“Red liquid?”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Wasn’t it supposed to be a weapon?”

  The main crew of the Safira stands around the mysterious metal box, confused by the sight of the red liquid inside.

  Most of them turn their curious and disappointed expressions toward Diego, who shares the same bewildered look.

  He, in turn, looks at Louis, who shakes his head, just as clueless as the others.

  Then, Diego shifts his gaze to Cra.

  “Cra, do you have any idea what this means?”

  “Me?”

  Cra resists the urge to gnce at the mysterious man as fshes of seeing him submerged in the red liquid surface in her mind.

  “Yes, you. Have you ever seen or heard of something like this at the Royal Academy or anywhere else?”

  Cra quickly shakes her head. “I have no idea what this could be.”

  “Hmm…” Diego stares at the box filled with the red liquid.

  Cra looks back and sees Nyx and the mysterious white-haired man locked in a silent stare.

  “Nyx!” She calls her friend.

  Nyx responds with a friendly gnce. Cra signals for Nyx to approach, and she steps into the containment room.

  “Take a look at this.” Cra gestures toward the red liquid inside the box.

  “Hmm…” Nyx’s eyes gleam as she observes the liquid.

  Everyone watches her with expectant expressions, and Diego can't resist asking.

  “Do you have any idea what it is?”

  Nyx stares at the liquid inside the box with a contemptive look, her eyes scanning for anything unusual. But just like the exterior, the surface inside is fwless.

  Only that strange red liquid remains.

  “I’d say this is some kind of container, maybe…” Nyx thinks out loud.

  “A container?”

  “For what?”

  “So, the weapon was supposed to be inside?”

  A light flickers in Diego’s eyes.

  “Or… this liquid is the weapon?”

  Nyx’s lips nearly curl into a sarcastic smirk, but she suppresses the urge, maintaining her usual calm and composed demeanor.

  “Maybe.”

  “Who knows?”

  “Yeah,” Maxwell nods. “It could be a chemical weapon!”

  The crew’s expressions shift from curiosity to fear, and most of them instinctively step back from the box.

  “We should be careful with this.”

  “I don’t think it’s active. Otherwise, we’d already be dead, right?”

  “We have no idea what this even is…”

  While everyone focuses on the box, Nyx steps back slightly, stealing a gnce at the mysterious white-haired man before shifting her gaze to Cra.

  Cra tries to py it cool, but her bright, expectant eyes flick to Nyx.

  Nyx gives the slightest shake of her head.

  “What do we do now?” Zion asks, disappointed by the mystery’s underwhelming reveal.

  “There’s no way we can ask for more money when we have no idea what this even is,” Jex comments, equally let down.

  Matteo steps in front of Diego.

  “We can still close the box and deliver it to the Umbrakarians as our contract specifies.”

  The other crew members look thoughtful.

  “The reward will still be one and a half billion?”

  “As long as they don’t find out we opened the box, naturally.”

  Matteo looks at them with a stern expression.

  “It’s our best chance.”

  “But of course, if you all want to take another route…”

  “We could end up attracting the wrath of Umbrakai. And for what? Some bizarre red water?”

  Diego listens to Matteo’s words but shakes his head.

  “It can’t end like this…”

  Diego stares into the red liquid inside the box.

  “Whatever it is that Umbrakai wants, it’s in there. It has to be!”

  Matteo steps up to Diego and taps his shoulder.

  “Captain… this isn’t a loss, but you need to know when to call it.”

  “No.” Diego shakes his head.

  He pces a hand on his chin, pacing back and forth around the mysterious box while the others watch him in silence.

  After two minutes, he stops and raises a finger.

  “I know someone!”

  “Someone who can tell us what this red liquid is and how to use it.”

  “Who??”

  “She’s a specialist in chemical weapons.” Diego expins.

  While most of the crew wear expressions of confusion and curiosity, a dark glint fshes through Nyx’s eyes.

  “And where do we find her?” Jex asks.

  “At the Vaelstryx Institute.” Diego replies, and immediately, everyone’s expressions shift to concern.

  “No shit!” Zion excims.

  “The Viridion Star? Really?” Louis lets out a long sigh.

  “She’s trustworthy, I guarantee it.” Diego says confidently.

