The commander and his n walked back into the vault, the smoke from the explosion thinning in the air. None of them showed concern as they approached the source of the blast.
One more step—and the commander stopped.
Creak...
Everyone paused, listening to the loud creak as a section of the wall parted, revealing a door.
Since the path ahead was unlit, one of the n switched on a flashlight and pointed it inside.
Sure enough, the beam revealed drawers built into the wall, like safety deposit boxes. As the light moved further ahead, it revealed a path—a long one, so long that the light could barely reach its end.
"Follow the path and send location pings to track where it leads," the commander ordered coldly.
His n didn’t waste a second. A group of ard operatives imdiately entered the passageway. At the sa ti, another team was instructed to monitor their underground movents from outside and estimate where the tunnel might lead.
That way, they could intercept or block the exit from the outside as well.
As the n split off to complete their tasks, the commander remained in the underground vault. Holding a flashlight of his own, he stepped into the secret passage and stopped just in front of the drawers lining the rough wall.
He reached for one of the drawers and pulled it open.
As expected, it was empty. He moved to the next. Sa result—empty.
The commander didn’t say a word as he turned around and walked out of the passage back into the vault. A few ard n remained with him. His eyes drifted back to the pile of ash where barely any information had survived.
"..." He stayed silent for a mont, then raised his chin and turned to one of the n. "Bring that staff mber here."
The soldier nodded silently and walked off to fetch the staff mber who had opened the hatch leading down to this vault. The commander had been kind enough not to involve the man earlier, to avoid an unnecessary ss.
But in a place like this—an underground vault barely anyone knew existed—cleaning up sses was no longer a concern.
---
Monts later...
n dragged a bloodied man into the center of the vault and forced him into a chair. His face was swollen from a series of punches. His uniform was crumpled and stained. It hadn’t been long since he was brought here, but he’d already lost a tooth.
A strand of bloody saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth as he slowly lifted his eyes. One was swollen shut, but the other remained open—just enough to look around.
Standing a few steps from him was a tall, bulky man with a scar that ran from his brow down to the middle of his eyelid. His expression was unreadable—stern, cold, and dangerous. His gaze alone was enough to intimidate most n... but not the staff mber.
"I..." The staff coughed, spitting blood to the side. "...don’t know, sir. I just... I just follow orders."
The commander’s expression darkened. He’d heard the sa answer too many tis already. The man had been beaten, yet still refused to tell them what they needed to know:
Who was the person who got here before them?
"You’ll die," the commander said calmly, his voice low and controlled. "The person you’re protecting isn’t worth it."
The staff mber coughed again, watching the commander step forward. The commander paused a step away, waiting for the man to look up.
When he didn’t, the soldier behind him grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, forcing him to et the commander’s gaze.
"Telling now will save your life," the commander began. "It won’t heal your wounds, but you’ll at least crawl out of here alive. There’s no point in staying silent for soone you don’t even know."
The man’s shoulders tensed. His bloodied mouth quivered.
"I... I really don’t know," he muttered.
"I see." The commander nodded, turning slightly, when the man suddenly spoke again.
"But—" The staff mber gulped as the commander turned back toward him. "It’s true. I only follow orders. I don’t know much about the person who cos here. My only role is to hand him the key. We never speak. The only thing he ever says is... ’Delro.’"
He exhaled sharply. "It’s a sequence we’ve practiced. He gives the order, waits for to walk past him twice, then tells the code. After that, he’s guided inside. I never see him again until the next ti he cos."
The commander raised a brow. That matched what they’d found in the secret passage.
"I’m not allowed to question him or make small talk," the staff continued. "But tonight... that man didn’t co. Soone else did. Soone who knew the process—and the code."
"And you gave them the key because of that?"
The staff mber’s expression twisted. "The rules are clear. But nowhere does it say I can’t give the key to soone else. As long as they follow the procedure and know the right code, I’m supposed to give them what they ca for. No questions asked, no delay."
It might sound careless, but in truth, it was more complicated than that. If Dean hadn’t been obsessively studying Jonathan and mimicking even his smallest habits, the staff would’ve likely ignored him.
But Dean had been flawless. Even the bartender had approved.
"That person..." The commander pulled sothing from inside his vest and revealed a photo. "Was it this man?"
The staff looked at the photo and shook his head. "He’s not the one who ca tonight. There were two of them."
"Two?" The commander pulled out a second photo. "Do either of these look familiar?"
The staff leaned closer, examining the stolen photos of Zoren and Atlas. His gaze stopped on Zoren—no, it wasn’t him.
Then his eyes shifted to the other man.
That one...
He was sure. That was one of the n who had co in tonight.
But then, he hesitated.
The staff drew a deep breath and looked up, locking eyes with the commander.
"No," he said. "It’s not them, sir. It was soone else."
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