Apocalypse: Reborn with a Soul Sync Farming Space System-Chapter 56 Liability

Camile did not back down this time. Even though every instinct warned her to create distance between them, she forced her feet to remain rooted to the ground. Retreating now would only confirm his suspicion, and she refused to hand him that satisfaction.

"You are making a mistake," she said evenly, lifting her chin despite the faint bruise darkening around her throat. "If I wanted to betray you, I wouldn’t be standing here."

Mack stopped just a few inches from her, his frame towering over her, his gaze lowered slightly as if measuring the truth behind her composure.

"Then explain why our base was destroyed," he said. His voice was quiet, yet it carried far more threat than a shout ever could.

Camile inhaled slowly before answering.

"What matters now is not what we lost, but how quickly we can recover it, we can continue investigating it while protecting our other bases."

She reached into her handbag and pulled out a card, holding it between two fingers. "I already secured new funds, it is more than enough to rebuild the base, replace the supplies, and expand twice over if necessary."

For the first time since she entered the room, Mack’s expression changed, not into belief, but into something colder.

He took the card from her without a word and handed it to the man standing near the entrance.

"Check it."

The room fell into a suffocating silence. Even the men standing guard seemed to hold their breath.

Then, a soft mechanical beep broke the stillness.

The man checking the card frowned and tried again, pressing the card more firmly against the machine this time.

Another sharp beep followed.

He glanced up, uncertainty flickering across his face. "...Declined."

Camile’s brows knitted together. "Run it again."

The man obeyed immediately.

Beep.

Declined.

A third attempt followed, slower this time, as though hesitation alone might change the outcome.

Beep.

Declined.

The color drained from Camile’s face.

"That’s impossible," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. That card should have a lot of funds. Ronan had personally given it to her, and there was no way he would give her a card that was frozen.

Unless... Unless something had happened... The Wayne family isn’t going bankrupt, are they?

Mack watched her carefully, and whatever he saw in her expression seemed to confirm his worst assumption.

"So this is your ’secured funding’?" he asked quietly.

Before she could respond, his hand struck her across the face. The sound cracked through the room like a gunshot.

Camile staggered sideways, her shoulder slamming into the edge of the table before she collapsed to one knee. A sharp ringing filled her ears, and for a moment the world tilted violently beneath her.

Warmth spread across her lip. When she lifted her fingers to touch her lips, they came away stained with blood.

"No one lies to me and walks away untouched," Mack said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Humiliation burned through her, hotter than the pain burning around her neck and cheek.

The men who once looked at her with respect were now watching with curiosity, others with poorly concealed disdain.

In that single moment, the invisible authority she once carried inside this building shattered.

"I did not lie," Camile said hoarsely, forcing herself back to her feet. Her cheek throbbed violently, but she refused to cradle it. "Someone blocked the card."

"Convenient," Mack replied.

His gaze hardened further. "You came in late. Our base is destroyed. The funds you promised do not exist." He tilted his head slightly. "Tell me, Camile... why shouldn’t I assume you are becoming a liability?"

The word settled heavily in the air.

’Liability, not partner, nor ally... but a liability.’ Camile’s nails dug into her palm as understanding dawned with brutal clarity. Her influence here was slipping faster than sand slipping through fingers.

"I will fix this," she said, each word deliberate. "Give me a little time and I will secure another fund. You know my worth, without me, you wouldn’t even know what is coming, and would be walking blindly into danger."

Mack studied her for a long moment before turning away, as if she were no longer worth the full weight of his attention. "You have one chance," he said flatly.

"Fail again... and you won’t step through these doors a second time." He paused before adding, "Until then, you no longer make decisions for Severance. You will report to me before taking any action."

The demotion was not spoken outright but everyone in the room understood it.

Camile swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat. Since her rebirth, she felt the helpless feeling of being out of total control again. The first was with Chris Lennox, the second time was with Laurel and the Wayne family, now this...

She hated it.

....

Back in the Wayne mansion.

Laurel came back home when it was already late evening. Her joints were a little sore, so she stretched her arms as she stepped inside the mansion.

Right beside the entrance was the overenergized Tina holding a baby blue teddy bear to her chest, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The moment she sighted Laurel, she jumped in her way. "Aunty Laurel, welcome back. How was your day?" she asked with a bright smile.

A soft smile graced Laurel’s face, and she bent slightly to her level. She patted Tina’s hair. "It was a little hard but it was fine, thank you for asking." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Tina returned her smile, her eyes widening as she waited for Laurel to give her the gift she promised her.

Laurel stared at her, her smile turning a little awkward. ’Shouldn’t she leave yet? Why is she standing there with those wide eyes as if I’m owing her something?’

"Laurel, give me a few moments, I need to give something to her." Ling Xuan’s voice echoed in her head.

’Oh, that was it.’

"Okay," Laurel muttered.

The next second she went still for a moment, then her soft gaze turned colder.

Ling Xuan, being in control of the body now, gently flicked Tina’s head. "So impatient." She muttered under her breath.

"Aunty Laurel, what did I do wrong?" Tina asked with a pouted lip.

If it were anyone else, they would want to squeeze those round cute cheeks which resembled a soft bun, but Ling Xuan looked away, as if the expression was too much for her to handle.

"Close your eyes." Ling Xuan said calmly, returning her gaze to her.

Tina’s eyes widened slightly in excitement before closing them.

Ling Xuan glanced around, certain she was alone, she used her thoughts to move the gift from the space.

"Open them." Ling Xuan said softly.

"Wow," Tina’s mouth formed an O as she stared at the dagger in Ling Xuan’s hand.