Meanwhile, inside the ultra-luxurious VIP suite at the Obsidian Sun High-Value Auction, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Director Silas Kaelen stood before Nicholas Blackwood, beads of cold sweat constantly multiplying on his forehead.
Several top executives flanked him. The head of The Technical Oversight Cell was also present, frantically pulling up the raw data for tonight's finale item.
Every single one of them trembled under Nicholas's presence.
The holographic screen in the center of the room displayed fragments of Aria Wynn's original serum data. The crew had authorized maximum clearance just to retrieve it.
Yet, even with that access, the most critical sections remained heavily encrypted.
Nicholas sat tall and elegant, leaning lazily against the sofa with his long legs crossed. His black dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a glimpse of his pale, sculpted collarbone.
Despite his relaxed, lazy posture, his mesmerizing eyes held absolutely zero warmth.
His aristocratic features betrayed no emotion.
The only movement was his long fingers, rhythmically tapping against the armrest.
Тар. Тар.
Every single knock felt like a hammer striking the chests of everyone in the room. Crushed by the invisible pressure, Director Kaelen wiped the sweat from his brow. "The Sterling Sovereign, we have retrieved the raw data you requested."
"However, some of it involves Chief Engineer Wynn's core experiments from decades ago, as well as the original source of the serum. The clearance level is simply too high."
"Even we do not have the authority to unlock those files directly."
Nicholas lazily lifted his gaze, his piercing eyes sweeping over the projected screen.
The look was clearly one of deep dissatisfaction.
Director Kaelen's heart clenched. Just as he opened his mouth to
further, a pale-faced st
explan
member stumbled into the suite:
"Director Kaelen, we have a massive problem!"
He shouted urgently, completely ignoring the fact that The Sterling Sovereign was present.
Already drenched in sweat, Director Kaelen felt his heart plummet. "What happened?"
"There's a rumor spreading through
The Predator's Den and The Merchant's Quarter," the staff member stammered casting a
terrified glance Vicholas on the
sofa. "They're saying... saying that The Sanctum Vault is hiding Living Assets more valuable than tonight's finale!"
Director Kaelen's face drained of color. "What did you just say?"
His voice cracked, losing all control of his volume.
The other executives snapped their heads toward the messenger.
Swallowing hard, the staff member dared to look at Nicholas again. "They're also saying..."
"That The Sterling Sovereign has his sights set on the cargo and is forcing the crew to let him inspect it."
FindNovel.net
hald them back!
"Massive crowds of hunters and buyers are swarming the vault's perimeter right now,
"WHAT?!!!"
This time, the shout was utterly unhinged.
Director Kaelen's face turned ghostly white, his mind buzzing with pure panic.
The other executives turned equally pale. "Who started this rumor?! Suppress it! Suppress it right now!"
"Deploy all available security! Block them off! Nobody gets near The Sanctum Vault!"
It was true that The Sanctum Vault contained highly classified Living Assets.
Among them were several Semi-Finished Assets that hadn't even achieved experimental stability.
But those subjects were absolutely not ready for public auction.