CHAPTER 60 The sub-basement swallowed sound.Not just quiet , but soundless, as if every vibration that touched the concrete was smothered before it lived. Ethan paused at the final landing with one hand braced against the wall. The cold from the lower level climbed through his arm like frostbite.The automated voice still echoed in the darkness below:“Deleting subject: Ethan Grey.”“Initiating purge sequence.”A low mechanical thrum vibrated through the stairwell, like a massive engine waking from a long sleep. Ethan felt it before he heard it — a pulse radiating through wires, floor plates, steel conduits.The Network Core.A place he’d never seen.A place Control had sworn didn’t exist.A place she was racing toward now.He took the last steps fast, boots hitting concrete with sharp, steady strikes. A faint emergency strip light flickered along the wall, guiding him into a cathedral-sized chamber carved out beneath the tower.And there it was.The Core.A cylindrical vault of st

Chapter 62 Morning crept in slowly, a weak ribbon of pale gold pushing through the blinds as though unsure it had the right to enter. The house was quiet, too quiet,and that silence pressed against the walls like a warning. Maya woke first, her eyes open before her mind fully caught up, her chest rising in a shaky breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. For the first time in days, no one was shouting, crying, or pacing the hallway. Peace should have felt comforting, but instead it felt unnatural, like calm before something sharper.She slipped out of bed, feet touching the cool floor. Every muscle in her body remembered the fights, the revelations, the night of half-truths turned into weapons. She still felt the echoes of it in her bones.Down the hall, Elena was sitting on the edge of the couch, hands clasped, staring at the front door as if she expected it to open on its own. Her hair was pulled back messily, her eyes carrying the exhaustion of someone who had fought battle

Chapter 64 Naomi didn’t realize she was holding her breath until Detective Harris finished speaking. The living room felt suddenly too small, the air too thin, as if the walls themselves were leaning in to listen.Maya was the first to find her voice. “What do you mean someone called asking about us? Who?”Harris didn’t sit. He stayed standing, tense, watchful, every muscle tight like he expected the situation to turn at any moment.“I don’t have a name,” he said. “The inquiry came through an encrypted line routed through three different servers. Whoever made that call knew how to hide. But they asked directly for you three. By full name. And they referenced the night of the incident.”A shiver rolled through Elena. “How would anyone outside the department know the details? That case wasn’t public.”“That’s the problem,” Harris said. “Someone on the inside is leaking information. Or someone on the outside has access they shouldn’t.”Naomi paced, fingers pressed against her temples. “

Chapter 66 Darkness swallowed the house so quickly it felt intentional, precise, engineered, timed down to the heartbeat. Naomi’s breath hitched as the lights blinked off, leaving only the thin silver glow leaking through the cracks around the boarded windows. Maya grabbed her hand. Elena stumbled back, hitting the wall with a soft thud. Harris didn’t yell. He didn’t panic. He spoke with the cold authority of someone who had rehearsed this moment in nightmares. “Stay close. Move now.” He switched on a small tactical light clipped to his vest. A tight white beam cut through the dark, trembling slightly with his breath but steady enough to guide them. He led them toward the kitchen, toward the cellar door that sat half-hidden behind an old, dust-covered shelf. Another click cracked through the house. This one louder. Deeper. Mechanical. Elena flinched. “What is that? What did they turn on?” Harris didn’t look back. “A lock. Or a trigger. Either way, it means we’re running out

Chapter 68 The alarms didn’t scream. They breathed. A low, rhythmic pulse rolled through the tunnel, red light waxing and waning as if the walls themselves had a heartbeat. Naomi stood frozen, every instinct tearing her in opposite directions, run, fight, scream, deny. The man before them hadn’t moved, yet the space felt smaller with each pulse, compressed by his presence. Maya tightened her grip on Naomi’s arm. “Naomi,” she whispered, “say something.” Naomi swallowed. Her mouth tasted like copper. “Don’t, don’t let him separate us.” The man smiled faintly at that, as if she’d solved a riddle too late. He lowered his hand, and the alarms softened, settling into a steady hum. “I won’t,” he said. “Not yet.” Elena’s voice trembled. “You said he was dead.” “I said the case was closed,” Naomi replied. “I said the evidence ended him.” Her eyes never left his face. “I never said the truth did.” He inclined his head, acknowledging the distinction. “Truth is inefficient,” he said. “I