"However, you weren't the original target of that command."
"Right before the exhibition started, someone manually altered its target recognition template to lock onto you."
Nicholas took the chip, rolling it thoughtfully between his thumb and index finger. His expression darkened. "So, they knew The Sterling Sovereign would be here from the start."
Serena nodded. "Either your presence threatened someone's interests, prompting them to weaponize Asset 07 to take you out in the exhibition area....."
"Or..."
Serena's eyes narrowed, a sharp glint surfacing. "The organizers have grown suspicious of me and used this chaos to test my capabilities."
Nicholas closed his hand around the chip. "That's entirely plausible. You caused such a massive scene using The Panacea identity precisely to force The Raven... or whoever truly controls this syndicate... to notice you, didn't you?"
Nicholas had deduced Serena's exact strategy from the very beginning.
To penetrate the core of the organization, she had to flip the script and turn herself from the hunter into the prey.
Only when they believed she was their prey would she finally gain access to their inner circle.
But... the method was incredibly dangerous.
"I know what you're going to say, but there's no better option right now." Serena placed her hand over his. "Once Project Zero-Transit docks at Whitecliffe Harbor and all the transactions are finalized, destroying them will become infinitely harder." Nicholas's eyes grew heavy.
He pressed his lips together, sighing after a long moment. "Leave the chip to me. I'll figure out a way to extract the data."
Serena cupped his face. Looking at the unfamiliar features of his disguise, she found deep comfort in the absolute familiarity of his gaze.
She stroked his jaw lightly with her thumb. "Good boy."
It was like she was soothing a massive, overly protective guard dog she had raised.
Nicholas raised his eyes, shooting
her a dark look before letting out a
dry scoff. "Oh, so now I'm a boy? FindNovel.net
доба
Serena leaned down and pecked his lips. "Yes, you're a very good boy."
The kiss effectively managed to quell his remaining frustration.
He knew full well that even if he tried to stop her from taking this risk, she wouldn't listen.
They had already come this far.
The only thing left for him to do was protect her with everything he had.
Nicholas grabbed her hand, pulling
her back into his lap before
speaking. "Back in t
exhibition
area, you traced a 5' on my palma. Does that mean Asset 07's sudden
mutation is connected to AWS-05?"
Serena raised an eyebrow. "You caught that fast."
She nodded. "The number 05 appeared within Asset 07's command routing."
"Earlier, when I was near Asset 07's containment pod, I also saw the AWS-05 designation flicker on the logs."
"That means 05 and 07 belong to the exact same batch of test subjects."
"And yet, 07 was pushed into the spotlight for the preview, while 05 was kept entirely hidden."
"Logically, whatever they bring out for the preview should be the most flawless product of their batch.
Otherwise, it wouldn't effectivenet
showcase the value of the Living Assets or attract high-rolling buyers."
"But... based on the data fragments I tracked, AWS-05 is much closer to a perfect, completed subject than 07 is."