He just kept his eyes on the map, his tone remaining deadly serious. "Black Sun originally planned to use Specimen Seven's rampage as a smokescreen. The goal was to distract the ship's forces and The Merchant's Quarter, letting them slip Specimen Fourteen into an even deeper Sanctum Vault."
"But you completely neutralized Specimen Seven, shattering their entire strategy."
"So, they improvised. They used the excuse of pacifying The Sterling Sovereign's fury to scramble together The Midnight Gala Auction."
"Once the auction kicks off, the security grid gets rerouted, and the VIP levels pull all the attention."
Listening to him, Serena lazily narrowed her strikingly beautiful eyes. "And under that cover, Specimen Fourteen gets ghosted out."
"Which means..."
Serena suddenly curled her red lips into a wicked smirk, raising an eyebrow. "I'm willing to bet half the ship's crew doesn't even know Specimen Fourteen exists."
"In fact, some of their executives might not even realize they're being played like absolute fools."
"Black Sun is completely bypassing Project Zero-Transit's authority, using their own turf to run a shadow op. That's why they orchestrated this massive spectacle."
Project Zero-Transit roamed international waters, fiercely protecting its reputation for absolute order and security.
There was no way the ship's administration would allow anyone to hoard and extract a high-level Human Specimen under their noses.
Especially... a group like Black Sun, who already had deep ties and elite clearance with Project Zero-Transit.
Serena and Jerrick locked eyes.
In the oppressive darkness, a shared, dangerous understanding rippled through both of their gazes.
"If the ship's brass is being used as blind pawns, that gives us a massive tactical advantage," Jerrick stated flatly.
Serena nodded in total agreement.
It was an absolutely brilliant setup.
An oblivious administration.
A totally off-the-books extraction route.
And a group of arrogant operatives convinced they could sneak Specimen Fourteen out under the cover of the auction.
This game was turning out to be far more entertaining than they had originally anticipated.
In a split second, Serena threaded every single piece of intel together in her mind. The 'Capture The Panacea Alive' bounty floating around The Predator's Den.
She had initially assumed the Hunters were just salivating over her supply, the massive payday from The Sterling Sovereign, and her own lucrative brand.
But now, it was glaringly obvious that things were much more complicated.
By dominating Specimen Seven earlier, she hadn't just blown up
ck Sun's distraction op het
had
loudly broadcast her ability to shut down their ultimate weapons.
Black Sun was absolutely terrified of her.
They were terrified that she, a massive wildcard, would ruin their extraction of Specimen Fourteen.
But at the same time, they couldn't bear to just put a bullet in her.
After all, a Panacea who could conquer Specimen Seven, diagnose the flaws in their Human Specimens, and save The Sterling Sovereign's life.
She was far too valuable.
Bet
Valuable enough that Black Sun didn't want her dead-they wanted her chained up. They wanted to,
ess her genius and turn her into
their ultimate, obedient asset.
A slow, drippingly sarcastic smirk crept across Serena's vibrant lips.
The smile was breathtakingly beautiful, yet violently dangerous.
If Black Sun was the one funding the hit in The Predator's Den, it meant she had successfully forced herself straight onto their executive radar.
Which meant her trap had worked perfectly.
She had boarded Project Zero-Transit for one reason: to get close enough to Black Sun to absolutely annihilate the scum who had stolen her grandmother's life's work.
By making herself the bait, she was dragging their shot-callers out of the shadows, making them so anxious they had no choice but to beg her to step right into the heart of their operation.