Chapter 52: Spying on Her Hidden Smile

To an outsider, it looked as if Miles Sherman had pulled Zoe Pierce aside just in time, allowing her to narrowly dodge the Xenobeast’s swift attack.

But Miles Sherman’s gaze lingered for a few extra seconds.

It was less that he was pulling her and more that he was guiding her in the direction she was already leaning.

After they dodged the Xenobeast, her lips curled up in a subtle smile.

Her clear, dark eyes twinkled as she blinked.

The entire expression lasted only a second or two before vanishing in the blink of an eye. She then looked up at him, her face a mask of "gratitude."

He had never observed her this closely before.

’Great acting.’

Miles Sherman quickly snapped back to the present. Once he was sure Zoe Pierce was safely behind him, he turned to face the Xenobeast head-on.

Its first attack having missed, the Xenobeast landed on a large rock.

It snarled, baring its teeth at Miles Sherman, its hackles raised. As he approached, it retreated a few steps.

A moment later, it moved again, effortlessly leaping onto a nearby moss-covered boulder.

It stood on two legs, its forelimbs partially curled, its dull, deep-black eyes now nearly level with Zoe Pierce’s and Miles Sherman’s.

Now, both of them could get a clear look at it.

An Astral Beast.

It was famous for its speed and agility. Its burst speed could even rival that of an S-Class Xenobeast, but its Attack Power was average. Typically, if it sensed it couldn’t win a fight, it would flee immediately.

Their current forest environment was its natural habitat, giving it a distinct advantage.

’Its natural predator should be Chase Shaw.’

The thought flashed through Zoe Pierce’s mind almost instantly. Chase Shaw’s spiritual power controlled Gravity; the Astral Beast would stand no chance of escape against him.

If it had been Erin Xavier, she would have enthusiastically challenged the Astral Beast to a race to see which of them was faster.

But now, the ones who had run into it were her and Miles Sherman.

Zoe Pierce did her best to watch Miles Sherman and the Astral Beast from the perspective of a mere "bystander."

After all, unlike Xenobeasts that used spiritual power to enhance their speed, the Astral Beast relied purely on its physical prowess. Its spiritual power was even weaker than its Attack Power. Although this combination only ranked it as a B-level Xenobeast, it had still been a headache for many.

After a few seconds of a standoff with Miles Sherman, the Astral Beast charged him again.

Its sharp claws slashed straight for Miles Sherman’s face. But when it saw that he wasn’t dodging and was instead reaching out, it shrieked, contorted its body in mid-air in a nearly impossible arc, and leaped away.

’Not good. It’s about to run.’

Zoe Pierce never imagined that a few brief lines in a textbook could describe a Xenobeast so accurately.

After just one probe, it was already planning to scale a tree and make a run for it.

It was completely different from any Xenobeast Zoe Pierce had ever encountered.

But Miles Sherman didn’t give it the chance. The instant it started to scale the tree, he kicked the trunk.

The massive tree shook violently, and the force of the tremor sent the Astral Beast tumbling down.

As soon as it hit the ground, it saw Miles Sherman bounding toward it. Ignoring its dazed and spinning head, it began to flee in a panic, scrambling in no particular direction.

’Just a little restraint, and the Astral Beast won’t be able to escape.’

Zoe Pierce watched Miles Sherman’s movements intently, her spiritual power creeping along the ground like vines, stealthily approaching the Astral Beast.

Just as Miles Sherman was about to catch it, the beast let out a series of frantic squeals, its limbs scrambling desperately on the ground to gain speed.

The gap between them, which had been closing rapidly, widened again.

Just as it was putting on a final burst of speed, it felt something tug at its leg. Its mad dash was abruptly hindered, and its entire body tumbled forward uncontrollably.

It had no time to wonder what had tripped it; every instinct screamed that danger was upon it.

A large hand struck from behind, clamping down on its neck. A moment later, the struggling Xenobeast went limp, dead.

Miles Sherman tossed the dead Xenobeast onto the ground. His Intelligent Brain quickly scanned it, and Zoe Pierce watched as her team’s point total increased.

She was looking down at her Intelligent Brain when she heard Miles Sherman say, "Nice work."

Zoe Pierce’s head snapped up, but Miles Sherman left it at that, saying nothing more.

Only the two of them knew what had just happened. He knew, and with those words, he was acknowledging her help.

It was only two words of praise, but Zoe Pierce had to fight to suppress a smile. The feeling of being acknowledged by a teammate was truly, deeply gratifying.

The only ones left scratching their heads were the viewers watching the broadcast.

"Wait, what did Zoe Pierce do? She just stood there quietly. Is that really worth praising?"

"What’s wrong with that? She didn’t cause any trouble. Didn’t you notice how she kept moving to stay behind Miles Sherman’s back, making sure she was never exposed to the Astral Beast’s line of sight?"

"The user above is right. If the Astral Beast had spotted her, it definitely would’ve attacked. Then wouldn’t Miles Sherman have had to rush over and save her?"

"Not getting in the way is already great, and she even coordinated with him. Miles Sherman just gave her a compliment. It’s not like it cost him anything."

"Can the users above please not have such high expectations? She’s an Omega, for crying out loud."

"Holy shit, someone’s coming..."

"The hell? Who’s coming? Where?"

"I don’t see anyone?"

"Someone from the First Military Academy is heading this way! They must have noticed the commotion."

"..."

On screen, the comment barrage intensified.

Miles Sherman crouched by a small stream. He had just dipped his fingers into the water when he heard Zoe Pierce, who was standing nearby, say, "I think... someone’s coming."

The filth washed away, leaving a biting chill on his hands. Miles Sherman casually flicked the water from his fingers and stood up.

"Where do you sense them?" he asked.

Zoe Pierce pointed northwest.

The viewers who could see both camera feeds went wild again.

"Hold on, what’s with Zoe Pierce’s ’senses’? Don’t tell me she’s watching the live broadcast too?"

"This isn’t the first time. If you look at the replay, Zoe Pierce gave a warning even before the Xenobeast appeared."

"What kind of ability is that? Can Omegas use spiritual power for precognition?"

"No, you guys, pay attention to Miles Sherman’s choice of words... ’sense’..."

"Is this that legendary ’woman’s intuition’? That’s ridiculous. I don’t buy it."

"But she pointed in the right direction! I’m going crazy! Can an expert please give a reasonable explanation for this?"

"Not sure. Let’s keep watching."

In just a few short minutes, Zoe Pierce had completely captured the audience’s attention.

The crowd went into an uproar, especially when they saw people actually emerging from the direction Zoe Pierce had indicated.

On the screen, a group of three—two Alphas and an Omega—were slowly walking toward them.

The training uniforms of the First Military Academy differed from those of the Federal Military Academy. Their collars were trimmed with gold and black, and the school crest on the chest was different as well—it was a pair of clasped hands.

The differences were immediately recognizable the moment they saw each other.