The lead predator twirled the knife in his grip, letting out a sinister, grating laugh. "What? Don't we look the part?"
A faint smirk touched Serena's lips. "You certainly look like trash. But... do you really think you have what it takes to play the villain with me?"
The leader glanced back at his men, and the group immediately erupted into cruel, mocking laughter.
"You clearly have no idea who you're dealing with, sweetheart. We're Elite Predators from The Predator's Den."
Serena arched a delicate brow. "And?"
Their laughter abruptly died out. They hadn't expected her to remain so flawlessly composed after hearing their titles.
The leader furrowed his brow, offering a cold sneer. "We've obviously heard about your particular set of skills."
"You made quite the name for yourself earlier today. Word around the ship is that you effortlessly subdued the Living Assets. We'd never underestimate someone like you."
"Which is why..."
His tone shifted sharply, the smile on his face stretching into something feral and greedy. "We heard that back in the exhibition area, you squeezed millions of dollars out of the organizers and shook down The Sterling Sovereign for an absolute fortune."
"Everyone on this ship is just looking for a payday. Be a good girl, leave the medical case and the cash behind, and my boys and I promise not to leave a scratch on that pretty face."
As his words hung in the air, the tension thickened.
Every single pair of eyes zeroed in on the compact medical case gripped in Serena's hand.
There was no hiding the raw greed and mocking contempt burning in their gazes.
To them, it didn't matter how miraculous her medical talents were. At the end of the day, she was just a defenseless doctor.
On the lawless decks of Project Zero-Transit, a stray sheep isolated from the herd was nothing more than fresh meat waiting to be butchered.
Meanwhile, high above the standoff.
In the narrow confines of the ventilation ducts overlooking the corridor.
Jasper Lancaster, his face concealed behind his signature silver grinning mask, crouched in absolute silence.
He had intended to use the chaotic distraction of the auction to infiltrate the cargo hold for a little
reconnaissance. He never expected to stumble upon this scene midway through his crawl
Jasper's brow furrowed sharply beneath the metal. "Is that... The Panacea?"
He knew The Panacea was the undercover operative his sister and Hazel Carring had planted on the ship.
He had already heard the rumors this brilliant doctor had built massive credibility with the organizers and even caught the exclusive attention of The Sterling Sovereign himself.
"A bunch of bottom-feeding scumbags actually dare to lay a finger on my sister's contact?" A lethal glint flashed in Jasper's eyes.
These bastards spent half their time trying to snatch the bounty on his sister's head.
And now they were trying to rob her key operative blind.
Did they really think Jasper Lancaster was just going to sit back and watch?
He braced his hands against the metal grate, preparing to drop into the corridor and slaughter the lot of them, when-
Serena looked down at her medical
case, casually lifting it up to eye
level. She gave it a little shake in
front of the assassins, a devastating smile blooming on her lips. "You want this?"
"Hell yes." Another predator licked his lips, his eyes practically glued to the container. "The formulas you're holding are priceless on the black market Plus, we know you took down those Living, Assets using just one vial from that very case.....'
"Not to mention the massive fortune you just scammed off The Sterling Sovereign."
"If we take that box and every last dollar in your accounts, we'll never have to work another day in our lives."
The curve of Serena's crimson lips deepened into a razor-sharp, mocking arc. "You boys really are insatiable."
"Haha! You're too naive, honey." The men exchanged amused glances before breaking into booming laughter. "We're assassins. Blood money is the only thing we live for."
"Money over life," Serena murmured, her smile turning eerily serene. "I understand perfectly."