Chapter 71: Chapter 44: Exposing (Part 2)

Hearing the curse, she gave a contemptuous laugh. "A ghost? That idiot would be an idiot ghost. You think I’d be afraid of him? What a joke!"

Her companion was unconscious. Other than herself and the woman about to die, no one else was around. She grew bolder and decided to vent all the resentment she had suppressed since her rebirth.

"And you! A vicious bitch like you who only knows how to play pitiful to seduce men, why aren’t you dead yet?!"

"You’re a lucky one, aren’t you? Pushed off a cliff and you still came back alive. It’s fine. This time, I’ll make your death exquisite. How about I leave you with a single breath, then strip you naked and throw you to a pack of Mutant Beasts? They’ve been hungry for a long time. I’m sure they’ll take a liking to you..."

She always had to maintain the facade of a pure, innocent maiden, hiding her true self deep down. It was actually quite exhausting. Now that she finally had a chance to let loose, and in front of the person she hated most, her hands moved ruthlessly as her words grew more and more excited. Her eyes gleamed with a crazed hysteria.

"You slut! I’ll make you savor every moment. When the Mutant Beasts bite off your hands, your feet, pierce your stomach and your innards spill out, dragging on the ground, imagine the pain! An unbearable pain! A pain that makes you wish you were dead, but you’re still alive, still breathing! You can only watch with wide eyes and listen with pricked ears as they chew on your body, bit by bit. Your blood, your bones, your shredded flesh... everywhere..."

"Enough!"

Unable to listen anymore, Paige Summers’s entire demeanor changed in an instant. All traces of her clumsy, awkward performance vanished. With unexpected agility, she moved like a shadow, dodging several attacks before appearing right in front of her.

A look of stunned disbelief was still frozen on Leanne Walsh’s face as a Short Sword was pressed against her throat. Only when a tough cord bound her tightly did she finally realize what had just happened.

’I... was actually defeated?!’

Her eyes wide with fury, she roared, "This is impossible! What trick did you pull?!"

Paige Summers shot her a look of disgust, having no desire to speak.

’This woman is completely depraved.’

She kicked Leanne to the ground, then turned toward the makeshift first-aid room. "You’ve heard enough. Come on out!"

The creaky wooden door slid open, and a middle-aged man and woman walked out. Behind them was Levi Young, who had been helping to conceal their presence.

The pair slowly walked into The Dueling Ground, their faces still showing the lingering shock.

When Leanne Walsh saw them, her expression shifted multiple times.

They were none other than Hugo Perry’s parents!

As her senses slowly returned, she finally realized that the entire thing, right from the start of the duel, had been a scheme orchestrated by Paige Summers!

Intentionally knocking out Joel Warren and the others, intentionally feigning weakness, intentionally insulting and provoking her—what Paige wanted was for her to confess the truth about Hugo Perry’s death with her own mouth. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

And she had fallen for it...

She began to struggle violently. "Uncle Perry, Aunt Perry, don’t believe her! She forced me to say all that! How could I have killed Hugo? We were best friends! I..."

As Willa Young walked over, she was still in disbelief. How could this girl, who always seemed so gentle and whose eyes would redden at the slightest provocation, be so depraved? A depraved murderer who killed her own son! But at that moment, Leanne Walsh’s unconsciously twisting, malevolent face made it all terrifyingly real.

’That’s right, this is the woman who killed her son! The son she had raised since he was a baby, the son she had always cherished above all else!’

Willa Young lunged forward, her withered but strong hands striking Leanne across the head and face. "How dare you! You murderer! You killed my son! You’ll die a miserable death!"

Meanwhile, Mr. Perry drew the dagger from his belt and gripped it tightly, ready to kill the culprit and avenge his son the moment his wife was finished.

"Thank you."

He looked away from Paige Summers awkwardly, but in his heart, he sent her his deepest gratitude. He thanked her for being willing to find the murderer, for risking her own safety to set this trap and let them learn the truth.

’If we had killed the wrong person, our son would never be able to rest in peace...’

Paige Summers nodded but said nothing.

She should have been happy.

The amount of goodwill she had harvested this time was, as she expected, extraordinary—so much so that she could completely ignore the hatred from Nora Lowell and the others!

But while her chest felt warm, her heart was ice-cold.

The woman’s wails and the ashen despair in Leanne Walsh’s eyes filled her with a sense of powerlessness.

’This damn apocalypse!’

But soon, Paige Summers had no time to contemplate the state of the world, because a monstrous vehicle came barreling toward them like an untamed mustang.

Just as she sensed trouble and gestured for Mr. Perry to act quickly, the people in the car struck!

Bolts of Thunder Strike shot straight at them!

"Save her!"

As Paige Summers roared at Levi Young, she had already yanked Willa Young out of the direct path of a strike.

But in that split second, the vehicle pulled up close. Three people jumped out, rushed forward, and secured Leanne Walsh—who was battered and bruised, had been unfortunately knocked unconscious by a stray lightning bolt, but was definitely still alive.

"Who... Who are you people?"

The woman who was clearly the leader of the trio ignored Mr. Perry’s audibly weak question. Her icy gaze fell on Paige Summers. "I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon. What a surprise!"

Paige Summers just rolled her eyes.

’How could my luck be this bad!’

’I was so close to getting rid of a ticking time bomb, and now a friggin’ anti-aircraft cannon shows up for a scheduled attack!’

’This Nora Lowell is truly the ultimate villainess, blessed by the author with plot armor!’