"Director, he's right. The metrics meet the criteria for a Red-Tier Evacuation. The neural index is climbing too fast. If we wait, we won't be able to contain it."
Director Kaelen swallowed hard, his throat dry.
He couldn't risk a bloodbath. If anything happened to these VIPs, his life wouldn't be worth a dime.
He raised his hand, signaling the security detail to clear an isolation path.
But protests immediately erupted from the floor. "Evacuate?! It was perfectly fine a minute ago! Why is it suddenly going rogue?"
"Fine, put it in isolation, but you'd better confirm if the auction is still happening!"
"Ms. Panacea hasn't even given her assessment yet, why are you rushing it off the stage?!"
Some feared for their lives, while others were too greedy to let the prize slip away just as its true potential was revealed.
If it vanished behind closed doors, who knew if they'd ever get another shot at purchasing an unkillable super-soldier?
The auction hall devolved into complete pandemonium.
Caleb Thorne masked his irritation, replacing it with a look of desperate concern. "Ladies and gentlemen, your safety has to come first."
"Specimen Fourteen is in a highly volatile state. This is not the time to negotiate business!"
He whirled back to Kaelen. "The evacuation request is pending your authorization. Approve it now!"
Kaelen looked at Serena again.
She was simply looking down at the console, entirely unbothered.
Unsure of her stance, he grit his teeth and raised his hand. "Since it meets the Red- Tier threshold, initiate the lock-"
"That won't be necessary."
Three cool, effortless words sliced through the noise, cutting Kaelen off instantly.
He snapped his head toward her.
Serena finally looked up. There wasn't trace of panic on her
Vel
breathtaking face. In fact, that faint, dangerous smile still played on her ps.
"Ms. Panacea..." Kaelen breathed out, looking at her as if she were a lifeline.
When she spoke, the chaotic hall immediately quieted down.
Every set of eyes locked onto her, waiting for her verdict.
"Ms. Panacea Thorne's expression slipped, his voice sharpening with aggressive urgency. "This isn't a
standard metric fluctuation! Thinnet
isnt a debate about the appraisall f we wait another minute, everyone in this room will die!"
Serena lazily dragged her gaze over to him.
Her eyes were cold, yet glimmering with profound amusement. "Is that so?"
The frosty indifference in her tone made his heart violently skip a beat, but he forced himself to double down.
"The data is right there! The entire medical team sees it! Ms. Panacea, how can you
Before he could finish, Serena let out a soft, mocking scoff.
That single, effortless sound jammed every word left in his throat.
"It seems. you don't actually et
what a real rejection event looks
like She reached out and tapped a few keys on the console.
A sequence of complex bypass commands cascaded across the screen.
Then, the massive display overhead split perfectly down the middle.