The moonlight was dim, and even the blowing wind grew restless.

Zoe Pierce and the others retreated from the area as fast as they could. The characteristic whir of interstellar hovercars and the frantic pounding of footsteps constantly echoed from nearby.

They were far too close to the Beta hospital. Hovercars accelerated one after another, speeding away.

"No, running is too slow." After they had run for a bit, Miles Sherman gave up on this inefficient method.

Even if Erin Xavier went at full speed, she would likely still struggle to get clear of the affected area in time.

Unless they used a Mecha.

With a Mecha, all three of them could get away from here quickly.

Erin Xavier glanced at the fleeing Betas, looked up at the sky, and suddenly said, "Couldn’t we use this opportunity to check out the hospital?"

"When the Xenobeast Tide hits, we can just use our Mechas. With so many Xenobeasts around, who’s going to notice us?"

The hospital building was built entirely on the surface. It didn’t take a genius to know it definitely wouldn’t survive the Xenobeast Tide; most of it would be wiped out.

And this was their chance.

’An opportunity to fish in troubled waters.’

This was almost the same as what Nathan Lockwood and his group were doing, but the difference was, there might still be risks in the cave, while here, there was basically no risk.

Because all the evidence would be destroyed.

The three of them exchanged a look and agreed there was no problem with this idea. They changed direction and ran toward the hospital.

The sprawling hospital was now like a ghost town. The courtyard, which had just been full of parked hovercars, was now deserted, with only a scattered few remaining.

Even the mechanical eyes had left the hospital. Only the building’s bright lights remained, silently illuminating the darkness and guiding the way.

Zoe Pierce and her companions easily entered the hospital.

They weren’t interested in the hospital’s patient care. The only place to get information in a facility like this was the administrative office.

Without a directory, they had no choice but to search floor by floor.

All the doors were unlocked. Most were even standing wide open, making it easy to peek inside and see what each room was like.

They tiptoed down the hallway when a furious shout suddenly rang out.

"Are you really asking me to just stand by and watch them die?"

The voice was somewhat familiar. Zoe Pierce’s spiritual power quietly reached out, probing toward the source of the sound.

It was the female Beta who had been arguing with the male Beta earlier, the one they called Dr. Sloan.

They crept toward the hospital room.

In the brightly lit room, several people could be seen lying on the beds, all still asleep. The female Beta stood at the head of their beds, her fingers gripping the bedside rail tightly.

"Shannon Stone, please calm down. You should be evacuating immediately, not staying behind at the hospital." The voice from the Intelligent Brain was much colder than the female Beta’s. "You have already defied a direct order by not evacuating. There is still time. Please take a hovercar to the safe point immediately. The Mecha units will still need logistical support afterward."

The expression on Shannon Stone’s face grew rigid, and an indescribable feeling of helplessness washed over her.

"So, they’re just being abandoned so easily again, is that it? If everyone can be abandoned, then what’s the point of any of this?"

Her gaze returned to the Betas lying in the beds before her, barely clinging to life. Due to their long period of inactivity, their muscles had atrophied, and their cheeks were gaunt.

"Dr. Sloan! Their prognosis is uncertain, and we’re spending a fortune every day to keep them alive. It’s not that we want to abandon them, but we’re facing an emergency. We have to ensure the safety of those who are able-bodied."

The tone of the person on the other end of the Intelligent Brain hardened. "An Advanced Xeno-beast Tide is imminent! You’re just wasting time!"

"Everyone else has evacuated. You’re the only one defying a military order."

"I’ll say it again: this is a military order."

Shannon Stone’s eyes held an almost arresting brightness and sincerity. Her voice was hoarse, but every word was crystal clear. "I know."

"I’m just disappointed in you."

Her tone grew calmer, the earlier anger gone, becoming almost normal. "Colonel Sutton, you and I both know what an Advanced Xeno-beast Tide is like."

"Does running away from here guarantee survival?"

She angled the Intelligent Brain’s display toward the patients in the beds. "Last time, I escaped. This time, I’m staying."

Without waiting for a response, Shannon Stone ended the call, ripped the Intelligent Brain off her arm, and smashed it against the wall with a loud THUD.

She stood silently at the head of the bed, her serene eyes showing not a trace of fear. Even as sirens wailed outside, her expression didn’t so much as flicker.

On the other end of the line, the man they called Colonel Sutton was silent for two seconds.

The people behind him had heard Shannon Stone’s furious outburst and her final decision.

"So be it." Colonel Sutton had little time to spare. He couldn’t jeopardize the lives of the majority for one person’s choice. "Are the Mecha teams back?"

"They’re back. All fighters have been deployed as well, prioritizing the Xenobeast Tide over here."

"The tourists at the beach have also been notified. We’re now conscripting Alphas for the uninhabited zone."

There was no choice in any of it.

A high-level Xenobeast Tide meant that even if every Mecha on Planet B36 converged at this moment, they would still only barely be able to handle it.

But this time, there wasn’t just one Wormhole.

The worst-case scenario was calling for reinforcements. The consequences of that were easy to imagine: the military would be forced to restore the detectors and investigate the origin point of the Xenobeast Tide.

It could have been anywhere else, but it just had to be here.

Even if the Xenobeasts leveled the mountain range, anything left behind that couldn’t be evacuated would eventually come back to haunt them.

A true dilemma.

Compared to all this, Shannon Stone’s choice to stay at the hospital was a trivial matter indeed.

Inside the hospital room, Shannon Stone looked up at the window. Beyond the brightly lit glass was the pitch-black mountain range. This location had been chosen for the hospital in the first place because the surrounding area was remote, uninhabited, quiet, and secluded.

She didn’t regret her decision. On the contrary, the moment she made her choice, a sense of utter calm washed over her heart.

’In truth, she knew she wasn’t some hot-blooded idealist.’

’She was just dissatisfied—dissatisfied with the high command’s increasingly iron-fisted methods, their short-sighted pursuit of quick results, and their callous disregard for human life.’

’The channels for feedback were always silent. No matter how she voiced her opinion, her words were insignificant and ignored.’

’They hide behind the greater good, sacrificing everything. What’s the point of a victory like that?’

At least in this moment, Shannon Stone was weary.

It was disappointment, and also despair.

She stood rooted to the spot, staring at her reflection in the window. Her gaze was vacant for a few seconds, then she suddenly whipped her head toward the door and said, "Who’s there?"