Chapter 364 - 256: Blood Sample
It was true that Paige Summers’s only inherent superpower was speed.
Although her arms possessed immense strength and her physical constitution far surpassed other Superpower Users of the same rank, those were just side effects from the Jade Pendant Mark on her chest.
However, to infiltrate the Power User Federation, she certainly couldn’t use these well-known abilities. For one, they could easily be linked back to her. For another, she had to suppress her Superpower Rank, and these abilities wouldn’t be impressive enough at a lower rank to attract their attention.
So, her thoughts turned to the Rainbow Water.
While the Rainbow Water was also a byproduct of the Jade Pendant Mark, from another perspective, it truly was a type of Poison Ability. It was just inconvenient to use directly.
If she wanted to present it as a genuine superpower, it was still lacking in some way.
During her few days of preparation, she first had Nadia help her create the Fogging Potion, and then she endlessly practiced controlling the Rainbow Water.
Lennon had only focused on the effect of her attack, failing to notice anything else.
If he had gotten close enough and observed carefully, he would have discovered something unusual about the tips of Paige Summers’s fingers. It was a small device she had made herself—a thin membrane crafted from a material resistant to the Rainbow Water’s corrosion, and inside was the very Fogging Potion Nadia had given her.
She had used the force of that single flick to fling the Rainbow Water from her fingertips, which then instantly atomized, allowing her to successfully kill the Mutant Beast in a way that looked like a superpower.
She had practiced this move over and over, only stopping each day after she had used up all her Rainbow Water.
Fortunately, the amount of Rainbow Water she "produced" each day was now quite substantial, and she had quickly gotten the hang of controlling the amount she flicked out. That was the only reason she could pull off today’s performance so smoothly!
Practicing like this consumed a lot of the Fogging Potion, so Nadia had arranged to bring her some more today when she had time.
That’s why she had assumed it was Nadia at the door.
But she hadn’t expected it to be Levi Young.
Today, Levi Young was different from his usual self, his face a mask of fury.
Paige Summers watched him plop onto the sofa in a huff. She didn’t even have to think to know why. ’That Nadia really can’t keep a secret... I specifically told her not to tell Andy!’
She smiled, feigning ignorance. "You’re finally out of the lab? How did it go?"
Levi Young reflexively started to answer. He opened his mouth, then realized something was off. He let out a breath, unable to maintain his angry expression any longer, which melted into worry.
"She told me you’re going to infiltrate the Power User Federation. Why do you always have to do such dangerous things? Can’t you just not do it? There have to be other ways, right?!"
Paige Summers’s smile faded, and she sat down directly across from him. "Maybe there are, but I haven’t found them yet. I don’t enjoy taking risks, but this can’t be delayed any longer. You know the Lowell Family’s situation. Even though they have the Mercer Family’s protection for now, it’s not a long-term solution. We have to completely root out the culprit behind this as soon as possible. Otherwise, they’ll never be able to return to Central City!"
Levi Young said urgently, "Then they could just leave Central City and settle somewhere else, or..."
Under Paige Summers’s stare, he couldn’t continue.
They both knew that wasn’t realistic, nor would it do any good.
Would their enemies just let them go if they left Central City? Besides, the Lowell Family wouldn’t be willing to accept that!
Levi Young was silent for a long moment before speaking again. "This is the Lowell Family’s business, after all. Don’t they have any plans of their own? Relying only on you..."
"That’s not it. They have people in place and told me where to find them, but I don’t plan on using them." Paige Summers paused. "The truth is, even with their guard up, the Lowell Family still lost several elite disciples because there was a mole. So, if possible, I don’t intend to use their people."
’That’s true...’ Levi Young immediately sided with her. Using people you can’t trust would definitely be more dangerous than not using them at all!
’But what’s the plan, then?’
He really didn’t want to just stand by and watch her take such a risk!
He frowned, pondering for a long time, but couldn’t think of a better way.
Finally, he had no choice but to ask, "Doesn’t Mar... Marcus have anyone suitable? The people from Jovitas should be better at undercover work, right?"
Paige Summers’s gaze darkened, and she leaned back in her seat.
’That’s the second time I’ve been asked that.’
It wasn’t that she was afraid of them asking; it was just difficult to explain.
The issues between her and Marcus Monroe couldn’t be explained in just a sentence or two.
Besides, she had no intention of laying the matter bare for everyone to see.
But in truth, her reaction had already told Levi Young everything. He asked tentatively, "Are you two... having problems?"
Paige Summers couldn’t remain silent. "Yes, we have some problems. But no matter what, I won’t let anyone else go to the Federation. I wouldn’t be able to rest easy."
Levi Young nodded, looking a little dazed.
’Some problems... No, no, no, it definitely wasn’t a small problem. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so reluctant to talk about it.’
’But how could that be?’
’Marcus Monroe doted on her so much, putting her first in everything—he had seen it with his own eyes. As resistant as he was, even he had to admit defeat after seeing how Marcus acted.’
’But now, they were having problems...’
’Could they have really broken up?!’
’That’s it. He hadn’t seen Marcus Monroe at all since she got back!’
He had thought he’d just come at a bad time, or that things were busy at Jovitas. But that wasn’t it at all. The real reason was that they had broken up!
Levi Young looked across at Paige Summers, whose expression was clearly not good.
’It must be because of Marcus Monroe.’
He started to worry.
He worried that she would be in even more danger if she wasn’t in the right state of mind.
But beneath the worry, deep in his heart, a faint thread of excitement stirred.
After finally managing to coax Andy away, Paige Summers clutched the small vial of medicine he had delivered for Nadia and let out a long sigh.
’What a troublesome guy!’
Still, his concern made her feel warm inside.
A small smile touched her lips as she walked toward Ben’s room.
’He’s probably going to be very busy for a while because of my "request."’
Asking him to "keep an eye on The Research Institute for anything unusual" was something she did easily. She wasn’t too worried about him being in danger. For one, he was naturally cautious and wouldn’t act rashly. For another, he had Nadia looking out for him, after all.
Nadia was completely devoted to him. The two of them were actually a good match, though they were still a bit young.
But whether they actually got together or not was a matter for the future.
The day passed quickly, especially for someone like Paige Summers who had things to do.
She was up early the next morning to continue practicing her control over the Rainbow Water. However, since she had to go to the Federation that evening, she was more restrained and paid close attention to how much she used.
Unfortunately, during that day’s tutoring session, Lennon didn’t ask her to demonstrate her superpower again.
Instead, he made another request at the end.
"The Federation needs a blood sample from you. Would you be willing to provide one?"
Paige Summers stared at him darkly. "Why?"
Lennon explained with an air of manufactured mystery, "One of the organizers in our Federation is on very good terms with someone at The Research Institute. He managed to get his hands on some Power Enhancement Potions and plans to offer them to members as a semi-benefit. Although you haven’t been here long, I personally think you have incredible potential and will definitely shine in the future! So, I want to help you secure a spot. But it requires a blood test beforehand to see if your energy is compatible. What do you think?"