Chapter 524: Clansmen (2)
Chapter 524 -368: Clansmen (2)
He looked up at Paige Summers. “I know you must think I shouldn’t be clinging to life like this, but I can’t accept it. I can’t accept our Summers Family island falling into the hands of the Rovarians. I’ve been trying to find a way to escape all these years!”
Paige Summers fell silent.
Frankly, she didn’t believe the ship carrying the Summers Family members was lost in a natural accident, just as she didn’t believe the Rovarians were innocent in the matter.
This whole affair, from start to finish, was likely orchestrated by the Rovarians.
All for Summers Twelve’s superpower, and by extension, for the Summers Family’s island.
‘Throughout this process, Summers Twelve had indeed acted very foolishly.’
‘But as someone with abysmal combat skills who was coveted for his special superpower, he could only passively accept it all. It wasn’t exactly an unforgivable crime.’
‘Still, it just made her feel even more stifled.’
‘She had the urge to destroy this entire island!’
Seeing her silence, Marcus Monroe asked the next question for her. He kicked Sunny, who was on the floor, and said, “Who is this?”
Summers Twelve gave her a complicated look. “She’s the sister of the Island Master, Thomas Thorne.”
Marcus Monroe raised an eyebrow. ‘These people really went all out to win this guy over. They even sent in the Island Master’s sister personally.’
But Summers Twelve continued, “After I gave them one manufacturing blueprint, I refused to give them any more. Thomas Thorne was furious and wanted to kill me, but she protected me and later insisted on marrying me. Thomas Thorne dotes on his sister, so in the end, he could only compromise. He keeps a very strict watch on me. On this island, I can only move around in this district; I can’t go anywhere else.”
He lowered his head, and after a long moment, he suddenly said to Paige Summers, “Can I see you?”
Paige Summers’s heart stirred.
She knew he meant he wanted to see her real face.
She nodded, and a moment later, she removed her disguise right in front of him.
Summers Twelve stared at her intently, much to Marcus Monroe’s displeasure.
Just then, a strange expression, like a cross between a sob and a smile, appeared on his face. “It really is Paige. Brother Ty wrote me a letter once, saying you have a small red mole here…” He pointed to the area below and to the side of her left cheek.
What he didn’t say was that only now did he feel completely certain of Paige Summers’s identity.
Paige Summers was already very familiar with this body and naturally knew there was a small mole there, a faint red one at that. But due to its angle, most people would rarely notice it.
She sighed softly. “I’m Paige Summers. What should I call you?”
Summers Twelve looked wistful. In terms of seniority, Paige Summers was supposed to call him Twelfth Uncle. He had always been very close with his older cousin, Dylan Summers. Back then, Brother Ty always called him “Little Twelve.” He’d protested for a while, arguing that if his future nieces and nephews heard, they would call him “Little Twelfth Uncle” instead of “Twelfth Uncle,” which had amused Brother Ty to no end. He, too, had once dreamed of a future on the island, the whole family together, watching the children run around and live freely.
‘But now, how could he have the face…’
So, he just said softly, “Just call me Twelve.”
Paige Summers guessed he was from her father’s generation and that she should probably call him “uncle.” But Summers Twelve looked far too young, about the same age as Marcus Monroe, and she just couldn’t bring herself to say it. So, she went along with his suggestion and called out, “Twelve.”
Summers Twelve forced the corners of his lips into a smile.
“Is Brother Ty in Astoria now? Didn’t he come with you? And the Clan Leader, the old man…”
Paige Summers looked at him calmly. “They’re all gone.”
Summers Twelve was so shocked he couldn’t believe it. He had considered that the Clan Leader was old, and with the chaos outside, he might already be gone. But Brother Ty… “How… how did he die?”
“It wasn’t just them. All the members of the Summers Family were killed…”
Paige Summers briefly recounted Owen Reid’s conspiracy from all those years ago.
Summers Twelve’s expression shifted from disbelief to grief-stricken indignation, and finally to bleak despair. In the end, he collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, muttering in anguish, “How could this happen! How could this happen…”
Although she understood how he felt upon suddenly learning that his entire family had been murdered, Paige Summers didn’t like seeing his weak display. She pulled him up and asked, “What’s your plan now?”
Summers Twelve snapped back to his senses.
He hesitated for a long while before saying, “I’ve made some arrangements in secret over the years. Sunny… she probably knows about it and has, intentionally or not, provided me with some help. I had Shawn Summers find a small, deserted island, and then I arranged for my cousins to fake their deaths one by one and sent them over. They’re building a ship there now. Once the ship is finished, we can find a chance to leave. My original plan was to return to Astoria first, find the Clan Leader and the others, and then build warships to attack Morindale Island and take back the island that belongs to our Summers Family. But now…”
Paige Summers nodded to herself. ‘That’s a solid plan.’
‘It couldn’t have been easy for him, to accomplish this much while under surveillance.’
“Didn’t you say all the other Summers Family members got on the ship back then? Who’s Shawn Summers?”
Summers Twelve quickly explained, “Shawn Summers is Summers Eight’s son. He’s nineteen this year. He’s not like his father. I’ve relied on him to carry out most of the things I’ve planned. He hasn’t been close to Summers Eight since he was very young, and he’s always been desperate to leave this place!”
Paige Summers nodded. “How long have they been building the ship?”
Summers Twelve sighed. “On and off for five or six years now. It’s very difficult. The lack of materials is one thing, but on top of that, my cousins were severely tortured by those people when they were on the island. Their health is poor, which makes it even harder.”
‘It certainly isn’t easy…’ Paige Summers hesitated for a moment, then looked at Marcus Monroe. “I want to bring them back.”
Although she also desperately wanted to go kill that Island Master right now and turn this whole island upside down, it wouldn’t be an easy task. More importantly, she felt a responsibility toward the members of the Summers Family. She wanted to protect this last remaining bloodline and bring them back to Astoria safely.