The hour passed quickly. After confirming their arrival on Planet B36, Adrian Chapman once again pinpointed the location of Zoe Pierce and her team.

The sky filled with countless military Mechas and innumerable fighter jets. The armed forces of Siren Star were on a scale Planet B36 couldn’t hope to match. Looking up, one could see offensive hardware raining down from the massive Starships.

Adrian Chapman’s Mecha was a massive, black, heavy-class model. The moment it landed, it exuded a visceral, oppressive presence.

He emerged from the Mecha, his gaze immediately sweeping over to Julian Chambers.

Miles Sherman explained, "This is the Alpha we hired to be our guide on Planet B36."

Adrian Chapman’s expression was grave as he looked at the group. He suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Miles Sherman, be honest with me. What was your real reason for coming to Planet B36?"

Julian Chambers was an Alpha. Hiring an Alpha as a guide for a well-known vacation destination was rather absurd.

Either what he said was true, but their objective certainly wasn’t tourism.

’It made sense.’ Although Adrian Chapman didn’t regularly check in on Miles Sherman’s squad, their activities had never escaped his notice.

They trained diligently and teamed up with Zoe Pierce, an Omega, to take part in Xenobeast extermination missions. None of their actions suggested they were people who indulged in leisure and entertainment.

Their sudden decision to come to Planet B36, followed by the convenient discovery that something was amiss here... connecting all the dots, it looked as if they had known all along that there was a problem on Planet B36.

Julian Chambers could tell just by looking at the Mecha that the man’s status was far from ordinary. A heavy-class Mecha like this... if he wasn’t mistaken, mounted under its arm was a Long-range Breaking Cannon. It carried eight rounds, and a single shot could blow straight through the head of an S-Class Xenobeast.

This wasn’t a Mecha; it was a walking armory.

He was inwardly speechless.

His ears twitched slightly as he listened in on the conversation between Miles Sherman and Adrian Chapman.

He was also curious about their objective. Even now, after the entire journey, he still had no idea what Miles Sherman and his team were really up to.

Miles Sherman simply forwarded the photos Nathan Lockwood had taken to Adrian Chapman, along with an audio recording of a conversation with Shannon Stone regarding the person rendered comatose by an experiment.

Adrian Chapman first flipped through the photos, his brow already furrowed. Upon hearing Shannon Stone’s words on the recording, his entire face tensed up.

When they had first arrived on Planet B36 and seen the extent of the disaster, they had already felt something was off.

Normally, a Xenobeast Tide with Wormholes opening at multiple points, especially in a high-risk region, shouldn’t result in such a small disaster area. It was just that in a situation like this, no one would stop to ask questions. The priority was to save lives.

"Once the rescue Mechas arrive, they should be able to spot this type of Mecha." Miles Sherman also had photos he had taken when he was being pursued and attacked by several Beta Mechas.

This group of Betas could only pilot their Mechas; they couldn’t use spiritual power like an Alpha. They relied entirely on their trained combat techniques to fight him.

Not wanting to hurt them, Miles Sherman had tentatively used his spiritual power.

Sure enough, after he weakened the spiritual power of a few of them, they had trouble even interfacing with their Mechas.

Adrian Chapman gave Miles Sherman and the others a meaningful look. He understood perfectly well that they were still unwilling to reveal their true purpose for coming.

However, their discoveries were undeniably important.

After saving and backing up the data, Adrian Chapman said to the group, "You’ll all return with me for now. We’ll discuss this matter later."

His gaze fell on Julian Chambers. "As for you, young friend, do you wish to return with us, or...?"

Julian Chambers sighed to himself. His expression shifted, and he offered a small smile. "That’s not necessary. You can go. Don’t worry about me."

’This is Planet B36. Outsiders can choose not to help, but I can’t.’

’This is the land where I was born and raised. Even if it’s brought me pain, it’s still my home. I have to do my part.’

’As for what happens next... I’ll worry about that later.’

Hearing Julian Chambers’ choice, Adrian Chapman didn’t press the issue, simply nodding at him with a small smile.

Immediately, everyone summoned their Mechas.

Zoe Pierce saw that the Mecha Erin Xavier was bringing out was her own. Erin wanted to explain, but with Adrian Chapman right there, he couldn’t speak freely.

In that exchange of glances, Zoe Pierce trusted that they had a tacit understanding.

Before anyone else could extend an invitation, Zoe Pierce moved to stand beside Erin Xavier. "I’ll ride with Erin, then."

Hearing her choice, Nathan Lockwood’s lips twitched into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. His gaze swept coldly over Erin Xavier, and he couldn’t even be bothered to pretend to smile.

Chase Shaw’s expression was even more tense.

Only Miles Sherman seemed unfazed. He walked up to her and said in a low voice, "You just woke up. If you feel any discomfort, you must tell us right away. There should be a doctor on board when we get back. We’ll go with you to see them."

Zoe Pierce nodded in understanding. What Miles Sherman said was very reasonable, so there was no reason to refuse.

Erin Xavier couldn’t quite put his finger on what he was feeling. He just knew that when Zoe Pierce turned to look at him, he met her gaze.

His puppy-dog eyes were bright and filled with joy.

Zoe Pierce paused for a moment before boarding the Mecha with him.

’I really hadn’t noticed before that Erin Xavier had such an endearing side to him.’

’And now, it was as if he knew to show this side of himself to me.’

Zoe Pierce didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt that Erin Xavier’s attitude toward her had softened immensely. All his previous sharpness was gone. He had just... suddenly changed.

’Does a temporary mark have that much power?’

’Or am I also being influenced by the temporary mark? Is that why I’m unknowingly seeing Erin Xavier through rose-colored glasses now?’

"What are you thinking about?" Erin Xavier’s voice pulled Zoe Pierce from her daze.

Zoe Pierce replied, "That I need to find a doctor for a proper check-up when we get back."

She was feeling a bit paranoid about her glands now. ’What do I have to do to make sure nothing goes wrong? And just how strong is the influence of this mark?’

Erin Xavier agreed with her. His gaze drifted unconsciously to the back of her neck. "Yes, a thorough check-up..."

Until a proper doctor gave her a full physical examination, Erin Xavier, like Miles Sherman and the others, couldn’t rest easy.

By the time the group followed Adrian Chapman aboard the Starship, Zoe Pierce hadn’t even had a chance to speak before several people were insisting she be taken to the medical bay.

Adrian Chapman had thought Zoe Pierce was fine, but now he frowned and began asking questions.

After learning that Zoe Pierce had been unconscious at one point, he went with the others to escort her to the medical bay.

’Great. No room for protest at all.’

Zoe Pierce still wanted to listen in on their discussion about Planet B36. ’We still know too little.’

’We still don’t know Arthur White’s location or his true identity. According to our previous analysis, Arthur White is likely just an alias for Wesley White.’

’After all, he’s an outsider. For an outsider to suddenly spend so lavishly, helping Planet B36 without any regard for the cost... it’s suspicious no matter how you look at it.’

As she was lost in thought, she heard The Alpha Doctor look down at her and say, "I’m starting the scan. Close your eyes."