Chapter 215 - 138: A Shocking Turn

No matter how she thought about it, Paige Summers saw no reason to help Sheldon Reid with such a dangerous task, regardless of what incentives he offered.

Sheldon Reid hadn’t expected Paige Summers to be so difficult to deal with.

Given his current status, a promise from him wasn’t given lightly, yet she had still refused him!

He frowned imperceptibly.

But in truth, aside from Paige Summers, he really couldn’t think of anyone more suited for this job.

He had observed her carefully along the way. Her speed was impressive, her movements were agile, and her skill with the crossbow... from what he’d seen, very few people had that kind of accuracy!

More importantly, her mental fortitude when fighting Mutant Beasts was exceptional, even surpassing that of his own rigorously trained soldiers.

If she were the one to infiltrate Norgate, he could imagine the success rate would be very high!

It had come to this. He had no choice but to play his trump card.

"What if I told you that if you do this for me, I’ll hand Nora Lowell over to you to do with as you please?" ’The enmity between her and Nora Lowell seems immense. He might not know all the details of their past, but since they arrived in Central City, the two had clashed more than a few times. He refused to believe she wouldn’t be tempted!’

’Nora Lowell is certainly useful, but the one in the city is someone he could never give up on so easily. Comparatively, the latter is more important.’

Paige Summers did indeed fall silent.

Just as Sheldon Reid was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly laughed. "I never thought a similar choice would present itself a second time. Life is funny, isn’t it?"

"You mean..."

Paige Summers’s lips curled. "The last time I faced a choice like this, I accepted. As it turns out, I was wrong. If you want someone dead, other people’s promises are bullshit. Only when you kill them with your own hands can you truly put an end to that hatred! So, you must understand my choice now, right?"

Sheldon Reid was speechless for a long moment.

The soft approach wasn’t working, so he’d have to use force. His eyes gradually turned sinister.

Unfortunately for him, Paige Summers was completely unfazed.

As the two of them were locked in a stalemate, a noise suddenly came from outside.

First came the sound of arguments and rebukes, immediately followed by the activation of superpowers and the clash of weapons.

Paige Summers was startled and was about to get up and go outside.

Just then, Sheldon Reid suddenly leaned over and grabbed her wrist.

"Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. We’re not done talking!"

"What’s there to talk about! Didn’t you hear something’s happening outside?" Paige Summers tried to yank her arm away, but found his grip was abnormally strong. She couldn’t break free. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Sheldon Reid remained calm. "What are you so worked up about? I don’t believe you failed to notice that certain people have been restless and plotting for a long time. They just couldn’t hold back any longer. My men will handle a trivial matter like this. Is there any need for you to worry?"

Paige Summers frowned.

’Is it Connor Grant’s group... This is such a pain.’

She thought for a moment, then said, "When you say ’handle it,’ you don’t mean you’re going to kill them all, do you? If you knew this would happen, why use Mercenaries in the first place? Weren’t you just asking for trouble? And don’t underestimate these Superpower Users from the Hunting Parties, or you’ll suffer the consequences of looking down on others sooner or later!"

When she said this, Paige Summers was only trying to warn Sheldon Reid not to be too extreme, not to be too ruthless. Even a cornered dog will lash out, let alone living people! She never expected her words to be a prophecy, and the consequences would be even more severe than she could have imagined!

At the time, however, Sheldon Reid merely sneered and paid her no mind.

He slowly released her and said, "Let’s continue our conversation..."

Before Paige Summers could retort, footsteps approached from outside, and someone spoke in a low voice from beyond the tent flap. "Commander, we’re about to initiate the second plan. It’s not very safe here in the tent. Perhaps you and Boss Summers should move. Maybe Boss Summers would be interested in seeing the prowess of our Power Corps in battle!"

Sheldon Reid suddenly smiled and called out, "Excellent. Do as you say." With that, his hand shot out and grabbed Paige Summers again.

Paige Summers prided herself on being fast, but she was still a step slower than Sheldon Reid. Even now, she still had no idea what this man’s superpower was! It was infuriating.

But being angry was pointless when she was outmatched.

She could only try to pry his hand off while saying, "Let go! I can walk on my own!"

Sheldon Reid was unmoved. "I don’t trust you."

For a moment, Paige Summers wanted to poison the bastard, but she reined in her temper. She did want to see what was happening outside, and she worried if Claire Chapman and the others had been dragged into it.

"I promise you, I won’t just leave before we’ve finished talking about this. Is that good enough for you?"

Escorted by a small squad of soldiers and led by the officer who had just reported, Paige Summers followed Sheldon Reid from the tent to a slope some distance from the camp.

It was indeed an excellent observation point.

Standing at the top of this small hill, one had an unobstructed view of the entire camp.

Down below, the fighting had already stopped.

From the looks of it, The Power Corps had gained the upper hand, as expected.

Some of the Mercenaries were injured, but none were dead. Their leader stood with his head bowed, looking utterly dejected. And among them, sure enough, was Connor Grant...

