The Billionaire Heir's Revenge

Chapter 17: The Awakening Laboratory

The conference room was silent.

Everyone stared at the image on Sebastian's tablet.

The abandoned laboratory.

The birthplace of Subject Zero.

The facility that should have remained dead for over twenty years.

Yet now—

It was alive again.

Ethan slowly stood.

"When do we leave?"

Victor didn't hesitate.

"Immediately."

Isabella nodded.

"If the Black Phoenix activated the facility, then we're already behind."

Sebastian turned off the screen.

"I've prepared a transport team."

Ethan looked around the room.

"The laboratory contains answers."

His eyes hardened.

"And I'm done chasing shadows."

Four hours later.

A Blackwell Global helicopter cut through the darkness.

Below them stretched endless mountains.

The laboratory was hidden in one of the most remote regions in the country.

Its location had been erased from maps decades ago.

Inside the aircraft, nobody spoke much.

Each person was lost in thought.

Ava sat quietly near the rear.

Victor reviewed old facility blueprints.

Sebastian monitored security reports.

Ethan stared out the window.

The closer they got—

The stranger he felt.

As though something inside him recognized the place.

As though some forgotten part of his past was awakening.

At the same time.

Inside the hidden laboratory.

Emergency lights glowed red.

Ancient systems hummed back to life.

Dust-covered computers flickered.

Security doors unlocked.

And deep within the facility—

Lady Raven stood before a massive steel chamber.

Her beautiful face reflected in the reinforced glass.

Inside the chamber sat a strange device.

A machine unlike anything seen in modern science.

Ancient.

Advanced.

Terrifying.

Richard Kane stood nearby.

His expression was respectful.

Almost fearful.

"The heir is coming."

Lady Raven smiled.

"Good."

Her fingers brushed the glass.

"I've waited twenty years for this moment."

Richard hesitated.

"Will it really work?"

The woman looked at him.

Her eyes were cold.

"Of course."

Then she smiled.

"After all..."

"Subject Zero belongs to us."

Two hours later.

The helicopter landed.

The mountain wind howled fiercely.

Snow covered the surrounding cliffs.

Before them stood a massive underground entrance.

The laboratory.

Or what remained of it.

The giant steel doors were already open.

Someone had entered recently.

Fresh tire tracks covered the snow.

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

"We're not alone."

Victor nodded.

"No."

They drew their weapons.

Then entered.

Inside.

The facility felt like a ghost town.

Dark hallways stretched endlessly.

Dust covered every surface.

Yet signs of recent activity were everywhere.

Footprints.

Equipment.

Recently powered systems.

Someone had been working here.

Recently.

Very recently.

The deeper they went—

The stronger Ethan's strange feeling became.

Then they reached the central archive.

A massive circular room.

Hundreds of servers lined the walls.

Most were inactive.

Except one.

A single terminal glowed softly.

Waiting.

Almost as if it expected them.

Ethan approached.

The screen activated automatically.

Words appeared.

IDENTITY CONFIRMED

WELCOME, SUBJECT ZERO

The room fell silent.

Then a video began playing.

Ethan froze.

Because the woman on the screen was his mother.

The recording quality was poor.

Old.

But unmistakable.

His mother looked directly into the camera.

Tears filled her eyes.

Yet she smiled.

A gentle smile.

The kind only a mother could give.

"Ethan."

The room became completely silent.

"If you're watching this..."

Her voice trembled.

"...then we've run out of time."

Ethan felt his chest tighten.

Every person remained motionless.

Listening.

Watching.

His mother continued.

"The world you're about to inherit is built on lies."

The screen flickered.

"We created Project Phoenix because we had no choice."

She lowered her gaze.

"We made a terrible mistake."

Victor's expression changed immediately.

A terrible mistake?

Nobody had ever mentioned that.

His mother continued.

"The Phoenix Gene should never have been awakened."

Silence.

Then she looked directly into the camera again.

"If anyone tells you that you're a weapon..."

A faint smile appeared.

"Don't believe them."

Tears formed in Ethan's eyes.

For the first time in years—

He heard his mother's voice.

His real mother's voice.

The recording continued.

"You're my son."

"Nothing more."

"Nothing less."

Then suddenly—

The screen distorted.

Static filled the room.

Warning messages flashed.

Someone had remotely accessed the system.

A red symbol appeared.

The Black Phoenix.

Everyone's expressions darkened.

Then a new face appeared on the monitor.

Richard Kane.

The room exploded with shock.

Ava gasped.

Sebastian clenched his fists.

Victor's eyes narrowed.

The traitor.

Finally revealed.

Richard smiled calmly.

"Hello, Ethan."

The smile felt almost friendly.

Which somehow made it worse.

Ethan's eyes became ice cold.

"So it was you."

Richard nodded.

"Yes."

No denial.

No excuse.

No hesitation.

Just the truth.

For fifteen years—

He had betrayed the Blackwell Family.

For fifteen years—

He had served the enemy.

Richard leaned closer to the camera.

"You should leave."

Ethan laughed.

A dangerous laugh.

"Or what?"

Richard's smile widened.

Then he said six words that chilled everyone.

"You're already standing on a bomb."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Then—

The facility alarms activated.

Red warning lights flashed everywhere.

A computerized voice echoed through the laboratory.

SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE INITIATED

TEN MINUTES UNTIL DETONATION

Boom.

The entire facility shook violently.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

Ava's face turned white.

Victor cursed.

Sebastian immediately reached for his communicator.

The laboratory was about to explode.

And they were trapped inside.

Meanwhile, on the monitor—

Richard Kane continued smiling.

As if watching a movie.

As if the deaths of everyone present meant nothing.

Then he delivered one final message.

"The Black Phoenix thanks you for bringing us the key."

The room froze.

The key?

Everyone immediately turned toward Ava.

Her face lost all color.

The silver key.

The one she carried.

The reason she had been hunted.

The reason all of this was happening.

And somewhere inside the facility—

Hidden cameras watched their every move.

Because this entire mission had been planned.

Every step.

Every choice.

Every action.

The laboratory wasn't a trap.

It was bait.

And Ethan had walked directly into it.

TO BE CONTINUED...