Chapter 431 - 311: Departure
The mass was dark brown, the color of dried blood.
Its upper half was remarkably human-like, with a head, neck, shoulders, and even a slightly raised chest. Below the waist, however, it became completely irregular, resembling a common type of root tuber, only exceptionally large.
Seeing this, Paige Summers’s eyes widened.
’This is the Blood Vine?’
’This is nothing like I’d imagined!’
’Even with all its vines cut off, it shouldn’t look so bare!’
’If it sprouted two legs, I’d mistake it for a sentient, mutated ginseng root!’
Not only did the Blood Vine’s main body look strange, but its movements were also exceptionally bizarre.
After bursting out and landing heavily on the ground, it began to twist in place, looking for all the world as if it were possessed by some kind of parasite...
A sudden realization struck Paige Summers.
’Could it be... the Voidspawn Worm?!’
Beside her, Rhonda Rhodes suddenly let out a soft sigh.
Marcus Monroe gave a knowing smile.
’I see.’
Under the group’s watchful eyes, the Blood Vine began to shrink, getting smaller and smaller until it was no bigger than the palm of a hand. Only then did the man named Wade stroll over and pick it up. With a flick of his hand, the Blood Vine vanished.
He walked over to Paige Summers and her companions with a beaming smile.
Rhonda Rhodes’s talisman was practically useless against him.
He could see their expressions perfectly clearly.
For instance, Rhonda Rhodes’s apathy, the understanding in Marcus Monroe’s eyes, and Paige Summers’s pensive look...
He raised an eyebrow, completely ignoring the roomful of people he had trapped to the side. Instead, he spoke directly to them, "Let’s go."
Paige Summers and the others didn’t object. After all, Leo Joyce and his people weren’t going to die; if the man had intended to kill them, he wouldn’t have simply trapped them.
As they retraced their steps, they discovered the entire landscape had changed.
The fissured ground was no longer level but had caved in over large areas. The structurally unsound buildings had finally given way, collapsing into heaps of rubble.
The base was now completely unrecognizable.
Boosted by the man’s Spell, they moved with incredible speed, flashing past the devastation like the wind and quickly reaching the foot of the mountain.
Paige Summers now understood everything perfectly.
’From the moment we met this man, to him discovering the Voidspawn Worm in my body, offering to remove it, and even telling Leo Joyce how to destroy the Blood Vine... All of it. It all seemed like a series of coincidences, but he was in control the entire time!’
’This was no spur-of-the-moment idea. He must have been waiting for an opportunity just like this!’
’He probably wasn’t lying when he said he couldn’t handle the Blood Vine alone. That’s why he used Leo Joyce and all of us.’
’The plan was a series of interlocking steps. It was flawless!’
’And his goal must have been the Blood Vine that he now held in his hand!’
’He’s so calculating... a truly terrifying man!’
Just as she was having this thought, the man, who had already stopped walking, lifted his dazzling face and smiled at her. "You think I’m terrifying?"
’That’s such an obvious question, I shouldn’t have to answer it...’ Paige asked instead, "Were there really munitions in the tunnel?"
"Of course there were! And quite a lot of them. A pity the little vine got them all wet and sticky. It’s quite disgusting." He smiled, looking toward the mountainside as he added, "But I’m sure those fellows won’t mind. After all, it’s my thank-you gift to them!"
Once gunpowder gets wet, it’s useless even after it’s dried... This was his "thank-you gift."
Paige Summers watched him smile, struggling to keep her own face from twitching. She could only imagine how crushed Leo Joyce would be when, after all his efforts and losses, he finally saw the drenched munitions. And how would the people from the other bases react...?
’He’ll have a hard time maintaining that righteous facade of his now!’
Seeing how things had turned out, Paige Summers almost wanted to laugh.
The man across from her was no longer looking at her. He turned to Rhonda Rhodes. "Our business here is finished. It’s time for us to leave."
After a soft "mm," Rhonda Rhodes turned to Marcus Monroe and Paige Summers. "I’m leaving. You two take care of yourselves."
Paige Summers opened her mouth to speak, but seeing the resolve in his eyes, she stopped herself. Instead, she could only nod silently.
Marcus Monroe simply said, "Take care."
Wade led Rhonda Rhodes away. The two of them departed gracefully, quickly vanishing without a trace.
Only then did Paige Summers avert her gaze, slumping dejectedly against Marcus Monroe’s chest.
"It feels like I just woke up from a nightmare!"
Marcus Monroe chuckled and gently pinched her nose. "Look at you, still not satisfied!"
Paige Summers shook her head. "I’m not unsatisfied. I just don’t like that man, and I don’t want Rhonda Rhodes to go with him."
Marcus Monroe sounded unconcerned. "That was Rhonda Rhodes’s own choice. Besides, it might not be a bad thing for him. His Cultivation method is different from ours. If he’s with that man, at least he won’t have to worry about a lack of Spiritual Energy."
Looking down at her, he kept his final thought to himself.
’Maybe, by staying with that man, Wade, Rhonda Rhodes might even find a way back to his own world!’
’He’d be more than happy to see that happen.’
’Every world has its own rules. Those two clearly don’t belong in this one. If they don’t leave, it’ll cause a major disaster sooner or later!’
’That man likely took Rhonda Rhodes for the same reason. Wade’s original target was never me, only Rhonda Rhodes.’
’But since Paige Summers hadn’t figured that out, he certainly wasn’t going to bring it up.’
’He desperately wanted her to forget that she was also from another world so she would stay here with him, content and at peace!’
A thought flashed through Marcus Monroe’s mind.
He looked down at her delicate cheeks, a sly smile slowly spreading across his face.
The major problem with Paige Summers’s body had been resolved. All that remained was for her to return to her original self.
On the way back to Bloodfall Base, they took their time. This was partly to monitor Paige Summers’s condition, and partly to survey the surrounding terrain.
Marcus Monroe believed that if you’re going to do something, you might as well go big.
Take Bloodfall Base, for example.
If it remained a small-time base, it would inevitably be constrained by Leo Joyce in all sorts of ways. What kind of life would that be? Therefore, his goal from the start had been to make Bloodfall Base into the true Southern Citadel!
But something like that couldn’t be accomplished overnight. It would take time.
He didn’t want Paige Summers to worry about such things, so he didn’t mention it at all, planning to discuss it with Claire Chapman after they got back.
As for Paige Summers, seeing how carefully Marcus Monroe was surveying the terrain, she had a vague idea of what he was planning.
But since he didn’t bring it up, she pretended not to notice.
’In any case, expanding the base would be a long process.’
’The most important thing right now is to improve the parts we already have!’
Without the Voidspawn Worm, her Planting Space and Rainbow Water were finally safe. While the strength in her arm would never fully recover, with diligent daily exercise, it wouldn’t be too far off from what it used to be.
That alone was enough to make her happy.
What’s more, on the journey home, her body was indeed growing, day by day.
Each day was like a year of growth for a normal person.
By the time they arrived back at the base, she had shot up in height and already looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old!
This development didn’t just make her happy; Marcus Monroe was overjoyed as well.
And so, the two of them arrived at the base in high spirits.
But upon their return, they discovered a special "guest" had arrived at the base!