Messing With Her? Are You Crazy! novel Chapter 1626

Jerrick's expression hitched for a fraction of a second.

He couldn't even explain why he suddenly felt this strange, protective instinct over The Panacea.

They were literally just temporary tactical partners who had met mere hours ago.

But every single time he watched her unleash that terrifying, unfiltered arrogance.

He couldn't help but think of his little sister.

He just couldn't suppress it. That deeply ingrained, aggressive big-brother instinct just kept bubbling to the surface.

But his rugged, mixed-race features remained entirely unreadable. "I just don't want my partner flatlining before the op even starts."

"It'll make my life incredibly difficult."

Serena was genuinely amused by his stubborn denial. "Then Mr. Fenris can rest easy."

She arched an eyebrow, radiating effortless, lethal confidence. "I'm not going to flatline."

Jerrick stared intensely at Serena's face.

Her impossibly gorgeous features practically bled with an untamed, unbreakable certainty.

It was as if every lethal threat in the world was nothing more than an afterthought to her.

Jerrick stayed quiet for a long moment before finally giving up on lecturing her. He shifted into purely tactical mode. "If Black Sun is brazen enough to stash Specimen Fourteen on Project Zero-Transit, they are heavily fortified."

"And the ship's administration isn't exactly sleeping on the job either."

"You made a massive spectacle of yourself with The Sterling Sovereign, and now you've been MIA from the auction for way too long. The administration is going to get suspicious."

"And you can't guarantee The Sterling Sovereign will keep playing interference for you."

"Your little crash course isn't going to go as smoothly as you think."

After laying out the grim reality, Jerrick locked eyes with her. "How exactly do you plan to force their hand early?"

Hearing this, Serena's smile only grew more breathtakingly wicked. "Mr. Fenris, if I dared to walk out of that auction, you can bet I had all my pieces on the board."

She shot him a sideways glance, her dark eyes glowing with the chilling calmness of someone who had calculated every single variable. "As for the ship's administration... I already have someone keeping them thoroughly occupied. My path is completely clear."

"They are way too busy to care about where The Panacea wandered off to."

Meanwhile.

Back at Project Zero-Transit's Obsidian Sun High-Value Auction.

Inside the ultra-exclusive VIP box, Nicholas Blackwood slouched lazily into the plush leather sofa.

His long legs were casually crossed. The top three buttons of his black dress shirt were undone, putting the sharp, sculpted lines of his collarbones on full display.

He lazily swept his gaze across the room.

His breathtakingly handsome, aristocratic features radiated an aura of pure, predatory elegance and effortless dominance.

But deep within his mesmerizing, soulful eyes, a lethal, frozen rage was quietly simmering.

Outside the door, Director Silas Kaelen was nervously standing guard.

He kept raising his hand to knock, only to violently second-guess himself and pull back.

Cold sweat poured relentlessly down his forehead.