Free Web NovelChapter 165: Chapter 165: The Root of the Problem
The silence inside the ruined office became For five agonizing minutes, neither Alexander nor Marcus moved a single muscle, standing perfectly still like two dark, faceless statues in the shadows of the room The only sound was the distant, rhythmic ticking of a damaged wall clock.
Then, the faint, grinding screech of shifting wood and metal cut through the quiet.
Beneath the desk, the hollow section of the floor began to move A concealed trapdoor was slowly being pushed upward from the darkness below Alexander and Marcus immediately melted into the room’s primary blind spots, flanking the opening with their weapons raised, their movements silent and lethal.
A man’s head emerged from the subterranean opening, his eyes frantically scanning the immediate perimeter He didn’t see the two operators crouching in the darkness.
"Hurry the fuck up or I will literally kill you right here!" whispered the man harshly down into the hole, waving a semi-automatic pistol in his right hand "Move it!".
Three young women climbed out of the trapdoor, trembling violently and sobbing in pure terror Among them, her face pale and her clothes stained with dust, was Alexander’s cousin She was clutching her arms, her eyes wide with trauma The armed man aggressively grabbed her by the shoulder, shoving her toward the center of the office.
Alexander kept his finger resting gently on the trigger of his HK416, his dark eyes locking onto the kidnapper He didn’t fire He was waiting assessing the variable of potential reinforcements before executing the threat.
A second later, another heavily built man climbed out of the subterranean passage, holding a compact submachine gun He wiped a layer of sweat from his forehead, looking around the blood-splattered hallway outside the office with deep confusion.
"What the hell was all that noise?" asked the second man, his voice shaking as he lowered his weapon slightly "Where did the guards go? Marcus and the others aren’t answering the radio Did the cops hit the front entrance or what?".
"I don’t know, man, but the comms went dead right after the explosions" stated the first man, his grip tightening on his pistol as he kicked a heavy wooden crate out of the way "Help me pull these boxes out We need to grab the duffel bags with the wire-transfer cash and clear out through the drainage tunnels before whoever did this comes back".
The three girls were forced into a corner, huddled together and shivering on the cold concrete Despite the absolute terror painted across her face, Alexander’s cousin lifted her head, her eyes flashing with a sudden, desperate defiance.
"You are dead" stated his cousin, her voice trembling but filled with conviction "My cousin Alexander is going to find you When he gets here, he is going to destroy every single one of you".
The first man turned around, a dark, vicious sneer spreading across his face.
"Shut your stupid mouth!" shouted the man, stepping forward and delivering a brutal, resounding slap across her cheek that sent her crashing hard against the floor "Your cousin isn’t doing shit, you little bitch!".
He never saw the shadow move.
BANG! BANG!
Two high-velocity rounds erupted from the dark corner of the room with a deafening roar The first bullet tore cleanly through the wrist of the man who had just struck her, shattering the bone and sending his pistol clattering away The second bullet drilled straight into the kneecap of the second man with the submachine gun, snapping the joint instantly.
Both men collapsed to the ground in a fraction of a second, letting out synchronized, blood-curdling screams of agony as blood began to pool rapidly on the concrete floor.
Alexander stepped out of the blind spot, his HK416 still raised, the matte-black ballistic mask obscuring any human emotion Beside him, Marcus advanced like a massive wall of iron, his tactical shotgun leveled straight at their heads. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Do not die just yet" stated Alexander, his deep, synthesized voice echoing coldly behind the polymer visor as he walked right up to the groaning men "We still have a long, thorough conversation ahead of us".
The two wounded men writhed on the floor, their hands desperately clutching their shattered limbs as they let out ragged, breathless groans of pure agony The submachine gun and the pistol lay discarded a few feet away, out of their reach.
In the corner, the three girls scrambled backward against the wall, their eyes wide with horror as they stared at the two imposing, faceless figures standing over the blood-splattered floor Alexander’s cousin was hyperventilating, holding her bruised cheek, unable to recognize the towering man behind the matte-black ballistic mask.
"Marcus, secure the perimeter and keep the girls covered" stated Alexander, his deep voice carrying a cold, clinical indifference that made the injured men shiver "I will handle the dialogue".
"Copy that" stated Marcus, his frame shifting to block the doorway, his tactical shotgun held loosely but perfectly ready as his eyes scanned the room.
Alexander stepped forward, his heavy combat boots crunching deliberately over the broken glass and wood splinters He stopped directly over the first man—the one who had dared to strike his cousin The man was panting heavily, his face pale from shock as blood pumped rapidly from his ruined wrist. freēwēbnovel.com
"Please... please don’t kill me" wheezed the man, his eyes staring into the hollow, dark visor of Alexander’s mask "Take the money... it’s in the duffel bags down there... over three hundred thousand... just let us go".
Alexander didn’t answer He slowly lowered the barrel of his HK416 until the smoking metal pressed directly into the open, bleeding wound on the man’s wrist.
"AGGGHHH! STOP! STOP! PLEASE!" screamed the man, his body convulsing violently on the concrete as the intense heat and pressure sent a wave of agonizing pain straight through his nervous system.
"I am going to ask you a sequence of questions, and you are going to answer them with precision" stated Alexander, unfazed by the screaming "Who authorized the digital extortion operation using my cousin’s mobile data? Was it a localized target, or were you instructed by someone outside your organization?".
"It was just an opportunistic pull! I swear to God!" sobbed the man, his forehead pressed against the floor as he wept "Marcus from the cybercafé... he handles the local street runners! He told us he got a premium device from the high school We checked the contacts, saw the family had a massive house in the upper district, and decided to run the car-accident script! Nobody told us to do it! We didn’t know who she was!".
Alexander analyzed the man’s vocal tremors and facial micro-expressions behind the blood The terror was too much for a lie This confirmation eliminated the threat variable of a rival organization or the Sinclair syndicate targeting his family directly It was a simple, random act of street criminality that had crossed his path.
"Alex" muttered Marcus through the tactical comms, his voice low "The girls are shivering We need to clear the area before local law enforcement coordinates a response to the gunfire".
Alexander slowly lifted the rifle barrel away from the wound He turned his head slightly, his dark visor locking onto his cousin, who was staring at him with a mixture of intense fear and faint, confused curiosity.
"The threat has been neutralized" stated Alexander, his voice remaining deep and synthesized through the mask as he addressed the girls "Stand up slowly and walk out the rear exit Marcus will escort you safely to the vehicles".
