Chapter 228: Ch 228: The Plan- Part 2
Selene walked through the dimly lit corridors of the center, her footsteps echoing softly against the cold concrete floor.
Her mind was a whirlwind of calculations and strategies. She had to make this perfect.
’The explosion needs to be believable.’
If she was going to convince the Vale family that Noah and Nora had perished, she couldn’t afford to leave any loose ends.
The location had to be close enough for the explosion to be detected, but far enough that it wouldn’t harm the center.
Controlled. Contained. But convincing.
Selene’s eyes narrowed as she ntally mapped out the area surrounding the center.
"There’s a place..."
She murmured to herself, her mind drifting back to her mories.
She had seen a similar explosion once before.
A staged accident orchestrated to eliminate targets while leaving no trace behind. It had been flawless.
The location had been a decaying factory site on the outskirts of the city, a perfect cover for sothing catastrophic.
Selene’s fingers tapped against her thigh as she considered her options.
There’s an abandoned structure nearby... not too far, but just enough for it to seem plausible.
"What a headache this whole thing is turning out to be."
She headed toward the storage area where the center kept so ergency supplies.
She needed enough combustible materials to make it look convincing—nothing too sophisticated, just enough to create chaos and leave no trace.
As her hand reached for one of the containers—
[Why settle for a fake explosion when you can make it real?]
Selene’s entire body went rigid.
The voice echoed inside her head, smooth and sinister, a whisper that brushed against her consciousness like a cold breeze.
[You have the power, child. Why pretend... when you can make it happen?]
Her fingers trembled slightly, but she clenched her jaw and shook her head, trying to clear the intrusive thought.
"Great! Now I am beginning to hear things again."
She shoved the feeling aside, forcing herself to focus. But the chill lingered in the back of her mind.
I’m imagining things.
She tried to convince herself, but a knot of unease settled deep in her stomach.
An hour later, Selene stood in the supply room, ticulously arranging the materials she had gathered. She double-checked everything, making sure the sequence would go off without a hitch.
This will work.
Just as she was about to finish—
[You’re wasting your potential.]
Selene’s heart skipped a beat.
The voice was back.
[Why struggle with these trivial things? Let
help.]
Her breath caught in her throat, and she instinctively activated her system.
"Insight."
She whispered under her breath.
A familiar glow appeared, scanning the area. But instead of detecting a threat or anomaly, a cold ssage flashed across her screen:
"No external interference detected. Host is alone."
Her blood ran cold.
Alone?
"Then... what the hell is this?"
She murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
[I told you before as well, child. You need to embrace . I am not here to hurt you]
"Stop!"
Selene hissed, shaking her head violently.
And just like that, the voice was gone again.
But the chill it left behind lingered.
’What’s happening to ?’
Selene exhaled shakily, forcing herself to focus. She couldn’t let this distraction get to her.
Not now.
Once the supplies were in place, Selene’s mind shifted back to the next phase of her plan. She pulled out her communicator and contacted Ethan.
[Release them]
She instructed, her tone firm.
Ethan’s voice crackled through the line.
"Both of them?"
He asked, a note of amusent lacing his tone.
"Yes. Tell them to run toward the coordinates I sent. Just enough discretion to be caught by a city cara."
Selene replied.
"Ah. So, you want the Vale family to see them escape."
Ethan murmured, catching on quickly.
"Exactly."
Selene confird.
If the caras caught Noah and Nora fleeing, it would add credibility to the narrative that they were trying to escape the center when the explosion occurred.
"Make sure no one screws it up."
Selene added.
"Relax. I’ll handle it."
Ethan said lazily.
Selene’s fingers tapped against her leg, her mind already moving to the next piece of the puzzle.
[Rize.]
Selene sent a private ssage through her system.
[I need you to get Heera to walk through the front passage. The one with that working street cara.]
A response ca almost imdiately.
[Why?]
[It’s a part of the plan. Just trust
and do this.]
Rize’s reply was brief.
[Understood. I will do that.]
Selene exhaled softly, her heart pounding in her chest.
’It’s coming together.’
But despite the careful planning, a lingering feeling gnawed at her.
That voice...
She pushed the thought away, refusing to let it consu her.
Focus.
Everything had to be perfect.
Later...
Nora’s expression was unreadable as she and Noah stood in the alleyway, just a few blocks from the designated spot.
"Run toward the coordinates."
Selene had instructed.
"Make sure you’re seen."
Noah glanced at Nora, concern flickering in his eyes.
"You okay?"
He asked quietly.
"Fine."
Nora muttered, though her jaw was clenched tight.
"Ethan said this was our best shot. We just need to trust Selene."
Noah murmured.
"Trust..."
Nora’s voice trailed off, her expression clouded with doubt.
But before she could dwell on it, Ethan’s voice crackled through their earpieces.
"Move,"
He ordered.
Noah and Nora exchanged a brief look before darting into the open, making sure to pass through the area where the city’s surveillance would catch them.
Selene watched the feed remotely, her pulse quickening as the caras picked up exactly what she needed.
Good.
Everything was falling into place.
But as she stood there, a cold whisper brushed against her mind again.
[You’re doing well, Selene...but we can do better]
Selene’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms.
"Shut up."
She murmured under her breath.
Selene’s eyes burned with determination as she focused on the plan. She could not afford for things to go badly this ti. Especially not with what was on line.
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