"Confidentiality?" A low, dangerously mocking laugh sliced through Director Kaelen's perfectly crafted excuse. “Do you really think everyone in this room is an idiot?"
Director Kaelen's face stiffened in horror.
Down in the pit, several buyers exchanged knowing glances.
A public appraisal meant to give them a clearer understanding?
When Specimen Fourteen first rose from the floor, they all saw the sheer, unadulterated panic on The Lead Auctioneer's face.
First, he claimed the system malfunctioned.
Then, he desperately tried to abort the auction altogether.
When interrogated about the asset's origins, the man couldn't even stammer out a basic introduction.
No matter how you spun it, this did not look like a premeditated, VIP showcase orchestrated by the ship.
In the end, it was only because they dragged Ms. Panacea on stage to conduct a live evaluation that anyone even figured out what the hell Specimen Fourteen was.
It was just that, until now, no one had dared to publicly rip the mask off the ship's lies.
But absolutely no one was willing to accept Director Kaelen's blatant gaslighting.
Just then.
The communication light of a premier VIP suite illuminated, broadcasting the smooth, chillingly pleasant voice unique to Joker. "If we were dealing with standard cargo, the ship is naturally obligated to protect the supplier's privacy."
"But what is sitting on that stage right now is an unstable, living bio-weapon with an inherent risk of lethal collateral damage."
"It is currently trapped on the exact same ship as the rest of us..." The man paused, his tone remaining effortlessly cordial. "Don't you think that gives us the fundamental right to know exactly who brought this monstrosity into our presence?"
Director Kaelen's chest seized. He opened his mouth but couldn't scrape together a single coherent syllable in defense.
Joker's flawlessly timed intervention snapped the rest of the crowd out of their hesitation.
Voices exploded across the hall in furious agreement. "He's right! Confidentiality is one thing, but our survival is another!"
“If you want to hide the seller of some stolen painting, fine. We don't care.”
"But that thing is a living bio-weapon!
A mutated, bulletproof monster! What happens if it suffers a catastrophic containment failure right now? Who is going to answer for the bloodbath?"
"Furthermore, we aren't asking how much Specimen Seven sold for, nor do we care about the private details of the buyer from Whitecliffe Harbor."
"We only care about one thing: exactly how many more of these creatures are currently hidden aboard Project Zero-Transit?!"
Even the buyers who had previously backed off, respecting the ship's privacy
clauses, were now rallying furiously behind Joker's logic.
Because the stakes had drastically evolved.
The shadow faction behind Specimen Fourteen wasn't just a monumental business opportunity anymore; it was an apocalyptic threat.
What if, one day, hundreds or thousands of these Obsidian Augments were unleashed?
When that day came, the collateral damage wouldn't be restricted to just one person's bottom line.
A representative from The
Deep-Web Medical Syndicate
snarled "Ms. Panacea already made
it crystal clear. This is a living
weapon programmed to obey absolute commands."
"So, who holds the kill switch?"
"Can the ship absolutely guarantee that whoever holds those commands won't turn them against us?"
The relentless barrage of interrogations had Director Kaelen's spine rigid with terror.
This was no longer just about whether they could leak a client's identity.
Guided flawlessly by Joker, the buyers had successfully weaponized their own personal safety to corner the ship's management.
And Kaelen knew exactly what they were really fishing for.
Regardless of their individual greedy agendas, self-preservation had temporarily united the entire room against the ship.
"The ship can keep its secrets, but you owe us an explanation!"