The moment I said that, the team members’ expressions shifted.

So there was something to hide after all.

That night, the footage from a miniature surveillance device I had secretly set up captured Sophia’s voice.

“Do you think she suspects something?”

David scoffed. “Don’t spook yourself. I’ve always been careful—I didn’t leave any loose ends.”

“That Morgan woman is just a crazy researcher obsessed with her work. Aside from seniority, what does she really have? Even if she knows something, who’s she going to report it to?”

The corner of my mouth curled upward.

A crazy woman?

When I was leading the construction of Lunar Base One, they were still waiting for their turn on the Book of the Dead.

“Did you turn in the fake samples?”

“Yeah. If it weren’t for Serenity insisting on reporting, even interfering, we would’ve had a lot more of the ‘good stuff’ in hand.”

This expedition had been to an uncharted planet, to map terrain and search for special plant life.

I had read their report—it only mentioned common plants, and brushed off Serenity with a single line: “accidentally destroyed.”

Not a word of it did I believe.

I suspected they had discovered something unusual, and to keep it hidden, they had sabotaged Serenity.

But what exactly was this “good stuff”?

Choking down my fury, I requested additional engineers to help me repair Serenity.

Commander Johnson looked uneasy. “That won’t be easy. The assessment is clear—it’s too badly damaged. Repair isn’t cost-effective. Better to decommission it.”

I slammed my palm on the table so hard it shook.

“If you dare decommission Serenity, I’ll resign.”

His face darkened instantly. “Claire, I’ve shown you respect because of your contributions to the Base, but this attitude of yours—?”

My identity was unusual, bound by secrecy. Years ago, Professor Anderson had invited me repeatedly before I finally agreed to join the new Base team as an engineer.

After he retired, no one knew my true background. In their eyes, I was just a competent but ordinary engineer.

“Don’t think your professor’s favoritism makes you untouchable. Cross me, and I’ll have you digging ore in the mines.”

My heart clenched with anger, but there was nothing I could do.

If they wouldn’t help, I’d do it myself.

I lived in the lab, patching up Serenity. When fatigue hit, I drank energy drinks like water.

Just as I made a bit of progress, rumors spread through the Base—claims that I was wasting precious resources repairing a robot.

Who was behind it was all too clear.

I thought about ignoring it, but soon my supplies were being cut without explanation.

At the cafeteria entrance, people blocked my path.

“If you love robots so much, why don’t you drink motor oil instead of eating food?”

“Look how worked up you are over a dead tin can. Did you grieve like this when your parents died?”

“Don’t forget the seventh-day memorial—burn some circuits and motherboards as offerings. Maybe it’ll visit you in a dream.”

Laughter erupted. Fingers pointed.

I forced myself to stay calm. “Without Serenity, there wouldn’t even be a Base today.”

Sophia wore a worried smile. “Claire, you’re exhausted. Remember, robots are built to serve humans. That’s their purpose.”

I recalled the venom in her expression when she mentioned Serenity blocking them from collecting samples.

“Its job was only to record, analyze, and store expedition data. Fighting alien creatures was never in its design.”

Her face paled, then she squeezed out a few tears.

“So you’re still hung up on Serenity being destroyed to save me? Do you really want me to die in its place—would that make you happy?”

“Claire, don’t go too far. It’s just a pile of scrap metal. What, do you expect us to hold a grand funeral and dress in mourning for it?”

The voices of dissent grew sharper. Suddenly, a metal tray flew from somewhere and struck my forehead hard.

I staggered and fell, blood streaming down my face.

David furrowed his brows, feigning grief.

“Claire, everyone knows you’re obsessed with robots to the point of madness. Maybe age is catching up with you and you’re not thinking clearly anymore. Why not just resign?”

I struggled to lift my head, blood blinding my eyes. “I won’t leave. The ones who should go aren’t me.”

After that, I survived on scraps of supplies, fighting to repair Serenity at any cost.

The work was painstaking, complex, and I had no help. Everyone was waiting for me to collapse.

I nearly went blind from exhaustion, but at last, I managed to patch together its shattered core.

When Serenity finally stirred, I was overwhelmed, hugging it tightly, my voice trembling.

“Serenity, tell me what really happened on this mission.”

“Mom will avenge you.”

Its eyes flickered, and in a broken electronic voice, it revealed how David and Sophia had secretly kept a newly discovered plant for themselves and blocked Serenity from reporting it.

“Rejuvenation… new plant… he said… can make money… a lot of money…”

My nose burned, and tears choked me.

So that was why. They had thrown Serenity to alien beasts to destroy it.

That night, I filed a report, though I left myself an escape.

I only stated that Serenity had shown signs of recovery and that new evidence required a reevaluation of the mission, with David and Sophia suspended pending investigation.

Commander Johnson arched a brow. “Ridiculous. Records from a broken robot aren’t reliable.”

“Besides, David is our top terrain expert, and Sophia is an A-class botanist. They’re invaluable. You want me to suspend them over a machine?”

Before I could respond, the office door was kicked open. Furious team members stormed in and threw me to the ground.

“You’d stage a coup for a pile of scrap? If you love it so much, why don’t you jump into the furnace and melt down with it?”

“Captain Miller and Deputy Reed risk their lives leading us, and you’d put them beneath a robot? You back-stabbing traitor! Just go live with your damn machine—we don’t need you here, ‘genius.’”

In their frenzy, they barged into my lab and dragged out the half-repaired Serenity.

“What, you think Earth won’t spin without this metal coffin? You want to drag our captain to die with it? Has a circuit board fried your brain? Let’s smash it and see if you can still keep up this act.”

The clanging blows rang sharp. The glass eyes of Serenity shattered instantly.

I screamed and lunged to stop them, but they pinned my arms behind me, forcing me to the ground.

Strike after strike, until Serenity was flattened into twisted scrap, beyond any hope of repair.

Fury surged like fire in my skull, my vision red, temples pounding.

“You murderers!” I roared until my voice broke.

Commander Johnson didn’t stop them. He strolled forward leisurely.

“Claire, how many times have I told you—robots don’t count as people.”

“I think your grief over Serenity has made you unfit for duty at the Base. Why not take this chance to cool off in Mining Colony Delta?”

That mine was riddled with dark pits—one misstep and your body would never be found. Only death-row convicts were sent there.

If I still couldn’t see that Commander Johnson and David were working together, then I truly was a fool.

He sent the transfer notice to my terminal, his tone casual.

“Effective in seven days. Get some rest.”