Nicholas's gaze remained fixed on Specimen Seven. "What exactly am I supposed to see here? At this moment, I can't personally verify its capabilities or its utility."
He paused, turning his head to look at Director Kaelen. "Is this really all you have to show me?"
Director Kaelen scrambled to explain. "Of course not! This is merely a preliminary demonstration. Specimen Seven's true value will be showcased to you in its entirety."
"Hah." Serena let out a cool, mocking scoff from the sidelines.
The director's face shifted. "Your Excellency, you are the specialized medical consultant hired by Project Zero-Transit. The presentation of Specimen Seven should be your responsibility..."
Serena shot him a dismissive glare. "You can't talk a dead man off a ledge. I clearly stated that Specimen Seven's current condition is too unstable for stimulation. You insisted on this demonstration, so I won't be taking the fall for it."
Director Kaelen's mouth moved silently in frustration.
This Panacea really was an absolute nightmare to deal with.
She had taken a fortune from the organizers, yet couldn't she just cooperate with the basic protocol?
Had they really paid millions just to hire a tyrant?
Nicholas withdrew his gaze from the glass. He glanced at Serena first, then turned back to the director with an unreadable smile. "So, is Project Zero-Transit attempting to demonstrate what a defective product looks like?"
"O-Of course not," Director Kaelen waved his hands frantically. "The Panacea is simply being overly cautious. In reality, Specimen Seven is perfectly fine."
"The Sterling Sovereign, whichever aspect you wish to see, we can demonstrate it for you immediately."
Saying that, he shot a pointed look at the technician.
The staff member glanced nervously at Serena before shakily following the director's orders.
The moment the command was entered into the system.
Inside The Observation Theater, Specimen Seven's fingertips twitched.
"Huff... Huff..."
A raspy, guttural wheezing bled through the thick blast-proof glass. It sounded exactly like a caged beast struggling for breath.
Immediately after, a previously stable neural wave on the Biometric Monitoring Display spiked with a sudden, abnormal upward surge.
The magnitude wasn't massive, but it was noticeable.
Director Kaelen paused. "Is... is that a normal fluctuation?"
The technician rapidly typed on the console, swallowing hard. "The Level-One Neural Prompt is still within the safety threshold This neural curve is technically still within manageable parameters."
The director had just started to breathe a sigh of relief.
When the technician stammered, "But... but Specimen Seven's reaction intensity has exceeded our projections."
Instinctively, Director Kaelen looked to Serena.
She didn't even bother to look up. "Why are you looking at me? Didn't you say it wouldn't cause any significant impact?"
The director's face drained of color, turning a sickly pale shade. "Your Excellency..."
Serena's expression remained perfectly unbothered.
Her eyes swept over the cascading data on the display.
Specimen Seven was definitely reacting poorly.
This wasn't a standard fluctuation triggered by a basic neural prompt.
Instead, it looked more like...
Serena narrowed her eyes slightly Pressing her hand onto the control console, she swiftly pulled up
Specimen Seven's cerebral activity mapping
A single glance confirmed her suspicions.
Exactly as she thought.
The corners of her lips curled upward, though the smile was entirely devoid of warmth. "Interesting."
Director Kaelen had been frantically trying to think of how to beg her to intervene, only to see her take initiative at the console.
But before he could even exhale in relief.
He heard those terrifying words from her lips.
A suffocating wave of dread washed over him.
Honestly, bearing The Panacea say "interesting" triggered an immediate, primal instinct that something about to go horribly wrong. .net>
Catastrophically wrong.
His heart leaped into his throat, his voice trembling. "Your Excellency, w-what's happening?"