After slipping into the Middle District, Paige Summers didn’t go looking for Levi Young right away. Instead, she snuck into a less-guarded house. Lamenting her ever-sinking morals, she stole some clothes and disguise materials. Then, she found a corner and tied up her unkempt, shoulder-length hair, revealing her entire face and full forehead—a stark departure from her usual look. Looking into a small mirror, she smeared a mix of dark and reddish pigments across her face.

When she was done, the result startled even her!

Her once-fair skin was now dark and sallow. After thickening her eyebrows and darkening her lips, her outstanding features were dragged down to a plain appearance at best. To put it bluntly, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her ugly.

She had no time to mourn the fact that the difference between a beauty and an ugly woman was just a minute’s work. She simply hurried toward the residence.

Unexpectedly, there was no sign of the rumored encirclement.

But when she calmed herself and listened carefully, she discovered, just as she’d expected, the sound of breathing hidden in the shadows.

Steeling her resolve, she pretended to be in a rush and charged over to bang on the door.

"Brother Liev! Brother Liev! It’s Cloud from the pharmacy! Are you there? Open up!" Her deliberately altered voice, a far cry from its usual softness, was sharp and hysterical—as grating as nails on a chalkboard. "They said there’s a fire in the Lower District, and my dad went there and still hasn’t come back! What am I going to do?! Brother Liev..."

The door was flung open, and Levi Young stood there, stunned.

Paige Summers’s wailing stopped abruptly. She threw herself at Levi Young, grabbing his waist and whispering in her real voice, "It’s me." Then she dragged him outside the house and continued loudly, "Brother Liev, I’m begging you, take me to the Lower District! My dad’s the only family I have left! I have to find him!"

The act was a mix of truth and lies, and Paige Summers was certain the people monitoring the house wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

It was true that the shop where Levi Young sold his medicine on consignment had a young helper named Cloud. It was also true that her father was her only relative. ’But as for what Cloud actually looks like, or whether her father would really run off to the Lower District... the people who are just following orders would have no way of knowing!’

Levi Young had caught on by now. He scratched his head, feigning distress. "Then... I’ll bring a knife! In case... in case we run into bad people..."

Paige Summers nodded eagerly. "I’ll go with you!"

The two of them rushed frantically into the house. Her room, Levi Young’s room—without waiting for Levi Young to decide what to bring, Paige Summers decisively swept everything useful into her space, only shoving a short knife into his hand.

Even though Levi Young was filled with questions, he didn’t ask any of them. He just tightened his grip on the knife’s hilt.

’She came back for me. And that... is enough!’

’I understood the situation as soon as they surrounded my house. They’ve treated me with some courtesy, which probably means they know I can make medicine and want to win me over. But it’s also definitely about Paige Summers.’

He had thought that even if she didn’t come back, he had to find a way to escape on his own!

’I loathe this life of imprisonment and exploitation. There’s no way I’m willing to go on like this!’

’But before I could even find a chance... she returned!’

’Joy? Yes. Surprise? Yes.’

’But more than that, it was an indescribable, inexplicable emotion.’

A thought silently surfaced in his mind: ’From now on, even if she asks me to go through hell and back for her, I’ll do it willingly.’

Regardless of the future, for now, Levi Young’s budding romantic feelings were completely lost on Paige Summers. Her mind was filled with nothing but escape routes.

’Saying we’re going to the Lower District is just a trick for the spies. We’d never make it past the city gate! For now, we have to stay in the Middle District, bide our time, and wait for an opportunity. But where can we go to be safe? Where can we find a way out of the city?’

She honestly didn’t have a clue.

’But we can’t delay any longer, or the people outside will definitely notice something’s wrong.’

She grabbed Levi Young’s arm and charged outside.

"Hurry, hurry! If we’re late, something will happen to my dad!"

As her voice faded, the two had already left the house. Outside, she paused for a fraction of a second, as if too panicked to get her bearings. But the next moment, to the surprise of certain onlookers, she burst forward and sprinted to the right!

Like an arrow loosed from a bow, her speed was incredible!

The two lookouts hadn’t even processed what was happening before the pair reached the mouth of the alley. By the time the two men shot up to give chase, the street beyond the alley was already empty...

Staring at the empty street, one of the men said haltingly, "We’re... screwed."

"That ugly freak is actually a Superpower User. But that speed... could it be..."

The other man let out a shaky breath. "It’s most likely her. There’s nothing to be done but report this to our superiors."