Tears suddenly streamed down her face. She quickly lowered her head, the drops splashing onto her combat suit. Her voice trembled, "I want to live in the peaceful era my mom used to talk about. An era with no fighting, no need for weapons. Where you could just have a busy day at work, then come home to the people you love and enjoy dinner together. Where you could sleep soundly when night fell... I... I just..."
Paige Summers raised a hand to wipe her face, only then realizing her palm was soaked.
She froze for a moment and took a breath. Just as she was about to speak, Levi Young said in an exceptionally low voice, "Letâs research it together. I donât know how much Iâll be able to do, but Iâll give it my all. If we succeed, my parents will be proud of me, even in death. And the people I... care about... will be able to live a good life! So, letâs do it together."
Paige Summers froze again.
At that moment, Levi Young added stiffly, "But Paige Summers doesnât need to be involved. Sheâs just a beginner with medicine, no help at all." He looked around. "I think we shouldnât go back. Letâs just use this place as a lab. Itâs big enough, quiet, and we wonât be disturbed. What do you think?"
Nadia frantically wiped away her tears. "Huh? Youâre willing? Th-thatâs great, of course, but... but..."
Levi Young frowned, opened the car door, and pulled her out. "Enough with the âbuts.â Get out and let Paige Summers work. Sheâll go back when sheâs done!"
Paige Summers rolled her eyes and slowly got out of the car.
âAnd here I was, feeling all sentimental.â
âWhen it came to life in the peaceful era, who knew it better than she did!â
âLife was so good back then.â
âForget worrying about food, clothing, and shelterâshe used to be so picky about her food that she couldnât swallow a single bite if it wasnât to her liking!â
âGetting attacked at the drop of a hat, your life always on the line? That was the stuff of fantasy, okay!â
âSomeone like her, getting murdered, was a total exceptionâlike a tragic extra Chapter tacked onto a heartwarming story!â
âOkay, so she was pretty unlucky.â
âBut no matter how unlucky, at least she was still alive...â "Iâm still alive, so itâs not your place to tell me what to do, you two kids."
Tossing out the line lazily, she ignored the other two, took out her tools, and started to modify the car.
Because she had already run through the process in her mind countless times, and with her current immense strength, her movements were incredibly fast. Before the two onlookers could even get a clear look, she had already disassembled part of the car into pieces... From start to finish, it only took her three hours to complete the entire modification.
She crooked a finger at Levi Young. "Come on, your turn."
"Got it."
He walked over, carefully took out the bottle, and poured all the medicine inside into the groove. He watched it flow into a small box, then took out the Crystal Core and placed it inside.
About thirty seconds later, he signaled to Paige Summers that it was ready.
Slipping nimbly into the driverâs seat, Paige Summers took a deep breath and started the engine!
Aside from the engine being a bit loud, it felt mostly normal. Reassured, Paige Summers stepped on the gas, drove to the other end of the warehouse, and then reversed back.
Everything went smoothly!
She could clearly feel the difference in how it drove compared to before.
Whether starting up or accelerating, the car was now clearly more powerful, more robust!
âIâll have to really enjoy this on the way back!â she thought, waving to the other two. "Get in!"
Nadia didnât ask or say anything; she just looked at Levi Young.
After a moment of thought, he got in the car. "I need to go back and pack my lab equipment, then come back here. Nadia, do you have a car?"
Nadia shook her head.
Levi Young wasnât disappointed. He just said, "Okay, itâs fine if you donât. Go back and get your things. Once you have everything, come find me, and then weâll come here together. Sound good?"
"Oh, no problem."
The car drove out of the warehouse and was soon on the road. Paige Summers let out a small sigh of relief. "You can use this place as a lab, but youâll have to wait until tomorrow. Itâs definitely not livable right now; it needs a good cleaning. Iâll bring some tools tomorrow and try to make it more comfortable. Andy was right. This place is quiet and most people wonât find it, so itâs relatively safe. You two just focus on your research. Iâll take care of food and drink. As for materials, just tell me what you need, and Iâll do my best."
Seeing Levi Young about to argue in the rearview mirror, Paige Summers cut in, "You should know full well that the two of you canât do this alone. So, donât say anything else. This is how itâs going to be. Like you said, I wonât participate in the research. Iâll just handle logistics. Thatâs good enough, right?"
Levi Young fell silent for a long moment, then finally just nodded.
âIf she was going to abandon him, she would have done it back in The Dead City.â
âShe didnât then, and sheâs even less likely to now.â
Nadia nodded in agreement.
But before she could completely relax, Paige Summers called her out by name. "You can have our help, but on one condition: you cannot tell Evan Pierce about this! Donât let a single word slip. Make up whatever excuse you want for leaving your residence, but he absolutely cannot know who youâre with or where youâre going. Understand?"
Nadia looked extremely confused. "Why? You donât trust Evan? No, no, heâs my only family! He would never betray me! Weâve been through so much hardship together to get where we are. I canât possibly hide this from him!"
Paige Summersâs face darkened. âThereâs no such thing as an absolute in this world. Of course she didnât trust Evan Pierce. There was absolutely nothing about that guy that inspired her trust!â
She suddenly yanked the steering wheel, and the car screeched to a halt at the side of the road.
Turning to look Nadia in the eye, she said, word by word, "If you donât agree, get out of the car. Weâll act like we never met you!"