Normally, when visitors arrived at the base, it wasn’t up to Paige Summers or Marcus Monroe to greet them. Mason Hayes and the others handled that.
If the visitor specified they were a friend of Marcus Monroe, then Marcus should have been the one notified. But since the team member had come looking for her specifically, Paige immediately understood. Something was probably off about this young woman claiming to be Marcus’s friend.
That said, her initial reaction to the news was definitely more surprise and curiosity than anything else.
Marcus Monroe wasn’t exactly known for his good temper.
Back in Central City, ever since he’d joined Jovitas, plenty of women had wanted to climb into his bed. All right, it wasn’t just women—there were men, too.
But wanting was one thing; few actually dared to act on it.
It wasn’t that Marcus was unattractive. Rather, he made no effort to hide his disgust for anyone who made a move on him.
The few who dared to offer themselves to him were, without exception, thrown out of Jovitas.
And every last one of those men and women had been supremely confident in their own looks.
Without the protection of Jovitas, one could only imagine their fate.
After a few such incidents, everyone else gave up.
Of course, this sort of thing was never brought to her attention officially, but there were always people looking to curry favor who would tell her about it.
Because of this, she was actually quite confident in him in that regard.
’To think that today someone would actually dare to show up at our door...’
Her first instinct was to go and see for herself immediately. But on second thought, she realized that rushing over so eagerly would surely give those guys a reason to secretly laugh at her for being jealous.
So she quickly changed her tune. "Actually, I can’t just go now. I have some things to arrange here first. How about this: you go tell them to run the standard checks on her. If there are no problems, bring her to the reception hall. I’ll be over in a little while."
Watching the team member hurry away, she pursed her lips. The situation was certainly unexpected, but she couldn’t help but feel a little unsettled by it.
Some of the disciples in the room might have overheard their conversation, but class was in session, so no one dared to make a sound.
Paige’s temper wasn’t the best to begin with, and her patience had grown shorter since her pregnancy. She would sometimes scold disciples harshly if they weren’t focused on their studies. And since today’s topic seemed to involve a private matter between the couple, they were even more hesitant to speak up.
Wendy Lowell, who had been by her side, also picked up on the situation. "Since she’s a friend of Marcus, she’s probably not here on business. It really wouldn’t be appropriate for the captains to host her. Why don’t I go see what’s going on?"
Her daughter was pregnant, and she didn’t want her to overexert herself.
From the sound of things, the visitor seemed to have less-than-friendly intentions. That was the kind of trouble she wanted her daughter to have no part in.
But at her mother’s words, Paige simply smiled.
"It’s fine. We don’t even know what’s going on yet. Since she’s his friend, I should be the one to greet her, whatever the reason."
Seeing Paige’s determination, and noticing that she didn’t seem upset, Wendy Lowell finally agreed.
Paige told the disciples to carry on, then walked with Wendy toward the reception hall, a pleasant smile on her face.
They walked at a leisurely pace.
But before they were even halfway there, the same team member from before returned.
This time, he slowed his pace to walk behind her. "Vice Base Chief, I just got a look. The woman’s name is Faye Webb, and she’s from Stoneridge Base. She had a few people with her at the gate, but strangely, she sent them away after she came in... She should be in the reception hall by now..."
Paige asked, "What exactly did she say? You look like you’re facing a formidable enemy."
"Well..."
"Hm?"
At her sharp glance, he immediately stopped hesitating. "She said... that Captain Monroe promised to take responsibility for her, but after she did what he asked, he disappeared without a trace..."
Paige blinked.
’That doesn’t sound like something Marcus would do at all!’
"Has anyone notified Captain Monroe?"
"Captain Monroe is training. He gave orders that no one was to disturb him—except you, of course!"
Paige smiled and asked no more questions.
Maintaining her leisurely pace, it took her a full twenty minutes to reach the main hall.
The young guards on duty all seemed afraid to even look at her.
’Tsk, tsk.’
’Am I really that scary?’
’Oh, right.’
’They came over from Southreach... Hmph. Is this a guilty conscience I’m seeing?’
’To have so little faith in their own leader!’
As Paige grumbled to herself, she deliberately widened her eyes into a furious glare.
Wendy Lowell, supporting her arm, had to suppress a laugh.
She could easily see that Paige was only pretending.
Still, she knew why the team members were reacting this way.
In their spare time, some of the team members who had participated in clearing this area would often tell the newer recruits stories about Paige—how she had single-handedly fought off countless Zombies, or how she had dealt with traitors without a shred of mercy...
As a leader, she undoubtedly had their respect and awe.
But as a woman... she was probably more than they could handle!
Wendy had heard this gossip before and paid it no mind, though her heart ached for the hardships her daughter had endured.
But now, they probably thought her daughter was about to fly into a rage over this woman who’d appeared out of nowhere... And even though Wendy knew Paige wasn’t truly angry, she didn’t mind their fear at all. In fact, she felt a little proud.
As the saying goes, "When the Son of Heaven rages, a million corpses fall." That is why the people fear him.
It just went to show how much authority her daughter commanded as Vice Base Chief!
Teasing her own people for a bit of fun was one thing, but by the time Paige reached the reception hall, her expression had become calm and unreadable.
A team member pushed the door open.
Paige looked inside. A slender girl was sitting on the sofa, her back ramrod straight as if in apprehension. Her head was slightly bowed, and a few strands of black hair clung to her pale, jade-like earlobes.
At the sound, the girl snapped her head around.
In that instant, Paige suddenly understood why all the team members had looked so guilty.
The girl was young, but she was also stunningly beautiful.
She had a delicate, oval face, eyes like black jade, and perfectly shaped brows and full, red lips that looked untouched by makeup. Her gaze had a dreamy, misty quality... She strongly resembled an actress from Paige’s old world, one who had played the role of the Little Dragon Maiden.
Frankly, in terms of pure facial features alone, Paige knew she couldn’t compare.
But they had completely different auras.
The girl was like a slender stalk of bamboo—delicate, yet trying to be strong. Paige, on the other hand, was already a towering tree. Years of leading her team, combined with her status as a High-level Superpower User, gave her a naturally oppressive presence.
Faye Webb pressed her lips together.
Paige turned and squeezed Wendy Lowell’s hand. "I’ll talk with her. Why don’t you go rest in the room over there? This won’t take long."
Wendy hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
She had a feeling her son-in-law was innocent in this matter. If so, he probably wouldn’t want his mother-in-law to know the details, so it was best for her to step away. Most importantly, they were in their own base, with guards right outside the door. The woman wouldn’t dare try anything, and her own daughter was certainly not someone to be trifled with.
After watching her mother enter the adjacent lounge, Paige walked into the reception hall alone. She sat down and said unhurriedly, "I hear you’re looking for Marcus Monroe. What’s this about?"
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