Nora Lowell’s reappearance truly stunned Paige Summers.
She felt this woman was like a maggot burrowing into bone—inescapable, no matter where she went.
Back in Norgate, Nora Lowell had fallen into Shawn Monroe’s hands. Paige had thought she would die, but instead, she had become a Zombie capable of speech, thought, and even using a superpower. When the Central Army breached Norgate, Nora Lowell vanished. Although she hadn’t died, Paige had thought she would never see her again.
Who would have thought? Paige came to Southreach, thousands of kilometers away from the north, and yet Nora Lowell had appeared again!
For a moment, all the rules from the novel echoed in Paige’s mind: the protagonist’s halo, her invincibility, her ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat even in the most hopeless situations. She flipped a dagger into her hand and pressed it to Nora Lowell’s neck, thinking only of killing her right then and there to eliminate this threat for good.
However, Levi Young pushed her arm down.
Killing intent surged in her eyes, but Levi Young was unafraid. He insisted, "Let’s go outside. I have something to tell you."
Paige Summers stared at him, dazed. It was a familiar face, yet it seemed strangely foreign.
The last traces of boyish immaturity had completely vanished. The Levi Young before her now was calm and composed, with a faint, scholarly air about him. His brow held a resolve that was uniquely his. He was no longer the boy from years ago, whose stubborn expression couldn’t hide his inner turmoil.
His gaze was gentle yet insistent. Paige stared at him for a long moment before the ferocious glint in her eyes finally faded. She let out a long breath. "Fine."
Levi Young smiled faintly. Before they left, he gave Nora Lowell an injection to make sure she remained unconscious.
Leaving the cell, Paige Summers took a deep breath.
Only then did she notice the slight heaviness in her belly and a general feeling of discomfort. Her earlier emotional outburst had clearly taken a toll.
A flicker of worry crossed Levi Young’s brow. "I’ll walk you back. We can deal with Nora Lowell tomorrow. I promise, she won’t get away. Okay?" His voice was a mixture of resignation and concern.
Paige Summers couldn’t refuse. Besides, she was very mindful of her own health; she had just lost her usual composure for a moment.
She pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay."
Paige went back to her quarters and rested. She didn’t sleep well that night. It felt as if she’d had a nightmare, but upon waking, she couldn’t recall any details. She was certain, however, that it had something to do with Nora Lowell.
When she first woke up, she felt a strange sense of confusion.
But after thinking it over, she had to admit that, subconsciously, she had never been able to let go of what was written in that novel.
Even though the world had changed and reality had long diverged from the novel’s plot.
She was still trapped by it.
Perhaps it wasn’t Nora Lowell’s appearance she feared, but the merciless hand of fate itself. She was afraid it would toy with her, capriciously sweeping all her efforts into the dust and leaving her unable to escape the tragic destiny of a side character...
The realization was a cruel one.
It made her realize her own inner cowardice.
So, when Levi Young calmly asked, "What are you really afraid of?"
She was left speechless.
To him, to everyone else, her fear was just a fantasy. But for her, it was a secret that lurked in the deepest corners of her heart.
For some reason, she felt a pang of guilt. Averting her gaze, she abruptly changed the subject. "How has Ben been lately?"
Levi Young had borrowed Ben a few days prior.
Thanks to the medicinal herbs from Sean Raines’s private stash, he was no longer hamstrung by a lack of rare materials and could finally resume his research on the Zombie Virus.
However, he couldn’t exactly bring other live Zombies into the base for experiments, so he had specifically asked Paige if Ben could help him out.
Seeing Paige suddenly change the subject, Levi knew she didn’t want to answer his question and sighed to himself.
Still, he went along with it. "He’s doing great. Very cooperative with my experiments." He paused, then added, "I was also shocked about Nora Lowell. I’ve never seen anything with such a tenacious life force. But... don’t you think it’s strange? How did she end up with May Joyce’s face? Or to put it another way, how did May Joyce become Nora Lowell? I have a hunch that as a special kind of Zombie, it has immense research value. That’s why I’m hoping we can keep it..."
"Of course, the most important thing is to guarantee the base’s safety. That’s why I stayed up all night developing a medicine. It can suppress its motor functions for an extended period, leaving its limbs powerless and making it impossible for it to use its superpower. It would exist purely as a research subject."
It was only a suggestion. Paige could, of course, refuse. She could even kill Nora Lowell on the spot.
However, when she saw the hopeful expectation in Levi’s eyes, which he was trying so hard to conceal, she found she couldn’t bring herself to say no.
She was concerned with her own safety.
Levi, on the other hand, was thinking about finding a cure for the Zombie Virus to benefit all of humanity.
While she wouldn’t call herself a great humanitarian, the contrast between their motives still made her feel a little ashamed.
"But..." Paige started, "Nora Lowell isn’t an ordinary Zombie, you know that. Your medicine might not work on her. If she breaks free, you know full well how much damage her combat strength could do to the base. To put it bluntly, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bloodfall was wiped out because of her. You’re asking for this, but can you shoulder that kind of responsibility?"
Her tone was calm, but her words were sharp and piercing.
Having never been spoken to like that by her, Levi Young’s expression shifted dramatically.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth. "Since I’m making this promise, I’ll ensure it’s foolproof! Give me a chance. I know I can develop an Antidote that will completely eradicate the Zombie Virus!"
After a long silence, the stern expression on Paige’s face slowly softened. "If this is what you want to do, how can I not support you... as your big sister. But you must remember my words. I’m not just trying to scare you. We’ve seen for ourselves just how resilient Nora Lowell is."
"...Yes!" Levi Young replied with the utmost caution.
Paige went with him to the cell. She watched him administer the medicine to Nora Lowell, and then they brought the tightly bound Zombie back to his laboratory.
Following Paige’s instructions, Ben had built a small, specialized containment cell.
When Levi wasn’t running experiments, he had Ben lock Nora Lowell inside it.
When Levi tried to send Ben back, Paige refused.
Paige privately told Ben to keep a close eye on Nora Lowell. If he noticed any unusual activity, he was to kill her immediately.
Only then could she finally relax.
For the next few days, life at the base returned to peace.
Paige belatedly felt the baby move for the first time. It was as if the child in her belly was eager to stretch its limbs, delivering a few surprisingly fierce and powerful kicks to her stomach.
Paige was utterly shocked!
’There’s such a huge difference between hearing about it and actually feeling it.’
’I’d always heard that fetal movement at this stage just felt like a goldfish blowing bubbles. Why was my experience the complete opposite?’
’Something this powerful can’t possibly match his—or her—current size!’
Wendy Lowell, however, was perfectly calm.
She took the opportunity to reminisce about her pregnancy with Paige, making it clear that the baby took after its mother—an early kicker!
Paige was speechless.
But the joy in her heart was like fermenting bubbles, bubbling up nonstop. Her only regret was that the baby’s father wasn’t there with her, which made her feel a sudden pang of loneliness.
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