Chapter 220: Chapter 220: If the Relationship Is Discovered
In the dark room, the figure of a woman could be seen on the large bed.
Below her waist, the comforter rose unnaturally in one spot.
The woman on the bed seemed to be having a nightmare. Her eyes were shut tight, her fingers dug into the pillow, and she was drenched in sweat.
Her body was taut as a bowstring, and she whimpered and mumbled something under her breath.
This went on for a long time until she suddenly went limp, her mouth gaping as she gasped for air like a fish out of water.
Miles Sherman got up to get Zoe Pierce the water from the bedside table.
Zoe Pierce drank straight from the glass he held.
After moistening her throat, a bone-deep languor seemed to seep out from her very marrow, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her as she lay in bed.
Miles Sherman drained the rest of her water, then glanced at his Intelligent Brain and chuckled softly.
Zoe Pierce heard him and asked, "What is it?"
"Erin’s awake. He’s asking if you are." Miles Sherman was being conservative. If Zoe Pierce had gotten up to look at his Intelligent Brain, she would have seen its screen was completely overrun by Erin Xavier.
The entire screen was filled with messages from him.
He didn’t dare knock because he wasn’t sure if Zoe Pierce was awake.
But he had no qualms about shamelessly harassing Miles Sherman.
"Go on, sleep a little longer." Miles placed a loving kiss on Zoe’s forehead. "I’m going to go out and clean up with the others."
Torn between getting up and staying in bed, Zoe chose the latter.
She listened to the rustle of fabric as he got up, dressed, and walked to the door.
Even with her eyes closed, she could sense a brief sliver of light as the door opened, before the room was plunged back into darkness.
When Miles Sherman stepped out of the room, he saw Erin Xavier and Chase Shaw still sitting on the sofa. Nathan Lockwood was not there.
He glanced at the other closed door. "Nathan isn’t up yet?"
Seeing the room behind Miles was still dark, Erin Xavier leaned back on the sofa and replied, "Yeah."
The table had already been cleared. Last night’s empty wine bottles had been replaced with a hot breakfast.
"We just had someone come clean up. Miles, help yourself to some food." Erin Xavier gestured for Miles to eat, then slumped back onto the sofa.
Miles Sherman didn’t eat right away. He used the bathroom in the other room to wash up and change his clothes before coming back out.
Watching Miles eat the hotel’s breakfast, Erin Xavier scrolled on his Intelligent Brain and said, "Miles, after what you said last night, my understanding is—"
"Did you mean we’re all going to start over?"
’According to the original order, would it be Nathan Lockwood—then Chase Shaw—then me—and then back to Miles?’
"That order is for Zoe to decide, not us."
Erin Xavier thought about it. ’The important thing is that Zoe decided to do it this way, not who was chosen.’
’Everyone will get their turn in the end.’
Still, having just finished his own turn, Erin Xavier found it a little unbearable to see Miles Sherman and Zoe Pierce sharing a room.
’He wished he were the one in there.’
’It even made him look at Miles with more annoyance than usual.’
Chase Shaw, however, steered the conversation away from that topic, asking something else: "Have they dug out all the Xenobeast carcasses in the Polar Region?"
"Most of them. The avalanche earlier delayed things a bit," said Miles. "They also captured the albino Rock Mongoose that was still alive."
Right now, people from The Military are using instruments to conduct a grid search for a possible lab.
The Research Department dispatched people the day The Military contacted them. They should be arriving in a few more days.
But this didn’t really concern them.
Not that they would be told much anyway.
"What’s this group’s objective?" The joint exam, the friendship competition—both incidents revolved around Xenobeast experiments.
And as far as Interstellar Space was concerned, Xenobeasts were a subject that had already been researched to death.
"We don’t know for now," Miles said. "If the authorities knew, they could have predicted the enemy’s moves. But right now, we still can’t figure out their specific motives."
"The enemy must possess technology that surpasses what the authorities currently have."
The door opened. The men paused, seeing Nathan Lockwood walk out.
Noticing the food on the table, he casually picked up a slice of toast and started eating.
"Still, getting caught time and time again... they don’t seem capable of accomplishing anything big," Erin Xavier complained.
They had only connected the Xenobeast incidents from the friendship competition and the joint exam; they hadn’t linked them to what happened on Planet B36.
Listening to their conversation, Nathan Lockwood suddenly spoke up. "If that’s the case, we’ve probably become a thorn in their side."
Erin Xavier narrowed his eyes.
"We discovered both Xenobeast experiments," Nathan Lockwood said, sitting at the dining table. "In other words, what if someone discovered our relationship with Zoe, and not just once?"
"Would we believe they meant us no harm?"
Zoe couldn’t stay in bed any longer. The moment she opened the door, she heard that sentence.
She froze for a second, then pursed her lips. "Did someone find out?"
Nathan Lockwood turned to look at her. "No, it’s just a hypothetical. We were talking about the Xenobeast experiments."
Zoe sat down to the side, ladled herself a bowl of hot porridge, and took a sip. "Go on, I didn’t hear the beginning of the conversation."
’That comparison is so unsettling.’
"The mindset is similar," Nathan Lockwood said. "If I were them, I’d put our group on a blacklist."
"They can’t touch us during official events. After all, the authorities aren’t pushovers. It would be a joke if they let someone make a move that easily."
Nathan Lockwood’s voice was clear. "So, it will probably be during our personal time."
"Everyone, be careful."
"It’s just a guess."
He paused. "Hopefully, nothing will happen, but we can’t be certain."
Even Nathan Lockwood couldn’t say for sure whether that group would make a move on them. After all, their reputation had peaked after the friendship competition.
If they were attacked now, the authorities would move heaven and earth to find the culprits. The price would undoubtedly be steep.
"It’s highly likely they’ll try to injure us to teach us a lesson."
As for killing them outright, that would depend on whether the decision-maker had the determination and judgment to make such a call.
Raising a glass of milk, Nathan Lockwood drank it and set the glass down. "As for what happens if someone finds out about our relationship with Zoe..."
"As long as there are no actual intimate photos or videos," he said with a slight smirk, "we’ll just say we’re her suitors."
He said it so bluntly and directly that Zoe nearly choked.
"It’s the truth, anyway. We all admire an outstanding, extremely charming Omega, and she hasn’t decided which one of us to accept yet." Nathan Lockwood said with a smile, looking at Zoe.
"So we’re spending our time pursuing her."
Miles handed Zoe a napkin to wipe her mouth and spoke Nathan’s name as a gentle warning: "Nathan."
But Nathan Lockwood said nonchalantly, "I’m being serious about what we do if we’re discovered."
