As she thought about it, the car arrived at a rest stop.

To the left was a sprawling parking lot packed with cars. To the right was a sea of tents.

The sight alone would have been enough to make someone with a fear of dense crowds panic.

Aside from the narrow walkways, each tent was pitched inside a marked square, with less than a meter separating it from its neighbors. The columns were over twenty tents deep, and the rows stretched out as far as the eye could see! The flaps on many tents were rolled up to combat the stuffy air, revealing that they were all crammed with people.

Paige Summers and her companions were dumbfounded as they watched from the car. They knew it would be crowded, but they had never imagined this. There had to be at least a thousand tents, and most of them held at least two or three people.

The moment they stopped, an administrator approached and told them to park the car first, then come back to register.

Sean Raines agreed, maneuvered the car into the lot with practiced ease, and then led the group back.

He took out a credential booklet and handed it to the administrator. After a glance at it, the administrator’s by-the-book demeanor softened considerably. They simply registered the number of people in the group before enthusiastically leading them to a large tent near the edge of the area, one big enough to hold about ten people.

Paige Summers’s eyes fell on the credentials, and she understood. On it was a character for "The Way" drawn to look like a painted talisman. Then she heard the administrator whisper to Sean Raines, "It must have been a hard journey. Would you and your friends like another tent or two to get some proper rest?"

Sean Raines, with a very showy display of modesty, replied, "No need. With so many people here, we wouldn’t want to add to your troubles."

The administrator left, looking grateful.

Paige Summers secretly thought Erin Quinn was lucky. ’Everyone hates special privileges, but who wouldn’t secretly revel in them when they’re the one to benefit? If Sean Raines’s master genuinely accepts her as a disciple, she’ll have found a powerful patron. As long as she works hard, a comfortable life is just around the corner!’

’Then again,’ she thought, ’we’ll have to wait until we’re inside the city and meet Sean’s master to know for sure.’

She mulled it over for a bit, but seeing how exhausted everyone was—they were already finding spots to lay out their sleeping bags, and even Sweetie had its eyes closed—Paige decided not to dwell on it. They had been constantly on high alert lately, and even she felt worn out.

For once, the group didn’t need to stand watch or worry about surprise attacks from Mutant Beasts, and they slept soundly through the night.

The next morning, Sean Raines was the first one up, full of vigor. While the others were still packing, he eagerly ran off to get the car.

Paige Summers and the others had just finished packing their sleeping bags when they heard a roar of human voices from outside.

She stepped outside and—whoa. People were pouring out of every tent, all heading in the same direction. The scene was more chaotic than a movie theater letting out! The only difference was the exhausted expressions on everyone’s faces. It was clear Sean Raines had been right: getting through the gates of Central City was no easy feat.

Paige and her friends quickly got into their car, joining the stream of vehicles moving forward.

Central City had multiple gates, but only this one permitted entry to outsiders. The closer they got, however, the chaotic sea of people gave way to orderly lines. The reason was obvious: several squads of fully armed guards were there solely to maintain order. They were strict and unyielding toward anyone who tried to cut, like drawn swords ready to deliver a harsh blow to rule-breakers at a moment’s notice.

Not even Superpower Users dared to act up here.

It wasn’t simply the soldiers they feared. At any moment, a High-level Superpower User could emerge from within the city to put down any unrest. It had happened before. Anyone who’d been around for a while had heard the stories of that bloodbath. For their own good, everyone just had to wait their turn.

Of course, that didn’t apply to Paige Summers and her group.

Sean Raines got out alone to speak with the guards. Apparently, it went well. They were quickly directed into a separate, narrower lane. There were no pedestrians there, just a dozen or so vehicles.

Even so, by the time it was their turn, it was almost noon.

The inspection was just as complicated as Sean Raines had described. But just when Paige Summers thought everything would go smoothly, something unexpected happened.

During the superpower inspection, both she and Erin Quinn held something back.

Paige Summers only revealed her Speed Superpower, saying nothing about the anomaly in her right arm. Erin Quinn simply stated that she had no superpower.

’Everyone wants to keep an ace up their sleeve.’

’Especially Erin Quinn. Her superpower could be incredibly useful, but it also tended to make others wary of her. After a few bad experiences, she was extremely reluctant to reveal it to anyone she didn’t trust.’