Chapter 216 - 139: The Fissure

Paige Summers gazed with a complicated expression at the unconscious Sheldon Reid, who was slumped against the stone wall. For a moment, she was tempted to just walk away and leave him there.

’If it weren’t for this guy, would I be in this mess?!’

But on second thought, she sighed and slowly walked over.

She took medicine from her space and forced it into his mouth, then applied some ointment to the gunshot wounds on both his arms. Besides the gunshots, his body was covered in many other scrapes and bruises. His clothes were torn in several places, a clear sign that he had tumbled down from above. It wasn’t clear if he had jumped or been pushed. In any case, the other injuries weren’t life-threatening, so Paige Summers ignored them.

She was saving him because their conflict hadn’t reached a life-or-death stage.

Besides, he was needed to clean up the mess up top!

’This man is so arrogant, thinking he has everything under control. Letting him die so easily would be letting him off cheap. He has to taste the bitter fruit of his own making! Now, forget about contacting the spies in Norgate; with the betrayal of his own confidant, it’s hard to say how many of The Power Corps will even be left.’

’Who else could I leave a mess like this to but him!’

Most importantly, with her and Sheldon Reid disappearing at the same time, the culprit would very likely pin the blame for his murder on her!

Only if Sheldon Reid was alive could her name be cleared.

Fortunately, not long after taking the medicine, Sheldon Reid’s breathing gradually stabilized.

Paige Summers sat down beside him. ’I wonder how Claire Chapman and the others are doing. They can’t be in a worse situation than I am, surely.’ Claire Chapman was savvy and extremely sharp; if Connor Grant didn’t want to incite public outrage, he surely wouldn’t target anyone from Bloodfall. Besides, with her—the person he hated most—now missing and her fate unknown, the conflict was less likely to escalate.

Speaking of which, this whole affair was shrouded in mystery.

’Are Connor Grant and Sheldon Reid’s betrayer in this together? Is the mastermind a Government official? Is their only goal to kill Sheldon Reid?’

’And where did those Mutant Beasts come from?’

’Do they have other accomplices nearby?’

...

There were too many questions, and she couldn’t figure out the answers at the moment, so she had no choice but to drop it for now.

Although Sheldon Reid was getting better, he still hadn’t woken up. Paige Summers grew impatient waiting, so she dragged him further into the ravine to what felt like a safer spot, then left him there and continued exploring to the south.

Meanwhile, back at the site of the ambush.

The officer who had opened fire—Sheldon Reid’s adjutant, Milton Faraday—had decisively killed the few soldiers accompanying him, staged the scene, and left.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go down to confirm if they were dead or alive, but the ravine was simply too treacherous. He had to give up on the idea, but he also felt their chances of survival were practically zero. Only then did he feel at ease enough to go report to the person who had provided him with this hidden location and helped him kill Sheldon Reid.

Over there, The Power Corps and the remaining Mercenaries were fully engaged in fighting the Mutant Beasts and didn’t notice them.

Milton Faraday carefully left the camp and went to the appointed meeting place.

"Was it a success?" the middle-aged man waiting there asked.

Milton Faraday nodded. "He was shot and fell into that ravine." He didn’t mention Paige Summers. Their plan had only ever targeted Sheldon Reid. In any case, Paige Summers was as good as dead, and he didn’t want to create unnecessary complications.

The middle-aged man smiled with satisfaction. "Excellent."

As he spoke, he waved a hand to the man behind him, who immediately handed over a bag of Crystal Cores. He readily took it and gave it to Milton Faraday. "This is half the payment. After you return to Central City, as long as the explanation for Sheldon Reid’s death is reasonable, someone will pay you the other half."

Milton Faraday took the Crystal Cores, suppressing his excitement. "You’ll be satisfied. I should go now. If I’m gone too long, it might arouse suspicion."

"Go on."

Watching him leave, the subordinate behind the middle-aged man asked, "Deputy City Lord, why didn’t the City Lord have that kid kill Sheldon Reid directly instead of having him thrown into that ravine? What if he didn’t die? Wouldn’t all our efforts be for nothing?"

The Deputy City Lord glanced at him. "Have you ever seen anyone come out of that ravine alive?"

The subordinate thought for a long moment, then shook his head. He had only learned about the ravine a short time ago. The city had conducted a major purge because of spies, arresting many people connected to them. Reportedly, the city’s upper echelons had disagreed on how to deal with these people. In the end, the City Lord ordered them all to be thrown into this ravine, their survival left to fate!

But to this day, not a single person had ever come out of it.

At that thought, a chill ran down his spine.

’So that’s it! That ravine is a deathtrap!’

He immediately stopped talking about it and changed the subject. "Heh, but can we trust this kid? He won’t go back and pin this whole thing on us in Norgate, will he?"

The Deputy City Lord followed his lead and changed the subject. "He won’t. Didn’t you see how excited he got when he saw the Crystal Cores? He won’t be willing to give up the other half. Besides, we’ll have people keeping an eye on him. It’s strange, though. I remember that Central City’s treatment of The Power Corps is quite good... He’s as greedy as a snake trying to swallow an elephant!"

