Han found himself standing in Becky's office once again after all of them escaped out of the forest upon recovering those that were kidnapped by the Modified Humans. Looking at the others, Jade, Kimberly, Ji-Min and Becky, he was confused as to why he was present.

"So... Everyone was killed except the three of you...," Becky sighed, a hand covering her eyes as she tried to process the reality. "And now you're telling me that there are things beyond anything we anticipated?" She slowly uncovered her face and looked at Jade.

"Yes, Captain. We were complete suppressed by whatever powers they possess. It was to a degree where we felt like infants, at their mercy." Jade elaborated.

Becky's face looked drained, as she internalized everything.

"What would you like us to do?" Kimberly asked, her voice quiet.

"Can we even do anything?" Becky demanded in an annoyed voice, slamming her palm on the table.

Han could tell that Becky was only lashing out due to how helpless they likely felt. They had trained for so long, and when they finally felt like they had reached a level of competency, reality had decided to dash all their hopes.

Ji-Min had a strange expression compared to everyone in the room. Her eyes had met his eyes several times, followed by a look of annoyance and confusion. There was clearly something she was trying to remember, and it had a connection to Han.

Not wanting to encourage her behavior, Han ignored her and tried to focus on Becky and the others. Concerned about their feelings of despair, Han pulled something out of his pocket. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I think what I found may help solve our dilemma." Han held up a jewel that looked similar to what the Arena dropped, though there was an intense aura surrounding the object.

"What is that thing?" Becky asked, her eyes locked onto the glittering jewel.

Kimberly reached her hand out to the item in Han's hand, but then jerked it back and looked to Han.

Nodding his hand, Han said, "It has a strong feel to it, stronger compared to what we used in battle." He lifted it up to indicate for Kimberly to take it.

Picking up the jewel, Kimberly sucked in air and slightly trembled. As if responding to Kimberly's touch, the gem glowed.

"What's wrong?" Jade asked her friend, seeing the change in her demeanor.

Kimberly slowly shook her head, as if trying to rid herself of something. "I don't know. Holding this thing, I feel power coming into myself completely different from the drops from the Arena. Even holding it in my hand, the sensation is pulling me towards it as if it's the only thing that matters."

Seeing her friend reacting so oddly, Jade placed a hand on Kimberly's shoulder. There was a sharp yelp of surprise, causing Kimberly, Becky, and Han to look at Jade, who had pulled her hand back and was not massaging it. "Kimberly, what's happening?"

Kimberly lifted her free hand and signaled that it wasn't her. "I don't know what happened. It wasn't me. There was a pulse from this rock, and then I heard you cry out in surprise."

"Kimberly, I think you should place that thing on the table. We don't know what the ramifications of holding that object. It obviously did something, causing a reaction when Jade touched you." Becky cautiously said to Kimberly, partially standing up.

Jade looked at Han, "Where did you say you picked this item up?" She quickly glanced at the object still in Kimberly's hand before returning to look at Han.

"I didn't mention where I got it from. It's from one of the creatures inside of the cavern, where we ran into those two things." Han calmly answered. "While everyone was still recovering from being forced into the ground, I happened to spot that jewel poking out the corpse of one of the Modified Humans."

"Just like...," Jade began to say.

"Yes. It was just like the monsters in the Arena. But there are differences, as you can see." Han finished Jade's thought.

Han looked at Kimberly, observing her trembling hand as she slowly moved to place the gem on Becky's table. Judging by Becky's body language, the Captain was preparing to yank it out of Kimberly's hand if there were any signs of Kimberly not complying. Jade appeared to have a similar thought, as she slowly positioned herself behind Kimberly.

Seeing everyone behave themselves in such a manner made him smile slightly, due to how ridiculous they looked interacting with the item. "I only slightly increased the power in that thing, but it should be enough to get them to realize the potential. Though... seeing how they're reacting to such a small power increase may mean they react negatively." Han thought to himself.

A small clattering noise was heard as Kimberly deposited the item on the desk. The moment it left her hands, Kimberly sighed and breathed deeply. Perspiration could be seen on her forehead, indicating how much of an effort the act of letting go of the stone was.

Becky and Jade shared a similar sigh, relieved that Kimberly hadn't defied their request. Jade moved back to standing next to Kimberly, and Becky got back into her seat.

"You... Okay?" Jade hesitantly asked.

As if not hearing Jade's question, Kimberly was quiet. She stood there, looking at the gem. "It was like being sucked into a bottomless ocean. I never felt power to such a degree."

Han listened to Kimberly's words, thinking how frail people were that they were overwhelmed by such power. In the future, he would need to tone down any adjustments. Originally, the stone would've likely been enough to demonstrate its potential making Han's alterations to be unnecessary. He felt a little guilty, but a part of him thought the reaction was worth seeing, and the experience would be a useful learning tool to what's likely in the world.

Becky's eyes darted to Han before looking away.

Han understood the possible thoughts going through Becky's mind. Though this could raise the suspicion amongst all of them towards him, Han knew that his interference was necessary after the encounter. "I may not help you guys all the time, but I don't think anyone could blame me not to help. They may have their suspicions, but it won't be to the degree I'm trying to avoid" Han thought to himself as he glanced at Becky as if just noticing her looking at him.

Raising both hands into the air, he tried to make himself look innocent. "I admit to feeling a tingle, but I only picked it up with my suit on. It's been inside of the bad the entire time. When I handed it to you just now, I must not have been holding it long enough to feel an effect."

A sighing sound was heard from Jade as she said to Becky, "Captain. It seems highly unlikely that Han knows anything about the gem. Aside from the Arena, the shop, and in that cavern, I can't imagine him having contact with such things at least enough to do what we just saw."

"I agree, Captain," Ji-Min added. "Those in the science department haven't been able to alter the gems or create an artificial version, meaning that it's not possible for Han to have manipulated the object." Her expression was emotionless as if she found the meeting to be tedious.

Ji-Min may not have sneered at him, but Han had the feeling that she held him in contempt for some reason. It was interesting to elicit such a response from someone he didn't know. He mentally shrugged, not caring whether she had negative thoughts towards him.

Kimberly appeared to have recovered fully from her experience, looking at Han and smiling awkwardly. "I also don't think Han intended for there to be such a reaction when he handed me the gem." She looked back at Becky and said, "I think we should look further into this gem. It shares a lot in common with the stones we placed into our weapons. The sensation of raw power is one major element that this gem has in connection to our weapons."

Though Becky looked reluctantly, she looked away from Han, the suspicion fading from her eyes. "I think the three of you are right. Even if the discovery of the gems is too coincidental, judging by what we've witnessed, this may be exactly what we need."

Moving a hand to the nearby communication display, Becky pressed a button on the console. "I want someone from the Research and Development department. Tell them that this takes priority and send someone over quickly!"

"Now the question is if this thing is what we need, then how are we going to get more?" Jade asked the group.