Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

When the heavy rain in Norgate first began, no one expected it to last so long. This clearly abnormal weather was, at the time, confined to the vicinity of Norgate. Central City, Southreach, and even the Dead City were unaffected.

But in Central City, when Academician Warren of the Research Institute heard the news, he closed his eyes and sank into deep thought for a long time. Nadia, his new disciple, couldn’t help but ask worriedly, "Professor, are you alright?"

"Don’t worry, these old bones of mine can still hold up." Academician Warren opened his eyes, wearily rubbing the bridge of his nose. "However, we need to request permission from the Government. We must send people to Norgate to bring back local soil and water samples."

Nadia breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "You’re right. This rain in Norgate is very strange. I can’t shake the feeling that something has happened."

Academician Warren smiled faintly. "I have the same intuition, but science can’t rely on intuition and assumptions. What we need is solid data and rigorous analysis."

Nadia’s expression became serious, with a hint of stubbornness. "I understand. That’s why I want to apply for a spot on this trip to Norgate!"

Academician Warren didn’t answer right away.

This sample collection trip to Norgate was extremely important, but also very dangerous.

Not to mention the difficulties they would face on the way, the key issue was the ongoing war there. If they went anywhere near the area and got caught up in it...

He was very fond of his young disciple, Nadia, and valued her greatly.

Her mind was pure; aside from her feelings for Andy, who had come with her, all her energy was devoted to research. At the same time, her novel perspective on problems was a great source of inspiration for him. He was already making some headway on his ongoing research into trial purification of Central City’s soil because of it.

Letting her leave at a time like this was not a wise decision.

But her eagerness made him hesitate.

’Perhaps it wouldn’t matter if someone else went just to collect soil and water samples,’ he thought. ’But no one has a greater passion for research than she does. What if she’s able to make more discoveries on this trip?’

Academician Warren gave a wry smile. "Let me think it over some more, alright?"

Nadia was a little disappointed, but she nodded anyway.

That evening, she fretfully brought the matter up with Levi Young.

Levi Young immediately said, "Don’t go. It’s too dangerous!" After a moment’s pause, he asked hesitantly, "If I were to suggest it to Academician Warren, would he agree?" His field of research was different from Nadia’s; he specialized in drugs to inhibit the growth of mutated plants, so the two of them weren’t in the same group.

Nadia shook her head. "If it’s dangerous for me, it’ll be just as dangerous for you! Forget it. Let’s just wait and see what the professor says."

Levi Young let out a breath. "Silly! Your position is too high-profile; you could never go unofficially. But if I go, it’s much simpler. I don’t need to apply to the Government, I just need Academician Warren’s approval. When the time comes, I’ll obviously borrow some bodyguards from Marcus Monroe—or, well, hire them. In any case, I’ll definitely find some reliable people. It’s such a long journey, there’s no way I’m trusting my life to those people from the Government!"

Nadia thought for a long moment. "That’s true. If it’s you, Big Brother Monroe will definitely do his best." ’Even if it’s for Paige Summers’ sake,’ she thought, ’the reason doesn’t matter, only the result.’ With Marcus Monroe finding people, Levi Young’s safety would be more or less guaranteed. "Alright, then I’ll go ask the professor."

"You don’t have to. I’ll go see him myself tomorrow."

’He’ll definitely agree to spare his little disciple the danger,’ Levi Young thought with certainty. Of course, he had his own selfish motives. He’d heard that the fighting in Norgate was a complete mess. When he saw Marcus Monroe a few days ago, he’d asked for details and was told that both Sheldon Reid and Nora Lowell’s whereabouts were currently unknown; no one knew if they were dead or alive. If possible, he wanted to go and confirm it himself. ’It would be best if they’re dead. If they’re not, I’ll have to find a way to send them on their way! That scum couple has caused enough harm. They should have died long ago!’

He was right about Academician Warren; the professor only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. And things with Marcus Monroe were settled smoothly as well.

What he never expected, however, was that among the guards Marcus Monroe found for him, there would be a familiar face!

"Erin Quinn, what are you doing here?!"

Erin Quinn waved her hand casually. She was small, but her attitude was anything but. "Cut the crap! I’m here to protect you, of course. You’re my sis’s little brother, so you can’t just go and die out there somewhere. Our sis can’t afford to lose face like that!"

Levi Young’s mouth twitched, and he was speechless for a long moment.

Erin Quinn’s eyes darted around before she leaned in and whispered, "I know what you’re going to do. You’re just going to see if those two bastards are dead or not, right? What a coincidence, so am I. Why don’t we team up? If we kill them off sooner, maybe our sis can come back earlier, don’t you think? Oh, and I can also help our bro-in-law scout out the general situation over there. I mean, think about it. Who knows what the person replacing that commander, old Reid, is really thinking? What if he’s another scheming bastard? We’ve got to let our bro-in-law get a head start on precautions!"

She spoke with such confidence that it actually made a certain amount of sense.

Levi Young knew she was doted on at the Taoist Association and must have the skills to protect herself, so he set his worries aside.

