Chapter 194: Chapter 194: The Empire Online: Let’s Talk About That Omega From the Federation

To Samuel King, Zoe Pierce was no longer just a rising star—she was one destined to shine brightly.

Ever since the Federation had made its move, boarding the Starship and releasing the news, search queries about Zoe Pierce had overwhelmed those for the top Omega celebrities, even surpassing Miles Sherman and his friends.

Unbeknownst to her, a candid photo of her standing elegantly on the Starship, a smile on her face, had rekindled memories from several months ago across Interstellar Space.

Anyone could see it in her bearing—Zoe Pierce carried herself with a growing ease and natural grace.

Everyone was waiting in anticipation.

The focus of this public celebration was, without a doubt, Zoe Pierce.

More than anyone, Samuel King was terrified of something going wrong. If any trouble arose, he would be the one left to deal with the fallout.

His affability was so pronounced it was almost unsettling.

Still, he didn’t say anything inappropriate. He simply stressed that Zoe should communicate any concerns promptly, and then he departed with a graceful air.

The evening of toasts and mingling came to a close.

「Late at night.」

In a towering hotel, mechanical units patrolled the grounds outside.

Quentin Ford was reclining on a chaise lounge, flipping through a book in the brightly lit room.

Suddenly, a call came in.

He glanced at the number and answered. "Hello."

"Sir, a complete withdrawal has been arranged. I guarantee no one will find any trace of us this time."

Quentin Ford methodically turned a page. "That’s what you told me last time. And what happened?"

"The students still found traces of your presence."

"If we hadn’t cleaned up your mess so thoroughly, everything would have been exposed."

The voice on the other end fell silent for a moment. "Sir, I never imagined that out of the handful of planets we’re using for experiments, they would manage to pick them."

"Do you think the government has caught on to something...?"

Otherwise, how could they be this unlucky? We only conducted the Xenobeast spiritual power transfer experiments on three planets, and two of them have already been selected.

Quentin Ford said emotionlessly, "I am certain the government still knows nothing."

"Do you really think others can’t figure out which places are suitable for Xenobeasts to inhabit?"

"Don’t treat everyone like an idiot."

After a moment of silence, the voice on the other end said, "Understood."

"Sir," he continued, "after stripping the Xenobeasts of their spiritual power and transplanting it into humans, our progress has only improved by 3%. The spiritual power of a few species is relatively benign, leading to higher success rates. But for Xenobeasts with slightly stronger spiritual power, we can’t get the mortality rate down."

Quentin Ford raised his eyes. "Then breed more of the benign ones. I’ll have someone contact you. Tell them which species you need."

"Yes, sir," came the reply.

After hanging up, Quentin Ford’s gaze lingered on the page number before he dialed another number.

A smile played on his lips, his tone as gentle as ever. "Sorry to disturb you. I’m just calling to ask how those Betas are doing."

"Are they still in a state of confinement?"

"Oh, that many people have already visited them."

"I’m just a bit concerned. Even though they have spiritual power now, aren’t they still fundamentally Betas? To be forcibly confined for observation like this... I want to make sure everything else that can be done for them, is done."

"Mm, if you need anything, please feel free to contact me or Justin."

"Understood. Then I won’t disturb you any longer."

He hung up and dialed an internal line. Justin Lewis quickly answered, "Sir."

"Wire some money to Carl Archer over on Carcerus, and send some food parcels."

Hearing this name, Justin Lewis understood instantly.

’The Betas with spiritual power, the ones captured on Planet B36.’

’Sir never forgot about them.’

"They’re all poor souls. Who knows what the future holds for them," Quentin Ford sighed.

His expression was grim. The words Carl Archer had just told him flashed through his mind: three or four separate teams of top doctors and scientists had already paid them a visit.

No one had died yet. In a way, that meant the government scientists hadn’t cracked the technology.

They were still probing.

The man responsible for the spiritual power transplants had committed suicide long ago. All the government could find now was some design data for mecha that Betas could pilot.

As for the test subjects themselves, they had been anesthetized from start to finish. Their daily routine consisted of nothing more than physical training; they couldn’t possibly know a thing.

Quentin Ford got up from the chaise lounge, took a glass of water from the table, and drank it down in one gulp.

He’d never been one to believe in fate, but over the past six months, he’d come to appreciate just how vexing it was when fortune wasn’t on your side.

It was like a buzzing fly—persistent and nauseating.

First, the joint exam site was a planet that hadn’t been used in over ten years, and they’d left traces behind. Then, Planet B36 was exposed because of a Xenobeast Tide. And now, this Frontier Star was chosen for the competition.

All he could do was hope that this friendship competition didn’t have any more unwelcome surprises in store.

*

「Imperial Suite Hotel.」

The intelligence unit had already sent over all the information on Zoe Pierce’s team.

Bader Lehman sat on a crimson leather sofa, looking at the people in the projection.

The Chamberlain stood to one side. After introducing each person in the projection, he brought up the location for the upcoming friendship competition.

"Based on the negotiated site, the competition will take place in the southern hemisphere of Planet C85. It’s surrounded by glaciers year-round, the environment is harsh, and it’s mostly an uninhabited no-man’s-land."

The Chamberlain had barely finished his sentence when a brown-haired, green-eyed man lounging on a sofa nearby scoffed, "What genius picked this location? They really have a talent for it."

"If they wanted to pick somewhere outrageous, they didn’t have to go *this* far." He glanced at Anna, whose composure was visibly cracking. "You think our dear Anna can handle that?"

It would be one thing for a few Alphas to go to a place like this, but to take an Omega? Wasn’t that a death wish?

Although they had investigated the planet’s ecosystem before coming, everyone had assumed it would be in the mountain ranges of the northern hemisphere.

No one had imagined it would be in a place like this.

He sat up and asked, a little curious, "Are there Xenobeasts in a place like this?"

The Chamberlain maintained his smile. "Of course."

’For a place this inhospitable to humans to have Xenobeasts could only mean one thing: these creatures have adapted to the environment, making them even stronger and more ferocious.’

"Our research shows that the local Xenobeasts have recently been trending north," the Chamberlain said, pointing to a trajectory on the map. "This is the Temperate Zone. The competition will begin here. The goal is to acquire the Token and eliminate the opposing team. The first side to bring the Token back to the starting point wins."

"We drew position A, so the Federation’s team will start at position B." He pointed to two diametrically opposed locations on the map.

It was like starting at opposite ends of a single line and heading for the center.

Anna’s gaze was fixed on the distinctly Federation-looking face in the projection. Noticing this, Beau laughed again. "Our Anna is obviously more interested in that Zoe Pierce. Why don’t you tell us about this particular Omega?"

"After all, our Anna suffered quite a bit because of her."

Anna glared at him irritably, grabbed a throw pillow from behind her, and hurled it at him. "Beau! Shut your mouth."