"I will handle the Obsidian Sun," Serena said, looking down at Dr. Grant. "Just focus on staying alive. I still want to hear your stories about my grandmother."
Dr. Grant looked at her, a long-lost spark of hope returning to his eyes. He nodded fiercely, his eyes red. "I promise you. I will live."
The conversation had completely drained him. Before he could even say a proper goodbye, he drifted into a deep sleep.
Serena gave a few final orders to the Dragon-Thorn Operatives, ensuring they kept a relentless watch over him.
While Serena had been battling death in the intensive care unit, the world outside had shifted drastically.
Severia's underground biochemical network was thoroughly dismantled and publicly condemned. Dozens of corrupt corporate elites had been arrested, and the nation's government had undergone a brutal purge.
The dust had finally settled in Severia.
The suffocating darkness that had hung over the tech center for days felt as if it had finally been ripped open by the sun.
The international competitors had largely evacuated. What was once the buzzing headquarters of the global elite tournament was now a quiet, heavily guarded perimeter.
The cleanup of the underground facility continued around the clock. The Dragon-Thorn Squad, Elyndor's special task force, and international officials had the entire sector locked down tight.
"Project Zero-Transit... A ghost ship?" Jasper leaned back in his chair, lazily spinning a silver flash drive between his fingers. There was no trace of his usual playful smirk on his incredibly handsome face. "These rats really know how to hide."
After Serena had briefed her brothers and Nicholas on Dr. Grant's intel, they had immediately gone to work. With a clear target, tracking the impossible became entirely feasible.
Julian pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his calm, sophisticated eyes scanning the holographic nautical maps on the table. "Project Zero-Transit is responsible for moving their core data, biological samples, and volatile prototypes into international waters. And the actual handoffs likely happen directly on that ship."
Nicholas stood beside Serena, his long finger tapping the end of a projected route. "It has no registered flag, no public logs, and it changes its maritime identification numbers every single time it surfaces." His voice was low and magnetic. "But there's one fatal flaw. It only ever appears in the absolute highest echelon of the global black market."
Jerrick's expression was deadly. "My operatives will continue purging the Severian network. Anyone remotely connected to the underground transit lines is going to burn."

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Messing With Her? Are You Crazy!