Of course, Paige Summers knew what The Blackwilds was.
"It's full of nocturnal mutant plants. During the day, it looks like an ordinary wasteland, but at night, it becomes their paradise. If you wander in by mistake, you'd be lucky to leave a skeleton behind. You might just vanish without a trace—not even a single strand of hair left!" These words were from the original owner of her body's former neighbor, a young man who had joined a Hunting Party, left the city, and met an unfortunate end.
Alright, she had to admit that was the extent of her knowledge, and she hadn't connected the place she'd just been with that description at all.
'But so what?'
'Just because I don't know or understand now doesn't mean it'll be like this forever. All I'm missing is a chance to learn!'
After she asked her question, the man in the driver's seat went silent. The one in the passenger seat, however, patiently explained everything to her, then took the opportunity to ask about her background and why she was in The Blackwilds.
Paige Summers told him everything that wasn't worth hiding.
But she didn't say a word about being pushed off a cliff or anything concerning the White Lion.
She kept the first secret because she didn't need any more pity or scorn. She kept the second out of a gut feeling—an instinct that she had a duty to protect the secret of the White Lion's master.
After hearing her story, the man in the passenger seat didn't seem any more mocking, though his expression now held the kind of amusement one has when observing a rare animal.
Paige Summers pretended not to notice.
Time passed quickly amid their questions and answers.
What would have been a day's journey on foot took only two hours as the vehicle barreled ahead.
When the walls of The Dead City appeared in the distance, she finally let out a long, internal sigh of relief.
The walls were high, nearly thirty meters tall, and said to be capable of stopping the largest Mutant Animals that had ever appeared in the area. The wall was dotted with small apertures. Judging by the occasional glint of light from within, they certainly weren't for ventilation. Their function... was likely to house heavy weaponry, at least on the level of impact cannons.
Paige Summers's expression grew solemn, a heavy sense of crisis welling up inside her.
It was said that the entire population left on Earth was less than a billion. And Astoria, a country considered a demographic giant before the apocalypse, still accounted for over a hundred million of that total. It was as if humanity had returned to the age of fortified cities, relying on massive walls to fend off enemy incursions.
And The Dead City wasn't unique.
As once-thriving metropolises crumbled into ruins, The Three Great Bases—Central City, Southreach, and Norgate—had risen in their place. Their walls were even taller than those of The Dead City.
'If I want to survive in this world, I'll have to work much, much harder!'
The man in the passenger seat turned to look at her, a smile on his face. "Why the long face?"
Paige Summers froze for a second, then quickly put her shy expression back on. "I'm just emotional... about making it back alive."
"Is that so..." The man waved his hand, as if impatient with such a heavy topic, and switched to a flippant tone. "I basically saved your life. Aren't you going to ask for my name?"
"Ah, may I ask... your name?"
The man couldn't help but snort with laughter. "Shawn Monroe." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and tossed it to her, adding teasingly, "Clean yourself up. I'd rather not be seen bringing a girl with a bloody face back to the city."
'Sh-Shawn Monroe?! Did I hear him right?'
Paige Summers stared blankly at his face until he raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"
"N-No, nothing."
'Yeah, right!'
Feigning composure, Paige Summers picked up the handkerchief and started scrubbing her face, her mind reeling with shock and uncertainty.
'He's Shawn Monroe! He's *the* Shawn Monroe, the male lead!'
'Okay, I'm definitely not complaining about meeting the male lead ahead of schedule, even though I'm just a female side character!'
'Their first meeting was supposed to happen inside the city. The pitiful original owner of this body gets robbed, the hero saves the damsel in distress, and then she falls in love at first sight, and so on. What I'm really trying to say is, as the future City Lord of The Dead City, the male lead in the story was the epitome of cool, wild, and domineering arrogance. Not... whatever this rich playboy act is.'
'Talk about a major downgrade, am I right?!'
Lost in her own thoughts, Paige Summers completely missed how Shawn Monroe's eyes lit up the moment he got a clear look at her face.
The man stroked his chin, a thought stirring in his mind.
'I thought she was just a drab little mouse, but it turns out she's an adorably clueless kitten. Should I take her home and keep her?'
Unlike Paige Summers, who was both unaware of and uninterested in her new appearance, Shawn Monroe—a connoisseur who had seen his fair share of beautiful women—recognized her striking looks in a single glance.