Chapter 57: Ethan Grant, the Hard-Luck Case

The two scenes unfolding on screen had everyone on the edge of their seats, their nerves stretched taut with the implications.

The uncanny analysis from Miles Sherman and Zoe Pierce made the situation all the more baffling. One might think they had a god’s-eye view of the field, yet they still chose to head for the supply point.

But to say they didn’t have one, their intuition and resulting actions were simply impossible to explain with common sense.

So for the time being, the onlookers simply held their tongues.

There was no live feed for Erin Xavier at the moment; he had simply vanished after leaving the range of Nathan Lockwood’s team’s mechanical eyes.

This added another layer of mystery to the impending clash, whose outcome was anyone’s guess.

If Erin Xavier arrived in time for the showdown with the First Military Academy, who would emerge victorious?

After all, the First Military Academy’s current team only had one S-Class Alpha, Victor Vance. The other, as a precaution, had remained behind to guard the team’s Omegas.

This was the First Military Academy’s strategy.

Leave behind the Omegas who could slow their progress, station three or four people to stand guard, and have Victor Vance lead everyone else.

Zoe Pierce and Miles Sherman arrived near the supply point ahead of the others.

At the location pinpointed by their Intelligent Brains, they could see a partially concealed box, still glowing with a red light.

Only when the time was up would the red light immediately turn green.

This meant the box could be opened.

Even if they got close now, it was impossible to open.

Zoe Pierce and Miles Sherman only spared the supply crate a few glances. They both knew it wasn’t their objective. Theirs was arguably the team in the best condition out of all the squads at present.

Their goal was to eliminate as many members of the First Military Academy as possible.

Miles arrived early. It was late at night, and rain was falling. For now, the supply point was deserted, but that was merely on the surface. There were still nearly fifteen minutes until the supply point unlocked, and in that time, anything could happen.

He carried Zoe on his back to an inconspicuous spot some distance away. After confirming the area was safe, he set her down.

"Stay here. Don’t move," Miles Sherman said, his voice hushed. "We have to plan for the worst-case scenario."

"I won’t try to be a hero. If I can’t eliminate anyone, I’ll pull out immediately."

"So, stay here. Wait for me."

"If I get eliminated, leave immediately and find Erin and the others. Got it?"

The training over the past few days hadn’t transformed Zoe, but in terms of sheer stamina, Miles believed she had a chance of escaping from this distance.

Even though she knew it was just a joint exam with no real danger to their lives, Zoe felt a pang of unease at Miles’s intense words, which sounded as if he were delivering his last will and testament.

’Maybe it’s because we’re both taking this too seriously.’

’We just don’t want to lose that badly.’

Zoe gripped his hand tightly, her body pressed close to his. She also lowered her voice. "Alright."

Miles paused, seeming to gaze deeply at Zoe for a few seconds before disappearing with a series of light leaps and bounds, finally dropping prone and vanishing from sight.

He chose a patch of bushes at a moderate distance, lying prone on the ground with only his eyes visible, his hands clenched into tight fists.

’Just now, Zoe wrote something on my hand.’

Just as he thought he was completely hidden, the grass beneath him trembled slightly.

It was Zoe’s spiritual power.

This area was within her Perception’s range; she had fully extended her spiritual power across it.

Since she was at a physical disadvantage, she would use her spiritual power instead, providing help in her own way.

If she sensed anyone approaching, Zoe would immediately use this method to alert Miles.

The rain rustled as it fell upon the deep, dark forest, where the croaking of frogs could be faintly heard rising and falling in chorus.

The minutes ticked by. After more than ten minutes had passed, Zoe sensed someone approaching.

The newcomers were extremely cautious, their footsteps light and their eyes constantly scanning their surroundings, ready to bolt at the slightest sound.

Zoe breathed a small sigh of relief when she identified the newcomers.

They were two Alphas from the Federal Military Academy, and one of them was even an old acquaintance.

Zoe didn’t know what to make of this knack she and Ethan Grant had for running into each other.

’Why is it him again?’

But as long as they were from her own academy, Zoe felt the situation was manageable.

However, the moment they appeared, Zoe noticed that their spirit seas weren’t stable. They were in a subtle state of turmoil, which the two Alphas were forcefully suppressing.

It seemed they hadn’t received an Omega’s soothing for a long time.

She used her spiritual power to alert Miles, employing the code they had agreed upon by writing on each other’s palms earlier: if it was someone from the Federation, she would move a blade of grass once; if it was the First Military Academy, twice.

After about five seconds, she made the grass brush against him twice more, indicating two people.

Having been the first to lie in wait, Miles had a natural advantage. Unless an opposing Alpha had Perception on the level of Nathan Lockwood or Zoe Pierce, it would be almost impossible to detect him.

Clearly, Ethan Grant and his teammate hadn’t.

They had discovered neither Miles nor Zoe.

Although Ethan Grant and his teammate were also concealed, their target was clearly the supply crate, and they were positioned very close to it.

They were just waiting for the timer to run out. The plan was to grab some supplies with lightning speed the moment the crate unlocked and then make a swift getaway.

They knew that in their current state, they couldn’t possibly take all the supplies.

Taking what they needed most and leaving was their only option.

The risk was simply too high. There were only a few supply crates in total, and every single one was a coveted prize.

Miles naturally saw Ethan Grant and his companion. Putting the pieces together, he understood the meaning behind the intermittent signals from Zoe.

Two minutes until the supply crate unlocked.

Zoe once again sensed people approaching.

This time, what her Perception picked up made her heart sink.

It was people from the First Military Academy—far more Alphas than a single squad would have.

She immediately alerted Miles.

Feeling the rhythmic signals from beneath him, Miles’s gaze hardened.

Accompanied by the sound of multiple footsteps splashing through the rain, the members of the First Military Academy soon came into view.

Zoe’s first thought was one of relief. ’Thankfully, they don’t have an Alpha with Perception like Nathan Lockwood’s. They haven’t spotted Miles.’

But her relief was premature.

Miles hadn’t been discovered, but Ethan Grant and his teammate had.

"Two A-level Alphas. It’s not Nathan Lockwood’s group." Having spotted Ethan Grant’s team, the students from the First Military Academy instantly surrounded the two of them.