"Nathan Lockwood, I have a feeling we’ve walked this path before," said Erin Xavier, looking at Nathan Lockwood walking ahead as he surveyed their surroundings. "This damn place is pretty freaky."

They had all disembarked from their Mechas. They’d had no choice; if they were still inside them, they wouldn’t be able to communicate.

"We haven’t. The surroundings are different," Chase Shaw said, looking around. The mountainside was piled high with scrap electronic components. At first glance, it all looked the same, but upon closer inspection, you could see the subtle differences.

Right now, only Nathan Lockwood’s Perception was of any use.

Nathan Lockwood rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "Something’s off about this place."

After realizing they’d been lured in, Nathan Lockwood had felt that something was wrong. Immediately after, their communications went completely dead, and they all retracted their Mechas into their Space Buttons.

They began to walk.

After half an hour, everyone could feel that something was amiss. Director Quinn then suggested they turn back the way they came.

Logically, they should have remembered the general path, but here it was as if they were walking in circles, completely unable to find their way out.

"Are we supposed to wait here for Director Quinn? It’s been two hours already."

A short while ago, Director Quinn had spotted someone suspicious and taken off after them alone, telling the rest of them to stay put.

And a lot of good that did. Now the four of them were left here, staring at each other helplessly.

Erin Xavier gazed up at the completely darkened sky and suddenly asked, "Do you think... Zoe Pierce is worried about us?"

It wasn’t clear who he was asking, and he didn’t expect an answer.

But that didn’t stop the thoughts of the others from wandering.

The sudden loss of their signal, combined with how long they’d been separated, was enough to make anyone’s mind jump to the worst-case scenario.

"So noisy," Chase Shaw grumbled, kicking a piece of electronic junk at his feet. "My spiritual power feels really agitated the longer I stay here."

He was a highly sensitive person. For some reason, he could feel his previously soothed spirit sea becoming deeply unsettled here.

It was as if he were being subtly influenced.

He tugged at his collar, a feeling of irritation steadily growing.

Under the sway of this emotion, the moment Erin Xavier mentioned Zoe Pierce, a wave of impatience washed over him.

’I have to get back and see her, now.’

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind. ’Would Zoe Pierce come looking for us because she’s worried?’

But he dismissed the idea in the next instant.

’Impossible.’

’I must be losing my mind.’

’Right now, she should be with those kids, waiting on the Starship.’

’It’s better this way. She doesn’t have to face this disgusting place. She can just wait in safety for us to return.’

Chase Shaw’s expression softened. He even began to picture Zoe Pierce’s face when he returned.

The vivid image was enough to lift his spirits.

’Like being welcomed home by your wife.’

Chase Shaw pressed his temples. ’I’m getting more and more out of sorts.’

’Ever since I heard what Nathan Lockwood said, I haven’t been able to control these wild thoughts.’

’If she knows what we’re all thinking... when did she figure it out?’

Chase Shaw followed Nathan Lockwood and the others, but he found it increasingly difficult to control his thoughts. His mind was filled with images of Zoe Pierce.

He looked up and thought he saw a figure resembling Zoe Pierce in the distance.

He stopped in his tracks. Then, as if not of his own will, he started walking in that direction.

"Chase, where are you going?" Erin Xavier called out from behind him.

Anyone would notice when someone they were walking with suddenly veered off course.

Chase Shaw turned his head to look at Erin Xavier. "Zoe Pierce."

"She’s over there."

His words made both Nathan Lockwood and Miles Sherman turn their heads, but when they looked, there was no one there.

Even using their spiritual power for Perception, they could confirm no one was in that direction.

"Erin Xavier, stop him," Nathan Lockwood ordered immediately.

Hearing this, Chase Shaw’s vision cleared slightly. The figure from a moment ago had vanished like a hallucination; when he looked again, it was gone.

Now everyone knew there was something wrong with this place.

Night had fallen completely. It was so dark in the forest that you could barely see five meters ahead. The only sound was their breathing.

"The plants here... they might be hallucinogenic," Nathan Lockwood said after a moment of silence.

That was the only explanation for why using spiritual power for Perception was having increasingly strange effects.

Electromagnetic disruption on top of hallucinogenic effects... no wonder those people went to such lengths to lure them here.

Nathan Lockwood was just about to tell everyone to get back into their Mechas.

But then he saw Chase Shaw move again.

He frowned and opened his mouth to call out to Erin Xavier, but then he saw Zoe Pierce appear in front of him.

He froze.

Or rather, everyone *except* Chase Shaw froze.

Only Chase Shaw walked toward Zoe Pierce.

"Chase, are you guys all right?" From the moment she entered the mountain range, Zoe Pierce had been frantically using her spiritual power—Perception, plant enticement... every spiritual technique she knew.

It had taken her over an hour to finally find them.

The moment she spotted them, she ran over. In the dark forest, she could only make out the moving white lights in their hands.

A sheen of sweat covered her, clinging to her hair and forehead.

Seeing the tall figure approach, Zoe Pierce’s face lit up with surprise and relief. The heavy weight of worry in her chest finally began to lift now that she’d found him.

But she quickly realized her relief was premature.

Chase Shaw just stared at her, utterly silent.

Her heart immediately began to pound. She reached out to touch Chase’s face and asked nervously, "Chase, what’s wrong? Is your spirit sea acting up?"

Her warm hand felt like a ray of winter sun, reaching straight into the depths of his soul.

Chase Shaw suddenly reached up, covering Zoe Pierce’s hand with his own. "Zoe Pierce, are you worried about me?"

Zoe Pierce felt that Chase was acting very strange. Or rather, *everyone* was acting strange. Miles Sherman and the others were just watching her silently, without any reaction.

She frowned and answered without a second thought, "Of course I am."

Chase Shaw hummed, his palm caressing the back of her hand. Softly, slowly, he said, "Zoe, I’ve missed you so much."

’Even if this is a hallucination, it’s fine.’

’I want her so badly.’

He gazed at her with a haunting intensity. An inexplicable panic fluttered in Zoe Pierce’s chest. Even in the dark, they were close enough to read the expressions on each other’s faces.

His eyes seemed to hold a world of emotions, so complex a person could drown in them.

She wanted to take a step back.

But then she heard Chase Shaw’s voice, soft yet deep. "I like you so much."

She stared at Chase Shaw, stunned, and took several steps back, only to find her back pressed against a tree trunk.

The man’s arm wrapped around her waist while his other hand tangled in her hair, trapping her completely in his embrace.

The light in his hand had long since fallen to the ground, but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were only for the person before him.

’The scene before him sent a thrill through his nerves. This time, it’s not Miles Sherman with her,’ he thought. ’It’s me...’

"Cha—"

"Mmph—"