The team Marcus Monroe brought with him consisted of his finest elites, all of whom had worked together often and shared a remarkable chemistry. They split into groups of two or three, spacing themselves out before sprinting along the designated route.

The route had been meticulously planned to avoid tricky Mutant Beast gathering spots and massive mutant plants. Though it was a detour, it would minimize casualties.

This time, Paige Summers stayed by Marcus Monroe’s side, bringing up the rear.

As a Speed Superpower User, she didn’t need to use her full strength to keep up with the group. But she didn’t let her guard down, because real combat was her best learning opportunity!

Occasional encounters with mutant flora and fauna were unavoidable, so Paige had to learn not only the fighting styles of the Superpower Users ahead but also the command techniques of the man to her left.

About an hour later, they finally left the area of The Dead City where all the detection devices were installed and arrived at the edge of a forest.

"We can drive once we get through here." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Paige Summers nodded and charged in with the others.

Their pace slowed considerably as they moved through the dense forest.

Paige Summers cautiously followed in the footsteps of the person ahead, but suddenly felt a sharp, pecking pain in her back!

Marcus Monroe noticed her momentary hesitation. "What’s wrong?"

While maintaining her pace so as not to fall behind, she resignedly opened her backpack. Sweetie hopped out innocently but with extreme speed onto her shoulder.

The corner of Marcus Monroe’s mouth twitched. He glanced at her embarrassed face and could only say, "Just make it stay put for now."

She gave a soft murmur of agreement; that was something Paige Summers wasn’t worried about.

Although Sweetie was just a bird, it seemed to understand her.

Before they left, it had stubbornly refused to leave her backpack, so she had sternly warned it that she would only bring it along if it behaved.

It must have been desperate after being cooped up, which was why it had pecked her. But after perching on her shoulder, it didn’t make a sound or do anything to disturb her.

She patted it comfortingly, and Paige Summers refocused on the journey.

The forest was naturally not as calm as the wilderness; there were clearly more mutant plants here. However, these Superpower Users were obviously experienced. Often, before the plants could even attack, a group or two would work together to take them down.

By dawn, they had successfully reached the other side of the forest.

Not far off was a rather tall mountain. This place must have been frequented by people in the past, as there was a clearly visible winding road up the mountain. But now, there wasn’t a soul in sight. Fortunately, the mountain road wasn’t too badly damaged. Aside from some particularly large cracks that they would have to climb over, most of it was still navigable with superb driving skills.

"Rest up, then get in the vehicle!"

After giving the order, Marcus Monroe took a vehicle out of his ring space. The team hurriedly scarfed down their combat rations in a few bites and climbed aboard one after another.

The driver’s job could only go to Isaiah Langley, while Martin Warren sat in the passenger seat. The others took turns on watch, finally free from having to rely on their own two feet.

Only then did everyone have time to notice the bird on Paige Summers’ shoulder.

"My pet, Sweetie," she introduced simply.

Throughout the journey, Sweetie had perched very steadily on Paige Summers’ shoulder and was extremely obedient. Marcus Monroe felt it had some potential, so he said, "It’s not bad."

Paige Summers nodded. "Its flight speed is decent, too. It just needs some training."

Across from them, Clark Chandler carefully watched Sweetie, who was acting cute and nuzzling its owner’s face, and suddenly spoke up. "Want me to help?"

Paige Summers’ eyes lit up as she looked over. ’For him to say that, could it be he’s an expert in this?’

Clark Chandler gave her a friendly smile. "As long as it’s willing, I can communicate with it. So, I should be able to help."

Paige Summers’ eyes beamed. She immediately held out her hand, offering up Sweetie.

As it turned out, a superpower that lets you communicate with animals was really practical!

Under Clark Chandler’s guidance, Sweetie soon left the vehicle, full of vigor, to begin its first aerial reconnaissance mission. And after Paige Summers heard the various precautions Clark Chandler suggested for Sweetie’s flight, she was filled with admiration. ’He’s definitely an expert!’

Clark Chandler said with an amused laugh, "It’s nothing. I grew up in an aviary, so I’m very familiar with the habits of birds. If you’d like, I can tell you more. Sweetie is a Mutant Bird with high intelligence. It knows how to express itself. You should be able to understand its needs easily and even have simple conversations."

Paige Summers, naturally, couldn’t ask for more!

So, during the vehicle’s ascent up the mountain, whenever she or Clark Chandler weren’t on watch, the two of them would huddle together, whispering.

On the other side, Grant Yardley watched them, an indescribable, twisted feeling in his heart, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what was making him uncomfortable.

The mountain road was rugged and winding; they traveled for a whole day and still hadn’t made it out.

That night, the group had no choice but to make camp deep in the mountains.

In the latter half of the night, it was Grant Yardley and Howard Everett’s turn to stand watch. The campfire had already gone out, and the mountain temperature had dropped below freezing. However, for a Superpower User like Grant Yardley, whose power enhanced his body, his combat suit was enough. After finishing his patrol, he plopped down by the extinguished fire and sighed inwardly. He raised the newly-made blade in his hand, his fingers tracing the spine, which was thicker than any other blade’s, before moving to the incredibly sharp edge, his gaze flickering uncertainly.

Howard Everett returned from the other side and saw his expression. He couldn’t help but sit across from him and whisper, "You... the look on your face when you were watching those two today was a little off."

Grant Yardley opened his mouth. He knew what he meant but didn’t know how to respond.

Howard Everett found his behavior even more unusual. Probing, he asked half-jokingly, "What’s up? Got a crush on someone? Clark Chandler or Paige Summers?"

Grant Yardley’s face instantly flushed red. "I’m not into guys!"

Howard Everett’s gaze shifted to the blade in his hand. It was one Paige Summers had brought this time, and it was indeed a fine blade; just looking at it sent a chill down one’s spine. But, remembering the fierce look in Grant Yardley’s eyes when several of them were clamoring for the blades, he pressed his lips together. "You know she’s not someone you should be thinking about. So, forget her. The sooner, the better."

The certainty and warning in his voice made Grant Yardley’s rugged face turn pale.

He stared blankly at the blade, uncharacteristically not arguing back.

’Do I have a crush on Paige Summers?’

’Actually, no.’

’Maybe I had a good impression at first; after all, there aren’t many women on the team.’

’But later, I started paying attention to her involuntarily because I thought she was amazing, and I... was... envious...’

As an Original Ability User himself, he was unwilling to even look back on the hardships he had faced to get to where he was today, even if others saw him as just a brute. But her, whose superpower alone was weaker than his, had easily won the boss’s favor with her skills. Even Clark Chandler, who normally preferred talking to animals over people, had taken the initiative to befriend her.

’Perhaps only someone like her is better suited for this apocalypse.’

’And me... no matter how hard I try, I can’t compare.’

Howard Everett frowned. Sighing inwardly, he patted Grant’s shoulder and walked to the other side. He thought the other man would figure it out sooner or later, but he didn’t realize they were on completely different wavelengths. A person who was usually so carefree and even a bit dense could become abnormally stubborn when they got fixated on something.

Just as they were lost in their own thoughts, a sudden scream tore through the night sky, shattering the silence of the deep mountains!