Chapter 270: Chapter 270: Actively Tearing Off the Suppression Patch
It was just that no one had expected this group to be so bold.
To dare spy on Zoe Pierce and her team right under so many people’s noses.
Only Nathan Lockwood’s group, having learned their lesson from last time, maintained a certain level of vigilance.
They were willing to earn fewer points in exchange for constantly keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Since the team remained overly cautious and left no openings, the Betas couldn’t make a direct move, no matter how anxious they were.
They weren’t confident they could go head-to-head with S-Class Alphas.
And by now, Zoe Pierce’s abilities were no secret to them.
Attacking directly would be a joke.
They could only wait for an opportunity.
Fortunately, that opportunity finally arrived.
Planet E-987 was about to be hit by a geomagnetic storm lasting for one day and eighteen hours.
It would be accompanied by a severe hurricane.
Even the most sophisticated Mechas couldn’t be guaranteed to remain unaffected by the geomagnetic storm.
Let alone other equipment.
On Planet E-987, the most critical pieces of equipment were the medical devices, which could potentially lose some of their functionality due to the storm’s effects.
The military would have no choice but to divert more manpower to rescue efforts.
And visibility during the hurricane would be drastically lower than usual.
Without a doubt, this was good news for those who had been lying in wait.
But for Zoe Pierce and her team, the situation had clearly taken a turn for the worse.
The storm’s scheduled arrival had been announced on the Intelligent Brains long ago, and the countdown was already underway.
The already dusty gray sky was now turning a murky yellow.
The sensors on their Mechas had become less sensitive than before.
Even the lairs that the Xenobeast Tides swarmed from were affected. Their numbers had plummeted, and the intensity of their spiritual power had weakened significantly.
Even the Xenobeasts could sense this was no longer a suitable place to live.
But for Zoe Pierce and her team, the rescue work only grew more frantic.
If the hurricane were to batter the already crumbling ruins, even more people would die.
The sluggishness of her Mecha forced her to abandon it and use her spiritual power to save people directly.
After lifting a collapsed building and rescuing an unconscious Alpha,
Miles Sherman looked at the sky, which had grown so dark that visibility was less than fifty meters. He found a spot sheltered from the wind and announced, "All operations will cease when there’s one hour left on the countdown."
The storm’s predicted arrival was drawing closer and closer.
Zoe Pierce pulled down the small kerchief she wore to block the dust and sand, took out a bottle of water from her Space Button, and had a sip.
As soon as she finished, she immediately tied the kerchief back on.
She had to. If she didn’t, her face would quickly be covered in all sorts of grit.
Now, they didn’t even have their eyes exposed, wearing protective goggles as well.
A glance around revealed nothing but a sea of yellow sand.
Although it was supposed to be a hurricane, the harsh environment had effectively turned it into a sandstorm.
Fortunately, the group had decided where to take shelter before the sandstorm got this bad. Now, as their designated time approached, Chase Shaw and the others had already halted their rescue efforts.
The piercing wind was now blowing with increasing ferocity, nearly sweeping them off their feet.
If Zoe Pierce didn’t adjust the Gravity, she felt like she would be knocked over.
She was far too light compared to Nathan Lockwood and the others.
As she casually extended her spiritual power to probe her surroundings, Zoe Pierce suddenly frowned.
When Zoe Pierce swayed, Aaron Xavier instinctively turned and grabbed her hand, shouting, "Stay steady, Zoe Pierce!"
The group’s formation had Nathan Lockwood in the lead, followed by Chase Shaw, then Aaron Xavier, then her, with Miles Sherman bringing up the rear.
The wind was beginning to howl around them, forcing her to raise her voice to be heard. "It’s fine, I can hold my ground."
The next moment, after Aaron Xavier let go of her hand,
Zoe Pierce took a few steps back.
Miles Sherman instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist.
Before his mind could wander, Zoe Pierce’s lips were at his ear.
"Miles Sherman, there’s someone nearby watching us." Her voice was barely a whisper, her lips practically brushing against the shell of Miles Sherman’s ear as she spoke.
In an environment like this, it couldn’t be military personnel.
Miles Sherman didn’t have the same kind of spiritual power as Zoe Pierce; his Perception range wasn’t as wide as hers.
"At least five or six of them."
After she spoke, she pushed herself up and away from him.
Then she walked to the back, taking her place at the very end of the line. "Miles Sherman, I can keep my balance. I’ll take the rear."
By doing this, Zoe Pierce was undoubtedly making herself a target.
Miles Sherman grabbed her wrist.
Zoe Pierce then deliberately shouted, "Miles Sherman, what did you say?"
She moved closer again and whispered, "Get Nathan Lockwood and Chase Shaw over here."
"Like you all said, we can’t be on the defensive forever."
She, too, wanted to finally catch these people.
"They’re all Betas, Miles Sherman. This is our chance."
Zoe Pierce’s move could be called bold. They had just been talking about not being on the defensive forever, yet only a moment before, the priority had been to act with caution.
When she first sensed this group of Betas scattered around them, who seemed particularly out of place, Zoe Pierce had considered capturing them directly.
But she dismissed that possibility almost immediately.
After all, just capturing them probably wouldn’t yield any useful information.
She still remembered the pilots in space above Harvestfall Planet. Every single one of them had committed suicide.
She also remembered that during the joint exam, the person Nathan Lockwood and Miles Sherman tried to capture had also committed suicide.
This group had no regard for their own lives.
Capturing them, only to have them commit suicide again, would just tip off the enemy.
Who knew how long they would have to wait for the next chance.
They would have to go back to being on guard 24/7.
Rather than let that happen, it was better to act as bait herself. At least she could learn more that way.
Of course, the risk was certainly huge.
The enemy probably knew she could use spiritual power.
That’s why Zoe Pierce needed cooperation more than ever.
She was certain there wasn’t a single Alpha or Omega in this group.
A team of pure Betas.
Even a Beta who could use spiritual power would find their abilities useless against Miles Sherman.
Zoe Pierce spoke extremely quickly, and in the next second, she had already taken her position at the rear.
Miles Sherman’s face was hidden behind his goggles and kerchief, making his expression completely unreadable.
But in the span of a few blinks, Zoe Pierce saw Miles Sherman move.
He had temporarily agreed to Zoe Pierce’s plan.
He moved forward a few spots, and suddenly Miles Sherman was at the front, with Aaron Xavier second.
Aaron Xavier keenly sensed something was wrong with this change in formation, but Chase Shaw’s hand pressed down heavily on his shoulder, stopping him from speaking.
The sudden, firm grip on his shoulder said it all.
With Miles Sherman now in the lead, their pace slowed considerably.
The wind and sand had grown so intense that it was no longer easy to hear. They could only rely on hand signals to understand what the person in front was saying.
Zoe Pierce seemingly brushed the skin on the back of her neck in a casual gesture.
Nathan Lockwood, in front of her, and Chase Shaw, in the middle, both visibly faltered for a second.
That scent, mixed with the yellow sand.
It was almost imperceptible, yet it was keenly captured by the Alphas.
