Abandoned Omega: Wanted by the Bigshots in the Military Academy

With the precedent set by the locations of the joint academy exams and the friendly match, Zoe Pierce hadn’t initially considered a Beta planet, even after Planet B36 was discovered.

But the current situation on C14 suddenly made everything crystal clear.

The more the enemy acted, the more flaws appeared in their plan.

As Nathan Lockwood brought up the projection, the statistics on the screen were clear at a glance.

"There are fifteen planets populated almost exclusively by Betas." Most planets in the Federation still had a fairly even distribution, and planets inhabited only by Alphas and Omegas were extremely rare.

Zoe Pierce and Nathan Lockwood’s eyes met.

"I’ll report this up the chain." When it came to Zoe Pierce’s safety, Nathan Lockwood wouldn’t overlook a single possibility.

"The Xenobeast Tide situation is better now than it was a few days ago. Official statistics show that nearly two-thirds of the Xenobeast portals have been closed." This proved that the Xenobeast activity was weakening on a massive scale.

The intensity of the subsequent rescue efforts would also be far lower than it was now.

Zoe Pierce felt that whatever she thought of, Nathan Lockwood and the others seemed to follow her train of thought almost instantly.

’It’s like they’re following my line of reasoning.’

"Is someone watching us, too?" Zoe Pierce asked suddenly.

Sometimes she felt that both The Military and the government were a bit too lenient with her.

Or maybe too trusting?

Aaron Xavier let out a stifled laugh. "Who could possibly spy on us without being discovered?"

Between Zoe Pierce and Nathan Lockwood, with their two S-Class perceptive spiritual powers, they would know the moment anyone got too close.

Unless it was like during the joint exams or the friendly match, where there was a camera specifically aimed at them.

And it couldn’t just be one. It would require an extensive network, otherwise a single surveillance camera could never keep up if they were boosting in their mechas.

In the end, this was a rescue mission, so it was impossible for so many cameras to be following Zoe Pierce.

Zoe Pierce smiled, too.

Chase Shaw spoke up at the opportune moment. "The Military wouldn’t want to just shove you over to the other side."

From the moment their abilities manifested, Chase Shaw and the others had received extensive patriotic education; it was practically ingrained in them.

But Zoe Pierce was an Omega whose abilities hadn’t been apparent before. Ever since she’d made a name for herself in the league, both her academy and The Military had opened their doors to her.

And now, even after learning how uniquely powerful her spiritual power was, they still hadn’t taken any action against her.

Not to mention Zoe Pierce was already famous throughout Interstellar Space, even having a reputation in The Empire.

Then there was her positive attitude and her full cooperation with every examination.

An Omega who could become a pillar of the nation with just a little more growth—how rare was that?

The people in The Military and the government weren’t incompetent fools. They had their heads on straight and wanted to protect a budding talent like her.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths, even assigning people specifically to handle matters concerning her.

Zoe Pierce leaned her head back. "It just feels like at every stage, there’s something new to worry about."

It was easy to overthink things.

Just as she had ruffled Seth Yates’s hair, Chase Shaw now ruffled hers. "You’ll feel better after some sleep."

With conspiracy constantly swirling around her and its source still unknown, it was no wonder she was overthinking things.

But these things couldn’t be rushed.

For a moment, Zoe Pierce wanted to lean against Chase Shaw.

But the next second, she realized where she was and, with a jolt, stood up and stretched.

"Yeah, I’ll get some sleep. Then I won’t overthink so much."

She really was tired; she had only forced herself to stay awake because of the unexpected situation with Seth Yates.

The "bed" inside the tent wasn’t a proper bed like the one at home, of course. It was a slightly more high-end camping air mattress.

Zoe Pierce couldn’t help but smile when she saw it. She wondered who had thought of it, since it took up a decent amount of room in a Space Button.

But she quickly put it out of her mind, settled into the innermost part of the tent, and fell asleep fully clothed.

She was woken by a warmth behind her.

When she woke, she realized that at some point, Aaron Xavier had lain down on the mattress as well.

He was fast asleep.

He was holding her from behind, and the heat she felt was his own body radiating warmth.

His body was pressed completely against hers.

It took Zoe Pierce several seconds to process where she was.

’The rescue point. The tent Nathan and the others set up.’

And now Aaron Xavier was this close to her. Pushing him away, Zoe Pierce sat up.

Her movement startled Aaron Xavier awake. "Zoe?"

The sky was still dark. Zoe Pierce glanced at the time; she had already slept for six hours.

It was now the dead of night, in the earliest hours of the morning.

She glanced around the small tent. There was a chair, and slumped in it was Nathan Lockwood.

At the sound of Aaron Xavier’s voice, Nathan Lockwood’s eyes fluttered open as well.

"Four hours ago, The Military notified us that all the Xenobeast Tide portals in this area have been closed. We can sleep a little longer."

It was nothing like when they’d first arrived for the rescue, when they had been too busy to rest at all.

"There’s also news that they’ve captured a few people. They’re being interrogated now."

Aaron Xavier rubbed his eyes, yawning as he sat up and crossed his legs. "Go back to sleep," he added.

A thin sheen of sweat covered Zoe Pierce’s back and neck.

The weather on C14 was at the cusp of spring and summer. The heat was subtle when you were alone, but not unnoticeable.

But with Aaron Xavier pressed against her, the clammy feeling had become unbearable.

"Why were you sleeping with me?" Zoe Pierce asked in a low voice, tugging at her collar and lifting an arm to cool off.

’I thought I was supposed to be sleeping alone out here.’

Aaron Xavier propped himself up on one hand. "Who else did you think it would be, Zoe?"

"It was my turn," he said, his tone a strange, aggrieved pout.

Zoe Pierce rubbed her temples, deciding not to argue with Aaron Xavier about it.

"Are the others on watch? I’ll go relieve them." Instead of climbing over Aaron Xavier, Zoe Pierce slipped out through the space at the foot of the mattress.

Neither Nathan Lockwood nor Aaron Xavier objected.

The moment she stepped outside, she found Miles Sherman standing guard. Zoe Pierce patted his shoulder. "Go on in and get some rest."

Miles Sherman looked at her. "Sleep well?"

Zoe Pierce nodded. "Go on."

Not far from the campfire, another person was leaning against a tree. Zoe Pierce recognized his silhouette instantly.

It was Chase Shaw.

From the inside of the tent, to the entrance, and then to the campfire—seeing the way they were positioned, Zoe Pierce smiled to herself.

’They really have me protected right in the center of everything.’

Seemingly noticing the movement, the Alpha who had been leaning against the tree with a blanket draped over him began to stir.

He called out, his voice hoarse, "Zoe?"

"It’s me. Don’t get up, just rest a while longer," Zoe Pierce told Chase Shaw, knowing he would have come over otherwise.

Zoe Pierce bent down, tossing small twigs into the dying embers of the fire. She heard a few footsteps and the sound of hushed voices.

It was four Alphas, who had likely just returned from a rescue mission.

Although this place was remote, it was still possible for people to pass by.

"Honestly... I don’t think your chances of getting with Zoe Pierce are very high..."

The hand Zoe Pierce was using to toss twigs into the fire froze.