Chapter 214: Our Zoe is Amazing

Everyone who witnessed the scene was left dumbfounded.

The perfect altitude, the timing of the avalanche, the reactions of all involved—it was all meticulously calculated.

A single misstep would have ruined the entire effect.

Leaving just one person to escape with the Token.

What did it matter if those left behind knew where the Token was? If they couldn’t catch up, it was all for naught.

Having witnessed firsthand how Zoe Pierce orchestrated everything, Miles Sherman could barely contain the excitement surging in his chest.

He wanted to kiss her fiercely, to shower her with praise.

But now, he had to suppress the urge, lest he interfere with her actions.

Even from the side, he could see her clear, dark eyes and the faint smile playing on her lips.

They had watched her learn from scratch, seen how much she had suffered, and now, witnessed her reach this point step by step.

’Zoe. Their Zoe.’

She made them so proud.

Once she confirmed that the Imperial forces wouldn’t be able to catch up anytime soon, Zoe Pierce finally breathed a sigh of relief and engaged the autopilot.

She was starting to think Miles was being too quiet and was about to turn around when his hand came up to cup the back of her head.

"Zoe, don’t turn around." His voice sounded almost pained.

Zoe froze for a second. She didn’t turn, but she asked urgently, "What’s wrong, Miles?"

Her last maneuver shouldn’t have caused any impact to the Mecha; at least, she hadn’t felt anything from the pilot’s seat.

A pair of hands wrapped around her waist, clamping onto her sides, as a man’s head, with its fluffy hair, rested by her neck. "Our Zoe is so amazing."

’I’ll lose control.’

’If I meet her gaze, if I see those brilliant, starry eyes, I’ll lose it.’

’Even the self-control I’m so proud of is always on the verge of shattering whenever I’m with her.’

"The moment I see you, I lose control."

"Just like this. Let me stay like this for a moment."

Otherwise, he’d be breaking the promise he just made to her.

Since Miles had put it that way, Zoe couldn’t possibly turn around.

’Though she felt he was exaggerating.’

’He can’t even handle me turning to look at him? It’s not like I’m a walking aphrodisiac. This is too much.’

Then again, considering the last two times she’d turned to kiss him had led to them losing all control, she suddenly felt her own opinion on the matter wasn’t very reliable.

It’s just...

’Neither of them was very good at holding back.’

Still, a part of her was itching with curiosity. She wanted to see what Miles looked like right now.

’Looks like she’d picked up some of Erin Xavier’s bad habits after all, developing a bit of a mischievous streak.’

"Zoe, it kills me that only the four of us got to see you do that," Miles said, his head still resting on Zoe’s shoulder, his voice just loud enough for her to hear.

Everyone would just assume he had been the one to do it, but it was so clearly her accomplishment.

He was merely the camera, a firsthand witness.

It wasn’t that Zoe felt no regret at all, but she was philosophical about it. "As long as we win, that’s all that matters."

She had no burning desire to be in the spotlight.

She had originally started learning all this just to protect herself.

Now, she had gone far beyond self-preservation. She could even win honor for her country.

"After this tournament is over," Miles said, his tone a promise.

Once the tournament was over, their position in the Federation would be unshakable. Then, Zoe’s talent could be revealed at the right time and place.

That way, she wouldn’t have to hide behind them.

She could pilot a Mecha perfectly all on her own.

"Don’t be so stressed about it, Miles. I really don’t mind," Zoe reassured him. "I already have what I wanted."

Miles asked, "What did you want?"

’What else could they do for her?’

He felt the same way toward her as he did toward Hope Sherman—a desire to lay all the best things in the world at her feet.

"I have you." A person needs family, bonds, and social connections to put down roots in this world.

She had all of that now.

They were her bonds, her family. She wasn’t a greedy person; she just wanted to protect the small bit of happiness she held in her hands.

That was also why she could never choose just one of them.

She didn’t want to lose any of the others. There were so few people she cared about now. She’d realized this even more clearly after the joint entrance exam; interactions with classmates and others were no longer as simple and pure as they had been at the beginning.

The only ones she could truly trust were her teachers at the academy and them.

"Okay," Miles said.

...

「Six hours later.」

The sky was already turning pale. Quentin Ford, who had been sitting up all night staring at the video feed, finally received an update.

"Councilor, we’ve figured it out," Old Gray said over the call. "The number of Xenobeast deaths from failed experiments during that period was just too high..."

Simply put, they were dying faster than we could dispose of the bodies.

So a large number of Xenobeast corpses piled up. We couldn’t eliminate them, but we couldn’t just let them sit there either.

So, someone turned their attention to the snowfields outside.

The temperature, which can drop below minus seventy degrees, combined with the sprawling mountain ranges and regular snowfall, made it the perfect place to dispose of those Xenobeasts.

"So, they buried some of them there."

"It coincided with a technological breakthrough, so we went through a huge number of Xenobeasts in that period."

The reason was plausible enough, but Quentin Ford retorted, "And then you just forgot to clean up afterward, is that it?"

Even if they had to bury them on-site at the time because there were too many to handle, they had countless opportunities to fix the problem later. But they never did.

"Old Gray, there’s no excuse for this," Quentin Ford said. He knew just by looking at the footage that once the tournament was over, both The Empire and the official authorities would lock the area down.

They’ll tear the place apart.

When that happens, everything will be discovered—the lab we still haven’t found, and that mutated Rock Mongoose that got away.

"And the people responsible?"

Old Gray fell silent for a moment. "They’ve been dealt with."

Quentin Ford’s tone was flat. "I see. Leave it at that."

Both men knew exactly what "dealt with" meant.

"There won’t be a next time, Old Gray." He sighed. "I want everyone to lay low for a while."

Old Gray knew this incident had blown up far too much, and he agreed meekly.

The financial losses were a minor issue. The real problem was that they were shining ever brighter on the authorities’ watchlist.

This went completely against Quentin Ford’s usual principles.

You make your fortune and get things done by staying in the shadows.

Anyone who rises to fame too quickly is bound for a fall.

He glanced at the video feed, at Miles Sherman’s Mecha flying alone, and his eyes grew colder. He truly hadn’t wanted to make a move; after all, these kids were so exceptionally talented.

But they just kept provoking him, time and time again.

Now, however, his hand was being forced.

’There are so many accidents in the universe. One more would hardly be out of place.’

He could wait a little longer. But not for long.

After all, if he gave them any more time, they would just give him another nasty surprise.

As various plans swirled in his mind, the amiable, scholarly look Quentin Ford usually wore vanished, replaced by a coldness that seemed to gaze upon the dead.