Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice
Chapter 199 - 126: Ambushed
After the Lowell Family, including Nora Lowell, had left, Paige Summers quickly became busy.
There was no immediate move from Nora Lowell’s side.
But Paige refused to believe the woman had given up on trying to destroy her.
If she could, she would have eliminated the problem for good, but given the current situation, killing Nora Lowell was no simple matter.
The news she received said that Nora Lowell and Shawn Monroe had separated. She had now joined Military Command and was living in a restricted military zone. Even tracking her movements was difficult, let alone attempting an assassination.
So, for the time being, she turned her focus back to her own affairs.
From another perspective, this was also a way to build up her own resources!
Only by becoming stronger could she inflict the greatest damage on her enemies and strike hard against those who targeted her, including Nora Lowell!
After partnering with the Mercer Family, Summers Armaments became more prosperous than ever.
Without any deliberate promotion from her, many families in Central City, and even The Government and Military Command, had started paying attention to her. After all, in Central City, the Mercer Family’s every move was watched. And they had made no effort to hide their partnership with Paige Summers.
Paige felt this was also their way of making a statement, warning other powers not to mess with her anymore.
This outcome had its pros and cons, but overall, the positives outweighed the negatives.
At the very least, business at Summers Armaments had reached the point where she was overwhelmed with orders.
To solve this problem, she had to start limiting custom orders.
Since she was no longer short on materials, the price for custom orders was also skyrocketing.
But even so, most people were willing to pay.
To be honest, many people weren’t experts in this field, and it was quite a hassle for them to gather the materials themselves.
Taking two to three orders a month earned her a considerable amount, and it was much more manageable for her.
Not only did this free up time to research new weapons with Blake Morrison, but she also began further exploration into firearms. At the same time, she was also taking care of the needs of Nadia and Levi Young.
The two were still living in the warehouse on the edge of District Four. The environment there wasn’t just quiet; it was practically deserted. Paige took some time to have a "chat" with the administrator. The carrot and stick approach wasn’t just for diplomacy; it worked instantly here.
From then on, the administrator not only turned a blind eye to the two people living inside but would also help provide a perfect cover story whenever someone came asking questions.
Although Nadia couldn’t move on so quickly from the trauma Evan Pierce had caused, it spurred her to pour all her energy into her experiments. Her mother’s stolen keepsake was never recovered, but all the related data had been restored.
With Levi Young’s participation, they not only successfully created two types of Antidotes but also improved upon them. The recovery time for poisoned individuals was drastically shortened!
In Paige Summers’s view, this was truly a remarkable achievement.
For two young people to accomplish so much was truly impressive!
Of course, the required medicinal herbs and supplementary materials also cost her a great deal.
But she was far from short on money now. Most of what they needed could be bought ready-made or obtained by posting bounties for other Superpower Users. For the harder-to-get items, she would personally go out of the city with Claire Chapman and the Hunting Party to find them.
Fortunately, everything went relatively smoothly.
After some time, they began preparing to research a third type of Antidote.
This time, even more materials were needed.
After a few days of preparation, they had gathered all the medicinal herbs, but they were still missing the most crucial components: toxic bodies from Zombies or Zombie Beasts.
It was impossible to obtain such things through normal channels. The only way was to personally hunt, kill, and bring them back.
Levi Young knew that only Paige Summers could accomplish this. Although he was a little worried, he still asked for her opinion.
Paige thought the first parts were manageable, but bringing them back... She hadn’t forgotten the discomfort she felt after putting Evan Pierce into her space, so she frankly voiced her concerns.
Levi Young frowned slightly. After a long moment, he said, "Could it be because he had just died? Even though his heartbeat had stopped, his body’s vital signs hadn’t completely faded, which caused that reaction?"
Paige thought for a moment. "That’s a possibility. Either way, I’ll have to try. There’s no other option."
Levi Young nodded lightly and advised, "You could dismember the corpse; that way, it’s no different from chunks of meat. But the blood is very important, so don’t let any of it spill. Also, just test it out. If you can bring it back, great. If not, don’t force it. We’ll just figure out another way!"
Paige smiled. "Don’t worry! No matter how important the experiment is, it’s not more important than my own life. If there’s a problem, I’ll definitely choose to protect myself first!"
Levi Young finally relaxed a little. "That’s good. Oh, right, I’ll prepare some medicine for your trip. Remember to come get it before you leave!"
"Okay."
Paige chatted with Nadia for a few more minutes before leaving.
However, on her way back to her residence this time, she was the target of another assassination attempt!
By then, the sky was already dark. The security in District Four wasn’t great, and street robberies were common, so there were very few people on the streets at this hour.
