Ryan Faraday was discharged from the military years ago for health reasons, and his whereabouts are unknown.

What’s more, with what happened to Milton Faraday, trying to find Ryan now... In one word: difficult! In two words: very difficult!

Paige Summers and Marcus Monroe both knew they had to uncover the truth before they could mount a proper defense or counterattack.

So Marcus quickly said, "I’ll figure out a way to track his whereabouts. You, on the other hand, should stay indoors as much as possible to be safe. Since Sheldon Reid could find Nadia, you’ll inevitably be implicated. He was already holding a grudge over what happened with Ben, and now he’s probably trying everything he can to come after you."

Paige Summers nodded silently.

Although it wasn’t convenient for her to leave the city, some things still needed to be done as soon as possible.

Like contacting Ben... But she had to register to leave the city. Sheldon Reid would grow suspicious of her intentions, and it was highly likely he’d send someone to tail her.

To avoid the risk, Marcus Monroe had to go in her place.

That night, he had his men provide cover while he and Sweetie split up. They met outside the city before going to find Ben and explain Paige’s difficult situation.

Marcus was gone for nearly four hours. When he returned, he was soaking wet, and so was Sweetie.

Thankfully, they’d found Ben.

"He’s not in a good mood right now, and he’s very hostile toward me!"

"Ah! Then..."

"No, he didn’t actually attack me." Marcus wiped his face, making fun of himself. "I probably have Sweetie to thank for that. He recognized it and kept circling it. He was probably looking for you. When he realized you weren’t there, he got really agitated. Poor Sweetie was terrified."

Paige sighed in relief. "That’s good."

’It makes sense.’ He had followed them all this way by himself, only to be forced to hide near Central City. It must have been dangerous and stifling.

’And I still can’t go to him...’

’No wonder he was agitated.’

But with Andy injured and Nadia too distraught to leave his side, neither of them could go examine him, much less research any restorative medicine.

Paige rubbed her forehead. "He supposedly has human thoughts now, but they’re still rudimentary. I’m really worried he’ll foolishly try to storm Central City or attack a Hunting Party... At this distance, if he’s discovered, Central City could easily dispatch a large number of Superpower Users to capture him alive. They’d be thrilled he delivered himself to their doorstep!"

Marcus thought for a moment. "It probably won’t come to that for now. From what I saw, he has some self-control. He should be able to hold on for a while longer. But if this drags on, it’s hard to say."

"I see..."

’Looks like I have to resolve this as soon as possible!’

That was what she was thinking, but someone else was even more eager to see results.

The very next day at noon, before she had a chance to go back, word came from Marcus’s people: her place had been secretly searched! 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

And that wasn’t all. Claire Chapman also received a notice from the Superpower User Management Office, stating that the Bloodfall Hunters were temporarily suspended from taking on missions and needed to undergo an "internal review." As for when they would be reinstated, the administrator had only one thing to say: "I don’t know! Not unless we get an order from above to lift the suspension!"

Hearing this, Claire Chapman’s whole face threatened to twitch.

’Internal review, my ass!’

’This is clearly someone deliberately trying to hinder Bloodfall’s growth!’

Marcus found out the same day. After some hesitation, he decided to tell Paige the truth.

When Paige heard, she was furious. "It has to be that bastard Sheldon Reid! If he has the guts, he should just announce my crimes, shut down my weapon shop, and put a bounty on my head! What gives him the right to use Bloodfall as a scapegoat?!"

Marcus pulled her hand down, letting her lean against him as she sat. "Calm down. You should be able to guess why he isn’t targeting you openly."

Paige pressed down on the throbbing vein in her temple and said through clenched teeth, "Yeah, it’s obviously because of the Mercer Family. That bastard must be wary of them."

"Exactly. That’s why he can only go after Bloodfall." After a pause, Marcus added, "Actually, the reason he moved against Bloodfall so decisively might have something to do with Claire Chapman."

"Huh? What does he have to do with this?"

Marcus nodded. "It does. On the way back to Central City, he took a great interest in Claire Chapman. But for someone like him, if recruitment fails, the next best thing is to destroy them."

’Destroy them... True, how long could a Hunting Party last if it couldn’t accept missions?’

’If Sheldon Reid was deliberately targeting Claire Chapman, he might never be able to form a Hunting Party in Central City ever again!’

’What a way to cut the ground out from under him!’

’Doing this... there’s probably another motive: to make Claire Chapman submit!’

Paige sneered. "A man like him..."

Marcus wrapped his arm around her, comforting her. "Don’t rush. He’s out in the open, so he can be as arrogant as he wants. But we’re in the shadows, and we won’t be on the defensive forever. It’s just that, given his status and position, this can’t be rushed. We need to plan this out slowly."