Chapter 225: Chapter 146: Special Affection

Marcus Monroe’s words were a mix of soft persuasion and hard threats, simultaneously deflecting and attacking, which gave Sheldon Reid pause.

If he had been planning to finish them both off right here, it wouldn’t matter how ruthless he acted. But the truth was, he had no intention of killing Paige Summers.

Whether Marcus Monroe believed him or not, he had seen with his own eyes how favorably that Zombie leader had treated Paige Summers.

Naturally, he was shocked.

But at the same time, he also realized what a terrifying yet promising superpower this was!

’If it *is* a superpower, that is!’

From that moment on, he was determined to figure out just what kind of secret Paige Summers was hiding that could make even Zombies obey her!

’He *had* to know!’

With such intentions, how could he possibly kill Paige Summers? He only wanted to capture her for a thorough interrogation, or perhaps to study her.

Unfortunately, given the current situation, that seemed impossible now.

He was disappointed inside, but his face remained impassive.

"Since you put it that way, you’re on your own."

After leaving them with that ambiguous parting shot, he signaled to his men, and they quickly departed.

Not until their figures disappeared in the distance did Marcus Monroe and Paige Summers turn to face each other.

"What on earth was that about?"

"Who is Black S?"

They asked their questions at nearly the same time, then paused in surprise before breaking into laughter together.

Marcus Monroe stared unblinkingly at her smiling face. After a moment, he sighed. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you look when you smile?"

Paige Summers let out another chuckle.

’Is that supposed to be a sweet nothing? It’s so painfully simple!’

’But I like it.’

’I don’t need him to be silver-tongued. As long as he’s this sincere, I can feel it, and it makes me happy!’

Seeing this, Marcus Monroe couldn’t resist leaning over and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Paige Summers was shy at first, but she quickly remembered something and pushed him away.

"What’s wrong?" Marcus Monroe asked, puzzled.

Paige Summers hesitated for a moment before snapping in a mock-angry tone, "How can you stand to kiss me? Can’t you see I’m filthy? I’m probably starting to stink!"

"HAHAHA..." Marcus Monroe roared with laughter, then ruffled her hair. "Hmm, alright, you’re not exactly fresh. But there’s nowhere for you to wash up right now. You’ll have to put up with it until we get back to camp!"

"Okay!"

Paige Summers didn’t need a mirror to know she looked a mess, so she eagerly climbed onto Sweetie’s back with Marcus Monroe.

Thanks to Marcus Monroe’s generous feeding, Sweetie was now High-level and could carry two people without issue, albeit a little more slowly. However, feeling neglected by Paige Summers, it threw a small tantrum and refused to set off until it received a few bribes and some coaxing.

Paige Summers couldn’t help but sigh. "Sweetie has gotten so temperamental. You’re entirely to blame!"

Marcus Monroe smiled. "Yes, yes. My mistake. I guess my punishment will be to keep raising it for you. As long as you don’t get upset when it eventually defects to my side."

Sitting in front of him, Paige Summers glanced back over her shoulder. "Just let it try!"

Marcus Monroe chuckled. "I wouldn’t dare..."

Seeing him so relaxed, Paige Summers fell silent for a moment before saying quietly, "I always thought you never told jokes."

Marcus Monroe paused, then replied seriously, "And I always thought you didn’t like to hear them."

This time, it was Paige Summers’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

Once again, they both burst into laughter at the same time.

Paige Summers let out a breath and looked down at the ground below.

Sweetie flew at a relaxed pace, not too high off the ground. The ride was even smoother than an airplane. ’Whatever the future holds,’ she thought, ’I’m so glad I took this step towards Marcus.’

Marcus reached around from behind and wrapped an arm around her waist. Leaning close to her ear, he murmured, "You remember Jovitas, right?"

"Of course."

"Black S is the secret boss of Jovitas."

Paige Summers was stunned into silence.

The part of Jovitas she knew best was its information-brokering services. The sheer speed and variety of intelligence they could acquire made it obvious that Jovitas had powerful backing and immense influence.

She had also heard that their secret boss was extremely mysterious and practically impossible to meet.

"How do you know him? Judging by Sheldon Reid’s tone, it sounds like this Black S character really admires you."

"We met a long time ago. A few years back, when I left The Dead City to travel, I crossed paths with him a few times by chance. I didn’t know he was part of Jovitas then. In fact, he hadn’t even taken control of it yet—he was still second-in-command. But he’s an incredibly capable man. It only took him two years to claim the top seat at Jovitas!"

Paige Summers nodded in understanding. "So he saw your potential even back then?"

Marcus Monroe smiled. "You could say that. He invited me to join him once, but I refused. At the time, I’d already started my own Hunting Party in Southreach. I couldn’t abandon my brothers."

"Then why did you come here this time?"

When Marcus didn’t answer for a long moment, Paige turned her head, and the realization suddenly hit her.

"It was... for me?"

