But Serena's eyes lingered for less than half a second before sliding away disinterestedly.
Silas, entirely oblivious to her sharp observation, respectfully swiped his card to unlock the treatment zone doors.
"Miss Panacea, after you."
Serena gave a dismissive hum and strolled inside with her medical kit.
Inside the treatment chamber.
Specimen Seven had been strapped back onto the operating table.
This time, the restraints were significantly heavier.
The metal chains he had snapped earlier were replaced by massive, reinforced black alloy shackles.
His limbs, torso, and neck were completely immobilized.
Several new diagnostic machines were wired into his body.
Thick cables snaked from his flesh to the massive monitoring screens dominating the wall.
His condition was far more stable than before.
The sickening, dark-purple veins beneath his skin were no longer thrashing wildly. Yet, they still twitched sporadically.
It looked as though a monstrous force had been violently suppressed, but was still fighting to tear through the surface.
The most glaring anomaly was his brain activity.
Even trapped in a deep coma, his neural pathways were firing at terrifying, hyper- active speeds.
The erratic spikes were even worse than when she had first examined him.
Serena narrowed her eyes slightly.
Just as she suspected. The Black Sun was genuinely trying to preserve the Obsidian Augments' self-awareness.
Unfortunately for them, the technology was severely flawed.
They wanted to forcefully retain human consciousness while simultaneously
maintaining absolute dominance over the asset.
The agonizing tug-of-war was tearing the subject's body to shreds.
Inside the chamber, the same group of underground doctors and pharmacists who
had previously shadowed Dr. Arthur York were still present.
After all, they were the only ones who possessed any working knowledge of Specimen Seven.
The moment Serena walked in.
The hushed murmurs debating the diagnostic readouts instantly died.
This time, the way they looked at Serena had drastically shifted.
Doctors practically tripped over themselves stepping out of her way.
Others bowed their heads in deep reverence.
"Miss Panacea, welcome back."
Gone was the snide mockery. Gone was the arrogant superiority.
Every single one of them kept their eyes glued to the floor, standing by in respectful silence.
When they caught sight of the Raven Crest Access Card hanging from her belt, their expressions grew even more complicated. .net
It was a potent mix of stark terror and burning, unfiltered envy.
The title of Specialized Medical
Consultant meant that, from this et
second onward, The Panacea. possessed absolute authority in this room.
This young woman they had mocked just hours ago for being too young and full of parlor tricks.
She had delivered a masterclass in medicine so utterly crushing, it felt like a physical slap to all their faces.
And now, this same young woman was their undisputed superior.
Yet, no one dared to argue. They were completely cowed.
One man even shuffled forward nervously. "Miss Panacea, the latest diagnostic data has been uploaded. to th
primary monitors. What
what would you like us to do?"
He was practically groveling.
Serena merely lifted her lashes and gave him a chilling stare.
The man's spine snapped completely straight, terrified that one wrong word would
make him her next victim.
Serena finally spoke. "Quiet."
"Yes, ma'am!" The man shut his mouth instantly and scurried to the side.
God only knew how violently his heart had hammered against his ribs when her eyes locked onto his.
A thick layer of cold sweat drenched his back.
The rest of the room fell into an even deeper, more suffocating silence.
Serena carried her medical kit to the operating table and popped the latches open.
A few doctors twitched, clearly desperate to edge closer and see exactly what compound she would use next.
Their academic hunger was burning out of control.