Meanwhile, outside the specialized medical wing.
Jerrick remained rooted to the spot, his grayish-blue eyes fixed heavily on the direction Serena had disappeared into.
He didn't look away until her slender, brooding figure finally vanished around the
corner.
This Panacea...
For some inexplicable reason, she gave him an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
It wasn't her appearance.
It was the way she lazily arched her eyes when she looked at him, and that teasing smirk that kept tugging at the corner of her lips.
Above all, it was that almost detached, indifferent attitude...
It felt so incredibly familiar, as if he had encountered it somewhere before.
"Boss."
A mercenary stepping up behind him broke Jerrick's train of thought. "That Panacea is way too arrogant."
Another man chimed in, his face set in a cold scowl. "If the ship didn't desperately need her right now, the way she provoked you would have gotten her killed ten times over."
Jerrick said nothing, merely lowering his gaze to the scanner in his hand.
The device hadn't detected a single anomaly.
But he knew all too well that someone like her wouldn't resort to such crude methods if she actually wanted to smuggle something out.
Her boldly popping the case open meant she was absolutely certain no one would find anything incriminating.
Deliberately wedging that silver needle at the edge of the hidden compartment was both a warning and a test.
She was testing whether he would spot it.
And testing if he had the guts to touch it.
"Boss?" the mercenary prompted gently when Jerrick remained silent for too long.
Jerrick tossed the scanner to his subordinate, his voice frigid. "From now on, every time she enters or leaves the medical wing, I will personally conduct her inspection." The two mercenaries blinked in surprise. "You, personally?"
Jerrick leveled a flat stare at them.
They instantly dropped their heads. "Yes, Boss. Understood."
Jerrick shifted his attention back down the empty hallway.
The Panacea was someone Hazel had met through the medical
underground making her one net
embedded assets Serena had positioned on this ship.
Regardless of whether she was truly an ally.
Since she was connected to Serena.
the
He absolutely could not let her die a meaningless death at the hands of the ship's administration.
More importantly, right now, she was the only one who could openly approach the assets.
She definitely knew something.
If he could extract even a shred of intel from her, their upcoming moves would be exponentially easier.
But she was far too sharp. She wasn't someone you could just casually interrogate.
The slightest slip-up, and she would instantly turn the tables and scrutinize him.
Jerrick's gaze grew somber.
He couldn't rush this.
He had to wait for the perfect opportunity.
Serena was escorted back to her suite by Director Kaelen.
As the door clicked shut.
She casually dropped her medical case on the table and sank lazily into the plush sofa.
The security cameras were still rolling.
Rather than doing anything suspicious, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the sleek black bank card.
Examining it from multiple angles,
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as
she planted a kiss directly on plastic project zero-Transit stingy as I thought."
Beaming, she pinched the card between her fingers and held it up to the light, a delighted smirk playing on her lips.
Her voice was a lazy drawl, dripping with unapologetic greed. "I've already made a killing just by stepping foot on this boat."
"By the time we hit Whitecliffe Harbor..."
She stretched out the syllables, her greedy grin widening. "I'll be swimming in cash."
Witnessing her unbridled obsession with money through the surveillance feed, several higher-ups on the other end let out a collective sigh of relief.
After indulging in a brief moment of wealthy euphoria.