The ambush was sudden and brutal. The two attackers were ruthless, clearly aiming to kill her!

But to Paige Summers, their speed was nothing special.

Before the attack could land, she had already darted to the side of the wall, pulling Wendy Lowell along and pushing her behind for protection.

She drew her Crossbow and fired a volley of bolts, pinning her opponents down.

As they scrambled to dodge, she grabbed Wendy Lowell again and retreated with lightning speed to the alley’s entrance...

Just then, the bodyguards rushed over.

There were four of them. After exchanging a quick glance, two of them immediately moved to escort Wendy Lowell and Paige Summers away, while the other two engaged the ambushers.

Paige felt a twinge of regret. ’I’d rather have handled them myself than let these men interfere. It would have been easier to find out who was behind this.’

’But...’

She glanced at Wendy Lowell and dismissed the thought.

’I don’t know if they have more people lying in wait. With her here, if anything happened to her, I’d be to blame. It’s true I don’t want to acknowledge her as my mother, but it wouldn’t be right if she died because of me.’

Under the bodyguards’ protection, they quickly got into the car.

As the bodyguard started the car, he said, "Ma’am, reinforcements will be here soon. They can handle things. Should we head back first?"

"Back to The Reid Estate! ’Interrogate’ those two thoroughly. I want a report on my desk as soon as possible!"

Wendy Lowell’s eyes glinted with a fierce light. Paige blinked, a little surprised.

’I had a feeling she wasn’t just some ordinary woman, but she hadn’t reacted at all earlier, so I thought she was just frightened. Apparently not.’

’But back to The Reid Estate?’ She immediately spoke up. "Sorry, I have something to take care of in the commercial district. Could you please drop me off there first? Also, Ms. Lowell, I’m truly sorry. This was probably my fault. I’m sorry you were frightened. If..." ’...you get any answers, I hope you can tell me.’

But before she could finish, Wendy Lowell cut her off, her tone sharp. "Paige!"

Taking a deep breath, she turned and grabbed Paige’s hand, her expression pained. "Please don’t say things that make us sound like strangers. Even if you..." She paused, unable to bring herself to say ’won’t acknowledge me.’ Instead, she said, "Even if I’m just an elder to you, after what just happened, I can’t let you go off on your own. What if they have more people waiting?! Please, come back to The Reid Estate with me and wait. At least until this matter is resolved..."

’Resolved...’ Paige was certain that if she went, Wendy Lowell would have countless ways to keep her there. But getting out of the car now would likely require force.

After a moment’s thought, she softened her tone. "No matter what, I have to go to the commercial district first. If those two came after me, it’s possible someone else might go after my friends. I need to make sure they’re safe."

Thinking Paige had been persuaded, Wendy Lowell let out a sigh of relief. "That’s no problem. We’ll just make a trip over there."

The car soon turned onto the road leading to the commercial district. Wendy Lowell asked Paige if she had any idea who the attackers might be. Paige thought for a moment. "We only just arrived. We haven’t had any conflicts with anyone."

However, as soon as she said that, an image flashed through her mind: the back of Leanne Walsh, whom she had glimpsed in the commercial district the other day.

’Could it be her?’

Paige narrowed her eyes.

’I was planning to wait until we were settled before making a move. But if it really is her, it would be rude of me not to give her a proper ’welcome’!’

When they reached the commercial district, Wendy Lowell insisted on accompanying her, but between Paige’s firm refusal and the bodyguard’s gentle persuasion, she finally relented.

After all, the area was too crowded.

However, she insisted that Paige take a bodyguard with her. This actually suited Paige’s own plans, so she didn’t object, agreeing with a smile before leading the man to the weapons shop.

Everything was calm here.

Claire Chapman and the Forrest Siblings were all there. The shop’s interior was being set up according to Paige’s blueprints, and they were now putting on the finishing touches.

Claire Chapman was surprised to see her.

"What are you doing here?" He thought she was going to be holed up working and hadn’t dared to disturb her, but here she was. ’But then again, there’s no way she could have finished crafting all the weapons this quickly!’

Paige just smiled and shook her head, signaling him not to ask. After a quick tour of the shop, she went back outside and spoke to the bodyguard. "Please go back and inform Ms. Lowell that I have some business here and won’t be returning with her. If she needs me, she can find me where I’m staying."

The bodyguard objected, his face expressionless. "You promised the madam..."

"I did not." Paige straightened her spine, her expression hardening. "I didn’t promise her anything. I was just trying to keep her from worrying. Please, relay my words exactly as I said them. If she insists, I will be very... unhappy."

Sensing something was wrong, Claire Chapman and the others came to stand behind her, glaring at the bodyguard.

The bodyguard ground his teeth but ultimately had no choice but to nod and leave.

Claire Chapman didn’t look away until the bodyguard’s figure had vanished from the commercial district. He turned to Paige, raising an eyebrow. "What was that about?"

Paige shrugged, dodging the question. "I was just ambushed by two Superpower Users," she said instead. "They were ruthless. It looked like they were trying to kill me."

The three of them stared, their eyes wide with shock.

"Let’s talk inside."

"...Right."

An ambush like this couldn’t simply be ignored. As the saying goes, a thief can strike any time, but you can’t stand guard forever. A hidden enemy could jump out at any moment. While Wendy Lowell might get some answers, Paige couldn’t just pin all her hopes on someone else.

After Claire Chapman heard the whole story and Paige’s suspicions, he immediately declared that they had to get to the bottom of it.

The Forrest Siblings nodded in agreement. Rachel Forrest, in particular, had her own concerns. ’Paige was with someone else during this ambush, but what if they come for us next time? Paige is strong enough to escape, but I’m not so sure my brother and I would be.’

So, this threat had to be eliminated.

Claire Chapman thought for a moment, then said in a low, secretive voice, "I’ve heard people talk about a place where you can buy information."

"Oh?" Paige’s interest was piqued. "Any kind of information?"

"I’m not sure about that. But that Leanne Walsh was at Glimmerlake Base, then went to Mount Turol. She must have only just arrived in Central City. It should be easy enough to get information on someone who’s new to the city."

"That’s true." Paige nodded. "Then we shouldn’t waste any time. Let’s go check it out as soon as possible!"

Claire Chapman smiled. "They say you can only go there at night. I’ll have someone ask around first and get some details about the place. Don’t be so hasty. If we just barge in blindly, we’ll be completely lost."

’He’s right.’ Paige had no reason to disagree. She knew she was being too impatient.

’It’s just... after letting Leanne Walsh escape so many times, I can’t stand it!’

’And now she’s seized the initiative again... It’s infuriating just thinking about it!’

’This time, I absolutely will not let her get away!’

However, vowing not to let her go was one thing; being overly hasty would do more harm than good.

She forced herself to calm down before looking at Claire Chapman.

’Speaking of which, ever since Bloodfall was formed and he became its captain, he’s clearly become more mature and level-headed. Even though he hasn’t officially taken on any missions, he has more and more responsibilities to consider.’

Paige couldn’t help but sigh. ’I remember how much I used to envy Marcus Monroe. Now, I have my own trusted partners. I have to admit, I’m incredibly lucky!’