The tips of Marcus Monroe’s ears flushed. He tried to deflect, which only made it more obvious. "It was also for the Hunting Party. I heard Central City intends to take back Southreach and its northern counterpart. We can’t just stay in Southreach and let ourselves be isolated. We need our own intelligence channels."

With her back to him, a huge grin spread across Paige Summers’s face.

"So? Are you collaborating with Jovitas now, or are you just using their channels to get intelligence?"

Marcus Monroe was silent for a moment before saying, "Actually, Black S intends to groom me as his successor."

"To be fair, Black S isn’t old—he’s only in his forties. But he suffered a severe internal injury in his youth that has taken a toll on his body. While he was fighting for control of Jovitas, he had to hide his condition and couldn’t get proper treatment. As a result, once he finally succeeded, his health began to decline rapidly.

A kingdom cannot be without a ruler, even for a day, and Jovitas is practically a small kingdom of its own.

He’s worried that if he can’t hold on one day, everything will fall apart—when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. He’s afraid the Jovitas he worked so hard to build will be destroyed.

He hasn’t been able to find anyone within the organization who can shoulder the responsibility... You could say my reappearance was just good timing. We already knew each other well, and after spending more time together recently, he’s started to hint at this."

Paige Summers blinked. "And what are your thoughts on it?"

"I’m still considering it."

"I see. Can I offer my suggestion?"

Marcus Monroe smiled. "I couldn’t ask for more."

Paige Summers said fiercely, "You have to accept! You absolutely must! Once you’re their boss, I’d better get a ninety-percent discount when I buy intel! No, on second thought, just make it free!"

Marcus Monroe laughed. ’She must really hold a grudge about being overcharged!’

He tightened his arm, pulling her into his embrace.

"That’s not a bad idea. But there’s one condition..."

"What?"

"If the people at Jovitas found out you were the boss’s woman, I’m sure they’d serve you for free without you even having to ask. They might even refund all the Crystal Cores you’ve ever paid them!"

Paige Summers was delighted.

"That sounds great... Okay, enough joking around. Let me tell you about the unbelievable thing that happened to me."

Paige Summers recounted what happened after she and Sheldon Reid fell into the fissure, focusing on her encounter with Ben. She no longer hid her Poison Ability and, after a moment’s thought, decided to tell Marcus Monroe about her spatial earring as well.

’I’ve known him for so long, and I have complete faith in his character. He’s not the type to get greedy over a mere storage space.’

’The only secrets I’m keeping from him now are about my transmigration and the Jade Pendant Mark on my chest. That stuff is just too bizarre... If someone told me I was a character in a novel, my first instinct would be to punch them senseless!’

’So, it’s better to bring those things up later, when the time is right.’

As for her still-locked left earring, she was vague, saying it wasn’t clear if it had a use yet. After all, its potential function seemed ridiculously overpowered, and she couldn’t be entirely sure if it was real.

The amount of information she’d just shared was staggering.

Even Marcus Monroe was silent for a long while before he finally processed it all. "I never would have expected that," he said, his voice full of emotion.

"Yeah. I didn’t expect it either."

Marcus Monroe chuckled. "No wonder Nora Lowell is so fixated on you. Is it possible she knows what she missed out on?"

Paige Summers was about to deny it, but then she thought of things like a ’protagonist’s halo.’ Frowning slightly, she said, "That’s... hard to say, actually. She might not have seen anything, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t guessed."

A sharp glint flashed in Marcus Monroe’s eyes. ’He didn’t want Paige to have to hide her spatial ability forever, but the timing of its reveal had to be her own choice. Until then, if Nora Lowell had truly guessed the truth and intended to spread it, bringing trouble down on Paige, then the best solution was to silence her permanently!’

He didn’t say this to Paige, however. He simply said, in a soothing voice, "Even if she has guessed, it’s nothing. Don’t worry."

Paige Summers shook her head. "I’m not worried about her. Because sooner or later, I’m going to kill her. Dead people can’t reveal secrets."

Marcus Monroe froze for a second, then a strange smile touched his lips.

’Were they a perfect match or something? They even thought of the exact same solution.’

Seeing his silence, Paige Summers couldn’t help but ask, "What, do you think I’m too ruthless?"

"No, quite the opposite," Marcus Monroe said with a smile. "I was always worried you were too soft-hearted. Now I can finally relax a little."

Paige Summers shrugged. "I just have my own principles."

"Alright, principles are important."

"Of course! Wait, are you being sarcastic?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Alright then. Tell me more about Black S. I’m very interested in him."

"I have to remind you not to say you’re interested in another man in front of me."

"..."

It seemed neither of them could ever hear enough about the other.

Past experiences, present thoughts.

Through their conversation, they discovered that the other’s personality wasn’t quite what they had imagined.

But that didn’t matter.

Because they had finally broken down the barrier between them and were now communicating with complete honesty, they both felt a deep sense of relief and joy.

Paige Summers still wasn’t sure if this dynamic between them counted as a romance.

But what did it matter?

She was happy, and so was he.

That was enough, wasn’t it?