The first route was instantly jammed tight by the surging tide of hunters.
The second route was entirely locked down by the ship's high-tier security reinforcements.
Anyone attempting to pass would be subjected to rigorous identity checks and cargo inspections.
As for the third route-the most covert path leading directly to The Aft Docking Bay...
Jerrick claimed it was too vulnerable to a buyer breach and deployed his own elite mercenary squad to personally barricade it.
One by one, every escape path meticulously planned by Black Sun was completely and utterly obliterated.
Now, the only viable route left for them was the exact one Ms. Panacea had prepared.
...
Deep inside the inner layers of The Sanctum Vault.
Heavy blast doors groaned open in succession.
A squad of over a dozen heavily armed Obsidian Sentinels burst through, escorting
a massive, completely sealed containment unit.
The Apex Bio-Transfer Pod towered over ten feet tall, its exterior forged from specialized alloys.
The unit was outfitted with top-tier life-support systems, with dozens of metallic tubes of varying thicknesses plugging directly into the core.
Across its dark metallic surface, blinding red warning lights flashed relentlessly.
The elite sentinels formed a tight, impenetrable perimeter around the pod, flanked by four Semi-Finished Obsidian Augments.
The sheer scale of the security detail made the protection surrounding Aria Wynn's serum look like a joke.
"Asset 14's vitals remain critical! Heart rate is rapidly spiking!"
"Life support can only hold out for another ten minutes!"
Hearing the frantic reports, the Black Sun commander overseeing the transport looked absolutely murderous.
Veins bulged on his temples as he barked, "Move to The Aft Docking Bay immediately! The extraction vessel is waiting."
"We must get Specimen Fourteen off Project Zero-Transit before she wakes up!" The convoy surged forward.
But the moment they pushed the pod past the inner vault doors, a panicked voice crackled over their comms. "Commander, we have a massive problem! All perimeter routes are completely blocked!"
The commander slammed on the brakes. "What did you say?!"
The operative on the other end was trembling "A rumor exploded in The Predator's Den and The Merchant's Quarter. They're saying the vault is hiding Living Assets infinitely more valuable than the finale item!""
"Now massive crowds of hunters, buyer escorts, and brokers are swarming the vault!"
"The ship's crew deployed massive security details and locked down all public corridors!"
"Our designated extraction routes are completely overrun!"
"Right now, the entire Sanctum Vault..."
The operative was practically hyperventilating. "...has become the focal point of the entire ship!"
The commander's face darkened into a terrifying scowl.
With their covert routes compromised, moving forward meant exposing Specimen Fourteen to the ship's crew and every greedy buyer on board.
But if they stayed here...
The commander whipped his head toward the frantically flashing Apex Bio-Transfer Pod.
THUD-!
A heavy, muffled impact erupted from inside the pod.
The massive metal structure shuddered violently.
The operative monitoring the data turned white as a sheet. "Asset 14's cognitive fluctuations are surging! She... she could wake up at any second!"
The commander looked sick.
Damn it!
How did it all go so wrong?
Enet
Their plan was flawless. They were supposed to use Specimen Seven to trigger chaos, letting the auction distract the buyers and the crew. They were supposed to slip Specimen Fourteen down to the docking bay like ghosts and vanish from Project Zero-Transit