165 HALO'S JUDGMENT
A gentleman in a bespoke suit sat in the center of a dimly lit suite, a glass of crimson wine in one hand and a woman draped over his lap. Her short skirt and flower-patterned stockings caught the glow of the holo-screen as she teased him lazily.
He watched the auction unfold with a detached expression.
When the announcer called for the Heart of Ra, he raised his hand casually.
"Eighty million," he said.
His assistant immediately entered the bid on the console.
The woman stirred. "Jax, that Heart of Ra isn't worth eighty million aurs," she said, arching an eyebrow.
Jax swirled the wine in his glass before replying, "Vilra, Project Scorched is nearing completion. I can't afford to wait another year for a new Heart to appear."
Vilra frowned. "I thought Project Scorched was already completed. You sent Subject 909 for field testing."
"That trial failed," Jax snapped, hurling his glass to the floor. It shattered, scattering red drops across the carpet. "The bloody SIA killed Subject 909."
Vilra rose from his lap and turned to the holo-display, just as the announcer's voice echoed through the suite:
"Ninety million aurs! Do we have anything higher than ninety?"
"Someone's bidding against you," she said slowly. "Strange. Who else would spend this much on the Heart of Ra?"
Jax's jaw tightened. "One hundred million," he ordered.
The assistant keyed in the bid. Their eyes locked on the screen.
This wasn't about money anymore. Jax doesn't mind spending, but Jax knew that pushing the bid too high could draw unwanted attention.
"One hundred and ten million aurs."
"Should we keep going?" Vilra asked.
Jax suddenly kicked his chair aside and stormed toward the window. He yanked the curtain open and scanned the opposite suites.
His eyes found a young man standing before the glass, looking down at the display stage below.
Jax pointed furiously. "That's the bastard bidding against me."
Vilra approached carefully. "Jax, calm down. He's just a boy, probably curious about the Heart. He's not the one against you."
Jax didn't listen. His glare burned through the glass.
"It's the Nuralith family. They must've found out about Scorched. They're bidding up the price just to keep me from getting the heart to continue my project."
Vilra hesitated, choosing her words. "That's possible… but we don't know for sure if the leak reached them. At most, they could only suspect."
The assistant cleared his throat. "Should we increase our bid?"
Jax hesitated.
"No." Jax's tone was cold, final. "This is a test. The Heart of Ra's real value is barely thirty million. No one would drive it this high except us—or those trying to confirm what we're hiding."
He turned away from the window, his mind racing.
Project Scorched had to remain secret.
The Heart of Ra was its main component. If the Nuralith family suspected the existence of the project, then his overpriced and eager bid might confirm their suspicions.
"Bloody Hell!!!"
-----
"I can't believe you actually bought the Heart of Ra for a hundred and ten million aurs," Zairgid complained. "You could buy GenSyn Corporation for that price!"
Damen didn't look fazed. He leaned against the railing, his eyes fixed on the opposite suite.
"I have a feeling someone over there is cursing me," he said quietly, pointing toward the glass.
Zairgid followed his gaze, but the windows across the hall were already sealed shut. "There's no one there," he said.
Damen smirked faintly but said nothing.
Just then, Kassely entered the room, her datapad in hand. "Sir, this is the final settlement for tonight's auction," she said, handing the device to Zairgid. "Your sales of meta-artifacts totaled one hundred and twelve million aurs after our commission. After deducting the cost of the Heart of Ra, you have a remaining balance of two million."
She handed him two aur cards.
Zairgid sighed, waving them in frustration. "See? We sold everything just to buy that useless heart."
Damen ignored him. "Where's the Heart of Ra?"
"Please, follow me," Kassely said.
She led him through a secured corridor to the vaulted collection room, where artifacts won at the auction were stored temporarily. The reinforced door slid open with a hiss, revealing rows of transparent cabinets under dim white light.
Kassely guided him to one of them and handed over a digital form. Damen signed it quickly. Once the verification was complete, Kassely bowed slightly and exited the vault, leaving him alone.
Damen stepped toward the glass case.
The panel slid open with a soft click, revealing the Heart of Ra — a crystalline core pulsing faintly with orange light, as if a miniature sun were trapped inside.
He didn't touch it. Instead, he focused his Connect Vision, tagging the artifact through his interface.
A faint chime echoed in his mind.
[Assimilate:Heart of Ra]
"Congratulations! The Heart of Ra has been assimilated."
"New skill acquired: Halo's Judgment [Rank B]."
Damen blinked at the notification. "Halo's Judgment? What the hell is that supposed to be?" he muttered.
The orange light of the artifact faded as it dissolved into his system.
He turned, the vault door opening before him, and walked back toward his friends—his thoughts already turning to what this new power might unleash.
----
Damen returned to Zairgid's office.
The place was in chaos — staff rushing in and out, data pads flashing, voices overlapping in panic. Zairgid sat in his chair, scratching his head as his assistants bombarded him with questions.
When he spotted Damen, Zairgid threw down his data pad and stormed over.
"What's happening here?" Damen asked.
Zairgid smirked bitterly. "Someone's trying to hack our servers."
"What are they looking for?" Damen pressed.
"They're digging into the bidding records for the Heart of Ra. They already got the list of bidders — only the winner's information remains," Zairgid said.
Kail frowned. "Why would hackers want that? Are they trying to steal it from us?"
Damen crossed his arms, thinking. "First, we need to find out who's hacking you. Only then can we guess their intentions."
"Right!" Zairgid turned to his tech team. "Can you trace them? Find out who they're working for!"
"Their IP's masked, sir," one of the specialists stammered. "We can't trace them yet."
Damen glanced at Kail.
"Should I help, big brother?" Kail asked quietly.
Damen hesitated.
Kail was a Quantum Mind, but Silver City's networks were far more advanced than those in Melrose. Using his powers here would be risky… There might be those capable enough to spot him.
"Only under one condition," Damen said. "You must not be detected."
Kail smiled faintly and closed his eyes. A few moments later, he opened them again.
"It's the Trionix Corporation… and the Nuralith Corporation," he said.
"What? Those two?" Zairgid blurted.
He turned to Kassely. "Were Trionix and Nuralith among today's bidders for the Heart of Ra?"
Kassely quickly checked her datapad. "Yes, both corporations placed bids."
"Why would they want the Heart of Ra for?" Damen asked.