense with mountains and forests. They had managed to find a relatively flat, dry area to make camp. A thorough search of the surroundings confirmed there were no Mutant Animal lairs nearby. After clearing out all the mutant plants, only ordinary trees remained. They were sparse enough to offer some cover, making the location relatively safe.

Everyone finished setting up their tents and had a bite to eat. By the time they were done, the sky was gradually darkening.

Paige Summers was in her tent with Lucian Chapman, discussing their next steps, when someone appeared outside.

"Boss Summers, are you in there?"

Paige pulled back the tent flap to reveal a face she didn’t recognize. The man’s uniform, however, was unmistakably that of The Power Corps.

"Who are you? Did you need me for something?"

"Our commander sent me. He’d like to ask you a few questions."

The tents were spaced some distance apart, so the man had deliberately lowered his voice to a volume others likely wouldn’t overhear. Lucian Chapman, however, definitely heard him and cut in warily, "And who is your commander?"

The young Power Corps soldier smiled. "Boss Summers knows him. You’ll see."

A thought sparked in Paige Summers’s mind.

’As for people I know in The Power Corps, there’s really only one person of high rank. Could it be him?’

After telling the soldier to wait outside for a moment, Paige Summers and Lucian Chapman exchanged a few hushed words inside the tent.

"Him?"

"Possibly. In any case, I’m going to check it out."

"I’ll go with you."

Paige Summers shook her head. "If I go, I can always claim it’s about the weapons. What would be your excuse? The others might think you’ve been ’recruited’ by the military. Given the current situation, it’s best not to make any rash moves."

Lucian Chapman frowned. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Paige Summers smiled, equipping her crossbow and other weapons. She straightened her back and looked at him. "Don’t worry. If they really wanted to kill me, they wouldn’t need to invite me to their tent. Attacking me out in the open would be much easier, wouldn’t it? They probably just have something they need to discuss."

Lucian Chapman considered it and realized she had a point, so he didn’t try to stop her anymore. "Alright, then. Go, but come back quickly. Whatever they ask, just agree to it for now. If their demands are unreasonable, we’ll figure it out when you get back."

"I know." Paige Summers gave a wave and stepped out of the tent.

Paige Summers followed the soldier toward the area where The Power Corps was camped.

They walked deep into the camp, stopping before a tent that looked no different from any of the others. The soldier came to a halt.

"We’re here. Please, go in."

Paige Summers nodded at him and went inside.

The military tent wasn’t particularly large, but it could fit five or six people. After entering, however, Paige saw only one person sitting inside.

’Sheldon Reid... It really is him!’

Now that she was sure it was him, Paige Summers felt no surprise. She simply gave a faint nod and took a seat across from him.

Sheldon Reid, dressed in the uniform of a common soldier, smiled faintly. "You guessed."

His tone was confident. Paige didn’t try to hide it. "I only just confirmed it."

"You’re very clever."

Paige Summers tilted her head to look at him. "You didn’t call me here just to praise me, did you? Whatever it is, just spit it out. I don’t like playing guessing games."

"Fair enough," Sheldon Reid replied, then casually dropped a bombshell. "I need you to lead a team and infiltrate Norgate."

Paige Summers felt her entire face twitch. "You’re saying... you want me to infiltrate Norgate? Did I hear you correctly?"

A flicker of amusement crossed Sheldon Reid’s eyes. "Have some faith in yourself."

Paige Summers’s eyebrow shot up. "To hell with ’faith in myself’! Are you kidding me?! Do you take me for a fool or an idiot? Infiltrate Norgate? Why don’t you just admit you’re trying to get me killed!"

For once, Sheldon Reid made an uncharacteristically informal gesture, shrugging his shoulders. "That really wasn’t my intention."

Paige Summers reined in her temper. "Then explain exactly what you mean!"

Sheldon Reid gave her a meaningful look. "Since this is an infiltration mission into Norgate, I naturally want to avoid casualties. Just as you value your team members, I value my soldiers. Unfortunately, none of them possesses a Speed Superpower that has reached the Seventh Rank. And our two Sixth-Rank speedsters... well, they’re a far cry from your speed." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Paige Summers listened patiently, and only then did she understand. The trip to Norgate was, as she’d suspected, about more than just "clearing" the way. Sheldon Reid needed to contact a spy inside the city.

The spy had been planted by Sheldon Reid’s father while he was still alive and had been developing a network in Norgate for nearly a decade, establishing deep roots. The agent had always been loyal and diligent, reliably relaying intelligence back to Central City.

But now, something had gone wrong.

It had been two months since the agent’s last report. Just as they were preparing to move on Norgate, the contact went silent.

Sheldon Reid’s first reaction was that the agent had defected.

But after careful consideration, he felt that was highly unlikely.

That meant the agent had likely met with an accident, or worse, been discovered by Gryphon Lowell.

This was not a pawn he could afford to lose. If his suspicions were correct, then he had to either rescue the agent... or kill him.

There were only two options.

And right now, the first thing Sheldon Reid needed to do was find out exactly what situation the agent was in. Only then could he make a final decision.