Yuri Warren brought one of his men with him, a soldier who had supposedly worked at a research institute. So, not only did the man come, but he also brought some simple equipment.

He took a portable testing device from a wooden crate, then collected a sample of flesh and blood from Evan Pierce’s wound. After adding a few drops of some medicine, he placed it under the device’s microscope. He studied it intently for a moment before turning to the others and shaking his head.

"This mutant virus isn’t covered by the Antidote. An injection will be useless."

"Please, just try it!"

Nadia looked utterly panicked, but Paige Summers had the strange feeling that she wasn’t nearly as scared or nervous as she seemed.

"It’s no use. That would just be a..." The soldier stopped himself before saying the word ’waste’. Perhaps out of consideration for Nadia’s feelings, he changed tack. "Maybe he can fight it off on his own. The body of a Superpower User is much stronger than an ordinary person’s. It’s not impossible."

Nadia instantly latched onto his words as if they were a divine proclamation. "Yes! He’ll definitely pull through! He has to!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Paige Summers raised an eyebrow and said to the others, who had fallen silent, "We should get them back to the truck. I don’t think this is over yet."

That’s right, the fire was still burning.

Even from a distance, they could still feel the heat of the flames on their faces.

The fire burned for the better part of the day before it finally died down, leaving everything on the ground a pile of ash. Raking through the soot, Paige Summers carefully found about ten objects that looked like bird eggs. ’So that’s probably why the Zombie Hawks were hiding in there,’ she thought.

Clearing the thicket was done for now, but there were still large areas left to investigate.

Everyone threw themselves into the urgent task.

A full twenty-four hours later, the unconscious Evan Pierce woke up.

An examination confirmed it: he wasn’t infected. He had successfully weathered the assault of the mutant virus.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

Paige Summers, on the other hand, grew even more excited.

’He didn’t pull through on his own,’ she thought. ’The key has to be that injection Nadia gave him!’

It also strengthened a conviction she had.

’Nadia has to be an expert in medical research!’

She was trying to figure out how to befriend the girl, only to discover Nadia was more than just a little grateful to her. Besides the day Evan Pierce recovered, when a massive surge of warmth flooded her chest, she noticed that almost every day she saw Nadia afterward, the girl was constantly radiating gratitude toward her.

Paige Summers watched her, unable to stop a smile from spreading across her face.

’She’s such a sweet girl,’ Paige thought, ’it’s almost making me feel a little guilty!’

Gradually, as the mission drew to a close, her calculated attempts to get close to Nadia had transformed into genuine concern.

People like Nadia were a rare breed.

Paige Summers had helped her fair share of people.

Some expressed their gratitude immediately. Others only showed it after getting to know her and confirming she had no ulterior motives. Then there were those who had no concept of gratitude whatsoever. If you saved them, they thought it was your duty. If you didn’t, they would hate you for it.

’Who really owes who anything?’

’For that last type of person,’ she mused, ’if I didn’t need energy to activate my earring, and if harboring too much hatred wasn’t detrimental to me, I really wouldn’t mind personally delivering them to a Mutant Beast nest.’

’So, which category does Evan Pierce fall into?’

That remained to be seen.

Paige Summers knew one thing, though: even after he learned that she had diligently kept their secret for them, he didn’t show her a single shred of true gratitude, despite his mouth being full of thankful words.

The sixteen-day mission was finally over. The Eighth Squad had completed their task successfully, with zero casualties.

It was a picture-perfect outcome, and even Yuri Warren’s face was relaxed.

After returning to Central City, the team passed through the entrance inspection without a hitch.

The truck pulled to a stop in the small plaza in front of the Superpower User Management Division.

Getting out of the truck, Paige Summers saw Nadia’s reluctant expression and couldn’t help but find it amusing. "I’m not taking any missions for a while. If you have time, come find me. You know the address."

Nadia’s eyes lit up. "Really? May I?"

"Of course!" ’You’re more than welcome,’ she added silently. Paige had so many questions, so many hopes, but their relationship hadn’t reached a point where it was appropriate to ask.

Evan Pierce, standing beside Nadia, had reverted to his usual cold and aloof self. As they parted, he offered Paige Summers nothing more than a perfunctory, skin-deep smile. As for Claire Chapman, he ignored her completely.

After the two of them left, Claire Chapman clicked her tongue. "That kid really makes you want to try out a new blade on him..."

Paige Summers couldn’t hold back a laugh and replied, "I feel the same way."

Just then, Lucy Lee’s cheerful voice came from behind them. "You’re only welcoming her? What about us?"