Neve Sherwood laughed at that. Her red lips curved slightly upward, but there was no trace of a smile in her eyes.

"Are you talking about her?" Neve Sherwood clapped her hands, and a frail-looking woman was brought forward.

The woman’s features and figure were a near-perfect match for Neve Sherwood’s, but their auras were worlds apart.

She gave a timid bow to the crowd, her gaze frequently darting toward Victor Trent, her eyes filled with unease and apprehension.

Seeing that all was lost, Tate Sherwood collapsed to the ground. He looked up and seemed to say with grief and indignation, "The Sherwood Clan is finished!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, Neve Sherwood was in front of him, a fist smashing toward his Energy Sea Acupoint.

The aura of a Grandmaster shocked everyone present.

Those who had previously looked down on her for her perceived lack of strength now felt a sense of caution rise in their hearts.

***

While the Trent father and son were discussing matters with Neve Sherwood, Aurora Sinclair quietly pulled Alvin Morgan away.

"Morgan, did Beta... take my place?"

"He’s fine."

"You don’t have to hide it from me. Where is Beta now?"

Aurora Sinclair seemed to be controlling her emotions. The fists clenched at her sides were so tight her knuckles turned white.

Alvin Morgan sighed and led her to where Neve Sherwood was staying.

From an out-of-the-way room, they heard Beta Morgan’s humming, along with the sound of a shower running.

When Beta Morgan, having washed off the stench and now fresh and clean, pushed the door open, the smile on his face froze.

Outside the door, his master was looking at him with a smirk, and sitting next to him was a perfectly composed Aurora Sinclair.

In other words, the two of them had heard his entire rendition of the "Song of the Lonely Bachelor" that he’d been singing in the shower.

Beta Morgan feigned composure, took a step back, and shut the bathroom door again.

The corners of Alvin Morgan’s mouth curved up as he said, "I’ll arrange a blind date for you as soon as we’re back in the country."

"..."

Afterward, Beta Morgan reported everything that had happened, making sure to thank Aurora Sinclair specifically.

But he noticed that the expressions on his master and Aurora were very grave.

The smile vanished from his face. "Did I say something wrong?"

Aurora Sinclair shook her head. "I wasn’t the one who saved you."

"Not you?" Beta Morgan’s eyes widened in shock. "But that person was incredibly strong. I only saw a blur, but they punched a hole straight through the iron door of the container."

Aurora Sinclair just kept shaking her head. "I never left The Sherwood Estate."

"Then who could it be? Their Power was on par with a Guardian of Niphoria." Beta Morgan’s brows furrowed tightly. Suddenly, his expression shifted. "It couldn’t be that Lord Scorpion, could it?"

The expressions on Aurora Sinclair and Alvin Morgan’s faces grew even more solemn.

***

In the reception room, with Benjamin Morgan’s assistance, Neve Sherwood reached a resource-sharing agreement with the Trent Family.

Victor Trent suddenly proposed a marriage alliance, suggesting Neve marry his son, Drake Trent. To his surprise, before Neve could refuse, his own son rejected the idea first, causing Victor’s gaze to darken instantly.

When they returned to their quarters, Victor Trent said to Aurora Sinclair with a displeased look, "Tonight, come to my room and serve me..."

Drake Trent’s face turned ashen. He stated bluntly, "Joy is already my woman." Then he grabbed Aurora Sinclair and started pulling her toward his own room.

Victor Trent watched their retreating backs and said to the trusted subordinate behind him, "Take care of her."

That night, a strange, intoxicating smoke suddenly drifted into Aurora Sinclair’s room.

A furtive figure slipped into the room, hoisted the girl from the floor, and left.

Aurora Sinclair secretly cracked open an eye and saw a black mole on the back of his hand. It was Victor Trent’s confidant, August Trent.

He secretly carried her away from The Sherwood Estate, stuffed her into a sedan, and said to the driver in the Niphorian language, "Take her to the lab."

Aurora was secretly thrilled.

As the car drove on, the smell of seawater in the air gradually grew stronger. It seemed they were heading toward the coast.

He parked the car at a pier, then slung Aurora Sinclair over his shoulder and walked toward an inconspicuous fishing boat.

"This is the new cargo..."

The boatman checked her breathing, cautiously asked about her identity, and upon learning she was just a maid, he relaxed and accepted the "delivery."

The wind and waves were strong that night, and the boat rocked violently.

Aurora Sinclair had thought the lab would be underground. She never expected it to be a massive ship.

The vessel was as tall as a building dozens of stories high, with a displacement of tens of thousands of tons.

Moreover, it was traveling at a constant speed, a huge white wake visible behind it.

The fishing boat approached the underside of the ship at a steady pace. Someone immediately lowered a rope ladder, and the fisherman climbed up, carrying her on his back.

Aurora Sinclair pretended to slowly wake up, taking in the full view of the ship’s hull.

Seeing her awake, the fisherman threatened sharply, "Behave yourself, or I’ll throw you into the sea to feed the sharks."

Aurora Sinclair shrank back, her body trembling as she asked, "Where is this?"

A sinister smile spread across the fisherman’s face. "A place that will make you a God..."

***

Aurora Sinclair was hauled up by several people in hazmat suits and placed directly onto a conveyor belt, moving forward like a piece of cargo.

Both sides were lined with transparent glass, and beyond it stood numerous people in hazmat suits. They seemed to be operating the conveyor belt. At each station, it would stop for them to record data before sending her on to the next one.

After passing through five or six stations, she slid down a chute and fell into a huge pool.

The pool water was cold and filled with the strong smell of disinfectant.

Immediately after, several robotic arms appeared at the edge of the pool and began pouring various reagents into the water, which quickly changed color.

Aurora Sinclair could feel a faint energy replenishing her stamina.

’This is very similar to the fluid from the nutrient pods in Masovia.’

About an hour later, a circular platform suddenly rose from the bottom of the pool, lifting Aurora Sinclair out of the water and up toward the floor above.

Seven or eight researchers were waiting for her on the next level. As soon as they saw her, they moved forward, restrained her, and injected a substance into her arm.

Then they locked her in a glass cubicle.

It was simple and brutal, giving her no chance to resist.

About half an hour later, a researcher came in to measure her blood pressure and take an ECG, then recorded the data.

After that, a researcher came in to record data every half hour, but Aurora Sinclair showed no apparent physical changes.

Three hours later, a researcher finally spoke to her. "Are you experiencing any discomfort?"

Aurora Sinclair glanced at her and shook her head.

"Do you feel a warm sensation in your lower abdomen?"

Aurora Sinclair played along and nodded.

The researcher was delighted and immediately used her walkie-talkie to call someone over to move her to a more comfortable lab, preparing to draw her blood for analysis.

At that exact moment, Aurora Sinclair suddenly broke free from her handcuffs, grabbed the researcher by the throat, and slammed her hard onto the ground.

"What did you inject me with?"

Although the researcher’s face was pale, her expression was oddly sinister. "The drug that will make you a God, of course."

Aurora Sinclair knocked her unconscious with a single punch and placed her on the lab bed.

By now, alarms were blaring throughout the lab; the security system had likely been activated.

Aurora Sinclair fled with incredible speed, smashing cameras as she went. She snatched the keycard from the unconscious researcher and ran out.

Outside, researchers armed with tasers were already moving to capture her, but she took them all down. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from a hidden speaker. "Little girl, come on up!"

Then, the doors to a nearby elevator opened, revealing a metallic sheen that was chilling and somewhat sinister.

Aurora Sinclair glanced at the security camera in the corner, then strode toward the elevator doors...