Chapter 238: Deep Friendship?

The government officials were late to arrive, spotting the interstellar debris in space from a distance.

The scene before them was far worse than they had initially expected.

The entire area had become a giant starship junkyard, now being cleaned up by Mechas dispatched by the military.

The government officials quickly spoke with the military personnel, only then learning of the utterly depraved actions the group had taken before their arrival.

"So, is Zoe Pierce’s team all right?" one of the officials asked, getting straight to the point.

The military officer replied with a flat expression, "If they weren’t, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you."

Fair point.

Now, the problem was handling the aftermath.

Government officials arranged for the civilian Starship to return to Harvestfall.

The news had inevitably spread, but it was quickly suppressed.

After receiving hefty compensation, nearly everyone signed non-disclosure agreements and deleted any information they had already shared.

Director Quinn and the others arrived fourteen hours after Zoe Pierce had fallen into a coma.

By now, all the other Alphas had awoken. Only Zoe Pierce remained in a coma.

After checking her neural activity, the doctor discovered it was in a constant state of abnormal fluctuation.

"What does that mean?" Aside from Nathan Lockwood, no one else understood the implications of such a description.

The doctor was now aware of Zoe Pierce’s history—the amnesia, the spiritual power mutation. With her, nothing could be explained by common sense. "For now, we can only confirm that her neural activity is fluctuating violently."

"There are a few possibilities."

"Her memories could be affected, or her spiritual power could be mutating further."

Or perhaps both.

The brain was a structure of mysterious precision. Even now, in the interstellar era, while humanity’s research into the body’s various parts had reached its zenith, the brain remained largely a mystery.

The same was true for ethereal concepts like the spirit sea and the origin of consciousness.

To explore it to its absolute limits was to venture into the realm of philosophy.

"As for when, exactly, she will wake up, I can’t give you an answer right now."

Physically, Zoe Pierce was completely unharmed.

"Unless we proceed with artificial intervention, we believe it’s best to let nature take its course." Based on Zoe Pierce’s current spiritual fluctuations, she definitely wouldn’t end up in a vegetative state.

Evidently, everyone agreed.

There was no urgent need for Zoe Pierce to wake up immediately.

Ryan Jacobs said politely to the doctor, "Thank you for your hard work."

The military doctor nodded back and gave them some space.

With the doctor gone, Director Quinn and the others temporarily left the inner room where Zoe Pierce was resting. Once they were outside and certain they wouldn’t disturb her, he let out a sigh.

The students who had always been so reliable had suddenly given them this... surprise. Even with plenty of time to prepare for this meeting, now that he was here, he was at a loss for words.

"Hiding this for so long must have been hard on you." ’Not a single person found out. They were astonishingly good at keeping it a secret.’

The students met his words with silence.

Director Quinn glanced at the still-comatose Zoe Pierce. "Don’t worry. No matter what, we’ll protect you."

’Besides,’ he thought, ’the situation is far from being that dire.’

"You’ve got some nerve, pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes like that." ’On second thought, it wasn’t entirely seamless. That comment Miles Sherman made... everyone took it as a joke back then. Now look, it turns out he was telling the truth.’

Miles Sherman was the first to speak up. "We’ve caused you trouble, sir."

It was Ryan Jacobs who broke the solemn atmosphere. He looped an arm around Aaron Xavier’s neck in a friendly headlock and ruffled his hair with his other hand. "You little rascals, you’ve really got some guts."

Aaron Xavier grimaced, but since they were clearly in the wrong here, he let Mr. Jacobs have his way for once.

"All right, wipe those long faces away. It’s not the end of the world. Once this is all settled, you’re coming back to the academy with us." Ryan Jacobs had already spoken with Director Quinn before they arrived. Now that they had accepted the truth, they were more exasperated with the students than truly angry.

Nathan Lockwood could feel the deep concern from both teachers, but now was not the time to relax.

"Director Quinn, Mr. Jacobs, there’s one more problem." He proceeded to explain their team’s analysis to the two teachers.

After listening, Director Quinn nodded in agreement. "I can’t deny that’s a possibility. Which is why, from now on, you’d best move back into your old dormitory."

As long as Zoe Pierce hadn’t graduated and hadn’t committed any major infractions...

...the Federal Military Academy would be her first line of defense.

Unless that organization dared to make a move on the Capital Star itself, which would be a profound humiliation for the entire Federation.

"The nature of this incident is too vile. I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this."

His thinking was even aligned with Nathan Lockwood’s. One can be a thief for a thousand days, but one cannot guard against a thief for a thousand days. It was impossible to be on the defensive forever.

The most critical task now was to find clues about this Terrorist Organization.

The enemy had clearly been watching them from the shadows, which was how they were able to formulate a plan so quickly.

"I heard the military had you identify the body. It wasn’t him, was it?" Director Quinn’s gaze fell on Nathan Lockwood.

Nathan Lockwood nodded. "The presence felt different from the one at the market."

’Even if the body had been disguised perfectly, Perception via spiritual power was far more acute than sight. Arthur White was heavier than this man, his muscle distribution denser.’

’Which meant this was all deliberate.’

’Arthur White had likely met Zoe Pierce before. This attack was probably a way for him to confirm something.’

Although Nathan Lockwood and his team had only ever seen a photograph, after this incident, Arthur White’s features were now deeply seared into their minds.

"All right, all of you, stop standing vigil. A few of you go rest; one person is enough to stay here," Director Quinn urged. He knew from the Alpha Officer that they had been watching over Zoe Pierce without a break ever since she’d fallen unconscious.

But judging by their expressions, they were all determined to stay.

He had no choice but to single them out. "Miles Sherman, Aaron Xavier, you two go get some rest."

"You’ve been through a rescue and an interrogation. Are you all made of iron? Get some proper rest. That way, Zoe Pierce won’t have to worry about you when she wakes up." He truly valued the deep friendship they all shared.

’But for now,’ he thought, ’their priority was to get some rest.’

The refusal died in Miles Sherman’s throat.

After all, Director Quinn’s last words had an undeniable effect on him.

In the end, Ryan Jacobs had to push the two of them out the door, one with each hand.

Since it had come to this, Miles Sherman and Aaron Xavier promptly went to lie down. Physical exhaustion was one thing, but it was their spiritual power that had been stretched taut this whole time. Now, at last, they could rest.