Paige Summers scanned the group and saw no one from Bloodfall, which set her mind mostly at ease.

’As for Connor Grant and his people, if they die, it’ll be from their own stupidity!’

Just as she was thinking this, the situation below suddenly took a dramatic turn!

First, Connor Grant’s men all waved their hands, throwing something at The Power Corps soldiers in front of them. She quickly realized they were seeds! Several people, who must have been Wood Element Superpower Users, immediately activated the seeds. As if they’d gone mad, the seeds sprouted into vines. It only took them a dozen seconds or so to engulf The Power Corps soldiers in what looked like a sky full of vines...

The scene instantly descended into chaos!

Some were shot, others were pierced by the vines. Connor Grant’s group paid no attention to their own wounded or dead, retreating toward the perimeter at extreme speed. It was clear they had planned this all along.

The Power Corps quickly organized a pursuit while using fire and weapons to destroy the frenzied vines... But before they could completely break free, several Mutant Beasts came charging from the direction of Connor Grant’s retreat!

No, it wasn’t just a few.

They were just the vanguard. Paige Summers looked in that direction in shock.

At some point, a massive horde of Mutant Beasts had begun to swarm toward the camp!

’This is bad!’ she thought, immediately preparing to head back.

Seeing the situation below, Sheldon Reid’s expression also grew cold. However, before he could give the order to return, the officer who had led them here and his squad of soldiers all drew their guns and aimed them at the two of them.

BANG! BANG! The gunshots rang out. Because the distance was too close and they were caught completely off guard, even Sheldon Reid couldn’t dodge in time and was hit twice.

Their aim was precise and ruthless.

The bullets hit his right and left arms!

Since their target was Sheldon Reid, Paige Summers only received their "attention" a moment later.

By then, she had already realized what was happening.

’It’s a mutiny!’

The instant a dark muzzle was pointed at her, she had no choice but to sprint down the slope behind her.

A gunshot rang out. She pushed all her senses to their limit, but was still a fraction too slow. Her thigh was hit. Fortunately, it was just a severe graze. Paige Summers immediately curled into a ball and rolled down the hill.

However, she never would have guessed that this somewhat steep slope behind them wasn’t just a slope.

As her entire body plunged through a pile of dead leaves that seemed thick but couldn’t support a person’s weight, she realized that what lay hidden beneath them wasn’t solid ground, but a massive fissure! This whole thing, from the report outside the tent to being led here, had been a trap—a trap targeting Sheldon Reid!

As her body went airborne, she thought, ’If I die, it’ll be from sheer bad luck!’

But waiting for death was definitely not her style!

Even as she thought this, she had already pulled the Hook Claw from her storage space.

The fissure was far deeper than she had imagined.

This also meant her time in the air would last for at least a couple of minutes.

After what felt like a long fall, Paige Summers finally spotted a large, protruding rock!

It was hard to exert any force in mid-air, so she had to use the terrain to her advantage. She threw the Hook Claw with all her might, just barely managing to latch onto the rock.

But it was enough.

Paige Summers used the Hook Claw’s cable to quickly slow her descent, eventually coming to a stop.

She was still suspended in mid-air.

Looking down, there was only pitch-black darkness; she couldn’t see how much deeper it went.

But looking up was even less optimistic.

Not only was the distance already great, but in her current condition, climbing back up seemed like an impossible mission. Most importantly, it was still a question of whether the mutineers had left!

For the first time, Paige Summers felt such a headache.

For her current predicament, and even more so for her terrible luck...

After a moment of dejection, she forced herself to rally her spirits.

’Since going up is impossible, I might as well burn my bridges and head down!’

First, she climbed onto the protruding rock. She quickly applied some medicine to her wound, then began to move downward at a turtle’s pace using the Hook Claw.

As long as she was moving, even the longest journey would have an end.

Paige Summers had no idea how long it took. She felt a bit like a monkey, dangling from the cable from time to time, swaying against the chasm’s wall... But eventually, she reached the bottom.

The fissure grew narrower the further down it went, until it was barely wide enough for one person to pass through at the bottom. However, the gap was very long. Paige Summers looked left and right and saw that the northern end seemed shallower than the southern one, so she decided to explore north first.

The wound on her thigh wouldn’t heal so quickly, of course, but after applying medicine, it didn’t hurt too much to walk. She supported herself against one of the walls and slowly headed north.

Her wild idea that there might be a tunnel or secret passage leading to Norgate was quickly shattered.

The northern path was a dead end.

And the walls were solid rock. Paige Summers, confident that she hadn’t overlooked anything, checked it over one more time and had to accept this conclusion.

The only remaining option was to go south.

The southern path was long and dark. Before long, even the faint light from above disappeared. Luckily, Paige Summers had a lamp in her storage space. Holding the lamp in one hand and supporting herself against the wall with the other, she ventured deeper.

It wasn’t until a heavy breathing sound assaulted her ears that she stopped dead in her tracks!