"Is that your Space Button?" Zoe Pierce asked, surprised.

Chase Shaw hummed in affirmation. He was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt, which made the pendant stand out.

"Want to see it?" Just as Zoe’s curiosity was piqued, Chase Shaw posed a question she found impossible to refuse.

Her eyes darted away for a moment, but ultimately, she couldn’t bring herself to lie and say she wasn’t interested.

’Come on! This is interstellar armor! Something I’ve only ever seen in sci-fi movies, and now... I get to see one for real!’

She nodded cautiously, her eyes fixed on Chase Shaw, full of hope.

’That look on her face...’

Chase Shaw chuckled, his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek. He turned, and Zoe heard his raspy, smoke-tinged voice say, "Follow me."

Like a mother hen with her chick, Chase Shaw led Zoe down into the lower levels of the interstellar airship. Once they reached the bottom, he pressed a button.

A metal door slid open with a WHOOSH, revealing a massive space with a ceiling nearly ten meters high.

’If Chase hadn’t brought me here, I never would have imagined a place like this existed on an interstellar airship.’

The air was colder here than on the upper levels, but Chase Shaw seemed completely unfazed. He took out his Space Button and moved several meters away from Zoe.

All at once, a colossal object materialized in the space that had, a moment before, been nothing but cold metal.

A mechanical giant, four or five meters tall, had appeared out of nowhere. It towered in the space. A PSSSH of compressed air came from its chest as the Mecha’s cockpit door opened.

Chase Shaw turned back to look at her.

He took in the sheer shock in Zoe’s eyes.

He stepped closer. "You can touch it."

Sure enough, her eyes lit up even brighter.

She gazed at his Mecha like it was a priceless treasure. The Mecha, nearly the same color as his eyes, gleamed with the sleek, cold luster unique to machinery. She approached cautiously, her fingers brushing against its metallic shell.

The cold sensation traveled from her fingertips deep into her being.

Zoe couldn’t help but marvel. ’A real Mecha is even more beautiful than the ones in the movies.’

Both its streamlined design and its unique sheen.

’It’s a work of art.’

"Zoe, want to pilot it?" Chase Shaw’s voice was as tempting as a serpent’s whisper.

Zoe felt like Eve in the Garden of Eden, unable to resist temptation. She turned to him as he continued, "Alphas can pilot Mechas because we possess spiritual power."

"Zoe, you have it too."

"Want to give it a try?"

Chase felt that for Zoe, being on the Border Star was like a fish returning to water—exhilarating, liberating her from her old restraints.

Zoe was utterly captivated. Her heart hammered in her chest, a more intoxicating rush than her run just now.

Her eyes fell on the behemoth before her. ’Can I really pilot a machine this massive?’

He could see she wanted to, so he didn’t bother asking again. He grabbed her wrist, guided her onto the Mecha’s footholds, and pulled her right into the cockpit.

The space inside wasn’t exactly cramped, but it wasn’t spacious either.

There was only a single pilot’s seat.

As the two of them entered the cockpit, the chest hatch sealed shut.

Zoe gave Chase a questioning look. ’How are we supposed to sit?’

Chase had Zoe sit down right next to him. Mechas were primarily used for fighting Xenobeasts, but they also served as rescue vehicles, with compartments for people in both the arms and the main cockpit.

Because of Chase’s tall build, his Mecha’s cockpit was significantly larger than average, making it easy to accommodate Zoe.

It just meant they were incredibly close.

So close, Chase could see the fine, downy hair on her face.

Her hand was right beside his bare arm; a slight movement and he would brush against her.

Chase lowered his gaze to the connection port. "Link to it with your spiritual power, and you can control the Mecha."

Zoe looked at him, hesitant. "I just... link up?"

’I’ve never even touched a simulator mecha, and he’s just letting me link up with a real one?’

’Isn’t it crazy for a total beginner to just jump right in?’

Even though she was eager to try, Zoe didn’t dare to be reckless.

Chase’s husky voice carried a reassuring calm. "I’ve got your back. Just linking up won’t be enough to activate it. Give it a try."

’Who could possibly resist this temptation?’

Zoe’s heart, repeatedly enticed by Chase, was completely beyond her control.

Chase’s large hand lifted Zoe, and in the blink of an eye, she was no longer sitting beside him but between his legs.

Now she was much closer to the connection port.

"Link with your spiritual power," Chase’s voice came from behind her before she could even think.

Zoe focused her mind. Her spiritual power flowed out like a gentle stream, a thread of energy wrapping around the Mecha’s sensory link.

’The woman in my arms... this time, I’m holding her consciously...’

’She trusts me completely, exposing her entire vulnerable back to me. Her slender back and long neck...’

Chase was no longer sure if their skin was touching. He only knew that the irritating heat that plagued him had vanished completely. He felt as placid as a pool of clear water, yet it was the calm before a storm, with a tempest churning just beneath the surface.

’That blue barrier patch... it’s such an eyesore.’

’If I could just tear it off, I could smell her scent again.’

The space, which hadn’t felt small before, now seemed far too confining to Chase.

A dry thirst coiled in his throat.

His palms itched, and he fought the uncontrollable urge to bury his head in her neck.

"Chase... I’m linked!" The moment the connection formed, Zoe instinctively turned her head to look back at him.

Her lips brushed against something. She saw Chase recoil suddenly, his back hitting the seat behind him.

For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

’Did I... Did I just accidentally touch his face?’

Chase’s voice was as husky as ever, betraying none of his emotions. "That was fast. Zoe, you have a talent for this."

He paused. "When we get back to the Capital Star, I’ll give you a Mecha."

That was even more generous than Erin Xavier.

Ever since she’d looked up the manufacturing cost of Mechas on the Intelligent Brain, she’d been dumbfounded, certain she’d never be able to afford one. They cost anywhere from tens of millions to over a hundred million, yet Chase was offering to just give one to her.

’He’s ridiculously rich.’

Even if his family specialized in building Mechas, this was too much.

"That’s too expensive... never mind..." Zoe managed to say.

Chase said, "We’re teammates, aren’t we?"

’So as a teammate, I’m just supposed to accept something like this?’ Zoe bit her lip, her conscience troubled.

She took a deep breath. "In the future, whenever you feel restless and need to be soothed, just find me."

’If I can help him with his restlessness, at least he’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep.’

Chase’s eyes darkened. He proactively opened the cockpit hatch, letting in a flood of bright white light. "Alright," he replied in a low voice.

"Let’s get out," he said. "I’ll teach you how to use the Mecha simulator."

’If we stay in here any longer,’ he thought, ’I’m liable to do something I can’t control. I’ve already been irrational today, starting from the moment I deliberately held her in my arms.’