"Since Specimen Fourteen has no legal owner and no valid mandate, it will be processed as contraband."
"Per the ship's regulations, Project Zero-Transit is seizing the asset, effective immediately."
The Raven's composure finally shattered.
The Commodore continued, unbothered. "Since Obsidian Sun merely suspects their tech was stolen, feel free to leave whatever leads you have. We will verify them independently."
"As for whether the asset remains on display, our partners need not concern themselves with our internal affairs."
The Raven's eyes grew murderous, his knuckles turning white.
The ultimatum was set.
Deny it, and lose Specimen Fourteen forever.
Claim it, and expose Obsidian Sun's greatest secret to the world.
The Commodore hadn't raised his voice or resorted to threats. He simply laid out the board.
But for The Raven, both moves led to absolute ruin.
He stood there, suffocated by the heavy silence.
Specimen Fourteen was the culmination of endless resources, money, and lives. It was one step away from being the perfect weapon.
How could he just hand it over?
Their base was destroyed, their core access compromised. If he lost this prize right under his nose, left to be auctioned off like unclaimed luggage...
The mere thought of how The Overlord would react made the blood drain from The Raven's face.
The figure in the shadows didn't press him.
He knew The Raven had no real choice.
Meanwhile, back in the auction hall, chaos reigned.
The buyers were still clamoring, demanding that the ship present the creators of the Obsidian Augment.
Every eye was locked on The Lead Auctioneer and Director Silas Kaelen.
No one noticed Caleb Thorne, a medic supposedly assisting with the verification,
subtly shifting his position near The Apex Bio-Transfer Pod.
He kept his head down, blending in perfectly, ostensibly running the system checks exactly as Serena had ordered.
Everything looked completely routine.
But down by his side, his fingers were tightly wrapped around The Sabotage Interface Module.
Obsidian Sun wouldn't destroy Specimen Fourteen unless they had absolutely no other choice.
It was their crowning achievement, built on years of blood and data. Retrieving it was the ultimate priority.
Luckily, Project Zero-Transit had a failsafe.
If a specialized biological asset
exhibited severe instability during an
the medical team could
appraisal,acuation
invoke the Red Medical
Protocol.
This allowed them to immediately halt the auction and rush the asset to an isolation ward, prioritizing safety above all else. No one would. dare contest a medical emergency
If he could just trigger the protocol, getting the pod out of the room would be a breeze.
Once it was safely back in The Med-Tech Quarantine, his people would take over.
Caleb Thorne's eyes flashed with icy
resolve. He waited until his two
colleagues turned to check
monitor, then swiftly plugged the
Sabotage Interface Module into the pod's external port. FindNovel.net
The module bore the ship's official insignia, seamlessly matching the standard diagnostic equipment.
But buried inside its casing were two highly illegal, malicious subroutines.