Chapter 184: Refusing To Give Them The Pod

"To retrieve the miasma-suppressing pod."

Aisha remained standing by the entrance, her hand still resting against the edge of the door.

For several seconds, she didn’t respond, and Ares had already expected some kind of reaction from her, perhaps surprise, confusion, or even an argument about why the Association suddenly needed something that had been left inside the residence. Instead, Aisha’s expression remained unusually still as she looked at him.

The refusal left Ares more unsettled than an argument would have, because she had spoken without hesitation, as though she decided there was nothing he could say to change her mind.

The two Sentinels behind him shifted their weight as they waited for her to move aside so they could enter, but she didn’t move.

Ares noticed it first.

His brows drew together slightly as he looked past her shoulder toward the interior of the residence, as though he could somehow see the equipment they had come for through the walls. "The Admiral suffered major miasmic corruption during the operation," he explained, his voice becoming more serious. "The contamination inside his body is far beyond what we’ve dealt with before, and although his condition is currently being suppressed, the miasma is still there."

Aisha’s fingers tightened slightly against the door.

Ares continued, choosing his words carefully because he could already tell she was listening. "We need every method available to suppress and quell the miasma in his body. The pod is one of the few pieces of equipment capable of slowing its spread without putting additional strain on him, so the Chief Master wants it brought back to the Association immediately."

His expression turned grim as he remembered what Zeke had looked like after they dragged him out of the contaminated zone, and even now, the image was difficult to erase from his mind.

Zeke had always been the strongest person in the room, having walked into contaminated zones that made experienced Sentinels hesitate and remained standing when others could no longer move. He had endured miasma that would have destroyed weaker Sentinels from the inside, yet he had still continued fighting.

But when Ares saw him this time, that confidence had almost disappeared.

The dark traces spreading beneath Zeke’s skin had been far worse than anything Ares had personally witnessed before, while his breathing had been unstable, his mental energy had fluctuated violently, and even his body had reacted badly to the corruption, so it was no longer a matter of simply resting and allowing his natural resistance to suppress the miasma.

He had been infected too deeply. It was a miracle he was still alive.

"We’re already using everything we have at the Association," Ares added. "The pod is needed because we can’t afford to let the corruption spread any further while we’re trying to find another solution."

Aisha lowered her gaze for a moment before lifting it again.

"No."

The answer came so calmly that Ares almost thought he had heard wrong, especially because he had expected her to at least hesitate after hearing about the Admiral’s condition.

The first Sentinel behind him frowned. "What did she say?"

"She said no," Aisha repeated, her eyes remaining on Ares. "You can’t take it."

Silence settled over the entrance.

Ares stared at her.

He hadn’t expected her to resist.

The Chief Master had specifically ordered the pod retrieved because Zeke’s condition had deteriorated quickly, and Ares had naturally assumed that once he explained the situation, the woman in front of him would understand. She knew what the equipment was for, she knew the Admiral was injured, and she had access to his residence because Zeke himself had given her permission.

Ares had thought she would simply step aside.

Instead, she was blocking the door.

"Miss Aisha," he said slowly, his confusion obvious now, "perhaps you misunderstood me. The pod isn’t something we’re asking to borrow. We need it back. The Admiral is in critical condition."

"I know."

"Then why are you refusing?"

Aisha remained quiet.

She could feel the eyes of all three men on her, and for the first time since Ares arrived, she became acutely aware of how strange her answer sounded. She had simply refused to return a piece of Association equipment while knowing that its owner was lying unconscious somewhere with severe miasmic corruption, so from their perspective, what kind of person would do that?

Aisha couldn’t tell them the truth.

Not now.

It would reveal her connection to what happened inside that contaminated zone.

Aisha kept her face composed, but beneath that calm exterior, her thoughts were moving rapidly as she considered every possibility, knowing that revealing one detail could place Zenick in danger.

And most importantly...

She couldn’t tell them that the pod was inside this residence, nor could she tell them that Zenick was inside it. And there was certainly no way for her to explain that if Zenick were to be ejected from the pod, there would be a huge commotion and even more trouble.

Aisha took a quiet breath.

"I already loaned it to someone."

Ares blinked.

The first Sentinel’s face changed immediately. "You... loaned it?" he repeated, staring at her in disbelief.

Aisha nodded.

"I needed money, and someone was willing to pay for temporary use of it."

Ares stared at her as though he was trying to decide whether he had misunderstood the sentence again, while the second Sentinel stepped forward with a hardening expression.

"That equipment belongs to the Association."

Ares lifted a hand, stopping him from saying anything more.

His eyes remained on Aisha as he asked, "You loaned a piece of Association equipment to someone for money?"

Aisha gave a small nod.

"Yes."

Ares’s expression became increasingly difficult to read.

It wasn’t anger yet because there was simply too much disbelief in it.

"Who did you loan it to?"

"That is a confidential matter."

Ares’s brows rose.

Aisha kept her expression steady despite the pressure building inside her chest. "The person requested privacy, and I agreed, so the equipment will be returned in three days."