Yet, Kaelen knew the alternative was worse. If their highest-tier buyer died today, the syndicate backing him would crush Project Zero-Transit into dust.
People disappeared on Project Zero-Transit every single minute.
When nobodies died, they stayed dead. It was the cost of doing business. But the Sterling Sovereign was different.
He was an elite VIP, arguably the single most untouchable man on the ship.
The empire behind him possessed power that even the ship's administration couldn't fully comprehend.
Kaelen squeezed his eyes shut and finally ground his teeth together. "I... I understand."
He turned to the technician, his voice tight. "Open the door."
The technician's hands were shaking over the keyboard.
Crushed between the combined authority of the Director and the Sterling Sovereign, he had no choice but to comply.
The clearance codes locked into place, and the heavy observation doors slowly hissed open.
Serena picked up her medical kit and strode inside without a second of hesitation.
Nicholas watched her retreating back. She walked in as if the raging monster chained to the table was nothing more than an afterthought.
Still, his chest tightened involuntarily. "Ms. Panacea..."
He pressed his lips together, a dark, protective intensity flashing in his striking eyes.
Serena simply met his gaze, instantly reading the unspoken words.
That sly devil was actually worried about her.
After all...
She was stepping into a cage with an unrestrained nightmare.
This wasn't a standard Obsidian Augment. This was a highly volatile, auction-ready killing machine.
Serena offered him a faint, reassuring smirk. She paused, glancing over her shoulder at Nicholas. "You'd better stay right where you are, Mr. Blackwood."
"I really, really don't like disobedient patients."
Nicholas raised a brow, genuinely amused by her brazen warning.
He understood exactly what she was really saying.
It was a clear instruction: don't make a move.
No matter what happened inside, he needed to make sure the crew didn't do
anything stupid to interfere with her work.
Nicholas also knew that, as the monster's active target, he couldn't exactly volunteer to accompany her into the theater.
It would be far too suspicious.
It would expose their prior connection and jeopardize the entire operation.
Plus...
Someone needed to stay outside and keep a tight leash on Kaelen and his men.
He couldn't let the crew pull any tricks that might put his Serena in danger while she was isolated inside.
Nicholas offered a languid, easy
smile. "Don't worry. I am the vennet
definition of a compliant patient. I'll follow your orders to the letter. MS. Panacea."
Only then did Serena turn back around and step fully into the Observation Theater.
It was a silent, flawless synergy between them.
The heavy doors sealed shut behind her.
The Titan-Grade Aegis Glass instantly divided the room into two entirely separate worlds.
But the moment Serena's foot hit
the floorboards of the theater, the entity strapped
So the surgical
table Asset 07-violently snapped
its eyes open.
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It didn't roar. It didn't thrash against its restraints.
Its murky, bloodshot eyes didn't look at Serena, despite her being the closest target
in the room.
Instead, with a sickening mechanical precision, its head snapped toward the
reinforced glass. It locked its gaze dead onto Nicholas.
Once its eyes found him, it froze, refusing to look away.
A cold sweat broke out across Kaelen's entire body.
The Panacea had been right.
Asset 07's target was the Sterling Sovereign!
The ship's security detail reacted on
pure instinct, stepping in front of
Nicholas to shield him. They raised their rifles, aiming directly at the monster inside the glass enclosure:
The air in the room stretched taut, ready to snap.
Kaelen felt his knees go weak. His voice quivered as he spoke. "M-Mr. Blackwood, please step back..."
Nicholas didn't even blink. He stood rooted to the spot, his posture radiating a cold, untouchable arrogance. "Stand down. I trust Ms. Panacea."