"But rather, to place upon it an inescapable shackle of law and ethics. This shackle needs to be forged by all of you here today, together with me. I'm not here to sell you a weapon. I'm inviting you to join me in becoming the rule-makers of this new era."

The entire room fell silent.

Zachariah looked at her, his eyes behind those glasses showing genuine admiration for the first time.

He turned to Austin beside him and lowered his voice.

"Your ex-wife is quite something."

Austin remained silent, his gaze never leaving Ella standing in the spotlight.

The day of the hearing, a light rain fell over Willowvale Heights.

Ella changed into a black professional suit, her long hair pulled back into a simple chignon, her face free of any excessive makeup.

As she walked into the building that symbolized Arcadia's highest center of power, she resembled a cold, unsheathed sword.

At the end of a long corridor, she ran into Derek.

He maintained that smug expressión of assured victory, surrounded by a group of well-dressed lawyers and lobbyists, one of whom was clearly Senator Daniel's chief of staff.

"Ms. Brooks, what a coincidence," Derek stopped, his face wearing a

disingenuous smile.

"I hope today's hearing won't be too embarrassing for you."

"That depends on how much substance your 'Titan Project' actually has,"Ella replied with unnerving calm. "Though I'm afraid you won't have the chance to see."

Derek's smile took on a sinister chill. "By the way, I just heard that your important partner, Dr. Adler, has been rushed to the hospital after suffering a heart attack at your 'DeepSea' facility."

"All the data in the entire facility has been temporarily taken over by the government's emergency security team!" He added.

A complete undermining of her position.

He wasn't just aiming to win; he wanted to pull the stage out from under her feet before she could even make her entrance.

For a moment, the color drained from Ella's face, but only for a moment.

"Using an elderly man's health as a chip in your gambling game," She said."Mr. Thornton, your standards are even lowerthan I imagined."

Austin, who had been following behind Ella, hadn't spared Derek a single glance throughout the exchange.

He simply stepped forward, positioning himself precisely between Ellá and Derek, blocking that uncomfortable gaze.

A silent gesture that carried more intimidation than any words could.

Derek's smile faltered momentarily before he regained his impeccable composure.

"Ms. Brooks, I'm only offering a friendly reminder," He said. "After all, a presentation without data to back it up will sound like a joke."

He and his entourage strode through the side door into the hearing room,strutting like a pack of victorious hyenas.

Only Ella and Austin remained in the corridor.

Zachariah approached quickly, his expression more grave than ever before.

"The information is accurate."

"As of now, we have nothing left."

A deathly silence fell over Zachariah's team as everyone looked at Ella with nearly desperate eyes.

They had lost their weapons before the battle had even begun.

"Let's withdraw," Zachariah took a deep breath and made the most rational decision.

"If we apply for a postponement now, we'll at least have a chance to regroup."

"Once you go in there and face those seven old foxes' questioning,you won't stand a chance."

Ella didn't move. She simply stared at the tightly closed doors of the hearing room, which seemed capable of swallowing everything.

"He's counting on me not daring to walk through that door," She said quietly. "He thinks he's already won."

Austin turned to face her. His deep gaze revealed no ripples of emotion.

"And he's made one fatal mistake. He shouldn't have allowed you to stand before them. Even if you have no cards left to play."

Ella suddenly looked up at Austin.

"What if this terrible hand I'm holding is actually the trump card he fears most?"

A very faint curve appeared at the corner of Austin's mouth.

"Then it depends on whether you dare to flip the table in this card game."

Ella turned and walked toward the double doors, her back straight as a rod.

"Tell Blake for me," She said. "The show is about to begin."

The atmosphere in the hearing roomn was as oppressive as the sea before a Storm.

"Ms. Brooks," Daniel's booming voice echoed through the room,carrying a soldier's characteristic impatience. "Where is your team?"

"My team is currently at my laboratory under the protection of the Department of Defense," She replied.

Daniel's brow immediately furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Half an hour ago, my most important technical partner, Dr. Adler, was forcibly removed from my laboratory under the pretext of a heart attack."

"And all the technical materials and demonstration prototypes I prepared for this hearing have been sealed by your country's Defense Bureau,citing potential risks."

She wasn't accusing or angry; she was simply stating a fact.

A fact so absurd it plunged the entire hearing room into an eerie silence.

Derek's expression changed for the first time.

He hadn't expected Ella would dare to expose this matter in front of all the media and senators.

This wasn't the reaction of a normal businessperson; this was a suicide attack.

"This is outrageous!" Daniel slammed his fist on the table.

Daniel, who had survived the Second World War, detested such underhanded tactics more than anything. "Who gave them the authority?"

"Mr. McCain, that's precisely the question I wanted to ask all of you today,"

Ella said,lifting her head to directly face the seven people at the hearing table.

"I came here today intending to show you the technological achievements that my mother and my team created through two generations of painstaking efforts."

"But now it seems someone is more eager than I, and even than all of you.to see its true face."

"They've even resorted to using the national apparatus to seize it in what amounts to kidnapping."

The reporters in the gallery went wild.

Camera flashes erupted like a storm, all lenses focused on Ella's terrifyingly calm face.

This was no longer a technology procurement hearing.

It was a scandal being broadcast live that would shake all of Willowvale Heights.

"Ms. Brooks, I must remind you,"