Still, after holding it in for a long time, he couldn’t help but retort, "And stop with the ’our bro-in-law’ this and ’our bro-in-law’ that. They’re not even married yet!"

Erin Quinn, wise beyond her years, sighed at him and shook her head. "You should just accept your fate. There’s nothing to be done about it. You think I haven’t thought about breaking them up? But... forget it. At least our bro-in-law is a good guy. He even takes good care of us little brothers and sisters who just popped up out of nowhere, let alone our sis! You... have my condolences!"

’That’s not how you use "have my condolences," you little brat! Don’t think you can just spout nonsense because you’re a kid! When did I ever think about breaking them up?! I just... I just... alright, fine! I just need a little more time to accept it!’

But would he ever say that out loud? Would he tell this little schemer, Erin Quinn?

’Absolutely not!’

So, Levi Young pulled a long face and put on a serious expression. "Enough nonsense! Let’s get moving!"

Just as they were preparing to travel a thousand miles to Norgate to help Paige Summers deal with her greatest threat, the person in question was completely unaware of their concern.

Paige Summers was still on the front lines, fighting to seize supplies from the hands of zombies!

Inside the Foundry, after splitting up with Claire Chapman, their speed had increased by more than just a little. But by the same token, the danger level had also risen. After all, under normal circumstances, if a small team of only four people encountered a zombie horde, the time and energy required to get through would increase exponentially. It could even end in the team being wiped out.

But, those were normal circumstances.

And the current Ben was clearly not normal.

Now that they were away from the main group, it would be a huge waste not to let Ben use his Talent Skill.

She wasn’t worried about the other two members of her group discovering this.

When she picked her team, she valued not only their abilities but also their character. Both of these men were steady and down-to-earth. While they might lack a bit of flexibility, it also meant they weren’t prone to scheming and were extremely loyal to those they trusted.

For example, as a Blood Fall Team Member, Chester Lincoln held Ben in high regard. And Vincent Vaughn, although he was from May Joyce’s team, seemed from his performance to be simply participating in the mission, not a spy for any faction. When Paige Summers had dealt with Stella Shields earlier, his attitude had been very composed, and Paige had thought then that he had good potential.

It was best if two men like them didn’t find out, but even if they did, they wouldn’t jump to wild conclusions.

Taking a step back, even if they did develop ulterior motives, Paige Summers wasn’t afraid.

Therefore, along the way, Ben made full use of his "Deterrence," using the power of a Zombie Leader to drive away low-level zombies.

The effect was, as expected, excellent.

While they couldn’t achieve a completely unobstructed path, the zombie hordes definitely kept their distance. The occasional zombie that dared to block their way was no match for Paige Summers. From time to time, she could even throw Vincent Vaughn and Chester Lincoln out to get some practice.

With forward progress as their main priority and fighting as a secondary activity, the group of four reached the vicinity of the warehouses that same afternoon.

There were two warehouses, both very large and covering a lot of ground, but each was in a state of partial collapse.

Strangely, the area outside the warehouses was spotless. There was nothing there.

Paige Summers found this a little strange.

’Based on my experience, in a place like a steel mill, lots of finished products like steel pipes are usually stacked right outside. But this place is completely empty. Even if there had been a battle, there should have been something left behind!’

’Could it be that everything was stored inside?’

Full of doubt, they stopped in a small, roofless hut diagonally across from the warehouse. The inside was empty, only about fifteen or sixteen square meters. It was unclear what it had been used for before, but now, it served as their temporary resting spot.

"I’ll go scout things out first," Vincent Vaughn said tactfully after they had rested for a moment.

He had been feeling very conflicted throughout the journey.

He was pleasantly surprised and puzzled by how few zombies there were and how smoothly they were advancing, yet at the same time, he felt he hadn’t had a chance to play his proper role. Not being able to find his place in the team left him feeling a little uneasy.

Paige Summers more or less understood what was on his mind. She nodded. "Go ahead. Be careful."

"Yes, ma’am."

Seeing her serious tone, Vincent Vaughn’s expression grew solemn as well.

’There must be a lot of zombies in the warehouse,’ he thought. ’And we haven’t seen a single major boss yet. That’s not right! Maybe it’s hiding nearby!’

Vincent Vaughn turned invisible, slipped out the door, and quietly approached the warehouse.

Paige Summers propped her head on her hand, not watching him. Instead, her attention was on Ben.

Ben... was staring into space. He was looking through the small window toward the warehouse, a hint of gravity in his eyes. This put Paige Summers on high alert. ’For Ben to have that look on his face... could it be there’s a really formidable zombie inside?’ She started to worry about Vincent Vaughn. ’He won’t get discovered, will he? Should I go back him up, so he doesn’t get killed here?’

Although she thought this, she didn’t act immediately.

’The greater the danger, the more it forges a person,’ she reasoned. ’Being overprotective won’t do them any good. I’ll wait and see.’

About seven or eight minutes later, Vincent Vaughn returned.

He was very cautious, only deactivating his invisibility after he was back inside the hut. But his expression was very odd, and tinged with immense disappointment.

"Deputy Captain, the warehouse is empty! There’s nothing inside but a few ordinary zombies!"