Paige Summers saw the lineup and, naturally understanding everyone’s intentions, was quite pleased.
Besides, since they’d met halfway, there was no need to go back to the base. She immediately told them what had happened in Southreach.
Marcus Monroe and the others had come for this very reason.
They had already heard the news and knew something unusual was happening. That, combined with their worry for Paige Summers, made them hurry over. Of course, what they knew couldn’t compare to the details Paige had from witnessing it firsthand.
After learning the specifics and hearing about Maisie Joyce’s attitude, Marcus Monroe was no longer in such a rush to get to Southreach.
She had made it clear they weren’t welcome, and with the Vortex still lingering over Southreach, there was no telling how they’d be received if they just charged in. It was better to take their time, observe the situation as they approached, and formulate a plan.
Then, they encountered Rhonda Rhodes and the Shaman.
The way the two of them made their entrance almost made Paige Summers laugh with exasperation.
They had actually arrived riding on Sweetie!
In a clearing, the two of them, dressed in similar, vintage-style robes, floated down from Sweetie’s back and landed gracefully, leaving everyone stunned.
The others were stunned by their ethereal, almost Immortal-like presence. But Marcus Monroe and Paige Summers both fixed glares on Sweetie, their gazes practically radiating killing intent.
’I’ve been searching for you for so long, and you never showed up. Now you’re acting as a mount for someone else? Could you be any more shameless!’ Paige thought.
Marcus, however, was thinking, ’This stupid bird just let strangers ride it. Did they implant it with a Blightworm or something?’
Sweetie let out a mournful cry under their glares.
’I’m being wrongfully accused!’
’I was just happily hunting prey, but I accidentally strayed a little too far and these two targeted me. Give me a break!’
The Shaman’s lips curled as he shot it a sideways glance. Sweetie ducked its head, not daring to make another sound.
Rhonda Rhodes, however, spoke gently. "Thank you for bringing us here. Go find your master."
As she spoke, Rhonda Rhodes walked over, her eyes sweeping across Paige Summers and Marcus Monroe.
"It’s been a while."
Marcus Monroe grunted in acknowledgment but said nothing else, his mind busy trying to figure out why these two had appeared so suddenly.
Paige Summers, on the other hand, walked over to look Rhonda Rhodes up and down. "Have you been doing okay?"
Hearing this, the Shaman behind her frowned and snorted.
Rhonda Rhodes seemed to be holding back a laugh, a faint smile on her lips. "I’ve been very well. In fact, we were preparing to leave, but we detected a strange presence and decided to come investigate..."
Paige’s interest was piqued. "By strange presence, do you mean the Vortex in Southreach?"
Rhonda Rhodes nodded. "So you already know. We just came from that direction. We were on our way to find you."
Paige Summers’s expression grew even more solemn.
’This is even trickier than I thought.’
"Let’s find somewhere more private to talk."
Soon, they left the path where others might travel and found a small, upwind hill.
The team members fanned out to stand guard. Rhonda Rhodes and the Shaman sat on one side; Paige Summers, Marcus Monroe, Sean Raines, and Zephyr Mercer sat on the other, with Ben standing just behind Paige. They settled in for an impromptu meeting.
Zephyr Mercer kept trying to speak to Rhonda Rhodes, but the Shaman’s piercing glare shut him down every time, causing the corner of his mouth to twitch. ’Even though I never formally became her disciple, she taught me for a while, and I’ve always respected her as my master. I just want to say hi after all this time. Why is he so jealous...’
’Wait, this guy is a man, right...?’
’Forget it.’
He swallowed whatever he was going to say and decided to just listen.
Meanwhile, Paige Summers had already recounted, in detail, the events of the day the Vortex appeared.
Rhonda Rhodes fell into a long, pensive silence. After exchanging a glance with the Shaman, she finally said, "We can’t be certain either. We should probably enter Southreach to get a closer look."
Paige reacted instantly. "You can’t be certain? Does that mean it could be man-made?"
Rhonda Rhodes gave a slight nod. "That is a possibility..."
Paige Summers instinctively glanced at Marcus Monroe, who happened to be looking over at her, his expression grim. Their eyes met, and each understood what the other was thinking.
’If this were a natural disaster... that would be one thing. But if it was man-made, it had to be the work of those escaped Eldorians or Rovarians...’
After a moment, Marcus Monroe made the call. "Alright then, we’re going into the city to see what’s really going on!"
They weren’t far from Southreach to begin with and arrived outside the city walls in less than two days.
Southreach was even more "chaotic" than they had imagined.
In a matter of days, nearly half of the vast city of Southreach had been destroyed.
Southreach was home to nearly a million people.
Even though the population lived in dense quarters, the city itself covered a considerable area. Now, nearly half of it had been reduced to a rugged, empty wasteland.
Through it all, the Vortex showed no sign of leaving or disappearing.
The populace was clearly more panicked than they had been just a few days prior.
To make matters worse, the Vortex now seemed to be drifting toward the Citadel...
The powerlessness of the City Lord and The Power Corps filled the people with despair.
’What’s going to happen?’
’Will everything here be reduced to nothing?’
The question weighed heavily on everyone’s mind.
As a result, it wasn’t long before a second wave of people began to leave, following in the footsteps of the first.
They were mostly low-level superpower users and ordinary citizens, but their numbers were substantial—a quick glance revealed at least several hundred.
And as Paige Summers’s group approached in their vehicles, the guards of Southreach immediately took action—by closing the city gate!
This threw everything into chaos.
Some people were already outside while others were still trying to get through, creating a ruckus on both sides of the gate.
By the time Marcus Monroe’s group parked their vehicles before the city walls, people had already emerged from inside to maintain order. And, of course, the person sent to "greet" them had also arrived.
The captain of The Guard, Adrian Lawson, sighed heavily to himself as he ordered his men to open the gate and step out. His subordinates moved to pacify the crowd outside the walls, while he plastered on a broad smile and walked toward the vehicles carrying Marcus Monroe and his group.
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