Relaxed now, Erin Quinn leaped over to Paige Summers in a few bounds. She then scrambled into her arms like a monkey and whispered everything Samuel Hughes had been thinking into her ear, not missing a single word.

After listening, Paige Summers just smiled.

"Evie, go let him bleed a little."

"You got it!"

Erin Quinn gripped the wooden Short Sword and walked decisively behind Samuel Hughes. With two quick slashes, she cut both of his wrists.

The cuts weren’t deep, but they weren’t shallow either.

Blood immediately gushed out, soaking the ropes.

Howard Everett had no idea what game they were playing anymore. However, Paige Summers’s supremely confident expression kept him from getting too worried.

The one who needed to worry was Samuel Hughes.

Blood flowed steadily. Soon, his face began to turn pale, and his body grew colder.

He knew he wouldn’t die from this amount of blood loss.

The temperature wasn’t high enough, so the bleeding would naturally slow after a while. This was especially true for a Superpower User, whose body was much stronger than a normal person’s. As long as he didn’t touch or pull at the wounds, the bleeding might even stop on its own.

But that was only if no one touched them.

He looked up at Erin Quinn, who stood beside him, itching to draw more blood at any moment. A wave of despair washed over him.

Paige Summers seemed to see right through him. "Don’t worry," she said softly. "She won’t touch you again. Otherwise, you’d die too quickly, and that would be no fun. Are you starting to feel the wounds hurt less? A bit numb and itchy, perhaps? If you think that means they’re healing, you’re dead wrong. In a few more minutes, you’ll feel a tightness in your chest, like you can’t breathe—the same way someone with a heart condition feels. Your superpower will also fade away, bit by bit. Even if I untied you, you wouldn’t be able to use it. Of course, this state won’t last long, because in a day at most, you’ll be completely bedridden..."

She met Samuel Hughes’s shocked and terrified gaze. At that moment, her innocent face looked more terrifying than a demon’s in his eyes.

"That’s right. The sword was poisoned. It destroys a person’s organ functions. Once poisoned, without the antidote, you’ll become a cripple for life. Oh, but you won’t even have to wait that long, because the Beast Tide is coming. Better start thinking about which of your subordinates are loyal enough. When the Beast Tide arrives, who among them will carry a helpless man with them while they run for their lives? Your wife, perhaps? Your mistress?"

She smiled gently, but Samuel Hughes was as rigid as a corpse.

"None of them, right? In that case, I’ll take you with me. I remember there are mountains nearby. We can go to a summit and enjoy the view as this base is destroyed. Watch as the people you know are devoured by the Beast Tide until not even their bones are left. The only shame is that you won’t be able to stand with your base until the end. You won’t be able to do anything but watch..."

Adding the final straw that would break him, she glanced at her watch. "Oops, I’ve spent too much time talking. You only have thirty seconds left to decide. So, I’ll count to thirty. Will you do it or not? Give me an answer!"

Seeing Samuel Hughes’s pupils constrict under the light and his lips begin to tremble, Paige Summers’s smile widened.

’She already knew his answer...’

「2:59 AM」

The Base Chief’s guards’ vehicle left the base’s Government building.

Of course, the people inside were Paige Summers and her group.

The base was no longer calm. The broadcast, which had just reached every corner of the base, had spurred everyone into action.

Some were carrying out the evacuation order announced by the Base Chief. Others realized something was wrong and were trying to find the Base Chief himself. Still others were trying to find a way to exploit the situation... But the majority, civilians and soldiers alike, believed the Base Chief’s own words from the broadcast. They began preparing to evacuate and guide others, moving with a speed that even outpaced those in power!

And in the midst of this chaos, Howard Everett drove the vehicle, bumping and jostling, to the outer city, just outside the warehouse district.

Along the way, they even ran into a considerable number of base guards leaving from that direction.

It seemed the Base Chief’s announcement meant they no longer had time to worry about disputes between minor factions.

The situation at the scene was about what Paige Summers had expected.

Complete chaos.

Burning warehouses, fierce battles between Superpower Users, and the wreckage of warehouses they had destroyed...

There weren’t just Marcus Monroe’s people and Flying Eagle’s people, but Shawn Monroe’s people as well.

A three-way brawl. All sorts of superpowers, dazzling even from a distance!

Howard Everett made a snap decision. He abandoned the car and led Paige Summers and Erin Quinn to sneak closer from the side.

However, before they came into view, one of their own people stopped them.

Isaac Langley, who had been lying in wait, led them to a more distant corner. Before he could even speak, the ground by the city wall began to shift, and the top of a head emerged from beneath some cover.

Cillian climbed nimbly out of the hole and whispered, "Quick, get in!"

"What about them over there?" Paige Summers asked, a little conflicted.

Isaac Langley grabbed Erin Quinn and stuffed her into the narrow hole, which was only wide enough for one person. "You go first, we’ll be right behind you!"

After letting Howard Everett go down first, Paige Summers whispered something in Isaac Langley’s ear before climbing in herself, leaving him with a strange smile on his face...

Because time was tight, this tunnel was far less spacious than the one they used to leave The Dead City; they almost had to crawl to get through. Of course, at a time like this, they were lucky to have any escape route at all.

The three of them emerged outside Glimmerlake Base as quickly as possible and waited warily by the tunnel entrance.

After a moment, Erin Quinn couldn’t help but lean over and whisper in Paige Summers’s ear, "Paige, was that really the antidote you gave the Base Chief?"

Paige Summers shook her head decisively.

Erin Quinn shivered. ’That’s so ruthless! Isn’t the Base Chief going to die a horrible death?!’

But unexpectedly, Paige Summers patted her own face smugly and said, "There’s no such magical poison, okay? I was bluffing! I’m a pretty good actress, right?" ’It’s not like I watched all those American TV shows about serial killers and psychos for nothing! Turns out, it’s pretty effective for scaring people...’

’Although, I really was furious, too!’