Paige Summers returned to her home for the first time in months to find Marcus Monroe already waiting.

Upon seeing him, she was uncharacteristically shy.

"So, um, how did things go?"

As she drew near, Marcus Monroe suddenly pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly and whispering in her ear, "It’s been so long, and that’s all you have to say?"

Paige Summers took a breath, her nose filled with his strong, masculine scent. She let herself lean against his broad chest and said lazily, "What else do you want to hear?"

"For example, ’I missed you so much...’"

"Hmph, I knew you’d miss me!"

Marcus Monroe was speechless.

He tilted her face up and simply kissed those soft, yet stubborn, lips.

Paige Summers felt dizzy, as if every place he touched was melting into a pool of water. She had no strength and could only let him have his way. But as his kiss deepened, her whole body gradually heated up, as if she were surrounded by a burning fire!

She couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but it was both wonderful and thrilling. Her heart pounded like a war drum, so loud she couldn’t hear anything else!

A long time passed before she came back to her senses.

She licked her lips and murmured, "So this is kissing... It’s not bad..."

Marcus Monroe watched her lips, glistening and crimson, and as he listened to her words, his gaze turned dangerous again.

Paige Summers looked up at him, and her face burned even hotter.

"Do you know what you look like right now?"

Marcus Monroe raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"A... pervert!"

Marcus Monroe froze for a second, then burst out laughing. "Of course. That’s how a man should be with the woman he likes."

Paige Summers snorted with laughter.

They fell silent, simply holding each other and enjoying the rare, peaceful moment.

After a long while, Paige Summers sighed. "As much as I’d like to continue this, I’m afraid I have to go see Andy first."

"Hmph." Marcus Monroe reluctantly released her. "Fine. He’s probably anxious to see you too. Or, more likely, he’s anxious to ask if you got the research materials he needs..."

Paige Summers suppressed a smile. "Are you jealous?"

Marcus Monroe nodded gravely. "Yes. You’re too good to him. So good that I can’t help but mind."

Paige Summers tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, "I am good to him, but that’s because he’s very good to me. Besides, he’s just a little brother. You don’t have to worry."

Marcus Monroe said nothing, just stared at her.

Paige Summers didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "What, you don’t believe me? Have I lost so much integrity that you think I’d make a move on a minor?"

Marcus Monroe shook his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her; he just confirmed that she was genuinely clueless about the boy’s crush on her.

’Sometimes, being oblivious isn’t a bad thing.’

"Of course I trust you. I was actually thinking about something else."

"Hm?"

"It’s too much for you to be funding their experiments privately. For them to make better progress, they need the backing of a major power—either The Government or some other organization."

Paige Summers gave a wry smile, then paused. "Let’s talk on the way. I don’t want it to get too late."

They got into the car, and only then did she explain Nadia’s situation. "I suspect the people who were after her before were from The Government, or at least a group connected to them. She doesn’t know their true objective—whether they wanted to silence her, capture her, or seize her research data. All she knew was that she was constantly being hunted, and she fled for her life. During the chase, those people showed no mercy to anyone around her... Under these circumstances, how could we dare cooperate with The Government? As for other organizations, that’s not easy either. We could negotiate terms beforehand, but people can change their minds at any moment. Rather than putting themselves in such a vulnerable position, I think they’d prefer to make slower progress."

Marcus Monroe frowned. "She shouldn’t have come to Central City. If it’s people from The Government, it’s even more dangerous here."

The saying ’the safest place is often the most dangerous’ doesn’t apply everywhere. These are special times. All Superpower Users have to be registered and managed. If it really is The Government, they could find her quickly if they put their minds to it.

"That’s what I thought at first, too. But according to Nadia, she hasn’t been attacked once since coming to Central City, which is why she stayed." Paige Summers looked thoughtful. "Could it be that her pursuers ran into some kind of problem?"

Marcus Monroe nodded. "That explanation makes sense. It must have been a coincidence; otherwise, it would be illogical."

As they talked, they were approaching the warehouse district.

Marcus Monroe scanned the surroundings, and once he confirmed everything was normal, he drove straight in.

The place was fine for a short-term stay, but it wasn’t somewhere they could remain for long.

For now, however, it was clearly the most suitable place Paige Summers could find.

’Whether she chose it or had it forced upon her, she’s carrying too much on her shoulders,’ Marcus Monroe thought to himself. ’Now that I know, I can’t just stand by and watch. I want to make her life easier!’

Paige Summers’s mind was still on Nadia’s situation. She didn’t snap out of it until the car stopped, and then she jumped out.

From the outside, the warehouse looked the same as before, with no extra guards or anything of the sort. But with Paige Summers’s sharp hearing, she could sense at least four other sets of breathing nearby, besides their own.

The breaths were very light and shallow, which meant these people had excellent stealth Power!

Paige Summers turned her head with a smile. "Looks like you’ve been protecting Andy and the others well."

Marcus Monroe raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak.

’This was a "mission" she gave me. How could I not give it my all!’

Once inside the warehouse, she saw that it had changed quite a bit.

There was more furniture, more daily necessities, and even partitions made of earthen walls that were decorated in a very pleasing way.

It was much more comfortable now than what she had originally prepared!

Before she could get a better look, however, Levi Young and Nadia emerged from the lab inside.

Both of them were extremely excited to see her, grabbing her and chattering for a long while. Andy was a bit better; being a guy, he was mostly silent, just looking at Paige Summers. Nadia’s mouth, on the other hand, barely stopped moving. After asking about Paige’s journey, she launched into a report on their experiments...

Seeing that she seemed much more energetic, and even more cheerful, Paige Summers figured she had finally moved past Evan Pierce’s betrayal. ’Simple people really are the happiest!’ she thought with a sigh.

Because of this, she was exceptionally patient, whether she was answering questions or just listening.

At first, Levi Young let her talk, but when she started rambling, he couldn’t help but cut in. "Aren’t you thirsty? Go get us some water to drink."

Nadia stopped talking abruptly. "Huh? Oh, okay."

Watching Nadia immediately get up to fetch water, Paige Summers gave Levi Young a thumbs-up.

’You’re amazing, getting this girl to be so obedient!’

Levi Young’s face reddened slightly, and he quickly changed the subject. "Did that thing go smoothly?"

Paige Summers paused for a moment, then realized he was talking about the spatial matter.

She smiled. "Very smoothly." After a pause, she added, "But this time, I’ve brought you an even bigger surprise."

"Oh?"

Paige Summers said casually, "I have a friend waiting outside the city. I want your help to see how we can turn him back into a human."

Levi Young was stunned.

Nadia, who was walking over with the water, was also dumbfounded.

"What do you mean, ’turn him back into a human’?"

Paige Summers shrugged. "Because right now, he’s still a Zombie..."