"Will the school collect the Xenobeasts they deployed afterward?" The question popped into Zoe Pierce’s head as soon as she heard Chase Shaw’s words.

Chase Shaw shook his head.

They were all carefully selected Xenobeasts. Very few would survive the students’ combined harvesting.

Over the long years, some Xenobeasts evolved to become increasingly ferocious, while others naturally devolved. Even if the school hadn’t deployed any, this place was still a complete ecosystem.

The school typically evaluates the entire ecosystem before a deployment. Even if a few Xenobeasts are missed, they can ensure it won’t cause any major issues.

Erin Xavier had already scanned the entire warehouse, which was piled high with junk. All the important items had been taken, leaving only worthless scraps behind.

"If they were after the school’s Xenobeasts, there’d be no reason to leave, right? After all, once the joint exam is over, there will be more materials left over, won’t there?"

He glanced around, his words seemingly a response to Zoe Pierce’s question.

His point made sense, but Zoe Pierce still couldn’t figure it out, nodding to herself.

There were too few clues.

Once they were certain there was nothing else of use, the three of them turned their attention toward the back of the facility.

The layout of the inner room completely supported what Chase Shaw had just said.

The entire cultivation chamber was two to three times larger than the warehouse, with a massive control console at its very center.

Cultivation pods, each a full two meters tall, were placed every half a meter. Inside the transparent glass containers, only a handful still contained a pale green nutrient solution; the rest were empty.

From the doorway, the scene was one of eerie silence.

It didn’t take much imagination to picture just how many Xenobeasts had once been stored in these abandoned pods.

The expressions on Chase Shaw and Erin Xavier’s faces were grim. They carefully inspected the cultivation pods. "These are all models from the last three years."

Zoe Pierce felt like a sponge, absorbing all this knowledge that couldn’t be found in textbooks. She walked over to the central console and asked Chase and Erin, "Can we turn this on?"

If they could, they would surely find new clues.

But the people who abandoned this place would have thought of that too. After a quick inspection, Chase Shaw said, "All the data’s been wiped."

Aside from vaguely guessing the facility’s purpose from the equipment, nothing had been left behind.

Just as Zoe Pierce was thinking they had come up empty, she suddenly felt a bone-chilling sense of dread. Without a second thought about whether Chase or Erin would notice, her spiritual power instinctively wrapped tightly around her.

Before she could react, a massive force lunged toward her.

"Watch out!"

"Ugh—" A muffled grunt escaped her lips. The next thing she knew, the world was spinning as she was scooped up by the waist and rushed to the far wall in an instant.

She looked back and saw a cat-sized Xenobeast standing exactly where she had been moments before.

Saliva dripped from its long fangs, landing on the floor with a soft DRIP. It had gray fur, and its fox-like eyes were an eerie, deep red.

It was Erin Xavier who had grabbed her and moved her out of the way in that split second. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Chase Shaw’s spiritual power instantly bore down on it. The Xenobeast’s fur bristled, and a low growl rumbled in its throat.

"Erin, protect Zoe." Chase Shaw’s voice was grave as he positioned himself in front of them.

The Xenobeast’s appearance didn’t match any species he could recall.

Erin Xavier’s arms tightened around Zoe Pierce, his usual playful grin gone. "Got it, Chase," he said. "I’ve got a really bad feeling about this Xenobeast."

He couldn’t say exactly what it was, though.

He rarely felt this way, even when facing S-Class Xenobeasts.

Zoe Pierce’s stomach churned from the pressure, making her feel nauseous, but this was no time to be delicate. ’When it comes to using spiritual power, I’m nowhere near their level.’

’Erin could snatch me away in an instant, while all I could do was stand there and protect myself with my spiritual power.’

The Xenobeast suddenly leaped, its jumping power astonishing. Even under the pressure of Chase Shaw’s spiritual power, it managed to jump as high as he was. It swiped viciously at him with its sharp claws. Chase dodged, his fingers darting toward its neck.

Sensing the threat, it instantly leaped back several paces.

But it attacked again moments later. Seemingly realizing Chase Shaw was a tough opponent, it switched its target to Erin Xavier and Zoe Pierce, bounding toward them in a few quick leaps.

But Erin’s reaction was faster. Zoe Pierce felt her hair whip across her cheek as Erin carried her out of the way again.

The rough movement was sickening, but she stifled her discomfort, letting out only a small whimper.

But that bone-chilling feeling washed over her again. Zoe Pierce looked from the Xenobeast facing off against Chase Shaw and screamed to Erin, "There’s another one!"

Erin jerked back. Just as he did, another Xenobeast, almost identical to the first, appeared before them. This one’s fur, however, was pitch-black, and its fangs were even longer—a full inch.

"Shit," Erin cursed aloud.

He glanced down at Zoe, whom he was carrying, his brow furrowed.

He couldn’t fight while holding Zoe.

Chase Shaw’s voice came from across the room. "Get her out of here. I’ll handle this."

In their eyes, Zoe Pierce was just a fragile Omega. If a Xenobeast attacked her, the injuries would be catastrophic.

Erin agreed there was no better option. The disadvantage of their small group was now obvious: only Chase was capable of fighting the Xenobeasts.

The carefree smile vanished from his boyish face. "Okay," he replied in a serious tone.

The moment the word left his lips, he took off, sprinting for the exit with Zoe in his arms. As fast as the two Xenobeasts were, he could still predict their movements.

The two Xenobeasts didn’t seem interested in stopping Erin. They let the two of them rush out of the cultivation chamber, then both turned their attention to Chase Shaw.

Suddenly, Zoe Pierce slapped Erin’s back. He sucked in a sharp breath and said coldly, "Zoe, what are you doing?"

He couldn’t believe she didn’t understand how urgent the situation was.

Ignoring her churning stomach, Zoe said, "Erin, something’s wrong! The spiritual power of those two Xenobeasts... it’s not right."

"They both have spiritual power, and it feels just like the kind that sent Chase into that frenzied state before."

"The drug! They might have been injected with some kind of drug!"

Erin instantly understood what she meant.

In other words, these two Xenobeasts were a natural counter to Chase. If things went south, he could be driven into a berserk state.

He immediately looked back and, sure enough, felt a wave of spiritual power so dense it was almost tangible.

But Chase Shaw, the focus of their concern, didn’t seem to share their worries. Even when facing the frenzied spiritual power, his movements didn’t falter in the slightest. The Xenobeast that had just leaped into the air suddenly seemed to be crushed by a doubled Gravity, letting out a piercing shriek as it slammed heavily onto the ground.