Hearing Nathan Lockwood’s name from the mouths of the First Military Academy students, the four from the Federal Military Academy froze.

’This wasn’t the direction Nathan Lockwood and the others went,’ Zoe thought. ’How could they have possibly run into him?’

Zoe Pierce couldn’t figure it out. Based on the direction, it seemed more like the path she and Miles Sherman had intended to take.

The thought startled her. ’Did the First Military Academy students mistake me and Miles Sherman for Nathan Lockwood and me? Why?’

Ethan Grant’s state of mind, however, was perhaps the most complicated of all.

On one hand, his heart sank at the sight of so many First Military Academy students. It would be incredibly difficult now to either escape with the supplies or simply flee.

Seven or eight people had blocked off every possible escape route for the two of them.

But after hearing them mention Nathan Lockwood, he felt that if he could just hold on, there might still be a chance.

He might have a reputation for being ruthless, but the man was undeniably powerful.

Ethan Grant and his teammate exchanged a glance. Even if they hadn’t heard Nathan Lockwood’s name, they were already prepared to go all out.

Hearing it now only strengthened their resolve.

’Just hold on a little longer. What if a miracle happens?’

Spiritual power exploded outward. The familiar blast carried a torrent of rainwater, and even though the Alpha from the First Military Academy was vigilant enough to dodge, he was still doused with water.

The water, which smelled of mud and lime, splashed right across his face.

This immediately provoked the man, who cursed as he brandished a long whip made of spiritual power. "PTUI, PTUI, PTUI... This stinks to high heaven!"

Ethan Grant dodged it with a single movement.

He might be a scrub, but only when compared to Nathan Lockwood. Against Alphas of his own level, he wouldn’t be so easily steamrolled.

There were too many things his spiritual power explosions could adhere to, and his teammate’s spiritual power was like a turtle-shell shield, completely enveloping the two of them.

One on offense, one on defense.

Several Alphas from the First Military Academy tried to close in, but were stunned that they couldn’t immediately overpower the duo.

As they were locked in a standoff, the supply crate suddenly emitted a series of crisp beeps. With a CLACKING of its locks, the previously sealed crate swung open.

The indicator light turned from red to green.

Everyone’s eyes were involuntarily drawn to it.

Victor Vance wasted no more time. His spiritual power split into seven, forming Longswords that shot toward Ethan Grant’s teammate.

Everyone could feel the palpable killing intent that now filled the air.

The others who had been about to approach Ethan Grant paused. They were all convinced that once Victor Vance attacked, the shield, even one cast by an A-level Alpha, would be shattered in minutes.

But, to everyone’s surprise...

When the deadly spiritual power struck the shield, it was as if nothing had happened. The protective barrier of spiritual power didn’t disappear; it even remained perfectly stable.

The faces of the attackers changed in an instant.

Only Victor Vance immediately scanned the surroundings, his gaze finally locking onto a bush. "Who?"

Ethan Grant and his teammate felt as if they were in a dream. They watched as a familiar Alpha, also dressed in a Federation training uniform, walked out from the bushes.

"Miles Sherman." Victor Vance was already familiar with Miles Sherman’s face and recognized him instantly.

Ethan Grant had thought it would be Nathan Lockwood!

No one had expected it to be Miles Sherman.

"Was that you and your team’s Omega just now?" Victor Vance scanned the area again, knowing the Omega had to be hidden in a corner somewhere.

"How did you find out about us?"

’If that Alpha wasn’t Nathan Lockwood, how did he realize someone was following them?’

Miles Sherman replied coolly, "No comment."

’Only an idiot would mention Zoe Pierce,’ he thought. ’Besides, even if I told the truth, no one would believe an Omega was the one who noticed.’

Victor Vance didn’t mind. It had just been a casual question.

He hadn’t expected Miles Sherman to answer him anyway.

After emerging from the bushes, Miles Sherman wasted no more words and directly attacked the nearest Alpha from the First Military Academy.

The closest person was none other than Shawn Jarvis.

Compared to the other Alphas, his spiritual power wasn’t geared for combat. Miles Sherman was incredibly fast, knocking him into a tree with a single side kick.

The Alphas beside him subconsciously attacked with their spiritual power.

But they quickly discovered that no matter how they used their spiritual power, it seemed to have no effect on Miles Sherman.

They then recalled that Miles Sherman’s spiritual power ability was rumored to be Nullification.

It nullified others’ spiritual power attacks, forcing them to rely on hand-to-hand combat.

Learning Fighting Skill was a fundamental part of the military academy curriculum. Everyone had studied it, but their proficiency varied.

Everyone was used to executing combos by combining spiritual power with Body Techniques. If they used only Body Techniques, they left too many openings.

In under a minute, Miles Sherman took down three Alphas in quick succession.

Victor Vance quickly moved to intercept him.

He clenched both fists and threw a punch at Miles Sherman’s face. Miles turned his head, letting it graze past, and countered with a knee strike, forcing Victor Vance to jump back two steps.

As they exchanged a flurry of blows, Victor Vance didn’t stop his spiritual power attacks either, instead launching them more frequently at Miles Sherman from every tricky angle imaginable.

With Miles Sherman’s spiritual power focused on this fight, he could no longer protect Ethan Grant.

Seeing that Miles Sherman was occupied by Victor Vance, the remaining First Military Academy Alphas launched a furious assault on Ethan Grant and his teammate.

Tonight, one of their two sides was bound to be eliminated.

The men who had been knocked down were already rubbing their sore spots and getting back up. Alphas were tough, and Miles Sherman hadn’t used lethal force. After the initial pain subsided, they were nearly back to full combat strength.

Zoe Pierce was far away. With her normal vision, she shouldn’t have been able to clearly see the details of the situation over there.

But her Perception told her everything. Seven A-level Alphas were surrounding Ethan Grant and his teammate, and the two were clearly at a disadvantage.

As for Miles Sherman, she could tell he had the upper hand against Victor Vance. Although Victor Vance was at a disadvantage, he was still tying Miles down, and neither could gain a decisive victory for the time being.

If Ethan Grant and his teammate were eliminated, there was no doubt that all seven opponents would immediately turn on Miles Sherman.

’That would be bad.’

Her whole body tensed, and her brow furrowed. Just then, she felt a gust of wind rush past her.

"Hey, hey, hey, isn’t it a bit much to be bullying our Federal Military Academy students like this?" The teasing words came first, as Erin Xavier took in the sight of the two panting figures surrounded in the middle.

He looked up. "Whoa, it’s you? You unlucky bastard."

"I can’t believe you lasted this long." Without a doubt, he had seen Ethan Grant.

The flicker of hope that had just been rekindled in Ethan Grant’s heart upon seeing Erin Xavier was instantly extinguished. He wished it would just die again. He couldn’t even manage a smile.