Chapter 694
The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Her gaze swept thoughtfully across the faces around her.
Everyone immediately tensed up, each silently hoping to be chosen.
Luna couldn’t hold back. Stepping forward, she eagerly volunteered, “Thea and I are your best friends.
Obviously, we should be the ones to go with you p>
Thea nodded in agreement. “We can assist with the experiments and organize the data. We won’t get in your way p>
“Absolutely not p>
Jarred was the first to shoot it down, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation.
He looked up, his gaze sharp and unyielding. “These people are ruthless and don’t care about the consequences.
If they breach the new lab, neither of you has the capability to protect her.
In a crisis, you’d barely be able to save yourselves, let alone her or Silas.
You going would only add to the burden p>
It was harsh and blunt, but utterly irrefutable.
Luna choked on her words. She knew he was right, but she still shot him a furious glare.
“Well, there’s Marcus! He’s the most capable, has the highest clearance, and knows tactical gear. He can do it, right p>
Jarred shifted his attention to Marcus, his face completely impassive.
“Marcus is bound by the military. His jurisdiction is restricted, and he can’t guard a lab indefinitely.
If he gets an emergency recall, he’ll have zero leeway to stay. He is the least viable option p>
It suddenly dawned on everyone in the room.
Ruling out Luna, Thea, Marcus, and the still-recovering Silas p>
The only candidate left standing was Jarred.
The room plunged into absolute silence.
Even a fool could see his endgame now!
He framed every word around the greater good and the safety of the group.
But his unyielding, selfish motive was glaringly obvious to anyone paying attention.
Luna didn’t hesitate to call him out.
“You’re just doing this for yourself! You’ve wanted to glue yourself to Sienna from the start, you absolute nuisance p>
Thea’s gaze was cool. “You’re just using her protection as an excuse to get what you want, aren’t you p>
Being exposed in front of everyone didn’t rattle Jarred in the slightest. In fact, he looked entirely unashamed.
He lifted his chin, his tone borderline arrogant. “So what if I am p>
His dark eyes were fathomless. “Given the situation, no one here is better suited for this than me. Aside from me, no one else is qualified p>
“Don’t forget you have official duties too! You could get called back at any second!” Luna argued stubbornly.
Jarred didn’t even blink. “I’m on leave. I won’t have any assignments for at least a month p>
He was aggressively domineering, yet every single point he made was flawless. There was no room for debate.
He had clearly planned this out in advance!
Luna and Thea were entirely out of ammunition.
Marcus simply stood by, opting out of the crossfire.
While they bickered, Sienna remained quiet.
She mentally weighed all the risks and benefits.
She saw the reality of it all.
Luna and Thea were loyal, but useless in a firefight.
Marcus was constrained by his rank and couldn’t stay full-time.
Silas was in a critical trial phase and needed rest.
Jarred’s ulterior motives were painfully obvious, but his reasoning was rock solid.
This wasn’t the time to play favorites.
They were being hunted by a lethal, unseen enemy.
She couldn’t gamble everyone’s lives on a grudge.
After a long moment, Sienna let out a soft breath, meeting the eyes of the man who looked entirely tro sure of his victory. Her voice cut through the noise.