It was as if the escalating outrage from the crowd had absolutely nothing to do with
her.
She was merely a hired medical consultant, paid by the ship to appraise an asset.
As for the identity of the supplier, that was naturally a problem for the ship's management to handle.
By now, the crushing weight of the crowd's attention was squarely on Project Zero- Transit's staff.
The Lead Auctioneer and Director Kaelen exchanged panicked, helpless glances.
They both knew this situation was spiraling entirely out of control.
Specimen Seven was, indeed, properly registered cargo.
The transaction logs were sitting right in the ship's database.
But the insurmountable problem was Project Zero-Transit's ironclad non-disclosure policy.
It didn't matter who the client was, what they were buying, or what they were selling.
As long as they adhered to the ship's trading protocols, client identities were classified at the highest level of absolute secrecy.
That was the foundational rule that allowed them to operate in the high seas and maintain their flawless reputation all these years.
They couldn't just casually dox a client and burn their operations to the ground simply because a crowd of angry buyers demanded it.
Doing so would instantly annihilate the years of trust Project Zero-Transit had meticulously built.
Cold sweat beaded down Director Kaelen's temples. He adjusted his earpiece, hopelessly sending yet another frantic request to The Nexus. "Commodore, we need directives down here immediately. The buyers are demanding to speak with the supplier for Specimen Seven. Do we have authorization to "
Only dead silence echoed in his earpiece.
There was no response whatsoever.
Director Kaelen's stomach dropped.
But the rabid buyers staring him down weren't going to give him the luxury of waiting for orders.
"What's the matter? Can't say, or too scared to say?"
"I thought Project Zero-Transit prided itself on having rules!"
"You're parading this kind of monster in front of us, and we aren't even allowed to know who built it?"
Taking a ragged breath, Director Kaelen had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to the front of the stage. "Honored guests, I ask that everyone please remain calm."
He plastered on his most reassuring smile, softening his tone to project pure sincerity. "Specimen Seven was indeed an officially commissioned transaction handled by Project Zero Transit. However, per the ship's operational protocols, all details regarding Specimen Seven fall strictly under our confidentiality umbrella."
“Without explicit authorization from the client, Project Zero-Transit will never expose a client's identity."
"Given that all of you were vetted to board Project Zero-Transit, I trust you are all intimately familiar with our rules."
His gaze swept over the furious crowd as he slowly added, "The ship protects the data of every single client, whether they are a supplier or a buyer."
That statement acted as a subtle warning, effectively silencing a portion of the crowd.
Who among the elite in this room actually wanted their illicit purchase histories broadcasted for the world to see?
They knew the rules of Project Zero-Transit perfectly well.
In fact, that exact ironclad secrecy was the only reason most of them conducted business here.
If the ship buckled and sold out Specimen Seven's client today, what was stopping them from selling out their own identities tomorrow?
So, despite their burning frustration, it was incredibly difficult to openly attack the ship over its core policy.
Sensing the slight hesitation in the
room, Director Kaelen breathed a microscopic sigh of relief and immediately seized the momentum. "As for Specimen Fourteen since it classifies as an extreme-tier diving asset, its documentation is similarly locked behind the highest level of trade privacy, mandating full compliance with the ship's standard procedures."
"We invited MS. Panacea to conduct this public appraisal solely to provide you with a clearer, hands-on understanding of this extraordinary asset rather than forcing you to bid blindly based on a sterile data sheet." sŵnovels
“The ship entirely sympathizes with your concerns, but when it comes to the privacy
of our suppliers, we respectfully ask for your understanding."
It was a flawlessly crafted PR spin, airtight and entirely reasonable.
He had smoothly looped Specimen Fourteen right into Project Zero-Transit's sacred confidentiality safety net.
On the surface, he made it sound like just another routine, high-end transaction.