Nicholas remained silent, merely lifting his chin in a dismissive gesture.
Director Silas Kaelen reacted as if he'd just been granted a presidential pardon, scrambling frantically out of the VIP suite to contact the ship's upper management.
His legs felt like jelly, but he didn't dare waste a single second. He yanked out his communicator and barked into it. "Unlock the Obsidian Sun High-Value Auction database archives immediately! The Sterling Sovereign... The Sterling Sovereign is demanding access!"
"Hurry!"
Inside the suite, Nicholas watched Director Kaelen's retreating figure.
A profound, meaningful smile graced his striking, patrician features.
His deep eyes gleamed with a chilling, predatory light.
He lowered his gaze, his attention shifting to his watch. The hidden terminal displayed a blank message from Serena.
It was their prearranged signal.
She was making her move.
All he had to do was sit back in this suite and make sure every ounce of attention from the ship's executives and The Technical Oversight Cell remained locked squarely on him.
Staring at that blank text, a rush of fierce, indulgent affection softened Nicholas's gaze.
"Go tear them apart, Serena," he murmured.
Even if she turned Project Zero-Transit completely upside down.
He would always be standing right behind her, ready to catch the fallout.
Meanwhile, Serena scaled the abandoned oxygen supply shaft.
The shaft had been decommissioned for years.
Rust mottled the metal walls, and a layer of damp condensation slicked the edges.
The further she climbed.
The more stifling the air became.
The occasional groan of machinery overhead, mixed with the slight vibrations of the ship cutting through the ocean waves, gave the narrow space a suffocating atmosphere.
Yet Serena's pace didn't falter in the slightest.
The crude map Fenris had shown her just moments ago was already burned into her photographic memory.
She knew exactly where the cameras were angled.
Which stretches intersected with patrol routes.
Which junction fed directly into The Sanctum Vault.
And most importantly...
She knew the exact location of the Central Pneumatic Hub sitting directly above it.
Fenris had specifically highlighted that hub on his map.
Reaching the third junction, Serena vaulted upward. Her fingers latched onto a protruding metal brasket, and she used her momentum to swing herself silently into an incredibly narrow, rusted ventilation duct.
She moved without a sound, like a phantom in the dark.
Stopping exactly at the coordinates Fenris had marked, she lowered herself into a crouch and peered through the grate. Her cool gaze swept the area below.
This spot was the only blind spot on the entire perimeter of The Sanctum Vault. It bypassed every security camera while offering a perfect unobstructed bird's-eye view of the Central Pneumatic Hub and the surrounding patrol zones.
Serena narrowed her eyes, a spark of genuine respect flickering in her gaze.
She had to admit, Fenris was damn good at his job.
He lived up to his reputation as a top-tier mercenary.
In an impossibly short amount of time, he hadn't just pinpointed Specimen Fourteen's hidden 's hidden location and extraction route, but he'd also mapped out these highly classified blind spots with terrifying accuracy.
Partnering with someone like that certainly saved her a massive headache.
She shifted her attention to the perimeter of the hub.
Nearly twenty Obsidian Sentinels clad in black tactical gear were stationed there, methodically guarding every single entrance.
They had locked down every conceivable approach to the control room. There wasn't a single opening.
Every man was armed with the ship's highest-grade weaponry.
It was glaringly obvious that the security detail here was leagues above the grunts patrolling the outer decks.
The corner of Serena's mouth curled up. With practiced ease, she slipped two Rosewood Sedative Shells from her pocket.
The capsules were no larger than a fingernail, completely translucent.
In the dim lighting, they gave off an eerie, iridescent sheen.
Pinching the shells delicately between her slender fingers, Serena flicked her wrist.