Paige Sumrs and the others were in an underground storeroom that Woody Warren had just recently put together.
The space wasn’t large, but its main advantage was how well it was hidden. He had figured that adding too many defenses to the shop itself would look suspicious for a business, but he still needed a safe place to store things.
The secret door was at the foot of his bed in his bedroom.
Since being influenced by Paige Sumrs, he had also started to study the kind of fine chanisms he’d never touched before. Practice made perfect, and he had managed to rig the secret door in the floor so that it was completely seamless. The paving stones were solid and real, but the entrance was a single slab. Only a Power Superpower User would be able to move it and open the door.
Paige had taken a look and thought it was well-made; it wouldn’t be discovered easily.
Unless soone was determined to dig three feet under...
She had thought they were quite safe, but now, a woman’s voice drifted in faintly from outside. Although she couldn’t make out the words, it was damnably familiar!
She suddenly had a bad feeling.
’Nora Lowell?! But she shouldn’t be here right now!’
And clearly, it wasn’t just one woman who had co.
Soon, the sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets reached her ears. They weren’t even sparing Woody Warren’s room!
Paige secretly let out a breath. ’It must be the people Shawn Monroe sent to find .’
’As for Nora Lowell... she might have actually co back! It seems that "protagonist’s plot armor" really is a thing... a fact so cruel it’s debilitating...’
The chaotic footsteps receded, but the sound of conversation grew closer, seemingly heading back in their direction. Paige clenched her fists, her palms already slick with sweat.
If Shawn Monroe found her, the worst that would happen was being taken back to The Citadel. But Nora Lowell... that was a different story. It was no exaggeration to say that woman hated her. Paige was sure that if they t face-to-face, Nora would probably try to tear her apart with her bare teeth.
Her mind raced. ’If we’re discovered, how should I react? How can I create a chance of survival for myself and Levi Young?’
Just as she was thinking this, the people outside entered Woody Warren’s room.
The voices of a man and a woman beca much clearer.
"...I think you should just go back... It’s not surprising that we ca up empty. I told you before, Paige Sumrs isn’t that stupid. She knew we were coming, so why would she deliberately wait for us here?..."
She felt like she’d heard that gentle male voice sowhere before. Paige thought for a mont, then suddenly rembered: Quentin Sutton! Her entire body tensed. But then she grew confused. Quentin’s tone—a mix of patience and helplessness—didn’t sound at all like the fawning obedience she had imagined he’d show Nora Lowell.
"Maybe you’re giving her too much credit," Nora Lowell’s voice was clearly displeased. "I’ve checked. In this city, she’s only on good terms with Marcus Monroe and my uncle. Marcus isn’t in town, so my uncle’s place would be her first choice."
Quentin Sutton looked at the stubborn woman before him, feeling his patience wearing dangerously thin. "But we’ve searched the entire place, inside and out. Obviously, she isn’t here!"
Nora pursed her lips and scanned her surroundings.
"Maybe there’s a secret room..."
He pressed a hand to the throbbing vein on his forehead. He always treated won courteously and didn’t want to break that principle, but Quentin’s lips turned down in an involuntary frown. "You’ve stayed here before, this is your uncle’s ho. If there were any secrets, wouldn’t you know?"
Nora Lowell thought for a mont, then said casually, "Move the things in the rooms aside, and then just tear the whole house down."
"Are you insane?!" Quentin stared at her, dumbfounded. Even he had been a custor at Kingwood Furniture before, and his impression was that Woody Warren ran this shop with great care and dedication. ’This woman is his actual niece, isn’t she? How can she say sothing like that so easily!’
He felt an inexplicable sense of disappointnt. Though they were only acquaintances, he’d always thought of her as the aloof, strong type who was secretly empathetic and understanding.
’Unfortunately... reality is harsh.’
He didn’t know that in any other situation, Nora might have indeed acted just as he’d imagined, like her character in the original story.
But her hatred for Paige was so blatant it was nearly impossible to conceal. Moreover, ever since that pair of earrings had been taken from her, she had felt a persistent, gnawing anxiety. She blad Paige for everything, and her obsession with eliminating her had only grown deeper. Now that her chance was right in front of her, how could she possibly give it up?
"Don’t be so shocked. It’s just a shop. Even if my uncle cos back, he won’t say anything," Nora said. This was, of course, a lie. If Woody Warren were here, he would certainly have stopped her. But he wasn’t here, was he? She was confident she could talk him down after the fact.
She acted magnanimous, but Quentin thought the whole thing was pointlessly destructive. He had personally inspected every room; there was clearly nothing here...
’Wait!’
He abruptly cut off his internal complaints and sniffed the air a few tis.
"What are you doing?" ’Did he find sothing?’ Nora tried sniffing the air herself but slled nothing. She frowned.
Quentin was silent for a mont before saying slowly, "It’s nothing. It’s just... you seem to have a certain scent about you. Hmm, like the stench of a Mutant Beast."
