Damian stood beside Emma and lightly hooked her fingertip. "Ms. Tibarn, I'll protect you too." As a Rank 8 male, he would never allow his huntress to suffer even the slightest injury. Seeing that he had regained his composure, Emma smiled faintly and nodded. "I trust you." This was not the moment for a teammate to falter—if anyone did, she would be the one paying the price. Another team had arrived soon after—three male Etherians, two at mid Rank 7 and one at late Rank 7. These three therian were acquaintances of Laura's mate and members of the Interstellar Hunter Alliance. Evie, ever obsessed with strength, immediately spotted them and dragged her mate over to strike up a conversation.Five minutes later, everyone climbed into their respective Gravicar and set off. Damian's gaze fell on the battered Gravicar Emma summoned, and his mouth twitched. "Ms. Tibarn, are you seriously driving this Gravicar?" Hasn't this antique been phased out ages ago across the interstellar zones? Emma simply nodded. "Relax. I've modified it. The speed's fine." It just bounced like crazy. Damian remained silent. Fine. Considering she had shielded him earlier, once they returned from this beast hunt, he would buy her that new Gravicar from NexusPrime Tech—the one rivaling a warship's performance. His huntress was a low-tier Etherian; for her safety, he ought to secure a few advanced tactical mechs as well. After the mission, he'd drop by Corvin's place. That guy always had top-tier goods. Once Damian buckled in, the Gravicar shot forward in an instant, leaving behind a streak of white smoke. As expected, it was fast—but it jolted like an amusement-park kiddie ride. "Ms. Tibarn... s-slow down..." Damian clutched his stomach, looking like he might vomit from the relentless shaking. Emma eased up a little and tossed him a vial of motion-sickness healing potion. "Drink this. You'll be fine." Damian glanced at the cheap potion in his hand, and his mouth twitched again. He usually traveled by his private starrail and had never gotten carsick, so he never carried medication for it. With no choice, he swallowed what she gave him. The taste was awful—but at least it worked. Once his nausea subsided, he finally asked, "Ms. Tibarn, you got all those star coins from Drake. Why are you still using these junky things?" Can't she afford something decent? How does a female end up living rougher than a male? "I just haven't had time," Emma replied, not exactly lying. She hadn't used this old gear in ages. Back then, she'd been broke and couldn't afford the good stuff. Whatever, Damian thought. He'd replace all her junk when they got back—with the best of everything. Even her combat suit was bottom-tier. That had to go. While she drove, Damian opened his lightcore and began browsing through high-end gear for Emma. This one. And that one... and this one too. He hit "Pay" on all of them without hesitation—completely forgetting his earlier vow that he wouldn't spend a single star coin on her.Emma, focused on steering the Gravicar, didn't notice a thing. Their destination lay far ahead. After flying for an entire day, they finally reached their target zone—F-268, a northern forest dense with herbs. Emma had visited this place before. The forest teemed with beasts, man-eating plants, and toxic herbs. Once they stopped, Emma and Damian stepped out. After storing her Gravicar, she pulled out two detox potions and handed him one. "I've been here before. Lots of poisonous herbs inside. Drink this before we go in." Damian accepted the potion. With his Rank 8 strength, normal toxins posed no threat, but knowing Emma's concern, he drank it anyway despite its bitter taste. When he finished, Emma passed him a pair of night-vision glasses. "Some areas ahead distort your vision. You'll need these to see clearly."The forest before them was pitch-black, eerily silent. Damian obediently put on the glasses. Laura and her team had arrived a few minutes earlier and were already prepared, scanning for nearby beast packs. By the time Emma and Damian approached, Laura's mate had finished tuning the device. Evie shot Emma a disdainful glance and deliberately kept her distance. For Laura's sake, she held her tongue—but there was no way she'd cover for this useless female. Emma ignored her petty attitude and led Damian toward Laura's side. "Laura, did you bring detox potions and night-vision glasses?" Laura smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. We've got them."