However, the strongest reactions came from the buyers seated in the VIP suites.
The moment Serena dropped that revelation, the communication lights on those private boxes began illuminating one after another.
Heated discussions broke out behind closed doors.
If there was only a single Obsidian Augment in existence...
Then it was merely a collector's item, a research specimen confined to a lab.
But if these Obsidian Augments could be mass-produced, it would create an unstoppable, invincible force capable of being deployed into any warzone or conflict!
The people present came from all corners of the globe.
Some controlled vast fortunes, while others ran international arms empires.
Some even operated as proxies for shadow factions that could never step into the light.
They were keenly aware that if anyone could mass-produce these creatures, their ambitions wouldn't stop at a minor territorial dispute.
They would be aiming to overthrow entire nations.
Therefore, their primary concern immediately shifted to the most practical hurdle.
“But the manufacturing cost for a specimen like this must be astronomical, right?" a voice drifted from one of the VIP boxes. "Just moments ago, a single vial of The A.W.S-0 Neural Stability Serum sold for twenty-six billion dollars. The price tag for one of these specimens... absolutely wouldn't be cheap."
"Even if it can handle extreme combat scenarios, building an actual army requires more than a few dozen or even a few hundred units."
"If every single Obsidian Augment requires such a colossal financial injection, is it even possible to manufacture thousands of them?"
Those few sentences acted like cold water on the feverish greed of several buyers, forcing them to sober up.
It was true. No matter how immense the value, the cost had to be weighed.
A voice from another suite chimed in. "Leaving aside the actual production cost, let's
just make an assumption. Let's say the base cost of manufacturing one Obsidian Augment is one hundred million dollars."
The man emphasized the word *assumption*. "Ten thousand units would equal one trillion dollars."
"And that's just the upfront cost for the bodies."
"What about the maintenance? The continuous supply of chemical stabilizers required to keep them operational? Who handles the
biological rejection when it net
flares up? The control modules, the specialized transport logistics, the long-term upkeep-how much is all of that going to cost?"
Clearly, the occupants of these VIP suites were ruthless capitalists.
They dragged the most brutal, realistic problem straight into the spotlight.
A trillion dollars.
Even for a room full of the world's wealthiest elite.
That was not a number anyone could toss around lightly.
And worse, that was merely an unverified, optimistic estimate.
How many resources had been bled dry just to get Specimen Fourteen to this stage?
How many mountains of failed, dead subjects paved the way for his existence?
Every single failure had to be factored into the bottom line.
An expert from Aurelius
Bio-Genetics nodded in agreement. "Exactly. The true cost of a single Obsidian Augment is incalculable. Furthermore... what is the actual success rate of producing one?"
"Human modification can never boast a one hundred percent success rate. If every mature asset is built on the corpses of countless. failures, the exponential cost would be staggering."
"From a practical standpoint, assembling this so-called Eternal Phalanx is likely a logistical nightmare."
Many in the crowd nodded in agreement.
Specimen Fourteen was undoubtedly priceless.
But being priceless was one thing; being reproducible was a completely different
story.
"So, what's the point of buying just one?" someone in a VIP box chuckled. "It's not like you can just park it in your living room as a billion-dollar bodyguard."
A single Specimen Fourteen might turn the tide of a minor skirmish.
But establishing true, strategic dominance required far more than one or two, or even a dozen of them.