The parchment was heavily aged, the edges frayed and weathered by time.
But stamped across the front, faded yet undeniably legible, was a string of black letters.
A.W.S-0.
The camera zoomed in violently on the designation, broadcasting it across the theater for the entire world to witness.
Serena, who had been lazily toying with Nicholas's fingers, suddenly froze the second her eyes hit that label.
The reaction lasted only a fraction of a millisecond.
Nicholas instantly turned his hand, wrapping his large, warm palm entirely around hers.
Back on stage.
The auctioneer slid on a pair of white gloves and delicately turned the module to face the cameras, his voice shaking with reverence. "This is the ultimate prize. The A.W.S-0 Neural Stability Serum."
"A.W.S... denoting the initials of Professor Aria Wynn."
Aria Wynn.
The absolute dead silence that slammed into the room at the mention of that name was suffocating.
It was horrifyingly obvious that more than a few people in that room knew exactly who she was.
The auctioneer pressed forward. "Thirty years ago, Professor Wynn was unilaterally recognized as the absolute apex of Elyndor's neurological research."
"The initiatives she spearheaded revolutionized neural reconstruction, genetic stabilization, the reversal of catastrophic nerve damage, and life-support mechanisms for congenital neural defects."
"And the vial before you is the sole surviving, untainted iteration of The Mother Liquid she left behind."
Endless columns of staggering analytical data began streaming across the massive screens.
The auctioneer gestured
passionately to the displays.
"According to our diagnostic
breakdown, this serum has the capability to actively forge entirely new neural pathways in the wake of total systematic collapse."
"Furthermore, when paired with classified biological templates, it exponentially elevates a subject's survival and stabilization rates. It can drag a collapsing biological entity kicking and screaming back from the brink of total neural death." Cóntent
He paused dramatically, an insidious, knowing smile twisting his features. As for the true potential of this formula and the horrifying heights of research it unlocks. Im sure the power players in this room need no further explanation."
He didn't say the quiet part out loud.
But he didn't need to. The eyes of dozens in the crowd had already turned downright psychotic.
Especially the occupants of the VIP suites who hadn't lifted a single finger during the previous rounds.
The very second the auctioneer finished outlining the specs, the active bidding lights in those suites snapped on like rapid gunfire.
Forging new neural pathways. Elevating survival rates. Stabilizing a collapsing lifeform.
On paper, it sounded like a miracle cure.
But to anyone who had ever dirtied their hands in the black market of biological enhancement, they knew exactly how many billions of dollars had been incinerated by neural rejection.
They knew exactly how many test subjects had melted down on the operating table inches away from success.
This A.W.S-0 Neural Stability Serum wasn't just medicine. It was a key.
A key that shattered the biological ceiling and unlocked the true frontier of forced human evolution!
Nobody who boarded Project Zero-Transit was a standard buyer.
Especially not the representatives from the world's most deranged underground research facilities.
Or the syndicates pouring ungodly sums into neural modification and cellular augmentation.
They understood the apocalyptic value of what was sitting in that vault.
In truth, more than half the room had sailed into international waters exclusively for
this exact prize.