’Greedy?’

Yes, Milton Faraday knew he was very greedy.

If he weren’t greedy, he wouldn’t have stepped forward and offered to help the beautiful Nora Lowell when she revealed her melancholy to him!

If he weren’t greedy, he wouldn’t have spent a passionate night with her before leaving the city. Even now, the bone-deep pleasure still lingered in his body and mind.

If he weren’t greedy, he wouldn’t have felt that possessive urge to snatch that woman away from the Commander!

’I can’t stand watching him abuse the woman I love! Those scars on Nora Lowell’s body... so pitiful, so heartbreaking!’

’If it were me, I’d make her live like a queen, not a slave!’

So, he accepted Norgate’s terms.

He knew it wasn’t just him. There was also the betrayal of some of the Mercenaries, and even the surprise attack by the Mutant Beasts was orchestrated at the direction of Norgate’s City Lord, Gryphon Lowell.

As it happened, those idiots among the Mercenaries drew everyone’s attention, giving him a better opportunity.

’That Boss Summers really is unlucky.’

’But she makes the perfect scapegoat!’

Milton Faraday secretly sighed in relief.

Unlike those Mercenaries, he planned to stay in The Power Corps, so having someone to take the blame was essential!

On the way back to the camp, he made himself look miserable, even giving himself some superficial wounds, then put on a panicked and flustered expression and ran.

The unfortunate Paige Summers, cast as the scapegoat, had no idea how terrifying this ravine truly was. On the contrary, she was filled with curiosity. Of course, she still moved forward with extreme caution.

She walked until she came to an entrance.

It felt as if the prelude was over, and the main act was about to begin.

The entrance seemed to lead to a wide cave, but before she could even enter, the heavy, stiff sound of footsteps emerged from within.

Hearing this noise, a strange expression appeared on her face.

She took two small steps back and waited quietly.

When the figures came fully into view, she confirmed what she had heard: three Low-level Zombies!

Zombies of this level must have just recently turned. Their movements were slow, their lethality was low, and they were easy to deal with.

Paige Summers swung her blade left and right as if she were cutting watermelons, and the Zombies’ heads rolled to the ground.

For a moment, there was no other movement from inside. She looked at the ground and tried to store the dead Zombies in her space.

She didn’t know if it was because they were already decapitated or because they were Zombies, but this time, her space showed no rejection at all. She stored them away smoothly, heads and all.

Paige Summers couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

But then, she grew even more curious about this cave.

’Newly turned Low-level Zombies... could this cave actually connect to the outside?’

’If so, that would be perfect.’

She might be able to climb up the cliff she fell from on her own, but there was no way she could do it while carrying Sheldon Reid. If there was another exit, the two of them might be able to get out of here sooner!

She peeked her head into the cave.

After a long moment, a faint roar seemed to echo from within.

’A High-level Zombie...?’

She hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked back.

’In any case, I’ll wait for Sheldon Reid to wake up first.’

’I can’t risk going in, only for a Zombie to sneak out and eat Sheldon Reid while I’m not looking. That would be a major setback!’

When Sheldon Reid woke up, Paige Summers figured it must be night.

She couldn’t see the sky, but the wind blowing in from outside had grown colder, so that was her best guess.

"It’s you..." Sheldon Reid’s voice was hoarse as he rasped out the two words.

Paige Summers took out her small water bottle and gave it to him to soothe his throat. "Who else but me, right? What other unlucky soul would be here? If you hadn’t fallen down here too, I’d have thought you arranged this whole thing!"

Sheldon Reid’s expression was grim as he caught his breath. He didn’t reply.

Paige Summers guessed he must be feeling extremely conflicted, so she didn’t say anything more. She just sat back down beside him and waited a long while before asking, "How are you feeling now?"

"...Not good."

"Hm, that’s normal."

The corner of Sheldon Reid’s mouth twitched. Paige Summers continued, "I was thinking of looking for an exit now, but seeing as you can barely even stand... never mind. Let’s wait until tomorrow. Get some sleep and recover your strength first."

’His condition will definitely be much better after another night’s rest.’

’After all, I was generous enough to use Andy’s special medicine on him!’

After a long silence, Sheldon Reid answered with a single word: "Fine."

With him there, Paige Summers stopped taking things out of her space. Fortunately, she had already stuffed food and water into her small pack ahead of time, so there was no problem taking them out now.

The two of them shared a small amount of food and water, then rested separately.

Paige Summers said she was resting, but she actually took out a Crystal Core to begin her Cultivation.

In a place like this, no matter how steady her nerves were, there was no way she could sleep.

As for Sheldon Reid, Paige Summers had thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep either, but surprisingly, the guy was sleeping very soundly.

’He probably knows that the most important thing for him right now is to recover and conserve his strength...’ Paige Summers thought hazily. Sheldon Reid had plenty of flaws, but it was no surprise he’d become a Commander at such a young age. At the very least, his mental fortitude was incredible!

The night passed without a word.

Paige Summers estimated that it must be the next day. She asked Sheldon Reid again, "How are you doing?"