Chapter 88: He Deliberately Set Her Up to Fall on Him

For them, the outbreak of a Xenobeast Tide was a source of resources. This operation was about plundering those resources for survival.

The combat strength of a 4S-ranked team was undeniable.

This Xenobeast Tide would probably end faster than any before it.

But then their attention shifted back to Zoe Pierce, and they thought they might be wrong. After all, their team had an Omega.

It was hard to say whether this Omega would be a burden or a boon.

The only thing they could be sure of was that this 4S team probably didn’t need to worry about their spirit seas. Their spiritual power already had greater stamina than others, and now they had a clear head start.

Aboard the transport ship to Planet B145, the initial clamor from when they first boarded had long since faded into silence.

The flight lasted nearly five hours.

Soon, Zoe Pierce felt the airflow around the ship grow turbulent, and the entire vessel began to vibrate and tremble.

"Attention all passengers. Your flight, 7852, has arrived at its destination, Planet B145. Please proceed to the rear cabin."

All the Alphas rose to their feet. Zoe Pierce was ushered up by Miles Sherman and the others.

The entire rear cabin now resembled a massive Mecha hangar. Rows of Mechas, some tall, some short, filled the space, and the rear hatch was already open.

One by one, the Alphas, clad in their Mechas, leaped from the ship without hesitation.

The deafening roars of Xenobeasts could be faintly heard in the air, a completely different feeling from the joint exams.

Zoe Pierce boarded Miles Sherman’s Mecha.

This had been the plan from the beginning; a certain level of deception was still necessary. Only after they landed would they let Zoe pilot her own Mecha.

Seated once again in Miles Sherman’s Mecha, her body secured by the safety harness in the cramped space, her view began to change rapidly.

It was even more thrilling than the simulator. With a surge of speed, she plummeted from an altitude of nearly a thousand meters, riding inside the Mecha.

A bird-like Xenobeast shrieked and flew toward them. Miles Sherman’s Light Saber didn’t hesitate for a second. He drew it, swung, and sliced straight through its body.

It let out a mournful cry, its wings unable to beat, and plummeted downward.

A flock of avian Xenobeasts swarmed them, blotting out the sky. The Mecha’s thrusters fired at maximum capacity, spinning and diving. Countless birds were cut down before her eyes before Miles finally landed on the ground.

Shortly after, Nathan Lockwood and the others followed.

The cockpit opened, and they all instinctively turned their gazes to Zoe Pierce.

This mission wasn’t one they absolutely had to complete. For them, Zoe Pierce’s importance had, without them even realizing it, surpassed everything else.

But Zoe’s expression was normal as she jumped out of Miles’s Mecha and quickly switched into the one they had prepared for her.

Lately, she’d been practically sleeping with her hand on the Mecha’s activation button. She expertly opened it, hopped in, and established the link.

The Mecha’s internal channel linked up. Zoe Pierce’s delicate face appeared on the screen, her eyes as bright as starlight.

It wasn’t quite what they had pictured.

They had thought she would be a little scared.

They had even considered that if Zoe Pierce really couldn’t handle it, it would be fine to just send her back.

But in reality, she looked completely in her element, without a trace of fear in her eyes.

She was as resilient as a blade of grass, needing only a little bit of soil and nutrients to grow, requiring no special care.

This became even more apparent once they began "reaping" Xenobeasts. Zoe Pierce’s completely unrestricted spiritual power, combined with her Mecha, was in no way inferior to anyone else’s.

In fact, one could even say she handled it with ease.

For the entire day after descending from the ship, Zoe Pierce fought Xenobeasts almost without rest.

The Xenobeasts had appeared suddenly on Planet B145.

A Xenobeast Tide typically begins with an unstable magnetic field. If the field stabilizes, then there’s no incident.

But if it fails to stabilize, it rips open a tear, like a Wormhole, and they surge forth.

The highest concentration of Xenobeasts was at the mouth of the Wormhole, which was also where the most Alphas were stationed.

This kind of sudden rupture would gradually shrink and disappear over time, but the Xenobeasts that had come through would not go back.

Much like humans, they required the same kind of environment to survive.

It was destined to be a fight to the death.

Zoe Pierce and her team were dealing with the Xenobeasts that hadn’t been eliminated at the Wormhole’s mouth and had escaped.

It wasn’t until dusk, when only a sliver of orange light lingered on the horizon, that a sweat-drenched Zoe Pierce finally emerged from her Mecha.

Using her spiritual power like this was an experience she’d never had before. Her body and mind were both exhausted, yet it was incredibly exhilarating.

’It feels like I’m back at the joint exams.’

"Zoe Pierce, nice work!" Miles Sherman and the others climbed out of their Mechas. Erin Xavier was the first to jump out, giving her a thumbs-up.

She had far exceeded their expectations.

Miles went to start a fire. This wasn’t their first Xenobeast Tide, and they would inevitably have to camp outside tonight.

An open-air environment was the only way to ensure their safety.

After drinking a nutrient solution, Zoe Pierce proactively went to check on the others’ spiritual power.

Besides her, they had also killed their fair share of Xenobeasts. Nathan Lockwood’s coordinates were precise and accurate, which clearly consumed a lot of his spiritual power. Even though Zoe had "cheated" to learn about eighty percent of his calculation methods, she still couldn’t compare.

Nathan Lockwood was sitting alone, leaning against a tree and gazing into the distance, not standing with the others. Zoe looked over and decided to approach him first.

The moment she walked over, she saw Nathan’s gaze instantly fix on her.

"I’m here to check your spirit sea." She drew closer and extended her hand toward Nathan.

Nathan reached out and grabbed her hand. Zoe felt a powerful force pull her from across her hand. Caught completely off guard, she was instantly pulled off her feet.

She stumbled and fell right into Nathan Lockwood’s arms.

To be precise, she had been deliberately pulled into his arms by Nathan.

She let out a muffled grunt, causing the others to turn and look.

Their excellent vision allowed them to see the scene clearly.

Zoe Pierce was practically cradled in Nathan Lockwood’s arms. One of his hands held hers, while the other was poised between embracing and supporting her back.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked, feigning concern. "Sorry, I accidentally used a little too much force."

His handsome face did indeed show a hint of apology.

Zoe shook her head. "I’m fine." After all, she had fallen on top of him; he had served as a human cushion, so it was no big deal.

It was just that their current position was a bit... intimate.

It took Zoe a beat to react. She placed a hand on the tree, trying to get up off him.

Nathan Lockwood paused. ’No need to overdo it right now.’ He released the hand on Zoe’s back, letting her get up and sit beside him.

He cast a subtle glance toward the two people over there.

Unsurprisingly, the gazes of those two were completely fixed on them.

’It was just an accident.’ His expression was natural as his eyes swept past Miles Sherman and Chase Shaw before returning to Zoe Pierce, the corners of his lips curling into a slight smile.