Yet even they didn't dare let Fourteen stay conscious.
They were too terrified to remove it from the stasis pod.
They had to rely on heavy sedatives, neural control chips, and remote kill switches just to maintain a fragile illusion of control.
But The Panacea...
She had dismantled every single one of those problems in sixty seconds.
And walked away with complete authority over the asset!
Standing in front of this woman...
Obsidian's years of cutting-edge research and sophisticated tech...
Really did look like a pathetic joke!
Serena couldn't be bothered to waste another breath on the utterly useless commander beneath Julian's foot.
She lifted her gaze, looking down the length of the corridor.
The far end connected straight to the backstage area of the Obsidian Sun High- Value Auction.
A massive metal freight elevator sat silently at the end of the tracks.
It was the Cargo Transit Elevator that led directly to the main auction stage.
Serena stared at the heavy iron doors, her striking eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
A brief moment of silence passed.
Then, the corners of her crimson lips curved upward.
A devilish, cunning grin spread across her pale, beautiful face.
She looked like she had just thought of a spectacularly dangerous game to play.
Julian stood off to the side, taking in her deeply wicked expression.
He arched a brow, a faint smile tugging at his own lips as he found himself infected by her sheer audacity.
That grin... it reminded him of his sister.
Whenever Serena smiled exactly like that, it meant someone was about to have a very, very bad day.
This Panacea... she was seriously impressive.
He had known from the start that The Panacea was a shadow operative planted by Serena and Hazel Carring.
And after witnessing the chaotic events of the past few minutes, it was obvious she was no ordinary pharmacist.
But even with that mental preparation, watching her casually tear through Obsidian's core infrastructure was genuinely staggering.
Her capabilities far exceeded anything he had anticipated.
She didn't just possess a genius-level aptitude for
.n
pharmacology allowing her to instantly diagnose the chemical anomalies inside Fourteen-she had the technical prowess to hack Obsidian's absolute authority lock.
She even used their own kill-switch to reverse-breach their core servers!
With skills like that... she could probably go toe-to-toe with his sister!
He studied The Panacea intently.
The longer he looked, the more...
For some inexplicable reason, a fleeting sense of familiarity washed over him.
It was almost as if Serena herself were standing right in front of him.
The second that thought crossed his mind, Julian's heart skipped a beat.
His gaze grew intensely sharp as it locked onto her face.
Just as he leaned in to scrutinize her more closely...
The woman suddenly turned her head, catching his eye. "Mr. Joker."
Her smile deepened, the dangerous, thrilling smirk on her pale face growing utterly intoxicating. "Are you brave enough to take a massive gamble with me?"
Julian's train of thought derailed completely.
That brief flash of suspicion vanished, replaced by a glint of genuine amusement in his dark eyes.
He looked at her, then followed her line of sight toward the heavy freight elevator
that led straight to the auction stage.
She didn't have to explain a thing.
He instantly knew exactly what she was planning.
His refined features shifted into a knowing, elegant smile. "Ms.
эл
Panacea.. are you intending to take Specimen Fourteen-the very asset Obsidian has gone to such desperate lengths to hide and shove it right out onto the center stage?"
Serena's red lips curled, arrogant and wild.
"Obsidian was so terrified of exposure that they were willing to nuke their own multi-million dollar masterpiece just to keep it a secret. The least we can a do is tend the helping hand..."