The Councilor’s Office.

Quentin Ford furrowed his brow slightly after receiving the news from the interrogation room.

Soon, the call connected, and a familiar face appeared before him.

"Luke, I have something I want to ask you."

The man was still as refined and composed as ever, his tone unhurried as if it were nothing important.

But Arthur White, on the other end of the line, keenly sensed Quentin Ford’s displeasure. Only someone who had been by his side for a long time could read the micro-expressions on his face.

Arthur White’s eyes flickered. "Go ahead, sir."

Quentin Ford didn’t beat around the bush. He directly showed Arthur White a photo of Zoe Pierce. "Do you recognize this person?"

Arthur White glanced at it. "I do. She’s the Omega daughter of a small-time energy mine owner."

Quentin Ford continued, "Did you have anything to do with her parents’ mining accident?"

He was. The problem was simply that he hadn’t covered his tracks properly, which led to this issue.

Arthur White froze for a moment, racking his brain before finally saying, "No. I was already preparing to pull out by then. The last time I met with her family was three days before the mining accident."

The incident barely registered in his memory. They were people he never planned to contact again, so who would care if they had a mining accident or not? He’d heard about it and promptly forgot.

Quentin Ford stared at Arthur White’s face, his gaze focusing on his eyes and the corners of his mouth.

Arthur White’s expression didn’t seem feigned.

He was telling the truth.

’If what Zoe Pierce said was also true, then this whole affair is rather comical and grotesque.’

The Pierce Family’s business had nothing to do with Arthur White.

She went through all that trouble to find Arthur White, only to discover he hadn’t been involved after all.

But in the end, it was still Arthur White’s failure to properly conceal his energy mine purchases that allowed someone to uncover the clues.

"Luke, stay on Valora for the time being. Don’t show your face or do anything," Quentin Ford decided after some thought.

From the moment Quentin Ford started questioning him, Arthur White had a vague feeling that things might have taken a turn. Now, hearing these words, he only felt that the other shoe had dropped.

"Have I been exposed?" he asked.

Quentin Ford nodded. "Zoe Pierce followed the trail of your long-term energy mine orders and discovered your irregular acquisitions."

Many things can’t stand up to scrutiny. If you let sleeping dogs lie, you can get away with it.

But if someone is determined to investigate, exposure becomes all too easy.

Arthur White pursed his lips. Quentin Ford hadn’t suggested eliminating Zoe Pierce, but rather told him to lie low. He knew then that the situation on the Capital Star was not in his favor.

"Stop all acquisitions for now. Wrap up anything still in progress," Quentin Ford instructed in a low voice. "You’re on the military’s radar now, Luke."

The situation on Planet B36 couldn’t be covered up anymore either. Thanks to the testimony from Zoe Pierce and the others, Arthur White, a suspicious energy dealer, would now appear on the government’s watch list.

So, for Arthur White now, the only thing to do was nothing at all—just wait quietly, or work on other things that wouldn’t expose him to the public eye.

It was a swing from one extreme to the other. Before, he was constantly rushing between various planets; now, he was being ordered to stay put on a single one.

But for Arthur White, there was really no choice in the matter.

Although he was a little resentful, he quickly lowered his gaze. "Understood."

Though his eyes were downcast in obedience, his face was tense, and anyone could see his reluctance.

Quentin Ford saw it but felt no need to point it out. Anyone would have some minor feelings about such a demand. As long as it didn’t affect the matter at hand, he didn’t care.

"Alright, I’ll contact you if anything comes up."

With that, the video feed went dark.

*

The Government Building.

"Miles, you’ve really outdone yourself this time."

Two figures stood inside the spacious office—one younger, the other middle-aged.

The middle-aged man had his back to the younger one, hands clasped behind him. He turned around as he spoke.

"Running around, causing trouble with an Omega!"

Who else could it be but Mr. Sherman.

Miles stood silently in place, listening to his father’s scolding.

"I thought you went to Siren Star to actually get some real experience. But no, you had to go and accompany an Omega on a wild goose chase, and now you’re mixed up in this Planet B36 mess."

Miles rarely spoke up to explain himself, but he did now. "The matter on Planet B36 has already been clarified."

’It has nothing to do with us.’

Mr. Sherman knew that, but he still frowned. "Even if it’s clarified, you were still associated with it. You..."

"Father," Miles interrupted.

Mr. Sherman stopped and looked at him.

Miles’s face, which bore a strong resemblance to his father’s, was calm. "I can take responsibility for my own actions."

"Going to Siren Star was beneficial for our entire squad."

It was as if Miles hadn’t heard a single word he’d just said.

Mr. Sherman was about to speak again when Miles continued, "Father, I’m leaving now. The squad has matters waiting for me to handle."

After speaking, Miles turned and left.

Mr. Sherman stood stunned in the office, unable to process what had just happened. This was the first time—the very first time Miles had ever interrupted him and then left so unceremoniously.

Once outside the door, the expression on Miles’s face faded.

He scrolled through the contact list on his Intelligent Brain, but his finger ultimately didn’t press anything. Instead, he stood by a nearby window for a moment.

The wind on the Capital Star was different from the wind on Siren Star. It wasn’t filled with so much grit, nor was the sky so gloomy.

It was like a gentle haven, with its balmy winds and azure skies, making one want to pause and stay a while.

He hadn’t been standing there for long when he heard someone call his name.

"Miles?"

He turned around. It was one of his father’s colleagues.

Miles greeted him in a low voice, "Uncle."

The Alpha looked at him with a smile. "Just finished talking with your dad, huh? The interrogation for that Zoe Pierce from your team is over. She’s been placed in Room 431 on the 4th floor. The others aren’t done yet, so you can go on ahead."

Miles nodded at him. "Thank you, Uncle. I’ll head over right away."

He got up and walked toward the elevator, soon arriving at the door to Room 431.

Inside, Zoe Pierce was sitting alone on a chair. Her Intelligent Brain had been taken, so she could only sit there quietly. When she saw him, her eyes lit up, and the corners of her lips curved up slightly.

But then she froze, staring at him in a daze.

Miles moved closer and asked softly, "What’s wrong?"

’Why does she have that expression after seeing me?’

Zoe Pierce looked at Miles, who seemed to be acting no different than usual, and her voice was also low. "What’s wrong with you?"

He gave off a different feeling than usual.

’A bit like...’

’A bit like how he was after talking with his father last time.’

On the surface, he seemed fine, but he was more silent, and it made one’s heart ache a little to see him.

The only difference was that last time, Zoe felt she knew too much, whereas now, her relationship with Miles was closer, allowing her to take the initiative and show her concern without feeling the urge to run away.

There was a chair next to her, and Miles sat down. Hearing her question, he looked up, his gaze meeting hers directly.

In her clear, dark eyes, he could see a trace of worry as she looked at him.