Paige was driving down a narrow street when she sensed something was wrong. Just then, two loud THUDS came from the roof of the car—two people had jumped on top!
She had no intention of stopping. Instead, she immediately accelerated, trying to throw them off!
But it was harder than she expected. The people on top were highly skilled. Not only were they not thrown off, but they leaned down, sprawled across the roof, and began to attack Paige.
Several daggers flew down through the air. If Paige hadn’t dodged quickly by leaping into the passenger seat, she would have been turned into a pincushion!
But as soon as she moved, the car spun out of control, heading straight for the low-rise buildings on the side of the street!
Unwilling to let them succeed, Paige scrambled back over and slammed on the brakes. Just as it was about to crash, the car let out a sharp, piercing SCREECH and came to a stop.
The people on the roof had assumed she would jump out of the car and were prepared for it. They hadn’t expected this move, and both of them were suddenly flung forward through the air!
If it had only been the two of them, they would have crashed hard.
The reality was, they had accomplices.
Three people shot out from a corner. Two went to attack Paige, while the third activated a Wood Element Superpower to save the other two.
Paige was forced out of the car and began to fight with the two attackers. After a brief delay, the other three quickly joined the fray.
Paige realized the situation was dire!
None of them were weak, and their superpowers complemented each other, making them incredibly deadly. Trapped in the middle, she had no chance to use her Crossbow and could only parry with close-range weapons. But her enemies were slippery. They refused to face her head-on, instead coordinating perfectly to evade her attacks and continuously launch sneak attacks from behind!
She could only rely on her speed to dodge, but if this continued, the situation would only become more and more unfavorable for her!
After a brief exchange, she started looking for an opportunity to use her Poisonous Liquid.
However, before she could make her move, several sets of footsteps suddenly sounded from nearby. One set, light and swift, was very familiar to her!
Marcus Monroe arrived in a hurry with nearly ten Superpower Users. Seeing that Paige was only surrounded and not injured, he relaxed slightly. He immediately ordered his men to break the siege, while he himself, filled with rage, charged in first!
With the addition of these reinforcements, the five assassins knew they had failed.
But it was too late to escape now.
Marcus’s subordinates were hand-picked from his forces in Southreach; every one of them was incredibly formidable. With their superior numbers, they quickly subdued the five men!
He had intended to take them alive for interrogation, but the five were surprisingly decisive. Knowing they couldn’t escape, they immediately committed suicide. They were so ruthless in doing so that Marcus and his men had no chance to stop them.
Looking at the bodies strewn across the ground, Paige let out a frustrated sigh.
But this was no time to dwell on it. Their fight had already attracted attention, and the District Four guards were bound to arrive at any moment.
Marcus waved for the others to take the bodies and leave quickly, while he pulled Paige into the car with him.
He turned the car onto a small road, made a few more turns, and drove onto a street that was relatively busy even at this hour. Only after passing through it did Marcus turn the car in the direction of her home.
Back at Paige’s place, Marcus asked in a low voice, "Have you guessed who was behind it?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Paige raised an eyebrow. "How many enemies do I have here? The only one who would go to such lengths to deal with me is Nora Lowell! I’m just surprised she was willing to spend so much. You saw them; those five were definitely professional assassins. Hiring them must have cost a fortune!"
Marcus glanced at her. "Nora Lowell may have been the one who ordered it, but she wasn’t the one who actually carried it out."
"You mean..." As Paige said this, a certain possibility had already crossed her mind.
"It was Woody Warren."
Paige stopped pacing and sat down across from him. "This... How did you find this out? And those men from before, were they your subordinates?"
Marcus nodded. "My men bribed an employee at Woody Warren’s shop. The whole picture was pieced together from bits and pieces of evidence. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have confirmed the information so late."
’Woody Warren... an employee...’
Paige was silent for a long while before she said, "He’s back to his old business?"
"Mhm. Where else do you think he got that kind of money? The furniture in his shop is very popular. It doesn’t just sell well in the Third District; even people from District 1 and District 2 make special trips to buy from him. I remember, you were the one who gave him those designs, right?"
Paige gave a bitter smile. "Are you telling me I’m reaping what I sowed?"
After a moment, Marcus sighed softly, reached out, and ruffled her hair. "No. I’m just reminding you not to be so quick to trust people."
Paige froze. "My movements were leaked by someone close to me!"
Marcus stared into her eyes. He didn’t say a word, but Paige knew she had guessed correctly.
She paused for a long time before slowly uttering a name.
Marcus gave a slight nod.
She pressed her lips together, a sharp glint appearing in her eyes.