Any pretense of courtesy evaporated from Richter's face.
"Some things are better left unknown, Mr. Joker."
He growled, dropping his hand to his sidearm. "This is your final warning. Step aside."
Instead of backing down, Julian took another deliberate step forward, planting himself dead center in the transport lane.
His elegant smile remained flawless. "If The Sterling Sovereign is taking an interest
in what's hidden in the vault, I certainly can't be left out of the fun."
Murderous intent bled into Richter's eyes. "If you insist on obstructing official business, we will be forced to remove you."
Julian casually pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Remove me?"
"By all means, try. But I promise you, I'll return the favor."
His tone was still maddeningly polite. "I'm fascinated by the idea that someone is running a shadow operation, smuggling high-value assets right under the noses of the VIP buyers."
"Perhaps we should invite Director Silas Kaelen down here to clarify the situation?"
With a smooth motion, Julian pulled out his encrypted terminal, fully prepared to summon the head of the auction.
Panic seized Richter.
If Joker made that call, everything was over.
Specimen Fourteen was an off-the-books extraction, orchestrated by the Black Sun behind the ship administration's back.
Only a handful of bribed officials knew it even existed.
If Director Kaelen or the rest of the ravenous buyers flooded the corridor...
There would be no explaining an unregistered Apex Bio-Transfer Pod.
If Specimen Fourteen was exposed to the public, the entire operation would burn to the ground.
He couldn't afford to hesitate.
Richter's eyes hardened with lethal resolve, and he gave a sharp, silent tactical gesture.
Joker had refused to cooperate.
Now, he had to be permanently silenced.
The instant the order was given.
The two lead Sentinels lunged. One drove a serrated blade straight for Julian's heart.
The other swept in from the blind spot, aiming a lethal strike at his throat.
The coordination was flawless, designed to execute the target in less than a second.
But Julian didn't even blink. His serene smile never wavered.
In the fraction of a second before
the steel pierced his throat, Julianet
shifted his weight content belongs
FindNovel.net
His hand snapped out, locking like a vice around the first Sentinel's wrist.
A sickening crunch echoed off the steel walls as he shattered the bone.
Before the man could scream, Julian drove his knee ruthlessly into the guard's sternum.
The guard folded in half.
In a blur of motion, Julian stripped the blade from the falling man's grip.
The steel flashed.
He slashed it smoothly across the guard's throat.
Withousing a beat, he lashed
out with a brutal kick
obliterating the
Second Sentinels kneecap.
.net whe
As the guard collapsed in agony, the stolen blade found his throat as well.
The third man fell...
Then the fourth...
het
Julian moved through the squad with the terrifying grace of a dancer eutralizing them effortless
He stood perfectly still, his refined smile untouched.
His immaculate grey suit didn't have a single drop of blood on it.