If a Beta wants to pilot a Mecha, they first need a physique on par with a soldier’s.

That step alone is enough to disqualify most people.

This inherent difficulty already mitigates the possibility of such incidents occurring on a massive scale across several planets.

Colonel Hanson, however, was not optimistic. "People are getting restless."

The people on several planets have all just experienced the impact of a Xenobeast Tide. Doesn’t this picture look familiar? It’s practically a carbon copy of what happened on Planet B36.

The authorities strictly forbid such experiments on the human body.

But people are definitely conducting them. They’re like a breeding ground for this Terrorist Organization, flourishing right under the authorities’ noses with no way to completely root them out yet.

Take the people on Planet B36 who are now under control. They are the planet’s native inhabitants. Their only goal was to survive and protect their home.

From that perspective, they’ve done nothing wrong.

It’s just that the experiments were too radical.

Besides, this is an open gambit. The Military and the research department would have discovered all of this immediately.

If The Military and the government chose not to intervene, they would naturally gain a host of potential test subjects with spiritual power.

But if The Military did want to intervene, they would first have to curb the persistently high death rate. Beyond simply banning it, they would inevitably have to research how to improve the entire experimental process.

The research department has gathered nearly all of the most brilliant minds in The Federation.

Before, they couldn’t find the door. Now, the enemy has not only delivered the door but also half a key.

It wouldn’t be difficult for the research department to figure it out.

And even if they couldn’t completely control the mortality rate, they would certainly be able to lower it.

It’s a win-win for the enemy no matter how you look at it.

"Whoever came up with this plan has calculated human nature down to the last detail," Colonel Hanson lamented after a long moment of contemplation.

Of course, this plan wasn’t without its weaknesses. It was just that, compared to the upsides, the downsides were insignificant.

All it did was expose an experimental formula on which they had long been stalled.

"We need to focus on screening planets that have had frequent Xenobeast Tides in recent years and have a relatively high Beta population."

Colonel Hanson thought for a moment and added, "The laboratory couldn’t have been destroyed. After the rescue teams are done, have some people stay behind and investigate the lab."

"Get someone to analyze where the lab might be located."

The Alpha Officer saluted, gave a quick affirmation, and left the room.

*

Early the next morning, Zoe Pierce, Aaron Xavier, and the others were already wide awake.

The latter half of the night had been quite eventful. Thankfully, Aaron’s agitation had subsided after Milo Dawson’s final question. Otherwise, Zoe felt the night would have never quieted down.

Fortunately, she wasn’t given much time to dwell on it.

Shortly after dawn, a new mission arrived: investigate the science lab the Terrorist Organization had left behind.

For Zoe and her team, this was familiar territory.

Their experience from Planet B36 was directly applicable here. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Upon receiving the mission, their squad didn’t mobilize immediately like the others. Instead, they pulled up the previously released satellite maps of Planet C14.

They circled several locations that looked similar to the sites on Planet B36.

"I think on C14, they probably built more than one science lab."

"Some might be similar to the ones on Planet B36, but they might have also adapted to the local environment and changed the locations."

Inside the tent, a large projection glowed on a screen.

Zoe stared at the areas outlined in red and spoke in a low voice.

She moved her finger to point at a waterside location. "I think we should also search the official records. Whether it’s a cave or a waterside site, large-scale construction projects like these would have to be registered."

On C14, the organization was operating as a tech company. From a certain point of view, this means their control over the local government wasn’t absolute.

It wasn’t like on Planet B36, where the populace trusted them completely and the government was full of their people.

Therefore, Zoe was inclined to look into the official records for large-scale construction.

"Based on these locations, I think we should investigate all of them."

The places Zoe pointed to included cave sites and coastal areas.

She was leaning toward the idea that the organization would have tried multiple types of locations.

After all, this was a relatively unknown planet, with a population that wasn’t considered large by Interstellar Space standards.

If a research company bringing significant capital, jobs, and even technology wanted to set up shop on the planet, the local government would never refuse.

They would probably welcome them with open arms.

They’d even offer a great deal of assistance.

The mission briefing did include a few reminders, however. It emphasized that the lab might be quite old and that if they found anything, they must be careful with any remaining artifacts.

This proved that the science lab was already abandoned.

So it was highly likely that some of the organization’s experiments here had failed, forcing them to withdraw temporarily for some reason.

To find such old archives, the electronic versions were of little use, as many had likely been deleted.

Only the official records office might still have physical, paper copies.

Once Nathan Lockwood and the others had confirmed the location, they immediately flew over in their Mechas.

Thankfully, government archive buildings were generally built to be exceptionally sturdy. Even during the recent Xenobeast Tide, it had only partially collapsed in a few places, leaving the entrance and exit clear.

Just as they were leaving their Mechas and about to step inside, they suddenly heard a roaring sound from behind them.

They paused, unsurprised to see Colonel Hanson’s men emerging from their Mech Bay.

Seeing Zoe and her team, a flicker of surprise crossed the Alpha Officer’s eyes. "How did you guys think to look here?"

Their objective was clear; one look and you could tell they weren’t just passing by.

When Miles Sherman explained their analysis, a look of understanding crossed the Alpha Officer’s eyes. "It’s impressive that you thought of this place without any other intel."

Even though it was based on your experience on Planet B36, it’s still impressive. We only got here this fast because we had a confession. We came to provide intel for the other squads.

"Since you’re here, let’s search together." The Alpha Officer didn’t shy away from them and gestured for his people to go inside.

"You follow your own lead. We need to find some other documents," he said, pausing for a moment. "Just let me know if you find something."

That was no problem, of course.

Zoe and her team went straight down the stairs to the archive room on the second basement level.

With a clear objective, their search was swift.

They went cabinet by cabinet. The archive’s power system only provided a faint light, so each of them searched with a small lamp in hand.

They scanned for keywords, skimming ten lines at a time.

Nearly half an hour passed before Chase Shaw found the first relevant file.

"It was completed six years ago."

That was even earlier than when the research institute started recruiting.

The location was right where they’d predicted: relatively convenient to access, but secluded and well-hidden.