  “Captain Elliot himself introduced me to her a few years ago when we needed a toxin to capture the Skaroth.”

  While the group tries to make sense of what Diego is suggesting, Matteo’s expression grows even more worried.

  “I remember that… wasn’t that the time you and the captain went on some mysterious meeting, and he came back missing an eye?”

  Everyone shoots an inquisitive look at Diego, and Jimena follows up.

  “You never told us what happened there.”

  Diego raises his hands defensively. “I don’t know! For real.”

  “How do you not know?”

  “I just accompanied the captain there, but he showed up like that… he told me not to ask questions.”

  “So, I assume there was some sort of deal between them.”

  A tense silence falls over the room, and Nyx breaks it with her cold, calm voice.

  “And now that you are the captain, you really want to go back to this woman and make a deal yourself?”

  He puffs out his chest, putting on a confident expression.

  “I do this for our family.”

  “Bullshit.” Cra mutters under her breath, making the others nearly ugh.

  “I’m serious.” Diego points at the whole group.

  “Come on, one and a half billion is a lot, I admit.”

  “But how long is that gonna st you guys??”

  “Three years?”

  “Five, for most.”

  “If you manage your money well, of course.”

  No one speaks, and Diego turns to the green-haired punk.

  “Be honest, Zion, wouldn’t you rather we py this smart and secure wealth for the rest of our lives?”

  “One st job.”

  Diego’s words make the group ponder his proposal.

  “I’ll give you all some time to—”

  “I’m in.” Zion raises his hand before Diego can even finish.

  Javier follows suit, then Maxwell, Louis, and Jimena.

  Jex almost raises her hand but pauses, gncing at Matteo, Cra, and Nyx.

  Cra can’t hide the expectation in her eyes, though it’s more about discovering what’s inside the box than the promise of an even bigger payday, of course.

  Matteo sighs. “It’s clear that the majority wants this…”

  “Yep!” Jex raises her hand too, enthusiastically.

  Diego shoots a curious gnce at Cra, and she smirks provocatively.

  “As long as you’re the one negotiating with this crazy Viridian scientist, I won’t object.”

  The st person Diego looks at is Nyx.

  And she simply shakes her head.

  "I don't think it's a good idea, but my opinion alone doesn't change anything, does it?"

  Diego smiles proudly. "Then it's settled, we're heading to Viridion Star!"

  "Yeah!" Most of the crew cheers.

  But Jex has a slightly uneasy expression.

  "Captain…"

  "What's the problem?"

  "The Viridion Star is pretty far, and the Safira took a lot of damage from that damn worm."

  "We need repairs, of course."

  "Exactly." Jex nods. "A lot of repairs, actually."

  Diego frowns. "How bad is it?"

  Jex makes an apologetic face.

  "I still have to check all the details with Echo, but it's pretty clear we're in no condition to use the Hyper Jump."

  The others also look concerned.

  "So that means we’ll have to figure something out here in the Dravaal Expanse?"

  "Looks like it."

  "Do you have anywhere in mind?"

  Jex shakes her head.

  "I don't know much about this sector, and the preliminary scans of this region didn’t show anything useful near Zhaaros."

  Diego scratches his head, frustrated.

  "Is there really no one around here who can help us in this godforsaken pce?"

  While most people seem to have no idea, one person seems to be thinking of something but hesitates to speak.

  "Heh…"

  It’s Maxwell, the medic.

  Diego shoots him a curious look.

  "You know someone here? Now’s not the time to keep secrets."

  Maxwell nods. "There might be a group not too far from here, but…"

  "They're not friendly, are they?" Cra asks.

  The doctor shrugs.

  "It’s been a long time since I st dealt with them… it was before Elliot recruited me for the Safira."

  "That’s fine, Maxwell, just tell us who we're dealing with."

  "Bck market traders."

  "Of course." Matteo sighs, looking worried.

  "Are they that bad?" Jex asks.

  Maxwell shrugs again.

  "I don’t know. Like I said, it’s been a long time…"

  "Alright. Where are they?" Diego asks.

  "They used to have a station orbiting a small pnet called Kael'Zorr-4."

  Jex quickly grabs her tablet and starts checking the Dravaal Expanse system map.

  "Here." She points to a small brown dot on the map.

  "It’s not too far."

