The scouts Shawn Monroe had sent to the perimeter didn’t find Marcus Monroe’s group. However, they weren’t far away, making it impossible for Marcus’s team to leave unnoticed.

In that case, it was better to reveal themselves.

That’s what Paige Summers was thinking, and Marcus Monroe evidently felt the same way.

Just as Shawn Monroe’s men were busy lighting a bonfire and preparing to set up their tents, Marcus Monroe appeared with his team.

In the pitch-black night, the sudden appearance of over a dozen swift-moving Superpower Users would unnerve anyone. This was especially true when the newcomers were familiar faces. Shawn Monroe’s men were first shocked by their arrival, and their minds immediately raced. ’Why are they here?!’

However, while Marcus Monroe wouldn’t have been surprised to see such an expression on anyone else’s face, seeing it on Shawn Monroe was another matter. The moment he saw the look of shock in his eyes, Marcus felt a strong sense that something was off.

Shawn Monroe was no fool.

In The Dead City, he could be cheerful and approachable or straightforward and hot-tempered, and would occasionally act arrogant, using his power to intimidate others. But all of that was just a show for Graham Monroe to see. From the moment he learned that Shawn had discovered the inhuman treatment his mother had suffered yet did nothing, acting as if everything was normal, Marcus knew that Shawn Monroe was incredibly cunning and capable of great forbearance.

A man like that, even if he were genuinely shocked by Marcus’s sudden appearance, wouldn’t let it show so easily—not like he was now, with his feelings on full display.

’Very strange...’

And yet, he was, without a doubt, Shawn Monroe.

Marcus Monroe pondered this, but his outward demeanor remained perfectly composed.

In fact, it wasn’t just him; everyone with him was just as composed. His team members figured that, at worst, it would just be a fight. ’We’ve disliked Shawn Monroe for a long time anyway. If the boss unleashes his power and takes him out, even better!’

The only exception was Paige Summers.

She was still furious, and being forced to suppress her anger only made her more so! But in a situation like this, she couldn’t lose her cool, which was why she had left Erin Quinn in a tree with Sweetie for company. She felt the chances of a real conflict erupting were low, but it was better to be cautious, just in case.

Separated by a distance of several dozen meters, Marcus Monroe didn’t speak first. His gaze swept over Shawn Monroe’s subordinates again, making a rough assessment. ’Their skills are decent,’ he thought, ’but this can’t be all of his elites.’

’This is getting really interesting...’

He was patient, so the other side was the first to break.

Shawn Monroe snorted coldly. "I’m surprised to see you here, of all places!"

"Is that so..." Marcus Monroe said faintly. "I’m equally surprised to see the Young City Lord in a place this remote."

"I don’t need to report my whereabouts to you!"

"The feeling is mutual."

Shawn Monroe gritted his teeth, about to say more, when Ace beside him suddenly leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear. Though his expression remained sour, he said no more.

Ace turned to Marcus Monroe, a polite smile on his tanned face. "Young Master Monroe, you and your team must have important business. Why waste time on a pointless squabble? To avoid delays, how about we rest well for the night and go our separate ways in the morning? What do you say?"

Marcus Monroe nodded slightly. "Fine."

With that one word, much of the hair-trigger tension between them instantly dissipated.

The two groups began to rest where they stood, though no one bothered setting up tents anymore; they kept things simple. They might be spending the night in peace, but who knew what could happen in the meantime.

During this time, Paige Summers was unsurprised to receive hostile glares from Nora Lowell and Leanne Walsh. Leanne Walsh’s gaze, in particular, was complex. On the one hand, she hated that Paige was still alive and that her superpower was now even stronger than her own. On the other hand, she found it deeply satisfying to think that in this life, there would no longer be a place for Paige by Shawn Monroe’s side.

In that respect, Paige Summers was no longer a threat.

By comparison, it was the other woman who truly inspired her envy, jealousy, and hatred.

With that, she retracted her gaze and shot a vicious glare at Nora Lowell, who was resting beside Shawn Monroe. She snorted to herself. ’She puts on such an aloof act, but isn’t she just trying to latch onto the Young City Lord? In our last life, Shawn Monroe completely fell for that routine, but it seems different this time. He treats her well, but it’s a far cry from the obsession he felt back then.’

In that moment, Leanne Walsh’s confidence soared.

’Since fate allowed me to be reborn,’ she thought, ’this must be my ultimate advantage!’

Little did she know, just as she couldn’t stand Nora Lowell, Nora Lowell was equally disgusted with her.

Nora Lowell had always prided herself on her status and power. While her attitude toward male Superpower Users was gentle, she would never debase herself. The type of woman she despised most was the kind who played the innocent "damsel in distress" in front of men. As it happened, Leanne Walsh was a prime example. The shy attitude and delicate voice she put on, especially around Shawn Monroe, were enough to make Nora sick to her stomach.