Bloodfall was a newly established base, after all, and lacking in many respects.
This wasn’t in terms of hardware, but rather the personnel in charge of its defense.
Faye Webb’s recent successful escape had exposed many problems.
Of course, it was because there was a traitor, but were the guards not also responsible?
Obviously not.
Those who deserved punishment were punished, but Marcus Monroe didn’t berate them too harshly. Instead, in addition to intensifying their training, he had Mason Hayes arrange for the team members to undergo comprehensive supplemental education.
This included topics like the various types of superpowers, both common and rare; general disguise techniques; tracking and counter-tracking; reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance; and basic psychology, such as how to read people... The instructors were all veteran members of the base who excelled in one of these areas, and most of this knowledge was experience they had accumulated over countless battles.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t let these young people learn slowly, but Marcus Monroe couldn’t wait.
He hoped to develop their skills as quickly as possible.
Paige Summers joked that he was trying to establish a military academy.
In fact, if it were possible, he really did wish he could do so.
And Paige Summers’s comment did indeed give him an idea. In addition to learning this general knowledge, the squad leaders were also gathered for separate lessons on command strategy!
From then on, the members of Bloodfall Base, from the top down, began to live the life of ascetics.
Besides training, they also had to study.
Before, they had some spare time for entertainment, but now they had no interest, nor the energy for it...
It wasn’t that no one complained, but such cases were rare, and they were always the half-hearted slackers.
This kind of behavior was usually suppressed immediately.
Anyone who dared to keep complaining was kicked off the team by Marcus Monroe and thrown over to the person in charge of the factory district.
Don’t want to train and study?
Fine, but the base doesn’t support idlers. Go work in the factory district!
But the vast majority of the others weren’t dissatisfied at all; in fact, they were very excited.
They were smart enough to understand.
Improving themselves wasn’t for others—it was for themselves.
It was for a better chance at survival!
Paige Summers was especially gratified to see the base members improving so rapidly. Neither she nor Claire Chapman could have done a better job than Marcus Monroe. She was now even a little grateful to Faye Webb. If she hadn’t pulled this stunt, Marcus probably would have stuck with his gentler methods for a while longer.
However, there were still no new developments regarding Faye Webb.
The people sent out had made no significant progress.
Although they found the enemy’s temporary hideout, it was already deserted.
After that, the trail went cold.
One had to admit, the enemy was extremely cunning.
This, however, ignited Marcus Monroe’s fighting spirit.
He now completely forbade Paige Summers from getting involved, taking full responsibility for the investigation and all related arrangements.
Paige Summers naturally trusted him. So, the only one she was slightly worried about now was Claire Chapman.
She knew what kind of person Claire Chapman was.
With this matter, he must have been willing to send someone to deliver the news; there was no possibility of him being forced. The problem was, she was worried Claire Chapman was heading down the wrong path again.
Just like the last time with May Joyce.
She had wanted to make a trip to Southreach herself, but she was outvoted two to one by Marcus Monroe and Wendy Lowell.
"He needs to take responsibility for his own affairs. You’re not his mother, and even if you were, he’s an adult now, so you can’t control him anyway!" That was the unyielding Marcus Monroe.
"How can you sit in a car for that long right now? Even if you’re not thinking about yourself, you have to think about the baby! What if... Do you want to live with regret for the rest of your life like me?!" That was Wendy Lowell, her words gentle but firm.
Faced with these two immovable mountains, Paige Summers felt her resolve deflate.
In truth, she just wanted to see Claire Chapman and ask him what was going on.
She muttered these thoughts to Marcus Monroe.
And then, Claire Chapman returned...
Paige Summers looked at him in surprise, then glanced at the empty space behind him before schooling her expression. "Didn’t you say you would bring people back with you after a while?"
Claire Chapman chuckled sheepishly, putting on a pitiful expression as if his life depended on it. "I wanted to! But your man sent someone to tell me I had to come back and explain things clearly to you. Otherwise, he’d recall all the personnel from Southreach and leave me a general without an army until the day I die! That move was ruthless—cutting the ground right out from under me!"
Paige Summers’s eyes immediately sharpened into a glare.
"So if he hadn’t done that, you weren’t planning on telling me the truth at all? Serves you right!"
Seeing that she was genuinely upset, Claire Chapman looked rather awkward.
"That’s not it, really. I just... have a guilty conscience..."
Paige Summers stared at him for a long moment before speaking. "So it really is another one of those political marriage schemes. I remember we discussed this last time, didn’t we? Don’t you remember what you told me after May Joyce left the base in tears?"
Claire Chapman fell silent.
Of course he remembered.
It was just that... the situation had changed...
A moment later, he said softly, "Maisie Joyce is different from May Joyce. She won’t ask for things I can’t give her. Besides, we’ve already negotiated the terms. After we get married, Southreach’s factory district will be fully open to Bloodfall. Then, you can study their equipment as much as you like. With your brains, I’m sure even recreating the defensive grid on their city gates would be no problem for you!"
Paige Summers said nothing, just stared at him fixedly.
But no matter how long the standoff continued, Claire Chapman refused to say anything more.
Paige Summers let out a breath. "I understand. Then... let’s just leave it at that..."
Seeing her lower her gaze, Claire Chapman opened his mouth to say something, but when his eyes fell on her slightly swollen belly, he ultimately just left her with, "Take care of yourself. Don’t worry about these things," and left the room.
When Wendy Lowell came in and saw Paige Summers’s low spirits, she couldn’t help but try to console her. "Even though you’re friends, people have different ways of doing things. you can’t expect everyone to be like you. From what I can see, Lucian is a man with his own mind. He must have his reasons for making this move. You really shouldn’t interfere too much."
Paige Summers sighed. "I don’t want to interfere. I just don’t want him to use his marriage to trade for benefits."
Wendy Lowell disagreed. "Even if he is, there’s nothing wrong with that. It shows that he’s worth those benefits in the other party’s eyes. That might not be a bad start. Besides, you said yourself that the woman from Southreach is capable. If that’s the case, maybe they’ll grow to like each other over time. Who can say what the future holds!"
Paige Summers blinked. What she said... actually seemed to make a lot of sense.
’Am I taking this too seriously?’
A faint smile appeared on Wendy Lowell’s face as she seized the opportunity. "Alright now, you just love to worry. Do you know what the most important thing for you to do right now is? It’s just like Lucian said: take good care of yourself and try to have a smooth delivery! Everything else has to take a backseat, understand?"
"...Understood."
Paige Summers figured she was probably entering the "pregnancy brain" phase.
’Forget it. Let them do whatever they want!’
Her heart was finally at peace. She ate two bowls of rice and drowsily went off to sleep.
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