  "How long?"

  "We can get there in a few weeks at our current max speed."

  "A few weeks?" Diego looks disappointed.

  Jex nods. "Without the Hyper Jump, this is the best I can do without tearing the Safira apart."

  "Got it." Diego nods, then looks at the others.

  "Everyone, I know we all need some rest, so let’s wrap this up for now."

  "Jex, set the Safira on course for Kael'Zorr-4, and you can rest as well."

  "We’ll talk more ter."

  "Dismissed."

  The group starts to disperse, most of them leaving the containment room and heading toward the main corridor.

  Cra and Nyx take one st close look at the mysterious box.

  Diego walks up to them and gestures toward the white-haired man through the gss.

  "Keep your new friend out of trouble."

  "Sure." Cra nods, while Nyx maintains her usual cold and calm expression.

  As Diego turns to talk with Louis and the others, Cra comments out loud to Nyx.

  "The Big Guy and I picked up a few new scratches from that worm, so—"

  "Of course," Nyx smiles at Cra, "Let's go to my b. I'll patch you both up."

  "Thanks."

  Cra follows Nyx back through the conference room, and together with the white-haired man, they head down the main corridor.

  Nyx remains quiet as the trio moves through the central part of the Safira, then climbs to the third floor, where the core crew members' private rooms are located.

  They walk down a long hallway until they reach the very end, stopping in front of a bck door with a leaf emblem at its center.

  Nyx positions her face in front of the facial scanner beside the door, and it opens.

  The white-haired man watches everything with curious eyes. But upon entering the spacious b, he immediately notices how well-organized it is, even with the rest of Safira being a mess after the confrontation with the giant monster in Zhaaros—and more than that, how good it smells.

  The girls hear the deep breath he takes, and then they see his expression light up with delight as he gnces at Nyx.

  "..." Nyx stares at him with a cold expression.

  But Cra catches the faint blush on Nyx's pale cheeks and starts ughing.

  Nyx shakes her head and steps ahead of them, pointing at the white-haired man and then at a rge examination bed in the corner of the room.

  "Lie down there. I'll take a look at you."

  "..." He understands that he's supposed to go to the bed, but he still seems curious and expectant.

  "You!" Nyx points at Cra while walking toward the opposite side of the room.

  Cra follows her with a guilty look.

  As soon as they're a few meters away and the white-haired man is distracted, looking at Nyx's equipment, she pulls Cra even closer.

  "What the hell was all that back there?" Nyx whispers in an inquisitive tone.

  "Ehh—"

  Cra barely has time to react before Nyx continues.

  "I know you, Cra. You can't lie to save your life! That's why I liked you in the first pce."

  Cra grins sheepishly.

  But Nyx still looks irritated.

  "I know your dirty little secret, you brat!"

  "Spit it out. That guy…"

  Nyx gnces at the white-haired man before looking back at Cra.

  "The weapon Diego is looking for isn't that red liquid, is it?"

  Cra shakes her head.

  Nyx gnces at the mysterious man again.

  "It's him, isn't it?"

  "He was inside the relic, and you opened it in the pyramid!"

  Cra gives her an apologetic look. "But it wasn't my fault!"

  Nyx raises an eyebrow. "How could it not be your fault? Did he force you to open it after coming out?"

  Cra shakes her head.

  "That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that he saved me."

  "I couldn’t do that to him… if I tell the others, Diego will treat him like some alien freak, sell him off to the highest-bidding scientist to be cut open like a b rat!"

  Nyx sighs, casting a soft, almost affectionate gnce at the white-haired man—who smiles back at her just as warmly.

  "I see…"

  "So you're not mad anymore?"

  Nyx shakes her head. "We're still screwed, you know that, right?"

  Cra grins brightly. "How bad could it be?"

  "..." Nyx gres at her.

  But Cra keeps smiling as she gnces over at the mysterious man.

  "Seriously. I just found this big, handsome guy locked inside a sarcophagus for probably hundreds of years in an ancient ruin…"

  "Oh! And besides being hot as fuck, he fights hand-to-hand with a Vhorr’Ka like it's nothing, and…"

  The excitement in Cra’s eyes only grows as she speaks.

  "There's something about him…"

  "Holy shit!!"

  "You're gonna freak when I tell you."