Ryan Jacobs shrugged at Erin Xavier. See? He’d been right.

The two exchanged a series of telling glances, not bothering to hide it. After finishing what he had to say, Director Quinn glanced at Ryan Jacobs, then gave a nod and left with Mr. Troy.

Teacher Reid smiled at Zoe Pierce. "I hear your glands have almost returned to normal. Is that right?"

Zoe Pierce smiled back at Teacher Reid. "Yes, they’ve been much better lately. I even went to the hospital for a check-up before we left."

Nathan Lockwood had been the one to take her. It was to a hospital his family funded, where she’d undergone a thorough examination.

The results had shown that once Erin Xavier’s pheromones were completely metabolized out of her system, her glands would be fully normal.

She could be like a normal Omega—have heat cycles, emit pheromones, even be marked...

"I’ll be in charge of monitoring your pheromones this time around. If you need anything, just let me know." Teacher Reid’s voice was gentle. He was certainly capable of providing other treatments, but the most important reason he’d been assigned to come along was Zoe Pierce.

Zoe Pierce readily accepted Teacher Reid’s kind offer.

After nodding to the others, Teacher Reid also returned to his quarters.

Ryan Jacobs had wanted to say a few more words to Erin Xavier and the others, but seeing that they had already gathered around Zoe Pierce to talk, he rubbed his nose. ’Forget it.’

’They’re a little too close.’

An image of his own squad from his younger days flashed through his mind. Ryan Jacobs could barely even remember the face of the Omega on his team back then.

His Alpha teammates, on the other hand, he was still in touch with to this day.

But on Erin Xavier’s team, he got the feeling that the center wasn’t Miles Sherman, but Zoe Pierce.

The thought was fleeting, and he didn’t consider its other implications.

"I think we can skip training for the next couple of days," Nathan Lockwood announced, making the final call. They had been like tireless machine parts, constantly pushing forward without a break.

It was high time they rested for a couple of days.

Nathan Lockwood glanced at Zoe Pierce. Looking at her today, she didn’t seem to have that dazed, exhausted look from the past few days.

Miles Sherman noticed Nathan Lockwood’s gaze and looked over. "Is there a problem with Zoe’s medical report?"

She had undergone a full physical this time, and many aspects were private, so Miles Sherman hadn’t pried. But now, hearing Nathan Lockwood suggest they rest right after looking at Zoe Pierce, he suddenly connected the dots.

"No, everything’s normal," Nathan Lockwood replied.

In fact, thanks to her hard work over the past six months, her physical condition was significantly better than it had been even before her accident.

"Zoe Pierce, why are you spacing out again? You’re not actually feeling unwell, are you?" Erin Xavier’s expression grew tense as he saw Zoe Pierce once again retreat into an unreadable expression.

He was leaning too close. Zoe Pierce took a step back, only to bump right into Chase Shaw.

"Ah..."

"Sorry," Zoe Pierce said to Chase Shaw.

’Something really did feel off, in a way she couldn’t quite describe.’

Now, it wasn’t just Erin Xavier who sensed it. Everyone did.

That subtle sense of wrongness that could only be felt, not explained.

It wasn’t so much that Zoe Pierce was being absent-minded; it was more like she was trying too hard to maintain a normal atmosphere with them.

Then she would suddenly realize she was getting too close and want to pull back a little. But before she could figure out how, Erin Xavier had crowded her.

She finally just said, "Maybe it’s because there’s been so much going on lately. I’m a little tired."

’Thinking about it in theory was one thing, but actually doing it was another entirely.’

Zoe Pierce simply couldn’t act like she did in the past, as if she knew nothing.

"Then go get some rest." Erin Xavier paused for a second, then immediately added, unable to stop himself from uncharacteristically fussing, "Take a few days off. I’ll bring some fruit to you in a bit."

He was being a little too obvious again.

Erin Xavier didn’t suspect for a second that Zoe Pierce was lying. "We still have seven days. Whatever you want to do, just tell me."

Zoe Pierce was discovering that when Erin Xavier was nice to someone, he held nothing back.

She got the feeling that if she were to ask for the stars, Erin Xavier would be the type to seriously consider how to get them for her.

She pressed her rapidly throbbing temples. "Got it. I’ll let you know if I need anything."

’If she didn’t agree, Erin Xavier would never let it go.’

Sure enough, the corners of Erin Xavier’s mouth tilted up in a smile.

Nathan Lockwood watched Erin Xavier’s foolishly eager expression and found it to be an eyesore.

Erin Xavier’s intuition, which was preternaturally sharp in battle, was failing him completely now. He just seemed like an idiot.

Nathan Lockwood, however, was the type of person who, upon noticing something amiss, would meticulously pick it apart and analyze it.

Now, Zoe Pierce seemed to be fine again, as if it were just as she said—she was simply tired.

His gaze casually swept over Zoe Pierce’s posture, but then his eyes deepened, fixing on her lightly curled fingers.

A commander always needed to be meticulous, to have the most precise judgment, and to predict the future course of a battle.

Nathan Lockwood had studied the psychology of handling prisoners.

Body language was the clearest indicator of a person’s current mental state.

’Zoe Pierce... was on guard.’

’Tense.’

’This was the first time she had been defensive around them.’

...

「Interstellar Control Room」

"This magnetic field has been way too unstable lately." Though he’d told himself he wouldn’t talk to Director Quinn, Ryan Jacobs couldn’t help but speak up to him and Mr. Troy. "I’ve seen issues with wormholes appearing in several standard orbits."

Even the normally reserved Mr. Troy chimed in this time. "The frequency of abnormal magnetic fields has increased by eight percent this year compared to last."

That was already a high figure; any more and it would be in the double digits.

"It’s not just the Federation. It’s the Empire, too." Ryan Jacobs had been about to agree with Mr. Troy, but was surprised when Director Quinn spoke.

He froze for a moment at those words.

Director Quinn’s words, though brief, were packed with implications.

"Otherwise, why do you think we’re having this ’friendly match’?"

The true purpose had long been hidden beneath the surface. The Empire’s General Security Administration and the Federation’s Data Management Bureau had been in communication. Both sides acknowledged that within their territories, the changing magnetic fields had caused the frequency of Xenobeast wormhole appearances to skyrocket.

This so-called friendly match was backed by enormous amounts of money, government policy initiatives, and the participation of both sides’ top military academies.

But when it came down to it, it was all because of one slight possibility.

The Xenobeast Tide might be on the verge of a massive outbreak.

The specific time, location, and even the scale were all unknown.

Faced with so many unknowns, no one could afford to relax.

Director Quinn said no more, having made his point. But the expressions on Ryan Jacobs and Mr. Troy’s faces shifted dramatically. The information they possessed was on a completely different level from the director’s; they lacked that degree of foresight.

But neither of them was a fool. They immediately sensed the treacherous, shifting undercurrents of the situation.

The friendly match might pit the Empire and the Federation against each other, but when facing a Xenobeast Tide, both sides had to join hands to fight their common, natural predator.