Chapter 2: The Alibi on a Silver Cane"We were just throwing away an old carpet from Room 301, Mr. Henderson."Colter Burke answered the question without blinking, even though the palm inside his jacket pocket was slick with cold sweat. He deliberately stepped forward to block Mr. Henderson's view of the manual freight elevator gate, which wasn't fully locked yet.Mr. Henderson didn't respond immediately. The old man lifted his silver cane, inspecting the tip that was now slightly stained with red, then pulled a white handkerchief from his suit pocket to wipe the metal clean with agonizing slowness."An old carpet?" Mr. Henderson repeated Colt's words, his tone dripping with condescension. "If I recall correctly, Room 301's inventory has used parquet wood flooring for the past five years. Did your grandfather suddenly change the amenities there?""My grandfather didn't install it, Mr. Henderson," Colt cut in quickly, using his grandfather's old ledger records to back up his lie. "In t

Chapter 4: The Hot CoreColter couldn’t let the muscles in his face tense in front of Mr. Henderson. He knew one wrong blink and the lawyer would immediately call in the armed security team from headquarters.“The machine is running, Mr. Henderson,” Colter said, meeting the middle-aged man’s eyes without hesitation. “And the red liquid your technician saw is a mix of leftover lubricant oil and chemical cleaner from Ms. Mercer’s carpet that I just threw down there.”Mr. Henderson didn’t answer. He just stared at Colter with a sharp, probing look, searching for any crack in the young man’s expression. The silence on the third-floor corridor grew heavier, broken only by the sound of rain still hitting the window at the end of the hall.“Lubricant oil wouldn’t trigger the incinerator’s heat sensor to max level within two minutes, Colter,” Mr. Henderson said, raising his phone again. “My technicians say the heat indicator in the underground control room spiked drastically, like something v

Chapter 6: THE SHAKING BARRICADEColter didn’t wait for the fire alarm to stop wailing. The moment it sounded, he yanked open the door to Room 303 and ran out into the third-floor corridor. His steps were fast and heavy against the tiled floor. Behind him, Ines followed in silence, moving lightly as if she knew every corner of this building by heart.At the far end of the hallway, Linus was already half leaning out of Room 302. His face was pale, cold sweat running down his temples, and in his right hand he gripped a communication radio that kept crackling with static.“Colt! They’ve breached the ground floor lobby!” Linus shouted the moment he saw Colter. “There are four armed men in full black tactical gear. They didn’t use the elevator. They came straight up through the main emergency stairwell and they’re already on the second floor!”Colter stopped at the corridor intersection. His breath caught for a second. Four armed men, coming up the emergency stairs, and moving fast. If the

CHAPTER 8: THE LOCKING SIRENSA heavy metallic roar sounded from behind the walls of Room 304 the moment Colter Burke pulled the iron lever under the desk. Five-centimeter-thick steel bars slid down from the outer ceiling, permanently sealing every window and emergency exit on the third floor. This total lockdown didn’t just trap Colter and Duncan Briggs inside the room — it also trapped the remaining members of the outside faction’s assault team in the main corridor.Duncan Briggs staggered back after his chest slammed into the edge of the overturned desk. The silenced pistol in his hand flew loose, but the lawyer’s assistant quickly rolled across the concrete floor and grabbed it again before Colter could get to his feet.“You think those iron bars are going to save you, Colter?” Duncan hissed, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth. He aimed the pistol back at Colter, who was still lying prone near the wall. “This locking system also trapped you in here with me. There’s

Chapter 10: THREE GUN BARRELSThe man in black tactical gear stepped into Room 304 with his assault rifle ready to fire. The flashlight under the barrel swept across the room, locking onto Colter Burke near the door and Duncan Briggs standing beside the overturned desk. The gun barrel moved unsteadily between the two of them, trying to decide which was the primary target to take down first.“Don’t move! Hands up above your heads!” the attacker barked, his voice rough behind a black balaclava.Colter slowly raised both hands, dropping the piece of wood to the floor to show he had no firearm. But his eyes stayed on Duncan Briggs, who was slowly moving his left hand toward the torn pocket of his gray suit jacket.“I’m not your enemy, Soldier,” Duncan said in the most professional tone he could manage, trying to control the tactical situation. “I’m the one who sent your faction leader the coordinates for this apartment. The suitcase on that desk contains all of Ines Mercer’s personal data