Instantly, Nora’s face cycled through red, green, and finally a black as dark as the bottom of a pot. At the end of the day, she was still a young woman who cared about her appearance. Being described like that by a handso man—it would be a miracle if she could keep a straight face.
She shot him a venomous glare, turned on her heel, and stord away.
Quentin let out a long sigh, knowing he had truly offended her this ti. But if he hadn’t, her endless pestering would have beco a massive headache. He was still hesitant about what to do with Paige, and he didn’t want to expose his thoughts on the matter to anyone else.
After a while, one of his n ca in to ask if they should move on and search sowhere else. Only then did Quentin ask, "Has Nora Lowell left?"
"Yes, sir. She left a little while ago. She seed... very angry."
Quentin waved his hand. "Never mind her. All of you wait for outside. I’ll just sit for a mont before I co out."
Though the subordinate was confused by the order, he held a deep respect for his captain, the doctor, and quickly complied.
Once everyone had left, Quentin lowered his voice. "Paige Sumrs, co out." When there was no response, he pressed his fingers to his forehead. "Do you want to have this house torn down and arrest Woody Warren for harboring you? If it cos to that, it’ll be too late."
With him putting it like that, Paige knew he wasn’t bluffing. He really knew she was here.
’I have no idea how he figured it out!’
’Or is it just that nothing good ever happens when Nora Lowell is involved? If she hadn’t lingered in this room for so long, Quentin probably wouldn’t have noticed a thing in the first place!’
But in any case, there was no point in blaming others. She took a deep breath, motioned for Levi Young to stay put, and stood alone at the top of the stone steps. With a powerful shove of her right hand, she pushed the secret door open.
The increase in her Superpower Rank naturally included a boost to her strength. Even Woody Warren would have likely struggled to push the slab open from the inside, yet she managed it with relative ease.
She hopped up to ground level and, just as she’d expected, saw Quentin Sutton sitting in a chair inside the room. His gaze, which had been wandering, imdiately locked onto her.
Paige awkwardly raised her right hand, waving it back and forth like one of those lucky cat figurines. "Hey, long ti no see."
Quentin’s serious expression imdiately cracked. He pressed his lips together, but a smile still crept into his eyes, as if they were back in those easier days at The Citadel.
Seeing she had an opening, Paige was overjoyed.
"I’ve got to say, you’re amazing for finding ! But... can we talk about sothing? Could you..."
Quentin suddenly cut her off. "Why hasn’t that kid, Levi Young, co out?"
Paige’s heart sank again.
She was silent for a few seconds before opening the secret door again. Without needing to be called, Levi Young scrambled out, clearly impatient. He shot Paige a glare, as if to accuse her of leaving him behind to face the enemy alone.
Paige ignored him, instead taking two steps toward Quentin. Just as she was about to speak, he beat her to it. "Back up, and don’t move your hands. I know what you’re capable of, but you should also be clear on what my specialty is. Trying to poison would be pointless. Don’t think about a sneak attack either, unless you can kill in one blow. Otherwise, all my people are right outside. And of course, don’t even think about running. That will only lead to more severe consequences."
Paige was stunned for a mont, then gave a wry smile. She raised her hands innocently to show she had no intention of attacking. Only then did she say slowly, "Well, you’ve said it all. So, as you say, we’re your captives. But... are you sure you want to hand us over to Shawn Monroe?"
"Why wouldn’t I?" Quentin said faintly.
But he wasn’t asking Paige; he was asking himself.
’In terms of friendship, they weren’t that close. So logically, he should take her back without a second thought. He could have even just handed her over to Nora and not bothered sending her away in a huff.’
’But he hadn’t done that. Why?’
Just then, Paige gave a carefree smile. "Even though you have to follow orders and hand over to Shawn Monroe, I still rember our little student-teacher bond. Knowing , I’ll end up being sched to death by Nora Lowell sooner or later. So, while I’m still alive, I might as well leave you a thank-you gift."
She took out a small bottle and tossed it to him. "You probably wouldn’t believe if I said there were no strings attached, so let’s just say, in exchange for this gift... you let the kid go."
Quentin caught the bottle but didn’t open it right away. Instead, he gave her a gentle look. "Want to know how I was so sure you were hiding here? ...It’s simple. The person you’re trying to protect slls too strongly of dicine. Even though he wasn’t in this room for long, I still caught the scent..."
The scent was faint, but it couldn’t escape his nose. It was a mixture of several different dicines, and while he couldn’t identify them on the spot, he was certain they were no ordinary herbs.
’That wasn’t a sll that belonged in Woody Warren’s ho.’
Levi Young’s face turned ashen. Paige, however, said seriously, "My mistake. If I get another chance, I’ll be sure not to leave such a weakness behind again. Now, hurry up and see if you like your gift!"
Quentin gave the small bottle in his hand an odd look before finally holding it out at arm’s length to open it. It wasn’t the trap he had suspected. But the fresh, fragrant scent that wafted from the dicine inside made his eyes light up.
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