The Eko Hotel penthouse was a fortress of glass and steel overlooking the Atlantic. Inside, three of the most powerful pharmaceutical investors in the world were waiting.
Austin walked in, his suit slightly wrinkled from the airport scuffle, but his eyes were sharper than ever.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: MULTIPLE HIGH-LEVEL BIOMETRIC SCANS DETECTED.]
[ADVICE: ACTIVATE 'MENTAL SHIELD' TO PROTECT THE SYSTEM SOURCE CODE.]
"Mr. Austin! A pleasure," said a German man named Hans, standing up to shake his hand. "We heard there was a small... incident at the airport. Lagos can be quite lively."
Austin sat down, placing his briefcase on the table. "Lively is one word for it. 'Desperate' is another."
He began his presentation. He showed them the data from the Genesis Tablet. He explained how it didn't just suppress malaria; it re-coded the body's immune system to recognize the parasite instantly.
"This will save millions of lives in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America," Austin said. "But I'm not here for your money alone. I'm here for your distribution networks. I want this pill in every village chemist's shop from Onitsha to the Amazon."
Two of the investors nodded, their eyes gleaming with the thought of the Nobel Prize—and billions in revenue. But Austin's Eyes of Truth were fixed on the third person: a woman named Sarah, a representative from a massive conglomerate in London.
She wasn't looking at the data. She was looking at Austin's neck, exactly where Dr. Vane had looked.
[SCANNING TARGET: SARAH MILLER.]
[HIDDEN ITEM DETECTED: A BLACK COIN IDENTICAL TO DR. VANE'S.]
[STATUS: UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SHADOW MEDICINE.]
Austin felt a cold shiver. The "traitor" wasn't just working for a rival company; she was a puppet for the mysterious doctors who wanted to steal the System.
"Mr. Austin," Sarah said, her voice silky and calm. "Your science is impressive. But such a powerful formula needs to be 'protected.' We propose moving your research to our lab in Switzerland. For your safety, of course."
"For my safety?" Austin laughed. "Or so you can lock it in a vault and keep people sick so they continue to buy your expensive, half-working drugs?"
Sarah's eyes turned dark. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. "You're being arrogant. Nigeria is a small pond. You don't realize the size of the sharks in the ocean."
Austin stood up, leaning over the table until he was inches from her face. "I am the shark. And I've already tasted the blood of the men you sent to the airport."
Suddenly, Sarah's hand moved toward her bag, but Austin was faster. He tapped a point on the table, sending a vibration through the wood that caused her bag to fall to the floor. The black coin rolled out, spinning until it landed at Austin's feet.
The other two investors gasped. "Sarah? What is that?"
"Our meeting is over," Austin said, picking up the coin. "Hans, if you still want to do business, meet me in Onitsha in two days. But leave the puppets behind."
As Austin walked out, his System chimed:
[URGENT QUEST: THE SHADOW'S REVENGE.]
[REWARD: 2,500 EXP, ACCESS TO THE 'DIVINE ARMORY'.]
He knew he had just declared war on a global scale. He wasn't just a doctor or a businessman anymore. He was a target.