「The next day.」
Zoe Pierce arrived at the Psionic Training Room as usual and, unsurprisingly, saw Nathan Lockwood.
Nathan Lockwood was adept at analyzing how she used her spiritual power. He had even collected data on the spiritual power of many other Alphas for her to study. Because of this, her control over her spiritual power had improved dramatically.
Her spiritual power once again bound the target in front of her like an inescapable rope.
This was how Zoe had held back Chase Shaw yesterday.
"Good. You’ve beco proficient with this technique," Nathan praised without reservation.
Zoe was now using her spiritual power exceptionally well in the training room. She was a quick study, adept at layering several spiritual power techniques. If Nathan Lockwood and the others weren’t significantly stronger than her in Body Techniques, they wouldn’t even be able to get near her anymore.
Even when they did get close, she could draw on the experience she’d gained from Erin Xavier to unleash a sudden burst of power and swiftly dodge away.
"My compatibility with the cha still needs more ti." The problem was that Zoe still had limited experience with a cha. Despite being a fast learner, using her spiritual power in conjunction with the cha was a barrier she still needed more ti to break through.
"I think we should apply for a short-term mission."
"You can try to take on so xenobeasts yourself." ’Being outstanding in the training room is pointless. Ultimately, she has to face real xenobeasts. If Zoe can’t do that, then no amount of practice will matter.’
Zoe knew.
’Nathan Lockwood is treating the Planet B36 situation with extre caution. We’ll likely only get one shot at it.’
’Even a sharp blade needs a whetstone.’
"Alright." Zoe let out a breath and agreed in earnest.
The two of them reined in their spiritual power and were about to head to the cha simulation pods when Zoe suddenly heard Nathan Lockwood ask, "So, what exactly happened last night?"
Zoe almost stumbled.
She whipped her head around to et Nathan’s eyes.
"What did Miles Sherman and Chase Shaw... do last night?" Nathan asked, his expression calm and indifferent, as if he hadn’t just asked sothing completely staggering.
Zoe felt another headache coming on. ’I thought this was over.’
Nathan waited for Zoe to speak.
But Zoe’s lips trembled, and for a long mont, she couldn’t utter a single word.
’Her intuition scread at her not to say anything. After she’d told them yesterday, Chase Shaw had started acting strangely. If she said it again today, she had a feeling Nathan would get angry too.’
’And from the way Nathan was talking, it seed like Chase and Miles hadn’t told him, either.’
"It was nothing... It’s already been handled..." Zoe said.
Nathan Lockwood looked away, his eyes as dark as ink that could never be diluted. ’So she’s hiding it from too.’
’A secret shared by the three of them.’
’Heh. Interesting. This squad is getting more and more interesting.’
He didn’t ask any more questions. It wouldn’t lead anywhere. The three of them had clearly closed ranks, so he wouldn’t get an answer for now.
’No matter. He could wait. Wait for an opportunity.’
*
Training continued as usual. A week later, Nathan Lockwood took the initiative to accept a mission to eliminate a Xenobeast Tide.
No one in the garrison was surprised that Zoe Pierce would be going along. After all, they saw Miles’s team training with her every day, and she never missed a session.
’If she wasn’t going, what was the point of all that effort?’
They didn’t try to hide her Body Techniques training, either. People ca and went, witnessing Zoe get knocked down and stand back up, ti after ti.
She made a trip to the infirmary almost every day to treat her scrapes and bruises, only to be back at it the next day.
But regardless, Zoe was still an Oga. When Adrian Chapman heard they were going on a mission, he had soone bring an electromagnetic small cannon for her.
It was a last resort for survival, capable of creating a brief opening even against an S-Class Xenobeast.
By now, Miles and the others were used to the instructors fussing over Zoe. They took the device, gave it to her, explained in detail how to use it, and then the group wasted no more ti.
This ti, there was no special school airship. They had to take a regular interstellar airship from Siren Star to their destination.
The sky was the usual hazy gray. A long line of people queued up for the airship, silently having their tickets checked.
Robots and Alphas conducted the security checks together, leaving no possibility of anyone slipping through.
Miles and his team weren’t short on cash, and with Zoe on this trip, they had naturally booked a first-class cabin.
News of the Xenobeast Tide on Planet B145 had already been released, so most of the passengers were teams on their way to fight them. Once aboard the airship, even in the first-class cabin, Zoe was incredibly conspicuous.
The only Oga in the first-class cabin.
Nearly every eye in the cabin turned toward her.
"Hey, why’d you push ? It’s damn annoying. We’ve got a mission in a bit, just let sleep," an impatient voice grumbled in the quiet cabin.
He sat up abruptly and snapped his head to look at the person next to him.
The person next to him wished they could cover his mouth.
When his companion didn’t say anything, the man who’d been woken up was even more confused. ’Psycho,’ he cursed inwardly. The next second, he turned his head and his eyes suddenly t Zoe’s, who had glanced over at the noise.
"Holy shit," he muttered. "An Oga?"
’Well, this is new.’
His brow furrowed instantly, and his gaze instinctively flicked to the people behind her—four S-Class Alphas.
He leaned forward, resting a hand on the back of his own teammate’s seat. "Hey, guys, you heading to B145?"
He started the conversation casually, but his gaze landed on Zoe and he couldn’t help frowning. "Isn’t it too dangerous to bring an Oga? Even for S-Class Alphas, that’s pushing it."
"A Xenobeast Tide is that dangerous, and you’re just gonna let an Oga hang around? You still have a chance to change your minds. Send her back."
Undoubtedly, his words echoed the thoughts of most people in the cabin.
’In their minds, soone like Zoe was basically jumping straight into a fire pit.’
The teammate who had woken him now gave his hand a firm tug. The man glanced down to see his companion frowning and shaking his head, clearly warning him not to ddle.
’Let them be. It’s their funeral.’
He rolled his eyes at his teammate. "Then why’d you wake up?"
’Damn it,’ his teammate thought, completely exasperated. ’I woke him up to watch the drama, not to be a hero! We’re just a regular A-level Alpha squad; we couldn’t even take on a single one of those S-Class Alphas. And this idiot just had to go run his mouth right in their faces.’
He hadn’t lowered his voice, so the entire cabin heard him. His teammate buried his face in his hands, completely giving up. He really regretted waking him up.
Zoe understood the Alpha’s intentions perfectly well.
’On Earth, it would be like watching a girl who couldn’t even hurt a fly run onto a raging battlefield. They were all trained soldiers; seeing sothing like that, of course they couldn’t just stand by and watch.’
’They just wanted her to turn back before it was too late.’
"Thank you," she said to the man with a small, appreciative smile, "but I have my reasons for going."
’Well, so much for that.’
The man shrugged. "My mistake for sticking my nose in."
’He’d been a busybody.’
With the conversation at a standstill, the other people in the cabin had nothing more to say. It wasn’t like they could force her off the airship at gunpoint.
Miles’s gaze swept across the others in the cabin. They were all hardened fighters who lived life on the edge. So of the looks they received were friendly, like that of the man who had just spoken his mind, but there were naturally hostile ones as well. But when they looked at this squad of four S-Class Alphas, every one of them showed a heavy dose of apprehension.
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