Despite their overwhelming fear, the guards conducted a meticulously thorough search.
They checked the chemical vials, the acupuncture pouches, the surgical tools, and even scoured the case for hidden compartments.
As the scanner hovered over a specific spot.
Jerrick suddenly spoke up. "Bottom right."
The guard reflexively flinched, jerking the scanner toward the bottom right corner. He glared back at Jerrick. "Mr. Fenris, please refrain from—"
"Tsk. How do you always spot my traps?" Serena clicked her tongue in annoyance, cocking an eyebrow at Jerrick. "It's infuriating how perfectly you dodge every single trigger I rig in there."
The guard's voice died in his throat.
He stared in horror at the exact spot his scanner had been hovering over just a second prior, then shot a desperate look at his partner.
Another guard scrambled over with a heavily reinforced defusal shield and swept it across the target area.
Thwip!
A silver needle shot out from the concealed mechanism, burying itself deep into the ballistic shield.
The tail of the needle vibrated violently.
Then, in less than three seconds, the point of impact began to violently dissolve outward.
Until the entire high-grade shield melted into a puddle of corrosive sludge.
The scanning guard was completely paralyzed with shock.
That shield was forged from military-grade composites capable of stopping armor- piercing rounds.
And it had just... melted into nothing?
If that needle had embedded itself into his wrist...
Then the puddle on the floor would have been his... hand?
The guard stared at Serena in absolute terror, his hand trembling so hard he nearly dropped the scanner.
Serena held up her hands in
exaggerated innocence. "Hey, don't look at me like that. Every single vial in here
look atsillions of dollars in
R&D. Obviously, I have to install a few fethal deterrents to protect my investments."
"Otherwise, losing even one dose would be a fatal blow to my bank account."
The guard was completely speechless.
He shot a terrified, deeply grateful look at Jerrick, all of his previous arrogance completely eviscerated.
Jerrick's voice cut through the
tension, calm and commnet
"Resume the scan. Avoid the
triggers I point out and sweep from a different angle." fo FindNovel.net
The guard nodded frantically.
Serena let them scan the case to their hearts' content.
They were never going to find anything anyway.
The actual core data was safely tucked beneath the acrylic nail on her pinky finger.
The scan finished without a single alarm.
The guards respectfully handed the case back to her, terrified of making eye
contact. "You're cleared, Ms. Panacea."
Serena grabbed the handle and strode off without a backward glance.
Jerrick fell into step behind her, his dark, calculating gaze locked on her retreating figure.
He knew damn well that her earlier warning was actually a covert invitation.
If he wanted to know the truth about what went down in the theater, and figure out who was trying to frame him, he needed to arrange a private meeting with her. fo FindNovel.net
Perhaps there was room for a mutually beneficial alliance.
By this time, Nicholas had also cleared the checkpoint and effortlessly caught up to Serena.
With deliberate smoothness, he positioned himself right between Jerrick and Serena, cutting off the mercenary's line of sight.
Nicholas had easily deciphered her hidden message as well; he knew Serena was
laying down tactical groundwork and baiting the mercenary.
He knew she was executing a flawlessly calculated operation.
But even knowing that, he still couldn't completely suppress the burning jealousy in his chest.